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Victorian Certificate of Education

The Victorian Certificate of Education (often abbreviated VCE) is one credential available to secondary school students who successfully complete year 11 and 12 in the Australian state of Victoria as well as in some international schools in China, Malaysia, Philippines, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.

Victorian Certificate of Education examination
A mock-up of an exam paper's front page
AcronymVCE
TypePaper-based Standardised Exam
Developer / administratorVictorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority
Knowledge / skills testedVaries depending on the subject, but in almost all VCE subjects general knowledge, fundamental writing, and numerical skills are tested.
PurposeAdmission to undergraduate programs of universities and colleges
Year started1987 (1987)
DurationVarious
Score / grade range0–50 study scores
OfferedBiannually[a]
Restrictions on attemptsSame unit cannot count twice towards unit requirements
Countries / regionsVictoria, Australia[b]
LanguagesEnglish[c]
Annual number of test takers90,780 (2022)[1]
FeeFree for local students
AU$75.2–465.0 for international students depending on units taken[2]
Scores / grades used byUniversities, mainly through Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC)
Websitewww.vcaa.vic.edu.au/curriculum/vce/Pages/Index.aspx

About 67% of all 19-year-olds in Victoria had completed the VCE in 2020.[3]

Study for the VCE is usually completed over two years, but can be spread over a longer period in some cases.

The VCE was established as a pilot project in 1987. The earlier Higher School Certificate (HSC) was abolished in 1992.[4][5]

Delivery of the VCE Vocational Major, an "applied learning" program within the VCE, began in 2023.[6]

Structure edit

The Victorian Certificate of Education is generally taught in years 11 and 12 of secondary education in Victoria; but some students are able to start their VCE studies in year 10 or earlier if the school or institution allows it.[7]

All VCE studies are organised into units. VCE subjects typically consist of four units with each unit covering one semester of study. Each unit comprises a set number of outcomes (usually two or three); an outcome describes the knowledge and skills that a student should demonstrate by the time the student has completed the unit. Subject choice depends on each individual school. Units 3/4 of a subject must be studied in sequential order, whereas units 1/2 can be mixed and matched. Students are not required to complete all the units of a subject as part of the VCE course, meaning they are able to change subject choice between years 11 and 12.

On completing a unit, a student receives either a 'satisfactory' (S) or 'non-satisfactory' (N) result. If a student does not intend to receive an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR), a 'satisfactory' result is all that is required to graduate with the VCE.[8]

To gain an ATAR a student must satisfactorily complete three units of any subject in the English field (at least one English field subject is compulsory) and twelve units in any other subjects.[9]

Assessment edit

VCE studies are assessed both internally (in school) and externally (through the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA). During units 1/2 all assessment is internal, while in units 3/4 assessment is conducted both internally and externally.[10]

VCE Vocational Major units are only assessed internally.[11]

Internal assessment edit

Internal assessment is conducted via "school assessed coursework" (SACs) and "school assessed tasks" (SATs).

"School assessed coursework" (SACs) are the primary avenue of internal assessment, with assessment in every VCE study consisting of at least one SAC.[10] SACs are tasks that are written by the school and must be done primarily in class time; they can include essays, reports, tests, and case studies. Some studies in the visual arts and technology areas are also assessed via "school assessed tasks" (SATs). SATs are generally practical tasks that are examined in school. Both SACs and SATs are scaled by VCAA against external assessment; this is to eliminate any cheating or variances in task difficulty.

External assessment edit

External assessment is conducted in the form of examinations set by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority for units 3/4 studies. As of 2013, only the General Achievement Test (GAT) will be examined in June, with all subjects now only having one external assessment with the exceptions of mathematics subjects, LOTE studies, which consist of both a written and oral external test, performance studies, which consist of both a written external test and a performance, and Extended Investigations, which consist of an oral presentation and a Critical Thinking Test. All examinations except the Critical Thinking Test for Extended Investigation and the GAT are held in late October and most of November.

Subjects in the LOTE field (languages other than English) are also assessed in the form of oral examinations. Subjects in the Dance, Drama/Theatre Studies and Music fields, as well as Extended Investigations, are assessed by a performance for a VCAA panel of examiners as part of their external assessment. All performance-based external assessments (Oral Examinations and Music Performances) are typically held in early October.

General Achievement Test (GAT) edit

The GAT is an essential part of VCE external assessment. It provides the basis for a quality assurance check on the marking of examinations, and for deriving an indicative study score if the student misses the external assessment with a valid reason. All students who are enrolled in a VCE units 3/4 study are required to some or all of the GAT, including students completing the VCE Vocational Major.[12]

Scoring edit

Study scores edit

 
The normal distribution graph of VCE study scores. Note: Students can only achieve a study score of no more than 50.

Students will be eligible for a study score of between 0 and 50 if they have completed at least two Graded Assessments, and have satisfactorily completed both units 3/4 of a VCE study. Study scores are calculated by VCAA, and indicate a student's performance in relation to all other students who undertook that study.

Study scores are calculated by combining the standardised scores for each Graded Assessment with specific percentages, then ranked against all students in the subject according to a normal distribution, where the mean is 30 and the standard deviation is 7, with most study scores falling between 23 and 37. For studies with many enrolments (1000 or more), a study score of 40 or more places a student in the top 9% of all students in that subject.[13]

If a student is ill or affected by other personal circumstances during an external assessment, and whose result is unlikely to be a fair or accurate demonstration of their learning or achievement, they may apply for a derived examination score (DES). Long-term illness or other ongoing conditions that have been present over the year are not eligible for a DES. Students will need to supply independent evidence to apply for a DES, and will be examined case by case by VCAA. The derived score is calculated statistically from the student's other assessments, including school-based assessments, GAT scores, other external assessment scores (if available) and grades provided by the school.[14]

Scaling edit

Scaling is the process that adjusts VCE study scores into ATAR subject scores. The Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) adjusts all VCE study scores to equalise results between studies with stronger cohorts, and those with weaker ones. Contrary to common perception, scaling is not based on the difficulty of the subject, as each study score is in fact a ranking. The score adjustment ensures that in those subjects where it is easier to overtake the cohort, the score is adjusted downward, while in subjects where it is difficult to score highly, it is moved upwards. This makes sure obtaining the average score in one study required the same level of achievement as every other study.[15]

Mathematics subjects and language subjects have additional scaling rules. In mathematics subjects (General Mathematics, Mathematical Methods and Specialist Mathematics), all three studies are scaled against each other in addition to being scaled against all other studies, then the higher of the two scaling scores will then be used. This is due to mathematics having a distinct hierarchy of studies with varying difficulties, so students studying the harder subjects will not be disadvantaged by the level of difficulty. In LOTE (Languages Other Than English) subjects, study scores are adjusted by adding up to five to the initial scaled study score average. This adjustment is different for each subject and score, and decreases as the study score moves away from 30.[16]

ATAR edit

ATAR in Victoria is calculated by the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) every year using student results provided by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA). VTAC will combine the student's results into an "aggregate" which is a sum of selected (scaled) results from eligible subjects:[17]

  • the student's best score in one of English, English Language, Literature, or English as an Additional Language (EAL),
  • the student's next three best scores; along with the English score form the "primary four" results,
  • 10% of the next two best scores, known as "increments" (where available).

