Year 12 students have been assured they will receive an ATAR university entrance rank and will not have to repeat the school year.

Key points: Australia's 180,000 year 12 students have been anxiously awaiting news about how their final school year will work

Australia's 180,000 year 12 students have been anxiously awaiting news about how their final school year will work The Government will work with universities to decide how ATAR scores will be determined

The Government will work with universities to decide how ATAR scores will be determined Exams will be delayed in Victoria and possibly other states

The Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan says the Commonwealth and states have agreed that all year 12 students will finish high school this year.

The announcement follows a phone hook-up of the national COAG Education Council, comprised of federal and state education ministers, to discuss the COVID-19 crisis and its impact on schooling.

Mr Tehan said the Commonwealth did not want students learning from home to be disadvantaged, and it would consult further on possible adjustments to this year's ATAR scoring.

"When it comes to how the ATAR is calculated and assessed, the Commonwealth is going to do further work with the university sector, with the vocational education sector and will come back to the Education Council in May," he said.

"For all those students out there, for all those parents out there, there will be no year 13, there will be no mass repeating. You will get your leaving certificate this year.

"Every year 12 student will get an ATAR for 2020."

Mr Tehan did not elaborate on how ATAR could be adjusted but mentioned taking into consideration students working from home and those without devices.

"What we all are going to do is to endeavour to make sure that this year's ATAR scores are the same as last year's ATAR scores," he said.

"But we will take into account those students who have to learn from home, those who might not be able to access the technology like others do."

Victoria flags late exams

Earlier today, Victorian Education Minister James Merlino — who is the national chair of the Education Council — reiterated his desire for his state's exams to proceed.

For year 12s, that will mean prolonging a tough year.

The General Achievement Test (GAT), which is usually held in June, will take place in October or November.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews also confirmed that, as in most states, students would be asked to stay home and study remotely when term two began next week.

NSW and most other states have also committed to continuing with assessments for year 12 students.

Schools would not have the capacity to repeat an entire year. And universities that have lost large numbers of international students are desperate for extra domestic students.

Some states, including NSW, have already had their curriculum authorities independently and systematically releasing new rules almost weekly.

Unis look to aptitude tests, bridging courses

The peak body for universities also moved to reassure the year 12 cohort they would be provided with clear pathways into tertiary education.

Universities Australia CEO Catriona Jackson said universities may consider extracurricular work, and year 11 work, as well as year 12 assessments.

"Where appropriate, universities use aptitude tests," she said.

"All universities offer a variety of bridging, foundation and enabling courses to prepare students for university, providing another pathway.

"Also, universities will offer catch-up sessions where needed."

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Prime Minister Scott Morrison said it was up to the states and territories to decide what happened in their schools for the rest of the year.

"We obviously want to ensure that parents who are unable to provide a proper learning environment at home because of their work commitments, that they don't have to choose between their children's education and having a job that can feed their children," Mr Morrison said.

"That is not a situation that we would consider tolerable."

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 1 minute 15 seconds 1 m 15 s Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the decision to close schools remains with the states.

As the Federal Government released the COVID-19 modelling behind its social-distancing policies, national Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy said there still was no strong health argument to close schools.

"We do think that schools should be made safe … but we believe that there is not an evidence base to say that keeping children at home is a strong public health measure," he said.

Year 12 in 2020 'sucks'

How year 12 will be assessed in 2020 has been top of mind for the estimated 180,000 final-year students who have been uncertain about how they will be graded.

Among them is Sydney student Alexia Osler, who has her sights set on a medical engineering degree.

"It'd be really upsetting if we weren't able to go to uni and go down that path after school," she said.

"So I'm hoping the whole system is able to come together and compromise in light of the pandemic."

Alexia Osler is among 180,000 year 12 students facing an unusual final year of school. ( ABC News: Brendan Esposito )

Alexia has swapped the classroom for long days in front of a screen in her bedroom.

"You sort of lose a bit of motivation and it's hard to stay focused at times because [of] the change in environment," she said.

"You go from that routine of being at school to being at home all day.

"It doesn't feel as serious sometimes. It feels a bit more laidback and there's a bit more freedom, I guess, and I just have to make sure I'm taking breaks and still exercising and talking to my friends."

Aside from adapting to a new way of learning during the most stressful year of high school, Alexia and her friends are missing out on spending time together.

All the usual ways of releasing some of the pressure — like 18th birthday parties, formals and even the new-found freedom of having a drivers licence — are now out of reach.

There is little to envy about the pandemic class of 2020.

"Now that those things have been taken from us it's definitely a lot harder, like we're constantly asking ourselves is it even worth it anymore," she said.

"We're not going to get those memories and experiences that a normal year 12 group would. It sucks really, and it's really sad."

Alexia Osler, a year 12 student at Kambala independent girls' school, studies for her HSC at home. ( ABC News: Brendan Esposito )