Senior School Handbook

VCE @ The Lakes 

WHAT IS THE VCE

The VCE is a two-year program designed and administered by the Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority (VCAA).  VCE studies are made up of semester length units. The VCE is the certificate that most students in Victoria receive on satisfactory completion of their secondary training. The VCE can form a pathway for senior students into a range of different tertiary options, allowing entry to University study with the awarding of the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank. The VCE also provides many pathways to employment, TAFE or other further study.

WHO IS THE VCE FOR AND WHAT IS THE ATAR?

The VCE is designed to suit the needs of most senior students, as there are many flexible options for the completion of the VCE. Students who wish to apply for an ATAR at the end of Year 12 must undertake the VCE. The ATAR is awarded to all students of the VCE who meet all outcomes for each of their chosen Unit 3/4 studies and complete all of their exams. This is calculated for each student at the completion of VCE and places the student on a scale of 0 – 99.95 for students 17 years and over. It is a major factor in determining who receives offers for Tertiary and TAFE courses.

It is calculated in the following manner:

  1. All marks are standardised so that they truly represent the relative perfor­mance in each subject when compared with the performance of all students in all subjects.
  2. Standardised scores in an English sequence and then the next best 3 sub­jects are added together.
  3. 10% of any 5th and 6th subject is added in.

Please note:

  1. University extension subjects can count up to an additional 5%, to the aver­age ATAR. rank
  2. VET courses which are not assessed at the end of the year and VET studies which are not assessedthrough coursework and exams can still be counted in the ATAR. as a 5th subject. The student is awarded 10% of the average of their other studies.
  3. Different university courses have different pre requisite studies that are compulsory to have been completed at VCE level and in some cases have a minimum score that a student is required to get to be entered into the University degree

 

Students may still complete the requirements of the VCE without sitting for their exams; however they will not be awarded the ATAR and will not be eligible for direct entry into University.

HOW DOES THE VCE WORK @ THE LAKES SOUTH MORANG COLLEGE?

Whilst we offer all of the subjects on the selection sheet and described in this handbook, if there are insufficient students who select the same subject, then the class may not run. This is at the discretion of the school and you will be notified immediately if this is to occur.  The school will always endeavor to find alternative arrangements especially in Years 11 and 12 for students to undertake the subjects they wish to. Options such as Distance Education will be looked at to source the best possible program for your child. The best possible pathway for your student is our number 1 priority.

 

At The Lakes, students are required to complete twelve units in Year 11 and ten in Year 12.  All students undertaking Year 12 VCE studies (unit 3/4 sequence) are required to undertake 5 subjects at the Year 12 level, notwithstanding the number of previously completed Unit 3 /4 studies.

To successfully pass your VCE, you must satisfactorily complete a minimum of 16 units including:

a) 3 units of English/English Language/ English Literature (including a Units 3&4 sequence)

b) 3 other Unit 3&4 sequences.

c) There is no restriction on the number of VET Units.

d) There are no restrictions on students repeating units, but they may obtain credit only once for each unit. Students who repeat a unit are required to repeat the full unit, including all assessments for the outcomes specified for the unit, in the current study design for the year of repetition.

e) To satisfactorily pass a subject, students must show that they have:

  • produced work that demonstrates achievement of the outcomes
  • submitted work that is clearly their own and meets the deadline for submission of the task (including any extensions given)
  • submitted work that can be authenticated as their own
  • observed the rules of the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) and the school (for example, attendance or submission of work policies)

Failure to do this will result in a student receiving an N (not satisfactory) result

 

 

Please Note:

  • For the calculation of a student’s ATAR satisfactory completion of both Units 3 and 4 of an English study are required.
  • Whilst it is advisable that stu­dents carry four of their five Year 11 subjects through to Year 12, it is possible to pick up some subjects at the Unit 3/4 level without having completed Units 1 & 2.
  • Whilst a student may satisfactorily complete a VCE unit and receive a "S" for completion of outcomes based on teacher judgment it does not necessarily contribute to study score calculation. School based assessments are used for study score calculation. Students who fail the school based assessment may redeem an outcome through class work, homework, additional tasks, discussions with their teacher, previously submitted work  or be allowed to resubmit the school based assessed task to receive an "S". The resubmitted work can not be used to improve the school based assessment score.
  • Some students may elect to do their VCE over three years with a reduced workload due to experienced difficulties or hardships (eg Personal circumstances.  Physical or mental health issues etc).  This must be negotiated prior to the commencement of unit 3 studies with the College Principal.

Usually Units 1/2 are studied in Year 11 and Units 3/4 in Year 12. Some students may enter a  Unit 1/2 study during Year 10.This is at the discretion of the College and subject to availability. In this case a student will complete Unit 3/4 of that subject in Year 11, and will therefore complete more than the minimum units required at The Lakes. As priority is given to the Year 12 students’ course of study, under some circumstances it may not be possible for a student to undertake a Unit 3/4 sequence in consecutive years. 

 

Units 3 & 4 subjects, must be taken as a sequence meaning that students are unable to change subjects throughout the year.  Assessment of Unit 3 /4 studies comprises internally assessed outcomes that are moderated against the student’s exam performance, and external examinations held in the examination periods in late October / November.

 

Each VCE unit consists of 50 hours of class work and the equivalent amount of time spent in home study. The School Attendance Requirement states that students must attend 90% of classes in each subject that they undertake within a Semester.

 Please note:

  • If a student is to be away for only a single day then the parent is required to contact the office to have this marked as an approved absence
  • If a student is away for multiple days in a row, then a medical certificate is required to be given to the school for this to be seen as an approved absence
  • If a student is going away on a family holiday, it is expected that the parent/ guardian will notify the school prior to the absence and that work for completion will be organized.

Students must not leave the school grounds during the school day without prior written permission from parents and with the approval of the Student Manager or Principal class, who will issue an early leaver’s pass where appropriate. This includes students leaving the school to do studies at another educational setting as a part of their educational program.

 

The Department of Education identifies the following as acceptable Medical Certificates or certificates in lieu:  a Certificate issued by a registered doctor, dentist, physiotherapist, chiropractor, osteopath, optometrist or psychologist who is a member (or eligible for membership) of the board of the Clinical Branch of the Australian Psychological Society; a patient declaration statement from a medical clinic will not be accepted as a medical certificate.

 A student’s ability to achieve an ‘S’ in a unit is dependent upon satisfactorily meeting the unit outcomes and the Attendance Requirement. 

 

Reporting of VCE Subjects

Completion of a Unit will be reported on the Statement of Results issued by the Victo­rian Curriculum Assessment Authority (VCAA) as S (Satisfactory), or N (Not Satisfac­tory). The College will also provide written reports on the level of achievement attained by students at the end of Units 1, 2 and 3.

End of Semester reports for Units 1 & 2, provided by the College, will give a grade (A+ to E, or UG - ungraded, or NA - not assessed), for levels of achievement in graded as­sessment tasks. Unit 3 end of Semester Reports will give an indication of the raw score results for School Assessed Coursework. Please note that these scores are subject to change as a result of the statistical moderation process conducted by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority, after the final examination.

 

REPORTING

Reporting of grades for Units 3 & 4 will be undertaken by the Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority (VCAA), on a student’s final statement of results.

Units 3 and 4 will be assessed using School Assessed Coursework and Exams: (See individual studies for exact details.) Tertiary Institutions will focus heavily on a student’s performance in the School Assessed Coursework and Exams for the purpose of tertiary entrance. Other forms of selection will also operate in certain tertiary faculties, particularly the use of interviews. Employers will also place an emphasis on the exams to select suitable applicants.