VCE Units 3 & 4
Assessment:
Students attempting any Unit 3 or 4 subject will be assessed in three formats: SACs, SATs and exams.
School Assessed Coursework (SAC):
School Assessed Coursework is used to differentiate between students’ abilities and helps, in conjunction with exams, to determine the ATAR which is the score used for entrance into University or TAFE. Satisfactory completion of all units is based upon mastery of the prescribed outcomes for each study. These outcomes are judged via assessment tasks as ‘S’ if the student has demonstrated an understanding or ‘N’ if the student has not demonstrated an understanding.
School Assessed Tasks (SAT):
Performance on each task will be indicated by a numerical grade with UG representing a fail, and NA indicating that the work was not assessed. Students are expected to complete all set work.
External VCAA Examinations:
Exams are held for all studies at the end of Unit 4.
Changing Subjects:
Students will be advised by classroom teachers of all due dates well in advance. In order to successfully complete the VCE, a student must pass 16 units including:
at least three units of English/Literature - two of which must be Units 3 & 4
at least three sequences of Unit 3 & 4 studies other than English
Students in Year 12 are advised not to change subjects because of criteria (ii) above and must consult with the Leading Teacher of Pathways leader if they are concerned with their program.
Homework:
Students in Year 12 can expect homework in all units they are attempting. The study designs published each year by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) emphasise that part of the workload for each study needs to be undertaken at home. As a result, teachers will usually provide students with approximately 30 minutes of homework per night which equates to 2- 3 hours per evening. This may vary at certain stages throughout the year as assessment deadlines and examinations approach.
Home study:
is different to homework. Home study will need to be undertaken throughout the year in order for students to revise class work. It is vital that students develop a routine of regular home study in order to maximise performance in tests and exams. Home study should be treated as a separate entity to homework. Students should devote at least one hour to home study each night.
Notice of SAC:
It is an expectation at all year levels that students will be given a copy of the form “Notice of an assessment task” to inform them about upcoming SACs. Students will be given this form at least 5 school days prior to the SAC. Students in Units 1 and 2 will be informed by the teacher. Notice of an assessment task form is optional for Units 1 and 2.
Units 3 and 4 feedback SAC Assessment:
Students will receive an Assessment Advice Slip attached to the work. Teachers may indicate to the student the level of achievement by using the scale of percentages below. Alternatively, teachers may allocate a specific percentage to indicate the SAC performance. Students have to receive a minimum level of achievement of 50% to gain a S (Satisfactory) for a SAC.
Areas of Assessment (Grades) Letter grades are given for the quality of work on a range of assessment tasks, assessed against specific criteria. Grade Percentage Range Grade Percentage Range
A+ 90 – 100%
A 80 – 89%
B+ 77 – 79%
B 70 – 76%
C+ 67 – 69%
C 60 – 66%
D+ 57 – 59%
D 50 – 56%
E+ 47 – 49%
E 40 – 46%
UG < 39% Submitted work does not meet the set criteria.
UG means "ungraded"
NA means “Not Assessed” because the student did not submit the work.
*S will be awarded to students who have successfully met the task after a redemption or submitted the work in late.
SACS and absence Units 3/4:
When a student misses a SAC in Units 3 and 4 they will have a Compass chronicle recorded which will send an email to the student and parent informing them of the absence.
A medical certificate will need to be submitted to reception in person or via the school email within one week.
Teachers may use informative tasks, a practice SAC or a redemption tasks to decide if they will receive a ‘S’ for the semester. However, students will not receive a score for that SAC if a medical certificate is not submitted. It is important that students complete all classwork or practice tasks as these may be used in deciding whether a student receives a ‘S’ or a ‘N’ for a unit of study. A student will receive a ‘N’ for a Unit 3 and 4 unless:
SACs and absence:
When a student misses a SAC in Units 3 and 4 they will have a Compass chronicle recorded which will send an email to the student and parent informing them of the absence. A medical certificate will need to be submitted to reception in person or via the school email within one week.
Completion of missed SAC
Students will be required to complete the missed SACs in the next scheduled class they are in attendance for, or at another time negotiated with the classroom teacher. This should be clearly communicated to parents/carers and students.
Evidence of Medical Absence
Reception staff will collect medical certificates. Admin support will email the classroom teacher notifying if a medical certificate has been provided.
Where a medical certificate is provided within one week - the student can receive a letter grade for the SAC which is reflected on the Compass Assessment Task.
Where a medical certificate is not received within one week - the student cannot receive a letter grade for the task and will receive a UG (Ungraded). They may however still receive a satisfactory result through other tasks
Where a medical certificate is provided within a one week however the student fails to complete / submit the task – the student will be given an NA (Not Assessed).
Rescheduling an assessment task when a SAC is missed
The assessment task must be completed as soon as possible upon return to school. No further extension will be given. Students should not assume the reason for absence will be accepted. Students need to check with their Student Manager & Leading Teacher of Student Engagement if they know in advance that they will miss an assessment task. Any set assessment task that may clash with organised school activities (e.g. Sport, music) should be negotiated with the subject teacher prior to the event.
VCE Units 3 & 4
Rules for School-Assessed Coursework and School-Assessed
Tasks
The VCAA sets down six rules which a student must observe when preparing work for assessment. These rules apply to school assessed coursework, they are:
A student must ensure that all unacknowledged work submitted for assessment is genuinely his/ her own.
A student must acknowledge all resources used, including:
Text, websites and source material, the name/s and status of any person/s who provided assistance and the type of assistance provided.
A student must not receive undue assistance from any other person in the preparation and submission of work.
Acceptable levels of assistance include: The incorporation of ideas or material derived from other sources (e.g. by reading, viewing or note taking), but which has been transformed by the student and used in a new context – prompting and general advice from another person or source which leads to refinements and/ or self-correction. Unacceptable forms of assistance include: Use of, or copying of, another person’s work or other resources without acknowledgment, corrections or improvements made or dictated by another person.
A student must not submit the same piece of work for assessment in more than one study or more than once within a study.
A student who knowingly assists other students in a breach of rules may be penalised. A student must sign an authentication record for work done outside class at the time of submitting the completed task. This declaration states that all unacknowledged work is the student’s own. A student must sign a general declaration that he/she will obey the rules and instructions for the VCE, and accept its disciplinary provisions. A student who uses a computer to produce school assessed work is responsible for ensuring that:
There is an alternative system available in case of computer or printer malfunction or unavailability
Hard copies of the work in progress are produced regularly to meet drafting and authentication requirements
Each time changes are made, the work is saved onto a back-up file. The back-up file should not be stored with the computer