Year 12 VCE Update
VCE Revision Lecture September School Holidays
The Knox Network of Secondary Schools is organising a series of revision lectures for year 12 students in preparation for exams. Presenters will be experts in their areas and will include textbook authors, exam markers and people with exam setting experience. All sessions will be accompanied by a comprehensive set of printed materials to assist students with their studies.
Sessions will be online, there will be a booking system which will be announced shortly.
Year 12 Tutoring
We are doing everything we can to support our students to get the most support they can in terms of their VCE by offering small group tutoring in most subjects from 3:30-4:30pm four nights a week.
We really want to encourage all Year 12 students to see these sessions as an opportunity to give themselves an edge. No other Victorian school that we know of is offering such comprehensive free support. Our tutors are mostly pre service teachers who are experts I the subjects they offer. They are keen to work with students around who the students see as their needs and can devise sessions that will:
- Consolidate previous learning
- Clarify misconceptions
- Develop skills
- Give feedback on sample exam questions or portolios
- Provide study skills support
The best approach for students is to engage with the tutors in an ongoing manner rather than just waiting for an assessment or a particular issue in understanding to arise.
We are hoping to extend this into term 4 depending on uptake of students.
VTAC Information Night
A big thank you to the parents and students who joined us online for the presentation about the VTAC SEAS applications. Mr Newnham ran through the process for students who are wishing to apply for university (or some TAFE courses) through VTAC. He also covered in detail what the Special Entry Access Scheme (SEAS) is and how to apply. Please read information in the Careers page of this newsletter for further information about this process.
The session briefly touched on scholarships for tertiary education. Mr Newnham made a strong recommendation that students and families look carefully at scholarships as each year the feedback from the universities is they don't have a big pool of applicants to choose from.
What is the GAT (General Achievement Tests)?
The GAT is a three-hour test of your general knowledge and skills in:
• written communication
• mathematics, science and technology
• humanities, the arts and social sciences.
WHY DO STUDENTS HAVE TO DO THE GAT?
Although the GAT does not count directly towards a student’s VCE the GAT results may play a very important part in determining final assessments for the VCE. GAT results are used to check that your VCE external assessments and Schoolbased Assessments have been accurately and fairly assessed. The GAT is used in these checks because its results are a good predictor of final assessment for VCE studies. If a student has done well in the GAT, they are likely to do well in their external assessments and School-based Assessments.
The VCAA uses GAT results, along with other external assessments, to align each school’s local graded assessment scores to the statewide scale. The VCAA applies a process known as statistical moderation to all School-based Assessment to account for the differences in tasks and markings that may occur from school to school. This is to ensure that the final results are comparable across the state and are fair to all students
WHAT DOES THE GAT INCLUDE?
The GAT is a single session three-hour test. There are two writing tasks and 70 multiple-choice questions. The task can be complete in any order, but it is recommended that you complete the writing tasks first, then the multiple-choice questions.
The following time allocations are recommended:
- Writing Task 1 30 minutes
- Writing Task 2 30 minutes
- Multiple-choice questions 2 hours
TOTAL 3 hours
WHAT DO THE WRITING TASKS INVOLVE?
Writing Task 1 will present written and graphical information in colour. Students will be asked to write a piece that presents the main information in this material. An argument is not required in the response. Students will be assessed only on their writing skills and not any extra knowledge they may have about the material.
Writing Task 1 will be assessed on:
- how well the student organises and presents their understanding of the material
- how effectively they communicate the information
- how clearly they express themselves.
Writing Task 2 will present some statements on an issue. Students will be asked to develop a piece of writing presenting a point of view on the issue, based on one or more of the statements. They can include other knowledge or information they may have to support their point of view. Students should aim to present their reasons and arguments to support their view and to rebut opposing ideas. They should also aim to communicate clearly and effectively to the reader.
Writing Task 2 will be assessed on:
- the extent to which they develop their point of view in a reasonable and convincing way
- how effectively they express themselves.
WHAT DO THE MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS INVOLVE?
- The multiple-choice questions will cover mathematics, science, technology, humanities, the arts and social sciences.
- The multiple-choice section consists of groups of questions or units. Each unit will offer one or more pieces of information and a number of questions about that information.
- There will be 70 questions in this section, which will take about two hours to complete.
- Student’s should attempt every question. Marks will not be deducted for incorrect answers.
HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR THE GAT?
- Students can get previous GAT papers, answers to multiple-choice questions, and step-by-step instructions for completing the GAT, on the VCAA website.
- We recommend that students complete at least on GAT previous paper prior to the GAT
WHO HAS TO SIT THE GAT?
All Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) or Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) students enrolled in one or more VCE or scored VCE VET Units 3 and 4 study this year are expected to sit the GAT, unless they are exempted by the VCAA, after application from their school principal.
WHEN IS THIS YEARS GAT?
10am – 1.15pm Wednesday 7th October
Use this link to help find past GAT papers
Dina Mingos
Leader Later Years