Explaining the VCE
Explaining the VCE
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The purpose of this Handbook is to provide a resource for students and their parents/guardians to assist them with their understanding of and planning for Years 11 and 12.
In selecting courses and subjects students must plan carefully. These decisions form the basis of future pathways – whether this is employment, an apprenticeship or further study at a tertiary institution (TAFE or University).
Students should consider:
The careers they are interested in pursuing. University courses have prerequisites (subjects which must be taken as part of VCE studies in order to be eligible for selection into a course). Subjects must be chosen with prerequisites in mind
Their skills and abilities; they should ask themselves “what am I good at?”
Past test and assessment results, as these can help students focus on study areas they perform well in and carefully consider undertaking studies that don't play to their strengths
What they enjoy studying
What will help provide more career options if they are undecided.
Choosing between VCE
and the VCE Vocational Major
Choosing between VCE
and the VCE Vocational Major
At Wellington Secondary College students can choose to study the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) or the Victorian Certificate of Education Vocational Major (VCE VM).
These options are described in more detail later in the Handbook. The key differences are summarised below:
VCE is a two-year certificate with scored assessments leading to the award of an ATAR. An ATAR is required for entry into University courses
The VCE VM is suited to students looking at pathways other than entering university directly from school, such as TAFE studies, entering a trade or joining the workforce.
VCE students typically select 6 subjects at year 11 level and 5 at year 12 level
VCE VM students select a Vocational Education and Training (VET) course, with the remainder of their study consisting of compulsory units.
There is more information on VCE VM in a later section of this Handbook. Interested students can also contact Miss Jaclyn Jacobs, the Learning Specialist Vocational Education and Pathways.
Support with Course & Subject Selection
Support with Course & Subject Selection
Year 10 students will be provided with time at school to explore course and subject selection.
Students will receive resources to help them identify prerequisites and plan their VCE or VCE VM. In addition, there will be an opportunity for students to have an optional course counselling appointment. Applicants for the VCE Vocational Major will attend a compulsory course counselling interview.
Parents/guardians are invited to attend any appointment/interview, and notification regarding the appointments will be sent home via Compass.
When selecting a VCE Program
Each VCE unit is numbered 1, 2, 3 or 4
Units 1 & 2 are usually studied in Year 11, although some students may have already completed some Units 1 & 2 in Year 10
Units 3 & 4 are normally completed in Year 12; however, some Units 3 & 4 may be studied by students in Year 11
Most students at Wellington Secondary College will do 22 units over two years:
Year 11: 6 Units in Semester 1 and 6 Units in Semester 2 = 12 Units
Year 12: 5 Units in Semester 1 and 5 Units in Semester 2 = 10 Units
Units 1 & 2 of a study can be done separately or as a sequence (i.e. a pair). Units 3 & 4 of all studies must be done as a sequence and completed in the same year in order for all VCE students to be awarded a study score out of 50 which contributes to the ATAR.
Satisfying the Requirements
for the Award of the VCE
Satisfying the Requirements
for the Award of the VCE
The minimum requirement for the award of the VCE is satisfactory completion of 16 units, which must include at least three units from the English group. These units may be selected from English, English as an Additional Language (EAL – only for eligible students), Literature or English Language
To satisfactorily complete the VCE a student must have a satisfactory result (S) for a minimum of 16 units. This must include:
at least three units from the English Group, two of which must be a Unit 3–4 sequence
an additional three Unit 3–4 sequences of studies other than an English.
Study Load at VCE
In Year 11 some students complete one Unit 3 & 4 VCE subject either at school or external to the College (e.g. a language through Victorian School of Languages). These students should be aware that they are still required to complete five subjects in Year 12.
Some students may have undertaken two Unit 3 & 4 subjects when in Year 11. These students are able to take four Unit 3 & 4 studies in Year 12.
The College has experienced situations where a Year 11 student is accepted into two Unit 3 & 4 subjects at school and then enrols in a subject external to the College. This is NOT recommended, as all students must do a minimum of four subjects on campus in Year 12 and a maximum of six subjects can count towards the student's ATAR. Completing seven Unit 3 & 4 studies means the subject they score the lowest in would not count towards their ATAR. The College may require a student in this situation to withdraw from one of their College-based advanced placement subjects.
Unscored VCE
Students can successfully complete their VCE and attain their certificate without being assessed for graded assessment (such as SACs and exams) and the calculation of study scores for Unit 3 & 4 subjects.
With parent/guardian permission, students may choose to:
Complete all their Unit 3 & 4 subjects as unscored subjects. This means that they do not receive a study score in any of their subjects, are not required to sit the end-of-year exams and are ineligible for an ATAR. Provided they can demonstrate the knowledge and skills required for each outcome in each Area of Study for both VCE Units in each of their subjects, students can still satisfy the requirements for the award of the VCE.