The aggregates, which can range from 0 to over 210 (in exceptional cases), are then mapped to percentiles for conversion to an ATAR. Students must pass an English subject in order to qualify for an ATAR as well as the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE).[18] The primary four results must be taken from VCE or Vocational Education and Training (VET) Units 3 and 4 sequences, while the increments can also include other results, such as interstate study or university extension studies. There are also other rules, such as only two studies from the same subject area can contribute to the "primary 4". For example, if the student completed Unit 3/4 for all General Mathematics, Mathematical Methods, and Specialist Mathematics, the one with the lowest study score must be an increment, even if the score is higher than all other studies outside of mathematics.[19]

The group of students with the highest aggregates will be assigned the highest ATAR of 99.95. ATARs below 30.00 are reported as "less than 30" on printed ATAR statements, however the actual ATAR is available online.[20]

Unscored VCE edit

It is possible for students to complete an unscored VCE. Under this option, students complete the VCE course but do not sit final exams and are not given an ATAR. The number of students completing an unscored VCE has increased every year since 2015, with 8.3% of VCE students completing an unscored VCE in 2020.[21]

Studies edit

VCE studies refer to the various subjects available to students to contribute to their successful completion of the qualification. There are currently 128 VCE studies, ranging from diverse fields such as the humanities, science, technology and mathematics. Studies are also permitted to study one or more VCE VET programs, vocational education-based subjects which contribute to the completion of the VCE, while also resulting in a nationally recognised VET qualification.

Although a student may choose to study any VCE subject in theory, this is dependent on availability of the specified study at the student's school. Certain schools do not offer certain studies, and as a result, students may pick alternate ones, or choose to study a particular subject through an external institution such as Virtual School Victoria (formerly Distance Education Centre Victoria).

To be awarded the VCE, a student must successfully complete at least:

  • 3 units of an English subject, with two of those being units 3 and 4
  • Three additional Unit 3/4 sequences
  • Pass with a satisfactory of at least 16 units out of the normal 20–24 units[22]

This therefore means that a student must study at least four subjects to be awarded the VCE. Selection of studies depends on other factors as well, such as prerequisites for university courses.

The following is a list of all VCE studies available:
† indicates that study is only available at 3/4 level, * indicates that study is only available at 1/2 level.

Area Subjects
English (compulsory) English
English as an Additional Language (EAL)
English Language
Literature
Foundation English*
Bridging EAL*
Mathematics Foundation Mathematics
General Mathematics
Mathematical Methods
Specialist Mathematics
Science Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Psychology
Environmental Science
Humanities Australian and Global Politics:

Classical Studies
Geography
History:

Philosophy
Religion and Society
Sociology
Texts and Traditions

Area Subjects
Performing Arts Dance
Drama

Music:

Theatre Studies

Visual Arts Art Creative Practice
Art Making and Exhibiting
Media
Visual Communication Design
Business and Economics Accounting
Business Management
Economics
Industry and Enterprise
Legal Studies
Design and Technologies Agricultural and Horticultural Studies
Food Studies
Product Design and Technology
Systems Engineering
Digital technologies Algorithmics (HESS)†

Computing:

Health and Physical Education Health and Human Development
Outdoor and Environmental Studies
Physical Education
Cross-curriculum Extended Investigation†
LOTE Languages
Arabic Japanese First Language,
Japanese Second Language
Armenian Khmer
Auslan Korean First Language,
Korean Second Language
Bengali Latin
Bosnian Macedonian
Chin Hakka Maltese
Chinese First Language,
Chinese Second Language,
Chinese Second Language Advanced,
Chinese Language Culture and Society
Persian
Classical Greek Polish
Classical Hebrew Portuguese
Croatian Punjabi
Dutch Romanian
Filipino Russian
French Serbian
German Sinhala
Greek Spanish
Hebrew Swedish
Hindi Tamil
Hungarian Turkish
Indigenous Languages of Victoria Vietnamese First Language,
Vietnamese Second Language
Indonesian First Language,
Indonesian Second Language
Yiddish
Italian
VCE VET Programs
Agriculture, Horticulture, Conservation and Land Management Equine Industry
Animal Studies Furnishing
Applied Fashion Design and Technology Hair and Beauty
Applied Language Health
Automotive Hospitality
Building and Construction Information, Digital Media and Technology
Business Integrated Technologies
Cisco Laboratory Skills
Civil Infrastructure Music Industry
Community Services Plumbing
Creative and Digital Media Small Business
Dance Sport and Recreation
Engineering Studies

There are also University Extension studies available for high-achieving students. These subjects are carried out through multiple universities, including The University of Melbourne,[23] Swinburne University[24] and Deakin University.[25] Monash University formerly[26] offered extension subjects, but cancelled the program in 2019.

Controversies edit

2011 English exam edit

The 2011 English exam contained a column about tattoos attributed to "part-time journalist and blogger Helen Day", who wrote for the fictional "Street Beat" blog. The Age newspaper accused VCAA of plagiarism and breach of copyright as the column was very similar to an opinion piece featured in the newspaper's 23 September 2010 edition, written by Melbourne writer Helen Razer. The newspaper called the exam's column "clumsily edited".[27]

2012 History: Revolutions exam edit

In 2012, the History: Revolutions exam was meant to include a picture of Nikolai Kochergin's artwork Storming the Winter Palace on 25th October 1917, depicting the events of the 1917 October Revolution in Russia. Instead, a doctored picture was used in the exam, in which a large robot had been edited in to the background of the scene. (Said robot was a Marauder from BattleTech, a science fiction setting in which a fictional 28th century general named 'Aleksandr Kerensky' like the nonfictional October Revolution leader played an important role during a pivotal coup and civil war.) A VCAA spokesperson admitted that the image was "sourced and acknowledged by the VCAA as coming from the Internet", and new internal guidelines were issued for using internet-sourced content in exams.[28][29] Of the 5,738 students that sat the exam, 2,379 chose the Russia section, of which 130 received an adjusted score.[30]

2016 Early Release of results edit

In 2016, a computer error allowed for 2075 students (approximately 2.5% of VCE candidates) to receive their ATAR score and VCE results five days earlier than they were supposed to be announced. External SMS provider for VCAA and the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC), Salmat Digital, created an error that enabled students to receive their results before the expected release date by texting VCAA.[31] Suzanne Connelly, a spokeswoman for VTAC and VCAA, apologised on behalf of all agencies involved.[32]

This sparked outrage from parents of students who did not receive their scores, considering it as "unfair".[33] Students who were able to receive their results also questioned its legitimacy and reliability. The VCAA and VTAC acted to contact affected students and their schools to reassure them regarding the accidental early results release. The release of the remaining 97.5% of results took place without further issue at the planned time. Education Minister James Merlino ordered an investigation into the situation, which had compromised results that are normally closely guarded until the official release.[34]

