Overall Position (OP) scores will be scrapped for Queensland's senior high school students for a new tertiary entrance ranking system to be introduced in 2018.

The new system will include a mix of internal and external exams, starting with students entering Year 11 in 2018 — this year's grade eights.

Education Minister Kate Jones has announced Labor is going ahead with the overhaul, which was proposed by the former Liberal National Party government.

She said the current OP system will be replaced by the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank system, in line with other Australian states and territories.

"Queensland is one of the only states, with the ACT, that currently relies on 100 per cent school-based assessment," she said.

Ms Jones said the nature of the new external exams were yet to be decided.

Key points: OP system scrapped out by 2018

OP system scrapped out by 2018 Queensland Core Skills test also phased out

Queensland Core Skills test also phased out To be replaced by external and internal exams

To be replaced by external and internal exams Students currently in Year 8 to be first to use new system

Students currently in Year 8 to be first to use new system Trial of external exams to start 2016

"This external assessment will be something that we work through with the curriculum authority and schools and teachers, to decide exactly what that looks like," she said.

"Of course that may change depending on what subject that is."

External assessment trials will begin in 2016.

Ms Jones said school-based assessment currently in place as part of the OP system will be strengthened remain under the new system.

A Senior Secondary Assessment taskforce will also be created which will include teachers, parents, the Queensland Curriculum Authority, the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre, the union, the Parents and Citizens Association and universities.

"To make sure we get this transition right," Ms Jones said.

Ms Jones said stakeholders had "overwhelmingly" warned against rushing the overhaul.

"Even though we recognise that we should modernise the system in 2018, the OP system we have in place today is working," Ms Jones said.

"We want to make sure that our students in Queensland are getting the best possible education."

Small number of students use OPs to enter university

Queensland Teachers Union president Kevin Bates said only a small number, 28 per cent, of students currently use an OP score to enter university.

He said the community at large understood there was a need to come up with a different way of university entrance.

"It's the sort of detail that does need to be worked out and shared with teachers before we can be completely certain as to what our response to this new system will be," he said.

"But the groundwork certainly gives us some cause to be optimistic about the fact they have the opportunity to make this a better system."

Parents and Citizens' Association spokesman Kevin Goodworth said the amount of work required will be reduced in the new system.

"I think cutting back the pieces of assessment, I think it's being indicated that there may be three or four and then that one piece of external assessment I think will be welcome," he said.

The State Opposition said it welcomed an overhaul of senior education.

LNP education spokesman Tim Mander said the change began under the former Newman government.

"We took an enormous amount of time to make sure that we had the best senior assessment and tertiary entrance system in the country," he said.

"We welcome the fact that the Government has accepted the recommendations of the draft report that was published last year by the LNP government."