Complete a single unscored subject. Provided they complete graded assessments in Unit 3 & 4 of an English (EAL, English, English Language or Literature) plus three other Unit 3 & 4 studies they can still attain an ATAR.
Complete their English subject as a scored subject with all other subjects unscored. This choice may offer students a broader range of study options post-Year 12 than being unscored in all subjects as they will have an English study score demonstrating their level of performance in the subject.
Parents/guardians must approve of any changes to a student’s completion of VCE.
The decision to be unscored in one or more subjects can be made throughout Year 12.
Enrolment in Subjects Through Providers Other Than Wellington Secondary College
Some VCE and VET providers external to the College offer subjects to Wellington Secondary College students. These subjects will still count towards the student’s VCE or VCE VM enrolments. Please see below for further details:
Vocational Education & Training (VET)
Students interested in undertaking a VET subject cannot enroll in a course directly with an external provider and must do so by following the College VET application procedures, which will be explained during the course and subject selection period. VET is coordinated by Miss Jaclyn Jacobs.
Victorian School of Languages (VSL)
VSL offers subjects in languages other than English. Students can investigate options and apply to undertake a subject via the VSL website at www.vsl.vic.edu.au. The application must be completed by the student, who will then be provided by VSL with documentation that must be handed in at the Wellington SC Senior School Office.
Virtual Schools Victoria (VSV)
If a VCE subject of interest to a student is not available at school then it may be possible to study one or two subjects through VSV. Please note that students MUST retain enrolment in a minimum of four subjects at Wellington SC. VSV enrolments should be discussed with Mr Simon Coles, Director of Senior School, prior to the student completing the online application. VSV offers VCE studies not on offer at Wellington SC, such as Sociology and Geography. For more details, please go to www.vsv.vic.edu.au.
Centre for Higher Education Studies (CHES)
CHES offers programs for high-achieving senior students. Students who are accepted into CHES will study one subject while remaining enrolled at Wellington SC for the balance of their VCE program. This enables students to access an accelerated and enriching academic program without the need to leave their current school or their peers and teachers. Students are able to complete a first-year university subject with CHES, which will contribute to their ATAR. CHES also offers two VCE subjects, Extended Investigations and Algorithmics. Both these subjects are only offered as Unit 3 & 4 studies; no Unit 1 & 2 is available. Students are able to apply direct to CHES but any application requires College approval and is based on academic results. For more details students should speak to Ms Lucinda Huffer, Director of Student Pathways or refer to the website at www.ches.vic.edu.au.
Assessment Structure for VCE Studies
Each VCE unit has a set of two to four learning outcomes set by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA). For each outcome the student will be awarded either an 'S', indicating that he/ she has produced and submitted work that does meet the required standard, or an 'N', indicating that he/she has not produced work that meets the required standard or has not met the College attendance requirements. The award of satisfactory completion of a unit (reported to parents/guardians as an ‘S’) is based on the students demonstrating achievement of the outcome. The teacher will assess the student’s performance.
In order to be awarded an ‘S’ a student must:
Produce work that demonstrates achievement of the outcomes
Submit work on time
Submit work that is clearly their own
Observe Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) and school rules, including meeting the 90% attendance requirement
Assessment of Units 1 & 2
In Units 1 and 2 some tasks are graded Not Satisfactory to Outstanding to indicate level of performance. These assessments will provide a useful record for each student and introduces the way in which assessment will work in Year 12. Grades on Unit 1 and 2 tasks indicate a student’s preparedness for Year 12 studies and may be used in course counselling interviews. A student would need to achieve good grades in Year 11 to be well prepared for success in Year 12 studies.
Please note: Year 11 students MUST sit Unit 1 & 2 exams to gain an ‘S’ (for ‘Satisfactory’) in each unit.
Assessment of Units 3 & 4
A student’s level of performance is assessed using school-based assessment and external examinations. The weighting of examinations varies from subject to subject. Final assessments awarded to students by VCAA will be reported as grades A+ to UG (ungraded).
There are two forms of graded school assessment for Units 3 & 4; School-Assessed Coursework (SAC) and School-Assessed Tasks (SAT):
SATs are used in studies where products are assessed, such as Art Making and Exhibiting, Product Design and Technology, Media and Visual Communication and Design
SACs are the more common form of assessment and are used to assess learning outcomes
SACs provide teachers with the opportunity to monitor the progress and work of students and to provide students with feedback on how well they are achieving the outcome. Students will be provided with feedback on all SACs and SATs and should be aware that their assessment results are subject to statistical moderation.