2018 English exam edit

The 2018 English exam included an article in which fictional writer Jonty Jenkins scathingly attacked a café franchise named "Calmer Coffee" opening in his local town, criticising its unfriendly staff and unwelcoming ambience that he described as "an assault on the senses". After the exam completed, students discovered that a real "Calmer Cafe" existed in Aberfeldie, a suburb just north-west of Melbourne. The café's manager, Elise Jenkins, shares the same surname as the exam question's fictional writer. Within hours, the café received over 100 negative reviews on Google Maps from Year 12 students, bringing down its rating from nearly 5 stars to as low as 3.3.[35][36] Google Maps temporarily removed the café from search results, and later reinstated it but kept reviews inaccessible. At the time, the café had 405 reviews.[37]

The next day, Tara Conron, owner of the cafe, told The Age she had hired a lawyer and would be pursuing legal action against VCAA for "uncanny" similarities between the exam and the actual cafe. Conron noted the identical surnames of Jenkins, stated that she employs someone with a "man bun", as does the employer in the exam article, and both the fictional and actual cafe "stand out" in their respective suburbs.[36]

A year later, it was reported that Conron was no longer pursuing legal action against VCAA, telling The Age that the café staff had placed the matter behind them, and saying "we’ve just loved to joke about it this year".[38]

2022 Specialist Mathematics Exam 2 edit

On 11 November 2022 The Age newspaper published an article ("For some, this VCE maths exam didn't add up")[39] alleging errors on the 2022 Specialist Mathematics Exam 2 that included:

Section A Question 4: No correct answer (because the values of a and c can be any real number),

Section A Question 19: No correct answer (because confidence intervals are calculated for unknown population means, not for sample means),

Section B: Question 6 part (f) (the question cannot be answered because the relevant random variables are not stated to be independent).

The Examination Report published by the VCAA for this Exam makes no acknowledgement of these alleged errors. The answers used by the VCAA to mark this exam are not available to the public. It is reasonable to assume they are the same as the answers given in the Examination Report.

The alleged errors in this exam (as well as an alleged error in the marking scheme used for 2022 Specialist Mathematics Exam 1 Question 3 part (b)) form part of a public submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry into the state of education in Victoria (Parliamentary Inquiry submission 32). The Herald Sun has reported on this submission (Herald-Sun 7 September 2023 front page and page 7 "Maths exams don't add up") (Mistake-riddled VCE exams robbing students) and it received further media coverage on Sky News Australia (VCE maths exams riddled with errors for decades, expert claims). A supplement (32.3) to the aforementioned submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry includes a detailed mathematical rebuttal of the VCAA's claims that the "questions did not present errors" (Herald-Sun 7 September 2023 page 7 "Maths exams don't add up").

An open letter to the Victorian Education Minister signed by nearly 70 University mathematicians states that these questions "are unacceptably flawed. Each question exhibits some fundamental misunderstanding or misrepresentation of the underlying mathematics."[40]

Allegations of other mathematical errors edit

The public submission (Parliamentary Inquiry) also alleges errors on many other VCE mathematics exams over a twenty year period (reported in the Herald-Sun 7 September 2023 front page and page 7 "Maths exams don't add up") (Mistake-riddled VCE exams robbing students)), including:

1. 2016 Mathematical Methods Exam 2 Section B Question 3 part (h) where a function is incorrectly claimed to be a probability density function (pdf). An amended Examination Report (2016 Mathematical Methods Exam 2 Report) acknowledges that the function was not a pdf but does not admit an error and does not explain why, contrary to the instruction in the exam question, "Answers that were correct to the nearest integer were accepted".

2. Northern Hemisphere Timetable 2021 Mathematical Methods Exam 2 Section A Question 8, for which there is no correct answer. The original Examination Report (no longer publicly available) stated Option D as the correct answer. This answer is deleted in an amended Examination Report (2021 Mathematical Methods Exam 2 Report). No answer is stated and no explanation is given for why no answer is stated. Question 4 from an official 2010 VCAA document (Mathematical Methods Sample Questions) contains the same error. It is reasonable to assume that this document is the source of the 2021 exam error. There is no evidence that the VCAA has ever alerted teachers to the error in this document.

Mathematician, educator and author Marty Ross has extensively documented and discussed many alleged VCE Mathematical Methods Exam errors and VCE Specialist Mathematics Exam errors.

2022 Geography exam edit

On 8 September 2023 the Herald Sun newspaper published an article about colour blind students being given red-green scaled maps in the 2022 Geography Exam (Herald-Sun 8 September 2023 page 11 "Students see red ... or not") (Colour blind students forgotten in VCE Geography exam).

2023 General Mathematics Exam 2 edit

It was reported in The Western Australian (31 October 2023 “Investigation ordered after maths exam doesn’t add up”) that the

“VCAA has launched an investigation after typographical errors appeared in Monday's second general maths exam. One error was picked up after printing, with students instructed to amend the paper. But the second error in a matrix-related question [(Q9d)] was not spotted until after the exam.”

In an ABC Radio Melbourne interview between Rafael Epstein and an exam invigilator, it was claimed by the invigilator that the initial VCAA instruction for fixing the first error was unclear and potentially wrong.[41]

It was reported in the Herald Sun (31 October 2023 “Investigation into VCE exam errors as students left in tears”) that

"A spokesman for the Department of Education admitted the two errors ... "The VCAA will conduct further analysis to investigate how this error appeared in the exam, and will ensure that no student’s score is unfairly impacted because of this mistake, and apologises for undue stress this has caused" ... Education minister Ben Carroll [said] it’s “unacceptable” the maths exam contained two mistakes and ordered an investigation into the latest VCE testing bungle.” The Minister unreservedly apologised and said that "he had spoken with the chief of the VCAA and ordered an immediate investigation".

It was reported in the Herald Sun (1 November 2023 “VCE maths students awarded bonus mark for exam errors”) that the VCAA decided to "... award all students who attempted the exam a correct score for the [matrix-related] question" (Q9d) that contained the error.

2023 Mathematical Methods Exam 2 edit

It was reported in The Herald Sun (3 November 2023 “VCE test can't go the distance” and 6 November 2023 "Teachers at sixes and sevens over exam errors") that the Mathematical Methods Exam 2 contained multiple errors and a question recycled from a previous exam. One of the errors was picked up after printing, with students instructed to amend the paper (replacing the letter "m" with the word "meters" in the phrase "m per second" that proceeded a mathematical formula). But the other errors (including missing words that left questions under-specified) were not spotted until after the exam. These errors (as well as many other errors from other 2023 VCAA mathematics exams) have been listed by teachers.[42]

2023 Specialist Mathematics Exam 2 edit

It was reported in The Herald Sun (7 November 2023 “Maths test fails add up - Latest mistake the 7th error in 2023”) that the curves in the diagram for Section B Question 6 part (h) were not correctly labelled. This error was acknowledged by the VCAA which decided to "... award all students who attempted the exam a correct score" for that question (Herald Sun 8 November 2023 “Maths fail a plus for students”).

This error, as well errors on the 2022 Specialist Mathematics exams, were discussed in an ABC Radio Melbourne interview between Rafael Epstein and Monash University mathematician Professor Burkard Polster (8 November 2023)[43]. During this interview Professor Polster disclosed that he had offered to proof read the VCE mathematics exams for free but the VCAA had declined his offer. He also explained why giving every student 1 mark for this question is not actually fair.

