The Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) is awarded for the successful completion of a complete secondary education and provides pathways into tertiary education, training and work. The VCE is a senior secondary certificate of education recognised within the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). 

The VCE is designed to be completed over a minimum of two years - usually year 11 and 12. It can include general education curriculum components (VCE studies) and programs from Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualifications. Each VCE study is designed to provide a two-year program. Units at 1 and 2 level are nationally and internationally benchmarked to a Year 11 standard and may be completed separately if required. Similarly, Units at 3 and 4 level are benchmarked to a Year 12 standard, however in most cases, they must be completed and passed as a sequence to gain credit toward the VCE. 

Each individual unit can contain multiple ‘Areas of Study’, each focused on particular ‘Learning Outcomes’. These Learning Outcomes are the basis for satisfactory completion of a VCE unit. Satisfactory completion of units is determined by the school, in accordance with Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) requirements. The learning outcomes and associated assessment tasks are specified in the currently accredited VCE study designs, which are referenced in this handbook.

For more information on the Victorian Certificate of Education, watch clip below.  

Minimum requirements for the award of the VCE 

The minimum requirement is satisfactory completion of 16 units which must include:  

-    Three units from the English group, including a Unit 3 and 4 sequence 

-    At least three sequences of Unit 3 and 4 studies other than English, which may include any number of English sequences once the English requirement has been met. 

Note: The Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) advises that for the calculation of a student’s Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR), satisfactory completion of both Units 3 and 4 of an English sequence is required. 

Altona College requirements

To ensure all students have sufficient opportunity to meet the minimum requirements for the award of VCE, the following conditions must be met when selecting units. Please note that students who wish to select fewer units in accordance with the 'minimum requirements for the award of VCE' may do so after consultation with our careers team to ensure they will be enrolled in an eligible combination of units.

Year 10 (Units 1-2 only)

Year ten students who can demonstrate both sufficient academic capability and an appropriate pathway plan are permitted to select two VCE units provided they meet all other Year 10 subject selection criteria.

Year 11 (Units 1-4)

Year 11 Students are required to enrol in a program including a total of 12 units (6 per semester), comprising of;

-    A minimum of two units of either English, English as an Additional Language (EAL) English Literature or English Language

-    Ten additional units of accredited study

-    Students may choose a VCE VET course within their unit selections to obtain two units if their timetable allows.

-    Students may also choose Ten VCE units and an additional VET program (if the additional VET is a VCE VET, students can obtain twelve units credit in Year 11)

Year 12 (Units 3-4)

Year 12 Students are required to enrol in a program including a total of ten units (5 per semester) comprising of;

-     A minimum of five Unit 3&4 sequences (unless one has already been completed in year 11, in which case other studies are permitted).

-     At least one Unit 3&4 sequence of English, English as an Additional Language (EAL) English Literature or English Language

-     Students who have already completed a Unit 3&4 sequence in Year 11, are still required to study at least four subjects in Year 12.

-     Students studying a scored VCE (to obtain an ATAR) must ensure their two year program comprises of at least five scored Unit 3&4 sequences.

Satisfactory Completion of a Unit

Each VCE unit includes learning outcomes. Satisfactory completion of a unit occurs when a student demonstrates achievement of all outcomes. This decision will be based on the teacher’s assessment of the student’s overall performance in the designated assessment tasks for the unit. Achievement of an outcome means the student’s work:  

-     Meets the required standard has been submitted on time  

-     Is clearly the student’s own work

-     Has not been the subject of a substantive breach of rules (including any school policies).

Reporting student results to VCAA 

The College will report each student’s result for each unit to the VCAA as: 

• S – Satisfactory 

• N – Not Satisfactory

Obtaining an ATAR

The ATAR is based on up to six VCE results. The results do not all have to be from the one year. The ATAR is calculated by using:  

-     The best score in any one of the English studies, plus; 

-     The next best three study scores (together with the English score, these make up the ‘Primary Four’) plus;

-     10 percent of the scores for any fifth and sixth study which you may have completed (these are known as ‘increments’).

A minimum of the Primary Four scores are required to be eligible for an ATAR.

VTAC will use up to six results in calculating the ATAR. If you have more than six results, the six scores that give the highest ATAR are used. Studies used in the calculation of the ATAR may be taken over any number of years. However, the time taken to complete VCE studies may be taken into account by tertiary institutions. 

Restrictions 

There are restrictions on how certain combinations of studies may be counted for your ATAR. 

In each of the study areas of english, mathematics, history, information technology, LOTE and music:  

-     At most, two results can contribute to the Primary Four  

-     At most, three results can contribute to the ATAR, the third being counted as a 10% increment for a fifth or sixth study. 

-     If a student’s ATAR incorporates an ‘Extension Increment’ from any of the study areas of Mathematics, English, LOTE, Music, History or Computer Science/Information Technology, then no more than two VCE results from the same study area can be used in the calculation of the ATAR. 

There are other specific restrictions where two or more studies have similar content, or where studies have been combined. Students are advised to choose carefully when selecting their VCE subjects and seek advice from senior school staff where appropriate.

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