Curriculum and Assessment

Curriculum
Assessment

Our well-designed school curriculum in Victoria, Australia is rich, diverse and flexible. This enables you to pursue your strengths and interests to achieve academic excellence.

Our school curriculum gives you many choices and not all subjects are compulsory.

School qualifications

The Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) is the official secondary school qualification in Victoria for Years 11 and 12. VCE allows entry to all Australian universities and a pathway to universities globally.

Build knowledge, gain skills and start the next phase of your life with a Victorian school qualification.

The Victorian school curriculum provides a strong foundation for future success

Our school curriculum sets you up for success and helps you to choose your direction after school.

This flexible and broad curriculum encourages you to:

develop independent, creative and critical thinking
increase your life skills
think and reflect on your future
face the future with confidence.

Our teachers apply the curriculum in the classroom in ways that suit many different learning styles.

Crucial years for decisions and choosing subjects - Years 10 to 12

In many ways, the most important years in our school curriculum are Years 10 to 12. It is the time to take responsibility and make decisions about your future and your career. That's why we offer you many choices but also guidance to help you choose your subjects carefully.

From international politics to specialist mathematics, from visual arts to psychology, from economics to environmental science – there really is something for everyone. The school you attend does not restrict you. Your choice can include subjects from the:

Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE)
Victorian School of Languages (over 40 languages).

The only compulsory subject is one English subject in Years 11 and 12 (most international students choose English as an Additional Language). You choose the rest.

If you need help or advice, careers and course advisors and counsellors can guide you in the right direction!

Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) subjects

There are over 90 VCE subjects across 9 Key Learning Areas:

Choices include:

4 English subjects
5 mathematics subjects
5 science subjects
10 arts subjects including 3 music, 3 performing arts and 3 visual arts subjects
5 technology subjects
17 humanities subjects including 8 history and 3 politics subjects
5 business subjects
3 health and physical education subjects
over 40 languages other than English.

The full list of VCE studies with details about each subject is available at the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority.

The Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School has unique curriculum offerings in the areas of music and performing arts.

Recognition of previous study

You can apply for a credit recognition which will recognise your previous study as a credit towards your VCE.

The Victorian Curriculum Foundation–10

The Victorian Curriculum F–10 sets out what all Victorian students should learn during the first eleven years of their schooling. This incorporates the Australian Curriculum but reflects Victorian priorities and standards. The curriculum is the common set of knowledge and skills required by students for:

lifelong learning
social development
active and informed citizenship.

The curriculum is divided into eight learning areas:

The Arts

English
Health and Physical Education
The Humanities

Civics and Citizenship
Economics and Business
Geography
History

Languages (other than English)
Mathematics
Science
Technologies

Design and Technologies
Digital technologies.

The Victorian Curriculum F–10 also includes four overarching capabilities:

Critical and Creative Thinking
Ethical
Intercultural
Personal and Social.

Co-curricular and extra-curricular programs

Schools offer many programs that enhance formal classroom learning. For example:

instrumental music tuition
choir, bands and orchestras
drama and musical productions
public speaking and debating
camps, excursions, overseas study tours and exchanges
accelerated learning and high achiever programs
peer support and mentoring programs
student leadership and cadetship programs
sports programs and competitions
environmental sustainability programs
tutoring, homework clubs and lunchtime or after-school programs (including EAL support for international students)
social events (such as school formals and debutante balls)
graduation and awards nights.

Sports offered vary between schools but can include:

CRICOS Provider Name and Code: Department of Education and Training, 00861K.

CRICOS Course Names and Codes: Primary (Prep to Year 6), 019047G; Secondary (7-12), 019048F; Victorian College of the Arts Secondary Course (7-12), 028651A.

Encouraging excellence, motivation and discipline is what guides and designs student assessment in our Victorian government schools.

Teachers use assessment to understand how and what their students learn.

The various methods of assessment prepare you for society, employment and lifelong learning.

Learning beyond tests and exams

Within our Victorian government schools, we use a balance of methods, aiming to build and develop your knowledge and skills. There are many more forms of assessment beyond tests and exams happening throughout the year.

