Glossary

Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR)

• The overall percentile ranking on a scale of zero to 99.95 that a student receives, based on his/her study scores. The ATAR is calculated by VTAC and used by universities and TAFE institutes to select students for courses

Authentication

• The process of ensuring that the work submitted by students for assessment is their own

Examinations

• External assessments set and marked by the VCAA. All VCE Units 3 and 4 studies have at least one examination. Most written examinations are held in October and November, with a small number in June. Performance examinations and oral components of LOTE examinations are held in October

General Achievement Test (GAT)

• A test of knowledge and skills in writing, mathematics, science and technology, humanities and social sciences and the arts. All students enrolled in VCE Unit 3 and 4 sequence must sit the GAT. It is used by the VCAA to check that schools are marking School-assessed Tasks to the same standard, as part of the statistical moderation of School-assessed Coursework and as a quality assurance check on the VCAA’s marking of examinations and School-assessed Tasks

Outcomes

• An Outcome is the knowledge and skills by which the student demonstrates his/her understanding as prescribed in the Study Design for a particular Area of Study.

Prerequisite

• A specific VCE study that must be successfully undertaken for selection into a tertiary course.

School-assessed Coursework (SACs)

• SACs assess the level of a student's performance in meeting outcomes. The total result for all SACs in a study will be statistically moderated by the VCAA against external examination results.

School-assessed Tasks (SATs)

• SATs are set out by the VCAA to assess specific sets of practical skills and knowledge. Teachers assess the student's level of achievement on the basis of a rating against criteria specified by the VCAA.

 Studies

• The subjects available in the VCE.

Study design (VCE)

• A study design for each VCE study is published by the VCAA. It specifies the content for the study and how students’ work is to be assessed. Schools and other VCE providers must adhere to the requirements in the study designs.

Study score

• A score from zero to 50 which shows how a student performed in a VCE study, relative to all other Victorian students enrolled in that same study in a result year. It is based on the student’s results in school assessments and examinations.

• Study scores are not awarded for VCE VM units.

Units (VCE, including the VCE VM)

• The components of a VCE study that are a semester in duration. There are usually four units in a VCE study, numbered 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Victorian Certificate of Education Vocational Major (VCE VM)

• An accredited senior secondary school qualification. The VCE Vocational Major is a vocational and applied learning program that sits within the VCE.

• The VCE VM students do not receive an ATAR.

Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE)

• An accredited senior secondary school qualification.

Vocational Education and Training (VET)

• Nationally recognised vocational certificates. These certificates may be integrated within a VCE or VCAL program.

Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC)

• VTAC acts on behalf of universities, TAFEs and other providers facilitating and coordinating the joint selection system. VTAC calculates and distributes the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR).