MATHS

HOW TO SUCCEED IN MATHS?

At the end of last term it was fantastic to celebrate the success of Sandy Wei who was awarded Premier’s VCE awards as an All-Round VCE High Achiever and for the Specialist Mathematics study as well. Sandy’s success is clear and well-deserved. It was a pleasure to work with him in developing his understanding of mathematics and his dedication and commitment to his studies were second to none.

However success is a very individual measure and cannot be encapsulated by a single number. There are a myriad of stories in every year that students, teachers and parents are justifiably proud of. Stories of resilience in the face of significant challenges such as students who dealt with significant interruption to their studies after sporting or other injuries. Stories of respect for each other, teachers and the challenge of meeting pre-requisite requirements. Stories of community where students supported and helped each other in class and out. Through all this we are developing essential life skills and providing opportunities and choices for future academic and career pathways.

So how do you be successful in VCE maths? The first thing is to choose the best subjects for you, ensuring you are meeting any prerequisites for tertiary courses of interest. Choosing the ones for which you have an opportunity for academic success, engagement and enjoyment. Recognise that all VCE subjects require hard work and dedication for you to get the best out of them so pick subjects that you enjoy studying, as you will spend a lot of time doing this.

It must be acknowledged that for some, Maths can be a source of frustration and anxiety. As we begin term 3 and students are already considering 2026, it is especially important that students moving into senior school make informed and appropriate choices that suit their future plans as well as providing opportunities for success. For students moving from a core Year 9 Maths into Year 10 there are three different Maths subjects and one elective on offer:

10 Methods - covers the standard Victorian maths curriculum at a Year 10 level and allows students to access any Year 11 Mathematics subject, including Specialist Maths, and covers a broad range of topics, with a focus on developing strong algebraic and graphing skills and a capacity to use and communicate with formal mathematical language. Demonstrating mathematical skills with and without the support of calculators is required.

10 General - This subject is for students who plan to undertake VCE General Maths in Years 11 and 12 as it does not prepare students for the requirements of Methods and Specialist. It involves less complex algebraic processes but covers a wide variety of important concepts and skills. This subject relies significantly on the use of a CAS calculator to undertake mathematical processes and calculations.

10 Advanced Maths (elective) - A one semester elective subject providing an opportunity for students to be introduced to new and challenging concepts, such as functions and calculus that are a part of the Units 1 & 2 Mathematical Methods course as many students have difficult bridging the jump from Year 10 into this subject. This elective runs alongside Year 10 Methods and is intended for students concurrently studying that subject only. It is not a subject appropriate for students enhancing in Year 11 Methods.

Emma Mullane

Key Learning Area Manager - Mathematics