VCE Information

With Term 3 drawing to a close, our Year 12 staff and students are finalising their school based assessments, with SACs for some subjects being completed in the final week of this term. 

As this is the final term of conceptual learning, with the focus in Term 4 on reviewing and exam preparation, it is important that students begin the process of planning for their VCAA exams in the final two weeks of this term in order for them to maximise the opportunities offered by the Term 3 holiday trial exams and revision period. 

A well planned study schedule will enable students to visualise and utilise the available time and study opportunities leading up to their exams. Strategizing will assist students adopt a proactive behaviour, minimising the tendency to feel overwhelmed as they consider the work and timeline ahead of their exams. 

Attached is a document that will enable them to plan, and re plan, their time. It is important that students set goals, review their effectiveness, reflect and plan forward. 

Every student should begin by filling in their personal calendar of exams and working back from the specific date to allocate times to review, initially concepts, then transitioning to whole Areas of Study with a focus on application of knowledge to concept specific questions and eventually move towards applying their knowledge to a whole year exam. 

Students should attempt their first couple of exams while referring to notes or textbook and then transition to whole year exams under timed conditions. Using the assessors report or answers to correct their own work offers learning opportunities and clarification of misconceptions, a much more effective strategy over passive reading that leave students unclear of the uses of the knowledge. 

In preparation for the upcoming holiday practice exams students should aim to review at least one of the Unit 3 Areas of Study, if time is limited, prior to the exam. Once the trial exams have been undertaken students should look to spend the holidays addressing the other areas within the study design and prepare a targeted list of areas that they will address upon their return to school in Term 4. 

The period ahead offers students many learning opportunities but for some, poses as a potentially overwhelming situation. Personal wellbeing is essential in order for students to achieve their best. 

The adoption of the above study advice, in conjunction with time allocated for exercise and time to rest and engage in social activities is important. Students should aim to balance their time between targeted study and time away from study areas and books. 

This is the first of many steps into adult behaviours and we wish our students all the very best in their progression into the next stage of studies. While we have focused on the management of independent study skills we remind students that classroom teachers are available to assist them in every aspect of their studies, from consolidation of key knowledge, to planning study time and targeted exam strategies.