2023 Chemistry exam edit

It has been reported that the 2023 Chemistry exam contained an error.[44] The "error was in a question about the composition of coconut oil, which had listed the formula for linolenic acid rather than linoleic acid, as intended."

2023 Chinese Second Language Advanced (SLA) exam edit

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported that two high schools gave Chinese language students the wrong exam paper.[45] Some students who were meant to take the Chinese Second Language Advanced (SLA) exam were given the paper for the Chinese as a Second Language (SL) exam, which is at a significantly easier level and which was due to be held the following Wednesday. The ABC reported that "students affected have been asked to sign a confidentiality agreement to not share details of the exam before November 16. However, several insiders with knowledge of the exam have confirmed that at least one of the essay questions and details of some listening exercises have already been leaked online and are being circulated on Reddit and Chinese social media sites." Several affected students and parents were forced to decline commenting on the error because of the confidentiality agreement.

The VCAA’s response to this mistake has been criticised by VCE Chinese teachers, who told the ABC that "it was the “basic responsibility” of the VCAA staff who were supervising the exam to check everything was correct. There are supposed to be “clear tags” to classify each exam paper. The fact that more than one school gave the wrong exam paper shows it's not an individual mistake, [it shows] the VCAA didn't provide adequate training for supervisors."

Sources to the ABC have said that "when one of the students flagged with a supervisor that they received the wrong paper, the supervisor told them it was "impossible" and to "continue with the exam"".

The education minister, Ben Carroll, subsequently confirmed that six students were incorrectly given the SL exam.[46] He labelled it "a “traumatic” experience for those who were affected." He said that "the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority [has] been asked to complete a full investigation into the incident." The Minister also said that academics had approached him about the VCE exams in general and that he has asked "the VCAA to partner with academic institutions in the writing, designing and vetting of exams."

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ At the end of an Australian school year (October/November) and Northern Hemisphere Timetable (May)
  2. ^ also in selected schools in China, Malaysia, Philippines, Timor-Leste and Vietnam
  3. ^ except LOTE language subjects, which are conducted in English and respective languages

References edit

  1. ^ Senior Secondary Completion and Achievement Information, 2022, VCAA, retrieved 13 April 2023
  2. ^ "Fees and charges". www.vcaa.vic.edu.au. VCAA. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  3. ^ "Senior Secondary Certificate Statistical Information 2020". Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. Government of Victoria. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  4. ^ (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 July 2007. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
  5. ^ . Archived from the original on 19 September 2009. Retrieved 29 August 2009.
  6. ^ Carey, Adam; Precel, Nicole (28 January 2023). "Students to benefit from hands-on reform of VCE". The Age. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  7. ^ "Senior (Year 10)". Hoppers Crossing.
  8. ^ Heffernan, Madeline; Carey, Adam; Precel, Nicole (17 July 2022). "'Contagion effect': Students choose unscored VCE in record numbers". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  9. ^ "Glossary". Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre. Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  10. ^ a b "VCE – The Victorian Certificate of Education". Youth Central. State Government of Victoria. 28 November 2012. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  11. ^ "About the VCE Vocational Major". Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  12. ^ "What is the General Achievement Test?". www.vcaa.vic.edu.au. Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority.
  13. ^ (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 April 2016.
  14. ^ "Derived Examination Score (DES)". www.vcaa.vic.edu.au. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  15. ^ "ABC of Scaling" (PDF). Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre. p. 4. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  16. ^ "VTAC ATAR and Scaling Guide 2023". www.vtac.edu.au. VTAC. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  17. ^ "How the ATAR is calculated". The Age. 12 December 2010. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  18. ^ "About VCE results and ATAR". www.vcaa.vic.edu.au. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  19. ^ "VTAC ATAR and Scaling Guide 2023". www.vtac.edu.au. VTAC. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  20. ^ "What is an ATAR score & How is it Calculated?". Deakin University. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  21. ^ Longbottom, Jessica (September 2021). "Amid COVID lockdowns and new university pathways, VCE students drop ATAR goal". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  22. ^ VCAA. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  23. ^ The University of Melbourne Extension Program, retrieved 2011-09-18.
  24. ^ Higher Education Studies at Swinburne University of Technology, retrieved 2011-09-18.
  25. ^ "Accelerate – Deakin". Deakin University.
  26. ^ Monash Extension
  27. ^ Topsfield, Jewel (10 November 2011). "Sloppy copy in exam raises ire". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  28. ^ Arup, Tom (15 November 2012). "History transformed in VCE exam". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. from the original on 31 October 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  29. ^ Topsfield, Jewel (19 November 2012). "VCE authorities apologise for phantom robot". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. from the original on 31 October 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  30. ^ "2012 History Revolutions assessment report" (PDF). Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. p. 11. (PDF) from the original on 10 April 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  31. ^ "Blunder sees ATAR results arrive early for some Victorian Year 12 students". ABC News. 7 December 2016.
  32. ^ Jacks, Timna (8 December 2016). "'Just atrocious': Schools furious over VCE ATAR leak". The Sydney Morning Harold.
  33. ^ Doherty, Elise; Allaoui, Therese; Hore, Monique; Rogers, Andrew (7 December 2016). "VCE students report receiving ATAR results five days before official release date". Herald Sun. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  34. ^ Spooner, Rania; Cook, Henrietta; Hall, Bianca; Jacks, Timna (7 December 2016). "VCE 2016: 2075 Year 12 students get ATAR results days early". The Sydney Morning Harold.
  35. ^ Cook, Henrietta; Webb, Carolyn (31 October 2018). "A Melbourne cafe's nightmare after being in the VCE English exam". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  36. ^ a b Cook, Henrietta (1 November 2018). "Cafe of English exam fame to sue education body". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  37. ^ . Archived from the original on 1 November 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  38. ^ Carey, Adam; Heffernan, Madeleine; Grieve, Charlotte (30 October 2019). "English exam on the money with question about cash-free grocery store". The Age. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  39. ^ Carey, Adam (11 November 2022). "Were these VCE exam questions faulty? (a) Yes (b) No (c) Maybe (d) All of the above". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  40. ^ "Open Letter to Hon. Ben Carroll MP, Victorian Minister for Education". Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  41. ^ "Assessment authority responds to VCE maths exam mistakes". Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  42. ^ "What Are the "Errors" on the 2023 VCE Mathematics Exams?". Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  43. ^ "Interview with Professor Burkard Polster - cue to 1:24:10". Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  44. ^ "Mistakes pile up across maths, chemistry, and language VCE exams, throwing 'undue stress' on thousands of Year 12 students". Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  45. ^ "Students and parents demand answers after at least two high schools hand out wrong paper in VCE Chinese exam". Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  46. ^ "Victorian government 'disappointed' after group of VCE students given wrong exam". Retrieved 13 November 2023.

