VCE Mathematics
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FOUNDATION MATHEMATICS
Units 1 & 2
Course Description:
Foundation Mathematics is designed for students who are planning to pursue a vocational or practical pathway and do not require a study of higher-level mathematics for their intended future studies or career path.
Units 1 & 2 focus on building confidence and competence in using mathematics for everyday problem-solving and decision-making. Areas of study include number and numeracy skills, personal finance and financial literacy, measurement and design and data and statistics.
Students develop practical skills through real-world contexts such as budgeting, interpreting data, planning and measurement. The course emphasises hands-on learning, communication of mathematical ideas, and the use of technology to explore solutions. These units aim to make mathematics accessible, meaningful, and directly applicable to life and work situations.
Assessment:
- Topic Tests
- Practical Investigations
- Problem-Solving Tasks
- Semester Examinations
Prerequisites:
Students should have successfully completed Year 10 Foundation Mathematics or Year 10 General Mathematics to undertake Foundation Mathematics Units 1 & 2.
Special Requirements:
A scientific calculator is required and may be retained for Foundation Mathematics 3 & 4.
Financial Contribution:
Unit 1&2 - No financial contribution
Units 3 & 4
Course Description:
It is recommended that students complete Foundation Mathematics Units 1 & 2 prior to commencing Units 3 & 4.
Foundation Mathematics Units 3 & 4 continue to focus on developing numeracy skills relevant to students' personal, work, and community life. These units are suited to students not intending to undertake mathematics at the tertiary level but who require mathematical literacy for employment, training, or daily living.
The areas of study include numeracy in personal and financial contexts, measurement, design and planning, interpreting data and statistics and application of mathematics in community and workplace contexts
Students work on applied tasks, interpret and analyse information, and use mathematics to make informed decisions. The course supports students in becoming confident and capable users of mathematics in daily and vocational settings.
Assessment:
School-Assessed Coursework for Units 3 & 4 includes:
- Three Mathematical Investigation Tasks
- One external examination
Prerequisites:
Satisfactory achievement in Foundation Mathematics Units 1 & 2.
Special Requirements:
A scientific calculator is required.
Additional Financial Contribution:
Unit 3&4 - No financial contribution
View VCAA VCE Mathematics (ALL) Study Design here:
GENERAL MATHEMATICS
Students should have successfully completed Year 10 General Mathematics or Year 10 Mathematical Methods to undertake General Mathematics Unit 1 & 2.
Units 1 & 2
Course Description:
Units 1 and 2 provides for different combinations of student interests as well as preparation for study of VCE Mathematics at the Unit 3 and 4 level. Some students will not study Mathematics beyond Units 1 and 2, while others will intend to study General Mathematics Units 3 and 4. Others will also be studying Mathematics Methods Units 1 and 2 and intend to study Mathematical Methods Units 3 and 4 and, in some cases, Specialist Mathematics Units 3 and 4 as well.
Units 1 and 2 involve the study of selected material from the areas of study: ‘Data analysis, probability and statistics’, ‘Algebra, number and structure’, ‘Functions, relations and graphs’, ‘Discrete mathematics’ and ‘Space and measurement’. Students practice mathematical algorithms, routines and techniques and use them to solve standard problems; apply mathematical knowledge and skills in unfamiliar situations which require investigative, modelling, or problem-solving approaches and use technology appropriately and effectively to learn mathematics and apply it in different contexts. They should have facility with relevant mental and by-hand approaches to estimation and computation.
Assessment:
- Tests
- Investigation Project(s)
- Problem Solving Tasks
- Semester Examinations
Prerequisites:
Students should have successfully completed Year 10 General Mathematics or Year 10 Mathematical Methods to undertake General Mathematics Unit 1 & 2.
Special Requirements:
A CAS Calculator is required and may be retained for Further Mathematics 3 & 4.
(TI-Nspire recommended)
Additional Financial Contribution:
Unit 1&2 - No financial contribution
Units 3 & 4
Course Description:
Units 3 and 4 focus on real-life application of mathematics and consist of the areas of study ‘Data analysis, probability and statistics’ and ‘Discrete mathematics’.
Unit 3 comprises Data analysis and Recursion and financial modelling, and Unit 4 comprises Matrices and Networks and decision mathematics.
Assumed knowledge and skills for General Mathematics Units 3 and 4 are contained in General Mathematics Units 1 and 2, and will be drawn on, as applicable, in the development of related content from the areas of study, and key knowledge and key skills for the outcomes of General Mathematics Units 3 and 4.
In undertaking these units, students are expected to be able to apply techniques, routines and processes involving rational and real arithmetic, sets, lists, tables and matrices, diagrams, networks, algorithms, algebraic manipulation, recurrence relations, equations and graphs. They should have facility with relevant mental and by-hand approaches to estimation and computation. The use of numerical, graphical, geometric, symbolic statistical and financial functionality of technology for teaching and learning mathematics, for working mathematically, and in related assessment, is to be incorporated throughout each unit as applicable.
Assessment:
School-Assessed Coursework for this study consist of
- An Application Task
- Three Modelling or Problem-Solving tasks
- Two external examinations
Prerequisites:
Satisfactory completion of General Mathematics Units 1 & 2 and/or Specialist Mathematics/Mathematical Methods Unit 1 & 2 is highly recommended.
Special Requirements:
A CAS Calculator is required – (TI-Nspire recommended)
Additional Financial Contribution:
Unit 3&4 - No financial contribution
View VCAA VCE Mathematics (ALL) Study Design here:
MATHEMATICAL METHODS
It is the expectation that students will have successfully completed Year 10 Maths Methods before under this subject at Unit 1 & 2. Selection criteria will also be applied to students wishing to undertake these classes. This will include consideration of previous assessments, sitting a selection examination and receiving a teacher recommendation.
