Year 10 Mathematics
Mathematics Pathway Options
Students are advised to choose their courses carefully as some tertiary courses have certain mathematics subjects as prerequisites that must be studied at VCE. Please see the VCE Mathematics section of this handbook for further details.
To access any VCE Mathematics students undertake two semesters of mathematics prior to the commencement of their VCE studies.
Students wishing to take Specialist Mathematics in Year 11 should take Year 10 Advanced Maths. Students should achieve a high grade average in Algebra-based units in Year 9 if they wish to access Year 10 Advanced Mathematics.
Students who achieve consistently excellent results in Year 10 Advanced Mathematics and Year 10 Mainstream Mathematics may be allowed to undertake General Mathematics 3 and 4 in Year 11 on an accelerated program basis.
Students who choose to do Year 10 Mainstream Mathematics or Year 10 Advanced Mathematics may be allowed to also concurrently undertake General Mathematics 1 &2 in Year 10 on an accelerated program basis.
Students who choose Specialist Mathematics 1 & 2 in Year 11 MUST also study Mathematical Methods 1 & 2 in Year 11. Students who choose Specialist Mathematics 3 & 4 in Year 12 MUST also study Mathematical Methods 3 & 4 in Year 12.
Year 10 Consumer Mathematics is designed to cater for those students who do not wish to undertake any VCE Maths subjects or who wish to only access VCE Vocational Major Mathematics.
Advanced Mathematics 1 & 2 - Semester 1 & 2
In Year 10 Advanced Mathematics 1&2, students expand upon their knowledge, skills and understanding through the content strands of Number and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry, and Statistics and Probability and Functions. The curriculum focus is on students becoming proficient in mathematical understanding, fluency, reasoning and problem solving. The Year 10 Advanced Mathematics course covers the standard Year 10 curriculum and extends them beyond. It places a greater emphasis on the Number and Algebra strand through extensive studies of polynomial algebra, graphing functions, surds and index laws. Students will also be required to become adept at using the CAS calculator (refer to booklist) as a tool for solving mathematical problems.
These proficiencies will prepare students for the full range of VCE mathematics subjects; Specialist Mathematics, Mathematical Methods and General Mathematics. It is, however, especially designed for those students wanting to prepare for Mathematical Methods and Specialist Mathematics in VCE. This course is recommended only to students who have completed Year 9 mathematics to a very high standard. Students who complete Year 10 Advanced Mathematics can undertake any Units 1 & 2 VCE mathematical study.
Mainstream Mathematics 1 & 2 - Semester 1 & 2
In Year 10 Mainstream Mathematics 1 & 2, the curriculum is targeted towards students wishing to access Units 1 & 2 VCE Mathematical Methods. Students expand upon their knowledge, skills and understanding through the content strands of Number and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry, and Statistics and Probability. The focus is on students becoming proficient in mathematical understanding, fluency, reasoning and problem solving. Students will be given the opportunity to develop core mathematical skills, learn concepts and processes and apply them in routine and unfamiliar contexts.
Students will also be required to become adept at using the CAS calculator (refer to booklist) as a tool for solving mathematical problems. These proficiencies will prepare students for the VCE mathematics subjects of General Mathematics or Mathematical Methods. This course is recommended only to students who have completed Year 9 mathematics to a reasonably high standard.
Practical Mathematics 1 & 2 - Semester 1 & 2
In Year 10 Practical Mathematics 1 & 2, the curriculum focus is on students becoming more proficient in mathematical understanding, fluency, reasoning and problem solving that they will encounter in every day life as well as targeting students who are able to achieve a high standard in this subject and wish to access Units 1 & 2 General Mathematics in Year 11. Students build and expand upon their knowledge, skills and understanding through the content strands of Number and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry, Statistics and Probability from Year 9 Mathematics.
The Year 10 Practical Mathematics course places a greater emphasis on topics such as measurement, statistics and financial mathematics while still allowing students the opportunity to consolidate the necessary core algebraic skills through the study of linear equations and graphs. Students who complete Year 10 Practical Mathematics cannot undertake Units 1 & 2 VCE Mathematical Methods or Units 1 & 2 Specialist Mathematics.
Consumer Mathematics 1 - Semester 1 or 2
Year 10 Consumer Mathematics is designed for students who have found Mathematics challenging. In Consumer Mathematics, students expand upon their knowledge, skills and understanding through the content strands of Number and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry, and Statistics and Probability. There is a strong focus on numeracy skills and emphasis on using mathematics in practical contexts relating to real life. This subject is designed for students who do not intend to complete a mathematics course at VCE.
The topics covered will include Using Statistics, Budgeting and Banking, Compound Interest and Chance. These topics are designed to provide the foundations for a level of proficiency needed in mathematics in many practical contexts. Year 10 Consumer Mathematics is designed to cater for those students who do not wish to undertake any VCE Maths subjects or who wish to only access VCE Vocational Major Mathematics. This subject is only one semester long and depending on student enrolments may run in either semester one or two.
