VCE
#1
Top Dog
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2006
Location: Uk - hopefully to VIC
Posts: 374
VCE
Hello!
Anyone give me a simple guide to the vce?
Cheers!
S.dog
Anyone give me a simple guide to the vce?
Cheers!
S.dog
#3
Forum Regular
Joined: May 2005
Location: Ex Southampton, now on the Mornington Peninsula
Posts: 257
Re: VCE
OK, where to start! It's a 2 year course, but only the grades from the second year actually count towards the final score. However, saying that you have to have completed 16 units which do include some year one subjects. The first year units are called units 1 & 2 and the second year units are 3 & 4. Usually you take 6 subjects through both years but you can swop in the second year if you change your mind in certain subjects and do different 3/4 subjects to the ones you did in the first year. Confused yet!! No then I'll continue.
One of your subjects has to be English, if your not a native English speaker, this can be ESL (English as a second language). Usually at least one of the other 5 subjects is Maths and a lot of students aiming for Uni do 2 diiferent Maths subjects. The choice of the last 3 or 4 subjects is very much a personal choice and the range is extensive although this does sometimes depend on which courses your school offers.
When you have completed all 6 subjects in the second year, they grade you according to hoe well you did compared to everyone else in the state taking the same subject and give you a score out of 50 for each subject.
To work out your ATAR (ENTER) score they take your score for English, then the next best 2 scores and 10% of the next 2. The lowest score is discounted. You are then given a ranking out of 100 ( well actually 99.95) The higher your score the higher you ranked in the state, so if you got above 90 you were in the top 10%.
Thats the easy part!
Because the brighter students usually take the harder subjects such as Chemistry, Physics and languages etc it is actually harder to get a higher grade in these subjects because of the competition, so, when the scores are worked out, if say you get a 35 in Chemistry you will actually be awarded something like a 40 instead, i.ethe grades are upgraded, similarly in some subects a score may be down graded if it's considered an easy option!!
Now I'm sure you are confused by now, but just to finish. In a lot of schools, especially private ones, but some state schools as well, students often take 1 or 2 of their 3 & 4 subjects in year 1 instead of year 2, why you ask. The reason is that by doing this they have maore time to study for the individual 3/4 subjects as they get more free time in the second year and this usually increases their grades. They do this either by taking some of their 1 & 2 subjects in Yesr 10 or by not doing the 1/2 subject at all and goign straight into the 3/4. This is how students also can swop some subjects in the second year. You can't usually do this with things like languages , Chem or Physics though because of their level of difficulty.
As you can tell I've been through this a couple of times now, our second son was 16 when we arrived and went straight into VCE and our youngest is currently in Year 12.
If you need any more help, please feel free to pm me.
Good luck. Both of ours have enjoyed the VCE course and done really well so far, I'm sure you will to.
#4
Account Closed
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 0
Re: VCE
Agree with Smartinis except it is six subjects. English + 5.
Big difference with 'A' levels is that the 3 or 4 subjects you start you finish unless you are super-human. With VCE it is possible to change subjects. My daughter started with Chemistry in year 11 but didn't like it so changed to Specialist Maths in year 12. She sat the maths exam in year 12 and her time studying chemistry didn't count. I wouldn't recommend this.
Note, 12 years education here not 13.
Ian
Big difference with 'A' levels is that the 3 or 4 subjects you start you finish unless you are super-human. With VCE it is possible to change subjects. My daughter started with Chemistry in year 11 but didn't like it so changed to Specialist Maths in year 12. She sat the maths exam in year 12 and her time studying chemistry didn't count. I wouldn't recommend this.
Note, 12 years education here not 13.
Ian
#5
Forum Regular
Joined: May 2005
Location: Ex Southampton, now on the Mornington Peninsula
Posts: 257
Re: VCE
Agree with Smartinis except it is six subjects. English + 5.
Big difference with 'A' levels is that the 3 or 4 subjects you start you finish unless you are super-human. With VCE it is possible to change subjects. My daughter started with Chemistry in year 11 but didn't like it so changed to Specialist Maths in year 12. She sat the maths exam in year 12 and her time studying chemistry didn't count. I wouldn't recommend this.
Note, 12 years education here not 13.
