Consideration of Educational Disadvantage

In light of the continued disruption to the 2021 school year, VCAA will use the Consideration of Educational Disadvantage (CED) process to finalise VCE results, giving students certainty that the only thing counting towards their score is their effort and hard work. The CED process accounts for the disruption to student learning caused by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. It applies to every student, including Years 10 and 11 students, who are completing one or more VCE or Scored VCE/VET Units 3 & 4 sequences in 2021.

CED restores a student's results to where they would have been without the disruptions that have occurred throughout the year and makes sure that final VCE results are valid and fair for all students.

Special Consideration will also be available for final year VCAL students to support the College in making a balanced judgment about the level of impact on students and adjusting assessment activities to reflect this.

Students undertaking a VCE or Scored VET pathway, will have the CED process factored into their final scores for VCE and VET subjects, which will then contribute to the Study Score calculation. Students undertaking their final year of a VCAL Pathway are also eligible to apply; this will be taken into consideration when finalising their Learning Outcomes.

Each Year 12 student and those students in Years 10 and 11, who are completing one or more VCE or Scored VCE/VET Units 3 & 4 sequences in 2021 has now received the Student Statement for Consideration of Educational Disadvantage and must complete and submit this to the College at CED@nazareth.vic.edu.au. The information provided in the Student Statement will complement what your teachers and the College already know about you. This information will be used in addition to any existing information the College has in combination with performance and assessment information.

Examples of significant severe impacts relating to Coronavirus include:

direct impact on the health and wellbeing of you and/or your immediate family/household.
long-term or multiple school closures and significant gaps in continuity of learning.
inability to build on practical skills which contribute to a significant proportion of the course.
ongoing issues while learning remotely, for example, internet connectivity issues, unavailability of a suitable device, or access to learning materials.
dealing with substantial extra family responsibilities, for example, increased caring responsibilities for other siblings.
ongoing mental health challenges.
financial hardship.
family problems.
family member losing their job (you have therefore needed to extend hours of employment or gain employment).

The CED provision is different from Special Entry Access Scheme (SEAS). SEAS is offered by VTAC, whereas Consideration of Educational Disadvantage (CED) is provided by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA).

Further information about the CED process can be located on at:

SiMON > Knowledge Banks > Learning Handbooks and Forms > Consideration of Educational Disadvantage.

General Achievement Test (GAT): 5 October 2021

Subject to ongoing public health advice and epidemiological conditions, the GAT will be held on Tuesday 5 October 2021 beginning at 10.00 am and will conclude at 1.15 pm, with extra COVIDSafe conditions in place to keep students and school staff safe. Further information on specific health controls for the conduct of the GAT will be communicated to families when information is released from VCAA.

All students enrolled in one or more VCE or scored VCE VET Units 3 and 4 sequences must undertake the VCAA General Achievement Test (GAT).

The VCAA publication, ‘VCE Exams Navigator 2021’ is available online on the VCAA website and has also been sent to all students undertaking the GAT. This contains all relevant information on:

Approved materials and equipment
VCAA rules
Examination dates and times
Special Provision

No special study is required for the GAT. Past study of subjects like English, Mathematics, Science and History prepares students for the GAT by building their general knowledge and skills in writing, numeracy and reasoning. Students were sent feedback on their practice GAT along with the assessor’s report. They may refer to these in preparation.

The following materials are permitted or required to sit the GAT:

an English and/or bilingual printed dictionary may be used
A thesaurus or a combined thesaurus-dictionary is not permitted
Electronic dictionaries and calculators are not allowed
a blue or black pen for the two Writing Tasks
a pencil for responses on the Multiple-Choice Answer Sheet.

The GAT results:

do not count directly towards a student’s VCE results
help check that school-based and external assessments have been accurately assessed
contribute to statistical moderation of school-based assessment results
help calculate Derived Examination Scores
determine scores in school-based assessment, external assessment and if a derived examination score is required due to illness, accident and trauma.

There is a close correlation between receiving good GAT results and academic achievement. For further information about the GAT and its importance, please visit the following page on the VCAA website: Scored assessment: General Achievement Test

VCE Unit 3 / 4 Trial Examinations & Final Weeks

Further updates on the Trial Examinations and the final weeks will be made available as soon as the college receives further advice.

To help your child cope with the last few weeks of Year 12, read Andrew Fuller’s, Preparing for tests & exams

Ms Rinku Arora

VCE Coordinator

Applied Learning