External links edit

victorian, certificate, education, often, abbreviated, credential, available, secondary, school, students, successfully, complete, year, australian, state, victoria, well, some, international, schools, china, malaysia, philippines, timor, leste, vietnam, exami. The Victorian Certificate of Education often abbreviated VCE is one credential available to secondary school students who successfully complete year 11 and 12 in the Australian state of Victoria as well as in some international schools in China Malaysia Philippines Timor Leste and Vietnam Victorian Certificate of Education examinationA mock up of an exam paper s front pageAcronymVCETypePaper based Standardised ExamDeveloper administratorVictorian Curriculum and Assessment AuthorityKnowledge skills testedVaries depending on the subject but in almost all VCE subjects general knowledge fundamental writing and numerical skills are tested PurposeAdmission to undergraduate programs of universities and collegesYear started1987 1987 DurationVariousScore grade range0 50 study scoresOfferedBiannually a Restrictions on attemptsSame unit cannot count twice towards unit requirementsCountries regionsVictoria Australia b LanguagesEnglish c Annual number of test takers90 780 2022 1 FeeFree for local studentsAU 75 2 465 0 for international students depending on units taken 2 Scores grades used byUniversities mainly through Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre VTAC Websitewww wbr vcaa wbr vic wbr edu wbr au wbr curriculum wbr vce wbr Pages wbr Index wbr aspxAbout 67 of all 19 year olds in Victoria had completed the VCE in 2020 3 Study for the VCE is usually completed over two years but can be spread over a longer period in some cases The VCE was established as a pilot project in 1987 The earlier Higher School Certificate HSC was abolished in 1992 4 5 Delivery of the VCE Vocational Major an applied learning program within the VCE began in 2023 6 Contents 1 Structure 1 1 Assessment 1 1 1 Internal assessment 1 1 2 External assessment 1 1 3 General Achievement Test GAT 1 2 Scoring 1 2 1 Study scores 1 2 2 Scaling 1 2 3 ATAR 1 2 4 Unscored VCE 1 3 Studies 2 Controversies 2 1 2011 English exam 2 2 2012 History Revolutions exam 2 3 2016 Early Release of results 2 4 2018 English exam 2 5 2022 Specialist Mathematics Exam 2 2 5 1 Allegations of other mathematical errors 2 6 2022 Geography exam 2 7 2023 General Mathematics Exam 2 2 8 2023 Mathematical Methods Exam 2 2 9 2023 Specialist Mathematics Exam 2 2 10 2023 Chemistry exam 2 11 2023 Chinese Second Language Advanced SLA exam 3 See also 4 Notes 5 References 6 External linksStructure editThe Victorian Certificate of Education is generally taught in years 11 and 12 of secondary education in Victoria but some students are able to start their VCE studies in year 10 or earlier if the school or institution allows it 7 All VCE studies are organised into units VCE subjects typically consist of four units with each unit covering one semester of study Each unit comprises a set number of outcomes usually two or three an outcome describes the knowledge and skills that a student should demonstrate by the time the student has completed the unit Subject choice depends on each individual school Units 3 4 of a subject must be studied in sequential order whereas units 1 2 can be mixed and matched Students are not required to complete all the units of a subject as part of the VCE course meaning they are able to change subject choice between years 11 and 12 On completing a unit a student receives either a satisfactory S or non satisfactory N result If a student does not intend to receive an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank ATAR a satisfactory result is all that is required to graduate with the VCE 8 To gain an ATAR a student must satisfactorily complete three units of any subject in the English field at least one English field subject is compulsory and twelve units in any other subjects 9 Assessment edit VCE studies are assessed both internally in school and externally through the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority VCAA During units 1 2 all assessment is internal while in units 3 4 assessment is conducted both internally and externally 10 VCE Vocational Major units are only assessed internally 11 Internal assessment edit Internal assessment is conducted via school assessed coursework SACs and school assessed tasks SATs School assessed coursework SACs are the primary avenue of internal assessment with assessment in every VCE study consisting of at least one SAC 10 SACs are tasks that are written by the school and must be done primarily in class time they can include essays reports tests and case studies Some studies in the visual arts and technology areas are also assessed via school assessed tasks SATs SATs are generally practical tasks that are examined in school Both SACs and SATs are scaled by VCAA against external assessment this is to eliminate any cheating or variances in task difficulty External assessment edit External assessment is conducted in the form of examinations set by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority for units 3 4 studies As of 2013 only the General Achievement Test GAT will be examined in June with all subjects now only having one external assessment with the exceptions of mathematics subjects LOTE studies which consist of both a written and oral external test performance studies which consist of both a written external test and a performance and Extended Investigations which consist of an oral presentation and a Critical Thinking Test All examinations except the Critical Thinking Test for Extended Investigation and the GAT are held in late October and most of November Subjects in the LOTE field languages other than English are also assessed in the form of oral examinations Subjects in the Dance Drama Theatre Studies and Music fields as well as Extended Investigations are assessed by a performance for a VCAA panel of examiners as part of their external assessment All performance based external assessments Oral Examinations and Music Performances are typically held in early October General Achievement Test GAT edit Main article General Achievement Test The GAT is an essential part of VCE external assessment It provides the basis for a quality assurance check on the marking of examinations and for deriving an indicative study score if the student misses the external assessment with a valid reason All students who are enrolled in a VCE units 3 4 study are required to some or all of the GAT including students completing the VCE Vocational Major 12 Scoring edit Study scores edit nbsp The normal distribution graph of VCE study scores Note Students can only achieve a study score of no more than 50 Students will be eligible for a study score of between 0 and 50 if they have completed at least two Graded Assessments and have satisfactorily completed both units 3 4 of a VCE study Study scores are calculated by VCAA and indicate a student s performance in relation to all other students who undertook that study Study scores are calculated by combining the standardised scores for each Graded Assessment with specific percentages then ranked against all students in the subject according to a normal distribution where the mean is 30 and the standard deviation is 7 with most study scores falling between 23 and 37 For studies with many enrolments 1000 or more a study score of 40 or more places a student in the top 9 of all students in that subject 13 If a student is ill or affected by other personal circumstances during an external assessment and whose result is unlikely to be a fair or accurate demonstration of their learning or achievement they may apply for a derived examination score DES Long term illness or other ongoing conditions that have been present over the year are not eligible for a DES Students will need to supply independent evidence to apply for a DES and will be examined case by case by VCAA The derived score is calculated statistically from the student s other assessments including school based assessments GAT scores other external assessment scores if available and grades provided by the school 14 Scaling edit Scaling is the process that adjusts VCE study scores into ATAR subject scores The Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre VTAC adjusts all VCE study scores to equalise results between studies with stronger cohorts and those with weaker ones Contrary to common perception scaling is not based on the difficulty of the subject as each study score is in fact a ranking The score adjustment ensures that in those subjects where it is easier to overtake the cohort the score is adjusted downward while in subjects where it is difficult to score highly it is moved upwards This makes sure