Assessment
Teachers use assessment to understand how and what their students learn. Our approach to student assessment in Victoria, Australia encourages excellence, motivation and discipline.
More than tests and exams
We don’t lock students into intense competitions based on test scores. We want to prepare you for society, employment and lifelong learning. So we use a balance of methods that focus on the development of knowledge and skills in the Victorian school student. Assessment is spread through the year and isn’t limited to tests and exams.
How you learn, not just what you learn
Ultimately, we want to help you to learn more effectively while you study abroad. Assessment is part of this. But the best way to do this is by encouraging you to reflect on how you learn and by developing your thinking skills. For example, you will learn how to describe your thinking processes in words and with diagrams so that you can explain your thinking to other people and justify your conclusions.
Regular updates on progress
Teachers will give you regular and constructive feedback. Your International Student Coordinator will work closely with your teachers on your progress. They’ll communicate with you and your parents to make sure that everyone understands how you’re going while you study abroad. Assessment and overall progress will be regularly discussed.
Victorian school student assessment – Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE)
In the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE), assessment is based around ‘outcomes’. These outcomes describe what you should know and be able to do by the time you complete a particular unit. Schools set assessment tasks to see how you are progressing.
There are two kinds of assessment in the VCE:
1. in-school, class-based coursework or tasks
2. external examinations (written, oral, performance or electronic).
Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) and study scores
Grades (A+ to E or UG – ungraded) are usually given for your work in Years 11 and 12 of the VCE. At the end of Year 12, you receive a study score out of 50 for each unit. This score shows how well you performed in relation to everyone else who did the same subject in the same year.
Your study scores are used to calculate an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR). Australian universities use the ATAR score to rank students. The score, the subjects you studied and your preferences will determine which tertiary degree you can study and which university you can attend.
Excellence is celebrated
Your hard work and talent are celebrated in many ways other than formal assessment. Student achievement is promoted through various student prizes, such as:
- VCE Achievers Award
- Premier’s VCE Awards
- VCE Season of Excellence.
