The Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) is the certificate that the majority of students in Victoria receive on satisfactory completion of their secondary education. The VCE provides diverse pathways to further study or training at university or TAFE and to employment.
VCE eligibility: how do I achieve my VCE?
Students must take a course over at least two years. Some students decide to take the VCE over three years. Most students will complete a total of 22 units (12 in Year 11 and 10 in Year 12) in a variety of studies.
You must study FOUR units of English.
To obtain your VCE you must satisfactorily complete a minimum of 16 Units including:
· Three units of English (these could be any three English Units including Expression, Literature or Language), with an “S” at unit 3 and 4 level;
· Three other unit 3/4 sequences (6 units);
· The 16 units may include Vocational Education and Training units.
For satisfactory completion (an “S”) of a Unit, you must have satisfactory achievement of each of the outcomes for that Unit. Outcomes contain key knowledge and skills of the Unit. They are assessed using School Assessed Assessment (SAC); these are assessment tasks completed over the course of a unit, usually in class time. The class teacher then makes the decision of satisfactory (S) completion.
If any Outcome for a Unit is not achieved, the student receives an “N” (Not Satisfactory) for the Unit. A teacher may permit a student to submit further work to meet the satisfactory completion requirements of a unit. This allows a student to be awarded an S for the Unit but does not change the original score for the task.
To have an “ATAR” (Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank) calculated for tertiary admission at the end of Year 12 students must have satisfactorily completed a VCE Certificate including Units 3 & 4 of English and at least 3 other sequences of Units 3 & 4. 10% of any 5th and/or 6th sequence of Units 3 & 4 will be added into your ATAR.
Unit 1 & 2 results are not used for selection to tertiary institution. In completing additional VCE units, a student has the opportunity of maximising their ATAR required for University admission.
ATAR – Australian Tertiary Admission Rank
Your ATAR is calculated by the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC). This ATAR Score is then used to determine “cut–off scores” and to select students for tertiary courses.
For some tertiary courses, your ATAR is used in conjunction with other factors, such as interviews, references and examination of practical work. Please refer to the VTAC Course Guide for the entrance requirements for specific courses.
The ATAR cannot be accurately calculated by the student. However, there are tools available to help you estimate your scores and gauge the subject scores you might need for entry to your preferred university courses.
More information about the ATAR process can be found on the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) website, or using the following weblink:
http://www.vtac.edu.au/publications.html
The GAT... what is it?
The General Achievement Test (GAT), as its name suggests, is a general test – it is not a test of knowledge about a particular subject or topic. It measures the level of general achievement students have accomplished across three broad areas.
· Written Communication.
· Mathematics, Science, Technology.
· Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences.
All students enrolled in a unit 3/4 subject must sit the GAT. Students who have previously sat the GAT in Year11 still need to sit it again in Year 12.
Click here for past GAT question books & answers
Why is the GAT necessary?
The results from the GAT will be used to monitor students’ performance. They will be used to gauge whether schools are marking students on a fair and uniform basis. The VCAA has to be satisfied that an “A” awarded in one school means the same as an “A” awarded in another school.
Prerequisites are studies you must have completed to be eligible for selection to a course.
If you intend to undertake tertiary study you need to be aware of the prerequisites for your intended course. You can use VTAC CourseSearch to search for courses and check prerequisites. Most prerequisites for courses in CourseSearch are Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) studies.
For more information about prerequisites go to: http://www.vtac.edu.au/who/meeting-prerequisites.html