obtaining the average score in one study required the same level of achievement as every other study 15 Mathematics subjects and language subjects have additional scaling rules In mathematics subjects General Mathematics Mathematical Methods and Specialist Mathematics all three studies are scaled against each other in addition to being scaled against all other studies then the higher of the two scaling scores will then be used This is due to mathematics having a distinct hierarchy of studies with varying difficulties so students studying the harder subjects will not be disadvantaged by the level of difficulty In LOTE Languages Other Than English subjects study scores are adjusted by adding up to five to the initial scaled study score average This adjustment is different for each subject and score and decreases as the study score moves away from 30 16 ATAR edit Main article Australian Tertiary Admission Rank This section is an excerpt from Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre ATAR calculation edit ATAR in Victoria is calculated by the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre VTAC every year using student results provided by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority VCAA VTAC will combine the student s results into an aggregate which is a sum of selected scaled results from eligible subjects 17 the student s best score in one of English English Language Literature or English as an Additional Language EAL the student s next three best scores along with the English score form the primary four results 10 of the next two best scores known as increments where available The aggregates which can range from 0 to over 210 in exceptional cases are then mapped to percentiles for conversion to an ATAR Students must pass an English subject in order to qualify for an ATAR as well as the Victorian Certificate of Education VCE 18 The primary four results must be taken from VCE or Vocational Education and Training VET Units 3 and 4 sequences while the increments can also include other results such as interstate study or university extension studies There are also other rules such as only two studies from the same subject area can contribute to the primary 4 For example if the student completed Unit 3 4 for all General Mathematics Mathematical Methods and Specialist Mathematics the one with the lowest study score must be an increment even if the score is higher than all other studies outside of mathematics 19 The group of students with the highest aggregates will be assigned the highest ATAR of 99 95 ATARs below 30 00 are reported as less than 30 on printed ATAR statements however the actual ATAR is available online 20 Unscored VCE edit It is possible for students to complete an unscored VCE Under this option students complete the VCE course but do not sit final exams and are not given an ATAR The number of students completing an unscored VCE has increased every year since 2015 with 8 3 of VCE students completing an unscored VCE in 2020 21 Studies edit VCE studies refer to the various subjects available to students to contribute to their successful completion of the qualification There are currently 128 VCE studies ranging from diverse fields such as the humanities science technology and mathematics Studies are also permitted to study one or more VCE VET programs vocational education based subjects which contribute to the completion of the VCE while also resulting in a nationally recognised VET qualification Although a student may choose to study any VCE subject in theory this is dependent on availability of the specified study at the student s school Certain schools do not offer certain studies and as a result students may pick alternate ones or choose to study a particular subject through an external institution such as Virtual School Victoria formerly Distance Education Centre Victoria To be awarded the VCE a student must successfully complete at least 3 units of an English subject with two of those being units 3 and 4 Three additional Unit 3 4 sequences Pass with a satisfactory of at least 16 units out of the normal 20 24 units 22 This therefore means that a student must study at least four subjects to be awarded the VCE Selection of studies depends on other factors as well such as prerequisites for university courses The following is a list of all VCE studies available indicates that study is only available at 3 4 level indicates that study is only available at 1 2 level Area SubjectsEnglish compulsory EnglishEnglish as an Additional Language EAL English LanguageLiteratureFoundation English Bridging EAL Mathematics Foundation MathematicsGeneral MathematicsMathematical MethodsSpecialist MathematicsScience BiologyChemistryPhysicsPsychologyEnvironmental ScienceHumanities Australian and Global Politics Australian and Global Politics Australian Politics Global Politics Classical StudiesGeography History Ancient History Australian History Global Empires Revolutions Twentieth Century History PhilosophyReligion and SocietySociologyTexts and Traditions Area SubjectsPerforming Arts DanceDramaMusic Music Performance Music Investigation Music Style and CompositionTheatre StudiesVisual Arts Art Creative PracticeArt Making and ExhibitingMediaVisual Communication DesignBusiness and Economics AccountingBusiness ManagementEconomicsIndustry and EnterpriseLegal StudiesDesign and Technologies Agricultural and Horticultural StudiesFood StudiesProduct Design and TechnologySystems EngineeringDigital technologies Algorithmics HESS Computing Applied Computing Data Analytics Software Development Health and Physical Education Health and Human DevelopmentOutdoor and Environmental StudiesPhysical EducationCross curriculum Extended Investigation LOTE LanguagesArabic Japanese First Language Japanese Second LanguageArmenian KhmerAuslan Korean First Language Korean Second LanguageBengali LatinBosnian MacedonianChin Hakka MalteseChinese First Language Chinese Second Language Chinese Second Language Advanced Chinese Language Culture and Society PersianClassical Greek PolishClassical Hebrew PortugueseCroatian PunjabiDutch RomanianFilipino RussianFrench SerbianGerman SinhalaGreek SpanishHebrew SwedishHindi TamilHungarian TurkishIndigenous Languages of Victoria Vietnamese First Language Vietnamese Second LanguageIndonesian First Language Indonesian Second Language YiddishItalianVCE VET ProgramsAgriculture Horticulture Conservation and Land Management Equine IndustryAnimal Studies FurnishingApplied Fashion Design and Technology Hair and BeautyApplied Language HealthAutomotive HospitalityBuilding and Construction Information Digital Media and TechnologyBusiness Integrated TechnologiesCisco Laboratory SkillsCivil Infrastructure Music IndustryCommunity Services PlumbingCreative and Digital Media Small BusinessDance Sport and RecreationEngineering StudiesThere are also University Extension studies available for high achieving students These subjects are carried out through multiple universities including The University of Melbourne 23 Swinburne University 24 and Deakin University 25 Monash University formerly 26 offered extension subjects but cancelled the program in 2019 Controversies edit2011 English exam edit The 2011 English exam contained a column about tattoos attributed to part time journalist and blogger Helen Day who wrote for the fictional Street Beat blog The Age newspaper accused VCAA of plagiarism and breach of copyright as the column was very similar to an opinion piece featured in the newspaper s 23 September 2010 edition written by Melbourne writer Helen Razer The newspaper called the exam s column clumsily edited 27 2012 History Revolutions exam edit In 2012 the History Revolutions exam was meant to include a picture of Nikolai Kochergin s artwork Storming the Winter Palace on 25th October 1917 depicting the events of the 1917 October Revolution in Russia Instead a doctored picture was used in the exam in which a large robot had been edited in to the background of the scene Said robot was a Marauder from BattleTech a science fiction setting in which a fictional 28th century general named Aleksandr Kerensky like the nonfictional October Revolution leader played an important role during a pivotal coup and civil war A VCAA spokesperson admitted that the image was sourced and acknowledged by the VCAA as coming from the Internet and new internal guidelines were issued for using internet sourced content in exams 28 29 Of the 5 738 students that sat the exam 2 379 chose the Russia section of which 130 received an adjusted score 30 2016 Early Release of results edit In 2016 a computer error allowed for 2075 students approximately 2 5 of VCE candidates to receive their ATAR score and VCE results five days earlier than they were supposed to be announced External SMS provider for VCAA and