VCE Year 11 Course Structure
Students in Year 11 will select at least one subject from the English group at Units 1 & 2 level in addition to 5 other subjects. Where students are able to demonstrate commitment to their studies and are achieving very good or excellent results it may be appropriate to include a Unit 3 & 4 sequence in Year 11.
Year 11 Students Wishing to Undertake Units 3 & 4 Studies
Students interested in undertaking a Unit 3 & 4 study in Year 11 will apply through the normal course selection process. It is recommended that students have completed Unit 1 & 2 in the same study.
Students who wish to enrol in VCE Unit 3 & 4 studies in Year 11 must meet the following requirements:
A high attendance rate for the current year
Demonstrated academic excellence over the entire curriculum in the current year
Some studies cannot be taken at Unit 3 & 4 level without the completion of Units 1 & 2. Where this is the case, students must satisfactorily complete both Units 1 & 2 and achieve results which indicate that they will succeed with Units 3 & 4 of the study
Demonstrated commitment to study and well-developed time management skills
Please Note: Undertaking a Unit 1 & 2 study in Year 10 does not automatically qualify students to continue with Unit 3 & 4 of that study in Year 11. Year 12 students are given priority in placement in Unit 3 & 4 studies.
Progression to Year 12
Year 11 students are required to satisfactorily complete a minimum of 8 units to advance to Year 12. Within these 8 units they must also have satisfactorily completed either Unit 1 or Unit 2 of an English (English, EAL, Literature or English Language). Parent/guardians will be contacted where their child is at risk of not meeting this requirement. Each student’s performance will be reviewed on an individual basis.
VCE Year 12 Course Structure
Students in Year 12 will study at least one subject from the English group at Units 3 & 4 and four other subjects. This means that in the 6-block timetable each student will have a spare block for supervised private study. Students are not permitted to study fewer than 4 studies at Wellington Secondary College in each academic year.
Students planning to select a subject at Unit 3 & 4 level that they did not study at Unit 1 & 2 level are advised to seek advice from the Careers staff. Some subjects require completion of Units 1 & 2 as a prerequisite for Units 3 & 4. Studies which may be suitable to commence at Unit 3 & 4 level include:
Ancient History
Biology
Business Management
Data Analytics
English
Environmental Science
Food Studies
Health and Human Development
Legal Studies
Physical Education
Philosophy
Product Design & Technology
Psychology
Revolutions
Systems Engineering
Choice of Studies
While the school tries very hard to accommodate students’ subject selections, where there are clashes in the timetable or where a small number of students select a subject, some flexibility may be necessary. As part of the course counselling process, students will be asked to select reserve subjects. In the event that a subject doesn't run or where there is a clash in the student's timetable, they will be placed in one of their reserve subjects. Students must consider their reserve subjects very carefully.
Tertiary Entry Requirements & the ATAR
Each Unit 3 & 4 study will be scored out of 50 (known as a ‘study score’). The ranking which determines entry into university and TAFE courses, the ATAR, is calculated using:
a student’s best score in any one of the English studies, plus
the scores of their next best three permissible studies (which together with the English study make the ‘Primary Four’), plus
10 per cent of the scores for any fifth and sixth study which they may have completed (these are called increments).
These are added together to arrive at an aggregate score. The ATAR is a percentile ranking. For example, if a student achieves an ATAR of 60, this indicates that they have performed better than 60% of students who completed their VCE in the same year.
EAL Status - Non English-Speaking Background, Aboriginality, Hearing Impaired
Students whose major language of instruction has not been English for more than seven years may be considered eligible for EAL status. Students need to provide evidence (e.g. passport with date of entry stamp, documentary evidence of language of instruction) to support their application for EAL status. Students of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent or students who are hearing impaired may also be eligible for EAL status. All students in these categories should discuss the matter with the Director of Senior School. All students who wish to study EAL must complete the application form and get approval from the Director of Senior School.
Special Provision
Students who may be eligible for Special Provision due to an ongoing medical condition or learning difficulty must provide current medical documentation to the Director of Senior School at the beginning of the year.
Students who experience a medical condition or difficulty that affects performance during an assessment in Units 3 & 4 studies should apply for Special Provision to the Director of Senior School.
Assistance for Families
Being mindful of the increased costs families will incur, we will continue to look at all costs and programs and will advise the College Community when we are able to implement additional support, if possible, through State Government Equity Funding in 2026. By identifying these areas now, we hope it will give families the opportunity to plan their financial commitments in a timely manner.
Where students may be required to attend excursions to extend their learning experiences throughout the year, parents will be notified through Compass and encouraged to grant permission and pay for these events via Compass Pay where required.
Families can use CSEF (Camps Sports Excursion Funding) for sports and excursions/incursions if they hold valid Centrelink Concession Card.
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