Ian
Big difference with 'A' levels is that the 3 or 4 subjects you start you finish unless you are super-human. With VCE it is possible to change subjects. My daughter started with Chemistry in year 11 but didn't like it so changed to Specialist Maths in year 12. She sat the maths exam in year 12 and her time studying chemistry didn't count. I wouldn't recommend this.
Note, 12 years education here not 13.
Ian
#7
Account Closed
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 0
Re: VCE
Because the kids come here with an extra year's education they usually get asked if they wish to jump a year.
My daughter was 15 and elected to go with kids of her own age. Given the hormones I think that was a good decision although she coasted for that year.
My son was 11 and also elected to go with kids of his own age. With hindsight I think I should have forced him to jump a year. Intellectually he could have easily coped. He is now at Melbourne High and one of the oldest in the class and will turn 18 at the beginning of year 12.
I think what year your kid goes into is the most important decision for a parent.
#8
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Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 0
Re: VCE
they have kinder but it is only 10.5 hours/week or so as that is what is funded and not considered part of schooling.
#9
Forum Regular
Joined: May 2005
Location: Ex Southampton, now on the Mornington Peninsula
Posts: 257
Re: VCE
That's a good point.
Because the kids come here with an extra year's education they usually get asked if they wish to jump a year.
My daughter was 15 and elected to go with kids of her own age. Given the hormones I think that was a good decision although she coasted for that year.
My son was 11 and also elected to go with kids of his own age. With hindsight I think I should have forced him to jump a year. Intellectually he could have easily coped. He is now at Melbourne High and one of the oldest in the class and will turn 18 at the beginning of year 12.
I think what year your kid goes into is the most important decision for a parent.
Because the kids come here with an extra year's education they usually get asked if they wish to jump a year.
My daughter was 15 and elected to go with kids of her own age. Given the hormones I think that was a good decision although she coasted for that year.
My son was 11 and also elected to go with kids of his own age. With hindsight I think I should have forced him to jump a year. Intellectually he could have easily coped. He is now at Melbourne High and one of the oldest in the class and will turn 18 at the beginning of year 12.
I think what year your kid goes into is the most important decision for a parent.
#10
Re: VCE
Looks like kids do Prep thru to Year 12. Prep isn't kinder is it? Surely it's full-time school just like the 'kindergarten' year in NSW?
Adds up to 13 years to me .
#12
Forum Regular
Joined: May 2005
Location: Ex Southampton, now on the Mornington Peninsula
Posts: 257
Re: VCE
Prep's a bit like the "reception" year in the UK I think, but a year later. In UK mine did Year R followed by Years 1-13, totalling 14 years. Kids in Vic start school officially Year 1 at age 6, not 5 as in the UK, so thats where the discrepency comes from. I think a lot of kids go to kindy before prep, a bit like mine went to playgroup in the UK. Sorry mine are all too big now even I find it all very confusing, especially as the names, starting ages etc are different for each state. I'm glad mine are at the other end of the education trail!!
#13
Top Dog
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2006
Location: Uk - hopefully to VIC
Posts: 374
Re: VCE
Fab replies all - much better than the government website info! Another question: if students leave school before the vce what age do they leave? How many stay on to do it? Before the vce are all subjects compulsory etc etc?
Thanks again in anticipation of equally fab replies!
S. Dog
Thanks again in anticipation of equally fab replies!
S. Dog
#14
Account Closed
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 0
Re: VCE
Fab replies all - much better than the government website info! Another question: if students leave school before the vce what age do they leave? How many stay on to do it? Before the vce are all subjects compulsory etc etc?
Thanks again in anticipation of equally fab replies!
S. Dog
Thanks again in anticipation of equally fab replies!
S. Dog
You can start to choose a few subjects in year 9. Choose all in 11 and 12.
You can do practical subjects. Don't have to do academic VCE.
http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/vce/index.html
#15
Re: VCE
<snip>
As you can tell I've been through this a couple of times now, our second son was 16 when we arrived and went straight into VCE and our youngest is currently in Year 12.
If you need any more help, please feel free to pm me.
Good luck. Both of ours have enjoyed the VCE course and done really well so far, I'm sure you will to.
As you can tell I've been through this a couple of times now, our second son was 16 when we arrived and went straight into VCE and our youngest is currently in Year 12.
If you need any more help, please feel free to pm me.
Good luck. Both of ours have enjoyed the VCE course and done really well so far, I'm sure you will to.
Also, instead of doing 4 units of a fifth subject, she is planning to do the UEP (Maths).