the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre VTAC Salmat Digital created an error that enabled students to receive their results before the expected release date by texting VCAA 31 Suzanne Connelly a spokeswoman for VTAC and VCAA apologised on behalf of all agencies involved 32 This sparked outrage from parents of students who did not receive their scores considering it as unfair 33 Students who were able to receive their results also questioned its legitimacy and reliability The VCAA and VTAC acted to contact affected students and their schools to reassure them regarding the accidental early results release The release of the remaining 97 5 of results took place without further issue at the planned time Education Minister James Merlino ordered an investigation into the situation which had compromised results that are normally closely guarded until the official release 34 2018 English exam edit The 2018 English exam included an article in which fictional writer Jonty Jenkins scathingly attacked a cafe franchise named Calmer Coffee opening in his local town criticising its unfriendly staff and unwelcoming ambience that he described as an assault on the senses After the exam completed students discovered that a real Calmer Cafe existed in Aberfeldie a suburb just north west of Melbourne The cafe s manager Elise Jenkins shares the same surname as the exam question s fictional writer Within hours the cafe received over 100 negative reviews on Google Maps from Year 12 students bringing down its rating from nearly 5 stars to as low as 3 3 35 36 Google Maps temporarily removed the cafe from search results and later reinstated it but kept reviews inaccessible At the time the cafe had 405 reviews 37 The next day Tara Conron owner of the cafe told The Age she had hired a lawyer and would be pursuing legal action against VCAA for uncanny similarities between the exam and the actual cafe Conron noted the identical surnames of Jenkins stated that she employs someone with a man bun as does the employer in the exam article and both the fictional and actual cafe stand out in their respective suburbs 36 A year later it was reported that Conron was no longer pursuing legal action against VCAA telling The Age that the cafe staff had placed the matter behind them and saying we ve just loved to joke about it this year 38 2022 Specialist Mathematics Exam 2 edit On 11 November 2022 The Age newspaper published an article For some this VCE maths exam didn t add up 39 alleging errors on the 2022 Specialist Mathematics Exam 2 that included Section A Question 4 No correct answer because the values of a and c can be any real number Section A Question 19 No correct answer because confidence intervals are calculated for unknown population means not for sample means Section B Question 6 part f the question cannot be answered because the relevant random variables are not stated to be independent The Examination Report published by the VCAA for this Exam makes no acknowledgement of these alleged errors The answers used by the VCAA to mark this exam are not available to the public It is reasonable to assume they are the same as the answers given in the Examination Report The alleged errors in this exam as well as an alleged error in the marking scheme used for 2022 Specialist Mathematics Exam 1 Question 3 part b form part of a public submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry into the state of education in Victoria Parliamentary Inquiry submission 32 The Herald Sun has reported on this submission Herald Sun 7 September 2023 front page and page 7 Maths exams don t add up Mistake riddled VCE exams robbing students and it received further media coverage on Sky News Australia VCE maths exams riddled with errors for decades expert claims A supplement 32 3 to the aforementioned submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry includes a detailed mathematical rebuttal of the VCAA s claims that the questions did not present errors Herald Sun 7 September 2023 page 7 Maths exams don t add up An open letter to the Victorian Education Minister signed by nearly 70 University mathematicians states that these questions are unacceptably flawed Each question exhibits some fundamental misunderstanding or misrepresentation of the underlying mathematics 40 Allegations of other mathematical errors edit The public submission Parliamentary Inquiry also alleges errors on many other VCE mathematics exams over a twenty year period reported in the Herald Sun 7 September 2023 front page and page 7 Maths exams don t add up Mistake riddled VCE exams robbing students including 1 2016 Mathematical Methods Exam 2 Section B Question 3 part h where a function is incorrectly claimed to be a probability density function pdf An amended Examination Report 2016 Mathematical Methods Exam 2 Report acknowledges that the function was not a pdf but does not admit an error and does not explain why contrary to the instruction in the exam question Answers that were correct to the nearest integer were accepted 2 Northern Hemisphere Timetable 2021 Mathematical Methods Exam 2 Section A Question 8 for which there is no correct answer The original Examination Report no longer publicly available stated Option D as the correct answer This answer is deleted in an amended Examination Report 2021 Mathematical Methods Exam 2 Report No answer is stated and no explanation is given for why no answer is stated Question 4 from an official 2010 VCAA document Mathematical Methods Sample Questions contains the same error It is reasonable to assume that this document is the source of the 2021 exam error There is no evidence that the VCAA has ever alerted teachers to the error in this document Mathematician educator and author Marty Ross has extensively documented and discussed many alleged VCE Mathematical Methods Exam errors and VCE Specialist Mathematics Exam errors 2022 Geography exam edit On 8 September 2023 the Herald Sun newspaper published an article about colour blind students being given red green scaled maps in the 2022 Geography Exam Herald Sun 8 September 2023 page 11 Students see red or not Colour blind students forgotten in VCE Geography exam 2023 General Mathematics Exam 2 edit It was reported in The Western Australian 31 October 2023 Investigation ordered after maths exam doesn t add up that the VCAA has launched an investigation after typographical errors appeared in Monday s second general maths exam One error was picked up after printing with students instructed to amend the paper But the second error in a matrix related question Q9d was not spotted until after the exam In an ABC Radio Melbourne interview between Rafael Epstein and an exam invigilator it was claimed by the invigilator that the initial VCAA instruction for fixing the first error was unclear and potentially wrong 41 It was reported in the Herald Sun 31 October 2023 Investigation into VCE exam errors as students left in tears that A spokesman for the Department of Education admitted the two errors The VCAA will conduct further analysis to investigate how this error appeared in the exam and will ensure that no student s score is unfairly impacted because of this mistake and apologises for undue stress this has caused Education minister Ben Carroll said it s unacceptable the maths exam contained two mistakes and ordered an investigation into the latest VCE testing bungle The Minister unreservedly apologised and said that he had spoken with the chief of the VCAA and ordered an immediate investigation It was reported in the Herald Sun 1 November 2023 VCE maths students awarded bonus mark for exam errors that the VCAA decided to award all students who attempted the exam a correct score for the matrix related question Q9d that contained the error 2023 Mathematical Methods Exam 2 edit It was reported in The Herald Sun 3 November 2023 VCE test can t go the distance and 6 November 2023 Teachers at sixes and sevens over exam errors that the Mathematical Methods Exam 2 contained multiple errors and a question recycled from a previous exam One of the errors was picked up after printing with students instructed to amend the paper replacing the letter m with the word meters in the phrase m per second that proceeded a mathematical formula But the other errors including missing words that left questions under specified were not spotted until after the exam These errors as well as many other errors from other 2023 VCAA mathematics exams have been listed by teachers 42 2023 Specialist Mathematics Exam 2 edit It was reported in The Herald Sun 7 November 2023 Maths test fails add up Latest mistake the 7th error in 2023 that the curves in the diagram for Section B Question 6 part h were not correctly labelled This error was acknowledged by the VCAA which decided to award all students who