We want to help you learn more effectively while you study abroad. We use a range of assessments to encourage you to reflect on how you learn and develop your analytical skills.

Gaining feedback

Your teachers will give you regular and constructive feedback on your overall progress. Your international student coordinator will work closely with your teachers on your development. They'll communicate with you and your parents or guardians to make sure that everyone understands how you're going whilst you study abroad.

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. Government schools in Victoria set assessment tasks to see how you are progressing.

There are two kinds of assessment in the VCE:

in-school, class-based coursework or tasks
external examinations (written, oral, performance or electronic).

Our school qualifications and the VCE

The Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE)

The Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) is the official senior secondary school qualification in Victoria for Years 11 and 12. VCE allows entry to all Australian universities and is a pathway to universities across the world.

While Years 11 and 12 is when you usually take the VCE, you can start studying some of your VCE subjects while in Year 10.

Most government schools in Victoria offer some VCE units to their Year 10 students. You can vary how many units you take in each year VCE – a pathway for the future

A VCE is the highest level of schooling and by completing this you are ready to commence university or vocational study.

Education systems, universities and employers around the world respect the VCE. Our qualifications help you to prepare for your chosen pathway to further study and a career.

If you're planning to work overseas, the VCE can give you the edge when you're competing for the ideal job. Employers internationally recognise the two components:

the qualification
the Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR) score.

An ATAR score

You get an ATAR score when you complete the VCE – this score shows how well you compare to all students studying the same subject in Australia in the same year.

Your work in VCE, usually in Years 11 and 12, receives grades A+ to E or UG (ungraded).

You receive a study score out of 50 for each unit at the end of Year 12.

Your ATAR score determines which Australian university and courses you can access for your university study. Many university courses have prerequisite studies and/or require certain combinations of studies and additional entry requirements.

You can gain in-depth advice on course selection from the school's course coordinator as well as a careers advisor, before starting and during your VCE. Your international student coordinator can also help place you in the right direction.

Over 90 subjects to choose from

You can choose from over 90 subjects ('studies') in the VCE, including languages. Each school usually offers between 20 and 30 studies, depending on the number of students. You can also do studies outside your school, such as:

languages through the Victorian School of Languages

Designing your course to include the subjects you choose

20 to 24 units form your VCE program, usually taken over two years. Each VCE study is broken up into four units - 1, 2, 3, and 4. The duration for each is half a year or a semester (two terms) in length:

Year 11 (but can also be studied in Year 10 or 12) = Units 1 and 2
Year 12 (but can also be studied in Year 11 for advanced students) = Units 3 and 4 to determine your ATAR score.

These build on Units 1 and 2.

You must satisfactorily complete at least 16 units to obtain a VCE.

You need to choose three units from:

the English Group, including English as an Additional Language (EAL).

Your school will help you to design and adjust your study plan to help you with your further study and career ambitions.

The VCE as a pathway to enter university

All Australian universities and many international universities recognise the VCE for university entrance. The VCE is a senior high school qualification comparable to:

UK A levels
International Baccalaureate (IB)
US SAT and ACT tests.

Recognising achievement and excellence

Various student prizes and awards recognise students for their hard work and talent beyond formal assessment. These include:

Find out more...

Talk to your course coordinator and a careers advisor. Your international student coordinator can also help!

CRICOS Provider Name and Code: Department of Education and Training, 00861K.

CRICOS Course Names and Codes: Primary (Prep to Year 6), 019047G; Secondary (7-12), 019048F; Victorian College of the Arts Secondary Course (7-12), 028651A.

Last Update: 11/05/2022 11:39 AM

In many ways, the most important years in our school curriculum are Years 10 to 12. It is the time to take responsibility and make decisions about your future and your career. That's why we offer you many choices but also guidance to help you choose your subjects carefully.

The Victorian Curriculum Foundation–​10

​​Co-curricular and extra-curricular programs

The Victorian Curriculum Foundation–10

Co-curricular and extra-curricular programs