Units 1 & 2
Course Description:
Units 1 & 2 provide an introductory study of simple elementary functions, algebra, calculus, probability and statistics and their applications in a variety of practical and theoretical contexts and prepares students for Mathematical Methods Units 3 and 4. It is also a pre-requisite for Specialist Mathematics Units 3 & 4. Areas of study are ‘Functions, relations and graphs’, ‘Algebra, number and structure’, ‘Calculus’ and ‘Data analysis, probability and statistics’. In undertaking this unit, students are expected to be able to apply techniques, routines and processes involving rational and real arithmetic, sets, lists and tables, diagrams and geometric constructions, algebraic manipulation, equations, graphs, differentiation and anti-differentiation with and without the use of technology.
Assessment:
- Application tasks
- Topic tests
- Modelling and Problem-Solving tasks
- Semester Examinations
Prerequisites:
It is the expectation that students will have successfully completed Year 10 Mathematical Methods before under this subject at Unit 1 & 2. Selection criteria will also be applied to students wishing to undertake these classes. This will include consideration of previous assessments, sitting a selection examination and receiving a teacher recommendation.
Special Requirements:
A CAS Calculator is required – (TI-Nspire recommended)
Additional Financial Contribution:
Unit 1&2 - No financial contribution
Units 3 & 4
Course Description:
Units 3 & 4 extends the study of simple elementary functions to include combinations of these functions, algebra, calculus, probability and statistics, and their applications in a variety of practical and theoretical contexts. They also provide background for further study in, for example, science, humanities, economics and medicine. Throughout Mathematical Methods 3 & 4 students continue to apply mathematical procedures and use technology to solve problems in routine and unfamiliar contexts. Units 3 and 4 consist of the areas of study ‘Functions, relations and graphs’, ‘Algebra, number and structure’, ‘Calculus’ and ‘Data analysis, probability and statistics’. Mathematics Methods 3 & 4 contains assumed knowledge from Mathematics Methods 1 & 2.
Assessment:
School Assessed Coursework consists of:
An Application Task
Two Problem Solving tasks
Two external examinations - one technology free and one technology enabled
Prerequisites:
Unit 3 & 4 usually follows satisfactory completion of the Mathematical Methods Unit 1 & 2 course.
Good problem-solving skills and the ability to perform algebraic operations (e.g., factorising, transposing, etc.). You are also expected to work very hard both in class and at home. You will need good organisational skills to manage your time and workload.
Special Requirements:
Students are required to purchase a CAS calculator (TI-Nspire is recommended).
Additional Financial Contribution:
Unit 3&4 - No financial contribution
View VCAA VCE Mathematics (ALL) Study Design here:
SPECIALIST MATHEMATICS
Units 1 & 2
Course Description:
Specialist Mathematics Units 1 and 2 provide a course of study for students who wish to undertake an in-depth study of mathematics, with an emphasis on concepts, skills and processes related to mathematical structure, modelling, problem solving and reasoning.
This study focuses on interest in the discipline of mathematics in its own right and investigation of a broad range of applications, as well as development of a sound background for further studies in mathematics and mathematics related fields.
The areas of study for Units 1 and 2 of Specialist Mathematics are are ‘Algebra, number and structure’, ‘Data analysis, probability and statistics’, ‘Discrete mathematics’, ‘Functions, relations and graphs’ and ‘Space and measurement’
Assessment:
- Topic Tests
- Application and Analysis tasks
- Problem Solving and Modelling tasks.
- Semester examinations
Prerequisites:
It is the expectation that students will have successfully completed Year 10 Maths Methods before undertaking Specialist Mathematics at Unit 1 & 2.
Additional Financial Contribution:
Unit 1&2 - No financial contribution
Units 3 & 4
Course Description:
Specialist Mathematics Units 3 and 4 extend content from Mathematical Methods Units 3 and 4 to include rational and other quotient functions as well as other advanced mathematics topics such as reasoning and proof, complex numbers, vectors, differential equations, mechanics and statistical inference. It consists of the areas of study: ‘Algebra, number and structure’, ‘Calculus’, ‘Data analysis, probability and statistics’, ‘Discrete mathematics’, ‘Functions, relations and graphs’, and ‘Space and measurement’. The course highlights mathematical structure, logic and proof, reasoning and applications across a range of modelling contexts. Students practice mathematical algorithms, routines and techniques and use them to solve standard problems; apply mathematical knowledge and skills in unfamiliar situations which require investigative, modelling or problem-solving approaches and use technology appropriately and effectively to learn mathematics and apply it in different contexts.
Assessment:
School-Assessed Coursework includes:
- An Application Task
- Two Modelling or Problem-Solving tasks
- Two external examinations - one technology free and one technology enabled
Prerequisites:
Study of Specialist Mathematics Units 3 and 4 assumes concurrent study or previous completion of Mathematical Methods Units 3 and 4.
Good problem-solving skills and the ability to perform algebraic operations (e.g., factorising, transposing, etc.). You are expected to work very hard both in class and at home. You will need good organisational skills to manage your time and workload.
Students preparing to study Specialist Mathematics 3 & 4 are expected to have completed Specialist Mathematic and Mathematical Methods in Units 1 & 2. These, taken in conjunction, provide a comprehensive preparation for Specialist Mathematics Units 3 and 4.
Special Requirements:
A CAS calculator is required (TI-Nspire recommended).
Additional Financial Contribution:
Unit 3&4 - No financial contribution