attempted the exam a correct score for that question Herald Sun 8 November 2023 Maths fail a plus for students This error as well errors on the 2022 Specialist Mathematics exams were discussed in an ABC Radio Melbourne interview between Rafael Epstein and Monash University mathematician Professor Burkard Polster 8 November 2023 43 During this interview Professor Polster disclosed that he had offered to proof read the VCE mathematics exams for free but the VCAA had declined his offer He also explained why giving every student 1 mark for this question is not actually fair 2023 Chemistry exam edit It has been reported that the 2023 Chemistry exam contained an error 44 The error was in a question about the composition of coconut oil which had listed the formula for linolenic acid rather than linoleic acid as intended 2023 Chinese Second Language Advanced SLA exam edit The Australian Broadcasting Corporation ABC reported that two high schools gave Chinese language students the wrong exam paper 45 Some students who were meant to take the Chinese Second Language Advanced SLA exam were given the paper for the Chinese as a Second Language SL exam which is at a significantly easier level and which was due to be held the following Wednesday The ABC reported that students affected have been asked to sign a confidentiality agreement to not share details of the exam before November 16 However several insiders with knowledge of the exam have confirmed that at least one of the essay questions and details of some listening exercises have already been leaked online and are being circulated on Reddit and Chinese social media sites Several affected students and parents were forced to decline commenting on the error because of the confidentiality agreement The VCAA s response to this mistake has been criticised by VCE Chinese teachers who told the ABC that it was the basic responsibility of the VCAA staff who were supervising the exam to check everything was correct There are supposed to be clear tags to classify each exam paper The fact that more than one school gave the wrong exam paper shows it s not an individual mistake it shows the VCAA didn t provide adequate training for supervisors Sources to the ABC have said that when one of the students flagged with a supervisor that they received the wrong paper the supervisor told them it was impossible and to continue with the exam The education minister Ben Carroll subsequently confirmed that six students were incorrectly given the SL exam 46 He labelled it a traumatic experience for those who were affected He said that the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority has been asked to complete a full investigation into the incident The Minister also said that academics had approached him about the VCE exams in general and that he has asked the VCAA to partner with academic institutions in the writing designing and vetting of exams See also editVictorian Tertiary Admissions Centre General Achievement Test Department of Education Victoria Engage Education Foundation Equivalent National Tertiary Entrance Rank Education in Australia Senior Secondary Certificate of Education University admissionNotes edit At the end of an Australian school year October November and Northern Hemisphere Timetable May also in selected schools in China Malaysia Philippines Timor Leste and Vietnam except LOTE language subjects which are conducted in English and respective languagesReferences edit Senior Secondary Completion and Achievement Information 2022 VCAA retrieved 13 April 2023 Fees and charges www vcaa vic edu au VCAA Retrieved 13 April 2023 Senior Secondary Certificate Statistical Information 2020 Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority Government of Victoria Retrieved 29 March 2022 Curriculum and Assessment A Question of Politics PDF Archived from the original PDF on 19 July 2007 Retrieved 10 November 2009 Public Records Office Victoria Archived from the original on 19 September 2009 Retrieved 29 August 2009 Carey Adam Precel Nicole 28 January 2023 Students to benefit from hands on reform of VCE The Age Retrieved 19 September 2023 Senior Year 10 Hoppers Crossing Heffernan Madeline Carey Adam Precel Nicole 17 July 2022 Contagion effect Students choose unscored VCE in record numbers The Age Fairfax Media Retrieved 19 September 2023 Glossary Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre Retrieved 19 September 2023 a b VCE The Victorian Certificate of Education Youth Central State Government of Victoria 28 November 2012 Retrieved 22 October 2016 About the VCE Vocational Major Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority Retrieved 19 September 2023 What is the General Achievement Test www vcaa vic edu au Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority VCE and VCAL Administrative Handbook 2014 PDF Archived from the original PDF on 5 April 2016 Derived Examination Score DES www vcaa vic edu au Retrieved 27 April 2023 ABC of Scaling PDF Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre p 4 Retrieved 31 October 2018 VTAC ATAR and Scaling Guide 2023 www vtac edu au VTAC Retrieved 27 April 2023 How the ATAR is calculated The Age 12 December 2010 Retrieved 13 April 2023 About VCE results and ATAR www vcaa vic edu au Retrieved 13 April 2023 VTAC ATAR and Scaling Guide 2023 www vtac edu au VTAC Retrieved 13 April 2023 What is an ATAR score amp How is it Calculated Deakin University Retrieved 13 April 2023 Longbottom Jessica September 2021 Amid COVID lockdowns and new university pathways VCE students drop ATAR goal ABC News Australian Broadcasting Corporation Retrieved 2 September 2021 VCAA Retrieved 21 June 2022 The University of Melbourne Extension Program retrieved 2011 09 18 Higher Education Studies at Swinburne University of Technology retrieved 2011 09 18 Accelerate Deakin Deakin University Monash Extension Topsfield Jewel 10 November 2011 Sloppy copy in exam raises ire The Age Fairfax Media Retrieved 31 October 2018 Arup Tom 15 November 2012 History transformed in VCE exam The Sydney Morning Herald Fairfax Media Archived from the original on 31 October 2018 Retrieved 31 October 2018 Topsfield Jewel 19 November 2012 VCE authorities apologise for phantom robot The Sydney Morning Herald Fairfax Media Archived from the original on 31 October 2018 Retrieved 31 October 2018 2012 History Revolutions assessment report PDF Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority p 11 Archived PDF from the original on 10 April 2018 Retrieved 31 October 2018 Blunder sees ATAR results arrive early for some Victorian Year 12 students ABC News 7 December 2016 Jacks Timna 8 December 2016 Just atrocious Schools furious over VCE ATAR leak The Sydney Morning Harold Doherty Elise Allaoui Therese Hore Monique Rogers Andrew 7 December 2016 VCE students report receiving ATAR results five days before official release date Herald Sun Retrieved 28 November 2020 Spooner Rania Cook Henrietta Hall Bianca Jacks Timna 7 December 2016 VCE 2016 2075 Year 12 students get ATAR results days early The Sydney Morning Harold Cook Henrietta Webb Carolyn 31 October 2018 A Melbourne cafe s nightmare after being in the VCE English exam The Age Fairfax Media Retrieved 31 October 2018 a b Cook Henrietta 1 November 2018 Cafe of English exam fame to sue education body The Age Fairfax Media Retrieved 1 November 2018 Calmer Cafe on Google Maps Archived from the original on 1 November 2018 Retrieved 1 November 2018 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint bot original URL status unknown link Carey Adam Heffernan Madeleine Grieve Charlotte 30 October 2019 English exam on the money with question about cash free grocery store The Age Retrieved 5 December 2019 Carey Adam 11 November 2022 Were these VCE exam questions faulty a Yes b No c Maybe d All of the above The Age Fairfax Media Retrieved 11 November 2022 Open Letter to Hon Ben Carroll MP Victorian Minister for Education Retrieved 5 November 2023 Assessment authority responds to VCE maths exam mistakes Retrieved 31 October 2023 What Are the Errors on the 2023 VCE Mathematics Exams Retrieved 8 November 2023 Interview with Professor Burkard Polster cue to 1 24 10 Retrieved 8 November 2023 Mistakes pile up across maths chemistry and language VCE exams throwing undue stress on thousands of Year 12 students Retrieved 12 November 2023 Students and parents demand answers after at least two high schools hand out wrong paper in VCE Chinese exam Retrieved 12 November 2023 Victorian government disappointed after group of VCE students given wrong exam Retrieved 13 November 2023 External links edit Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Victorian Certificate of Education amp oldid 1184891079, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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