DCC SECONDARY CURRICULUM

VCE Structure

VCE Requirements

  • Must satisfactorily complete a minimum of 16 units
  • Must include:
    •  3 units of English and
    •  3 sequences of units 3 and 4 studies other than English
  • Can be made up of a combination of VCE and VET studies

Unit of study (subject)

  • A unit of study in VCE is completed in one semester.
  • Year 11 - Units 1 & 2
  • Year 12 - Units 3 & 4

At DCC

Year 11:

  • Normally 6 subjects plus ‘Faith and Life’ (13 units of study)

Year 12:

  • Normally 5 subjects (10 units of study)

Most students at DCC complete 22 - 24 VCE units.

Acceleration

Students may apply for acceleration into a subject beyond their actual year level. You will need to carefully consider if acceleration is for you and whether it is possible for the subject you are considering. A strong work ethic is essential for undertaking an accelerated subject.

Acceleration should be viewed as adding a bonus subject, not completing a subject early in order to reduce subject loads in Year 11 or 12. Students are still expected to complete a full load of subjects in Year 11 and 12, whether or not they have accelerated.

Read the full Acceleration policy here.

 

LINK TO THE ACCELERATION POLICY 

Students considering acceleration should fill in the appropriate ‘Application for Acceleration’ form in term 3.

Satisfactory Completion of a Unit

  • Is a school based decision (due dates and attendance rules must be met)
  • Is based on demonstration of achievement of ‘Outcomes’
  • Achievement of ‘Outcomes’ is determined by assessing key knowledge and key skills
  • Reported to VCAA as ‘S’ (satisfactory) or ‘N’ (not satisfactory).

Non-Satisfactory Standard

If a student does not achieve a satisfactory standard for a particular outcome, the school will give the student two more opportunities to demonstrate competence.

In these situations, the original mark will stand, however, the awarding of an ‘S’ or ‘N’ can change depending on the result from the supplementary assessments.

Unit 1 & 2 Assessment

  • School-based
  • Used to determine whether outcomes have been achieved
  • Comprising Assessment Tasks in class and School Exams

Unit 3 & 4 Assessment

Based on two methods:

  1. School Assessment:
  • School Assessed Coursework (SACs) and/or
  • School Assessed Tasks (SATs)
  1. External Assessment:
  • Examinations

Unit 3 & 4 School Based Assessments

Marks awarded in school-based assessments may change.

Coursework scores are statistically moderated by VCAA to match the level and spread of examination scores for students in that school doing that study.

GAT

  • Test of literacy and numeracy (Section A)
  • Test of general knowledge and skills (Section B)
  • Sat by all students studying a Yr 12 subject
  • Doesn’t count towards VCE results or ATAR
  • But - an essential part of VCE assessment procedures.
  • Used by VCAA if a student cannot attend an exam or their performance is affected and as a final check on examination results.

Study Score

  • Based on your School-based assessment + Examinations
  • A score between 0 and 50
  • Is used to calculate the ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank)
  • Is one of the factors used in the selection process for tertiary places.

ATAR

The ATAR is a ranking between 0 and 99.95

It is calculated using scaled study scores of:

  •             English
  •             + Best three studies
  •             + 10% of any fifth and sixth study

Because the ATAR is a rank, there is no pass or fail ATAR. Everyone who receives an ATAR has successfully passed the VCE. The ATAR simply demonstrates each student's achievement in relation to all other students in the Year 12 age group. Someone receiving an ATAR of 55, for example, has performed better than 55 per cent of the Year 12 age group that year.

How is the ATAR used?

It is a tool used for tertiary selection, a way for institutions to distinguish between applicants where there are more people applying than there are places in the course.

Once the ATAR has been used for its purpose, entrance into your chosen course, it becomes irrelevant. No one's going to ask for you ATAR once you're already studying, and future employers will be far more interested in your skills and experience than any of your high school results.

Why scale subjects?

Subjects aren't scaled because of how ‘hard' or how ‘easy' we think they are. In reality, every subject is scaled in the same way: based on the strength of the competition in a particular year.

VCE Study Scores are standardised rankings, or relative positions, reported on a scale between 0 and 50, with a middle ranking of 30. So, a student with a Study Score of 30 has performed better than half the students in that subject for that year. Scaling is applied to determine the difficulty in achieving the middle ranking - the median study score of 30 – in each subject. The issue here is VCE Study Scores are not standardised against other VCE subjects, they only measure the achievement relative to other students in the same subject.

The competition to achieve the median study score varies between individual studies – in some subjects it is harder to get a 30 because of the cohort of students undertaking it – not because of any inherent difficulty of the subject. So to be fair to all students, no matter what subjects they choose, we scale all subjects against each other to produce a result as though all Year 12 students had taken the same subjects.

 

Unscored VCE Pathway

Year 11

There is no option for an Unscored VCE Pathway at Year 11. 

Unit 1 & 2 subject scores do not contribute to the ATAR, however, achievement levels are an important part of the learning progression for each student.

All students are expected to sit Year 11 exams unless there are exceptional circumstances.

The VCE Coordinator must approve students not sitting exams.

 

Year 12

Students may elect to complete an Unscored VCE Pathway in their Year 12 subjects (Unit 3&4). 

It is important to note the following:

  • The student still needs to satisfactorily meet all outcomes in each subject as specified in the study design.
  • If sufficient Units are satisfactorily completed, the student will receive their VCE certificate*
  • The student is still required to sit both parts of the GAT exam.
  • The student will not sit the October/November exams.
  • The student will not receive an ATAR.

As most university courses require an ATAR, an unscored VCE is usually not suitable for students pursuing university entrance directly from school. 

Students can opt in for an Unscored VCE Pathway at anytime up to August of their Year 12 year.

Prior to choosing an unscored pathway, students must make an appointment with the Careers and Pathways Coordinator to discuss options and pathways for the future.

Regardless of the pathway selected, it is expected that all VCE students will contribute positively to the learning environment in their classes and to try their best. 95% attendance is still a requirement.

To formalise the decision, students and parents must complete the relevant form to indicate they fully understand the decision being made. This form can be obtained from the VCE Coordinator.

 

VCE Vocational Major

Students may choose to complete a VCE Vocational Major. The VCE VM is designed to give students work related skills and prepare them for apprenticeships, traineeships, further education and training, university (via non-ATAR pathways) or directly into the workforce. 

For the VCE Vocational Major, students must successfully finish at least 16 units, including:

  • 3 VCE VM Literacy or VCE English units (including a Unit 3–4 sequence)
  • 2 VCE VM Numeracy or VCE Mathematics units
  • 2 VCE VM Work Related Skills units
  • 2 VCE VM Personal Development Skills units, and
  • 2 VET credits at Certificate II level or above (180 nominal hours)

Students must also complete at least 3 other unit 3–4 sequences. This means 3 other full year studies at a year 12 level. They can do other VCE studies (academic or VM) or VET.

Students will have the opportunity to apply knowledge and skills in practical settings such as workplaces. They’ll do community-based activities and projects that involve working in a team and can also receive credit for on-the-job learning.

Teachers will assess student progress through a range of activities. They won’t receive an ATAR. This is because there are no external assessments, apart from the General Achievement Test and in some scored VCE VET programs.

Most students will finish their VCE Vocational Major over 2 years.

When students have completed their course, they will receive a Victorian Certificate of Education with the additional words ‘Vocational Major’.

Students should talk with the Careers and Pathways Coordinator if VCE VM is an option for them.