Senior School
Key Academic Dates
Term 2
Week 6: Fri 2 - Wed 14 June
RAF (Revision, Assessment & Feedback) Cycle for Year 9 & 10 students
Week 7: Fri 9 June
Last day for Unit 1 and Unit 3
Week 8: Mon 12 June
Start of Unit 2 and Unit 4
Week 8: Thu 15 June
GAT (all Unit 3 and 4 VCE & VM students)
Week 9: Fri 23 June
Year 12 Academic Review Conferences
Term 4
Week 3: Fri 20 Oct
Celebration Day for Year 12 students
Week 4: Tue 24 Oct - Wed15 Nov
Unit 3 and 4 (Yr 12) Written Examinations
Week 7: Mon13 - Mon 20 Nov
Unit 1 and 2 (Yr 11) Examinations
Week 8: Tue 21 - Wed 29 Nov
Year 11 into 12 Step Up
Week 9: Thu 30 Nov
Year 11 Academic Review Conferences (last day for Yr 11 students)
Week 9: Fri 1 Dec
Year 10 into 11 & Year 9 into 10 Transition Day (last day for Yr 10 students)
Week 10: Mon 11 Dec
Results available to Year 12 students
Unit 3 & 4 VCE Exam Timetable Now Available
Get the diaries out! Click HERE to access the VCE examination timetable for 2023, including exam rules and authorised material and equipment list.
All students must read the VCAA Examination Rules for VCE and the GAT. It is also the responsibility of all students to be familiar with materials and equipment authorised for use in the GAT and VCE written examinations.
Learning Recovery
The purpose of Learning Recovery is to provide VCE and VM students an opportunity to catch up on required work/learning and to get additional support from teachers and members of the sub school team regarding their learning. Learning Recovery is for students who have not submitted ongoing and significant amounts of homework and/or classwork.
Teachers, in the first instance, will implement strategies to support students in work completion and maintain high expectations around learning during and after classes. Teachers will provide appropriate interventions before any student is booked in for Learning Recovery.
If students are still behind in classwork and/or homework after teacher interventions and is deemed significant and ongoing, then teachers will consider student for a Learning Recovery session.
Learning Recovery Process
1. Subject teachers can book a student into one of these sessions via the ‘VCE / VM Learning Recovery’ Chronicle Post.
2. Students who receive a ‘Learning Recovery’ chronicle post are required to attend Learning Recovery, which runs every Thursday afterschool from 3:15pm – 4:00pm in the Senior Centre (F4). VM/VPC Learning Recovery will be run weekly on a Friday at lunchtime.
3. An automated email letter is sent to the student and parents / guardian, providing them with an overview of the sessions, their purpose, and the date.
4. Teachers are required to inform and explain why a student have been booked into Learning Recovery, as well as detail what they need to do during this session. Teachers are encouraged to provide support and feedback before and/or during these sessions to assist students in their work and learning.
5. If students catch up on required classwork / homework before the weeks Learning Recovery, the teacher can comment and resolve the chronicle post, which will trigger the student to be removed from learning Recovery.
6. Learning Recovery sessions will be supervised by a member of the Senior School team.
7. Once a student attends their Learning Recovery session, this will be communicated via the resolved Chronicle post.
8. If student fails to attend the required Learning Recovery Session, they will be re-booked to Learning Recovery the following week.
9. If a student fails to attend two required Learning Recovery sessions in a row will lead to a parent phone call, parent meeting and may include an internal suspension.
General Achievement Test (GAT)
All VCE and VM Unit 3 and 4 students will be required to sit the General Achievement Test (GAT), which assesses skills in mathematics, science, technology, the arts and humanities. The GAT will also assess students’ skills against the new literacy and numeracy standards, which were introduced last year. Sitting the GAT is an opportunity for students to demonstrate their literacy and numeracy skills – essential skills that show they’re ready to move on to further study, training or employment.
The GAT plays an important role in the quality assurance of VCE assessments. GAT results are important for checking that VCE external assessments and school-based assessments have been accurately and fairly assessed and can be used if students have a Derived Examination Score (DES) approved.
Students who obtained GAT results are issued with a statement that indicates whether a student has met the literacy and numeracy standards. For students who completed both Sections A and B of the GAT, the scores achieved for each component and a descriptive statement of these results, along with a standardised score for each component, is also reported.
Students and parents should read the attached 2023 GAT information brochure for students published on Compass.
When is the GAT?
The GAT will take place on Thursday 15th June in two sections. Students are expected to arrive at least 20mins before the start of each section.
Who is required to sit the GAT?
Both Sections A and B:
- Students enrolled in one or more VCE or scored VCE VET Unit 3–4 sequence. This includes early start students and any student undertaking an unscored VCE pathway.
Section A only:
- Students enrolled in one or more VCE Vocational Major (VM) Unit 3–4 sequence or Senior VCAL studies, but who are not enrolled in any VCE or scored VCE VET Unit 3–4 sequences.
GAT Structure
The GAT is structured into Section A and Section B, with a range of question difficulties.
Section A- 9:00am – 11:15am
Assesses skills in literacy (reading and writing) and numeracy, and is comprised of:
- One writing task with two parts
- 50 numeracy multiple-choice questions
- 50 reading multiple-choice questions
Break 11:15am – 1:15pm
Section B: 1:15pm – 3:00pm
Assesses general knowledge and skills and is comprised of:
- One extended writing task
- 25 mathematics, science and technology multiple-choice questions
- 25 arts and humanities multiple-choice questions
What to bring?
- Student may take an English and/or bilingual printed dictionary into both sections of the GAT, but not a thesaurus or a combined thesaurus-dictionary. Electronic dictionaries are not permitted.
- A scientific calculator is permitted in both sections of the GAT. Students will need pens, pencils and an eraser to complete the GAT.
Students and parents can find more information regarding the GAT from the VCAA website here.
Further information regarding the GAT will be distributed to all Unit 3 and 4 VCE and VM students over the coming weeks.If you have any questions regarding the upcoming GAT, please don't hesitate to ring the College or email Mr. David Black bla@wantirnacollege.vic.edu.au
VCE Boost
Thursdays 3:15pm - 4:30pm Senior Centre
VCE students are strongly encouraged to attend VCE Boost every Thursday after school in the Senior Centre and Pathways Hub.
VCE Boost runs from 3.15-4.30pm with students able to work in study groups or independently and get additional support from attending teachers.
To encourage attendance, any Year 12 student who attends VCE boost will go into the draw to win a Unit 3/4 Exam Workshop of their choice, valued up to $100. To enter, students must attend VCE boost till at least 4pm. One entry per Thursday. The more VCE Boost sessions students attend, the more chances to win!
David Black, Tim Pearson
& Darren Hoogkamer
Senior School Leaders