1. The Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) and pathways
Year 10 Learning for Life
The Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) and pathways

2. Session Objective
In order to help students make good subject selection choices, this session will cover:
Pathways from year 10
Options at Trinity
VCE and VCAA
VTAC, scaling and ATAR

3. Trade/Apprenticeship
Options at Year 10
Year 10
Enter the work force
Trade/Apprenticeship
VCAL IB
VCE/VET

4. Personal Pathways

5. VCE – Victorian Certificate of Education
The VCE is awarded to students who successfully complete their secondary education.
Students graduate with the VCE by satisfactorily completing at least 16 units.
Three of these units must be from the English group, plus three Units 3 and 4 sequences in studies other than English 
Within VCE, students can undertake vocational education and training (VET) through School-Based Apprenticeships or at a training organisation.

6. Vocational Education and Training (VET)

7. What is VET?
VET combines senior school studies and accredited vocational education and training
It enables students to complete a nationally recognised vocational qualification (e.g. Certificate II in Hospitality) and a senior school certificate (VCE) at the same time
It develops industry- specific skills to make students ‘work-ready’

8. What VET subjects are offered at Trinity?
Trinity is a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) for:
Certificate III in Screen and Media
Certificate II in Hospitality and selected units from Cert III in Hospitality (with William Angliss)
Further details about these course are on the handout.
What VET subjects are offered at Trinity?

9. What external VET subjects can I do?
There are hundreds of other courses available to students at institutions like Holmesglen and Box Hill.
Popular courses include:
Business Administration
Building and Construction
Sport and Recreation
Horticulture
Furniture making
Aviation
The Inner Melbourne VET Cluster (IMVC) website imvc.com.au has a list of most courses.
What external VET subjects can I do?

10. Why do external VET subjects?
External VET programs can be the ‘hidden gold’ in your VCE...
‘Unscored’ external courses automatically become your fifth subject in VCE. They receive an ATAR based on 10% of your fourth VCE subject.
All that for no SACs and no Exam!
Why do external VET subjects?

11. For further information on VET subjects and opportunities…
Please contact the VET Co-ordinator, Mr. James Lawson.
ic.edu.au
For further information on VET subjects and opportunities…

12. VCE – Victorian Certificate of Education
Each unit has outcomes which describe what students are expected to know and be able to do. For satisfactory completion, students need to demonstrate the outcomes outlined for each VCE study.
There are two types of graded VCE assessment: school-based assessment and external exams.
External exams (written, oral, performance or electronic) are set and marked by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA).

13. How are Study scores calculated
VCAA adds SAC scores (internal assessments) to examination scores to arrive at a ‘raw’ total.
Raw totals used to rank all students in the study.
Students allocated grade out of 50 based on ‘bell shaped’ distribution.

14. Normal Distribution Study score of 37 does not equal 74%
37 is in top 16% of subject
44 is in top 2.5% of subject
More people getting 30/31 than 37/38

15. What happens after you are ranked in your individual subjects?
VCAA give you a score out of 50 for each subject based on where you ended up in that subject’s rank order
This represents your Study Score for each subject.
These scores will appear on your certificate.

16. How the ATAR is calculated?
The VCAA pass on your study scores to VTAC
VTAC scale your study scores
VTAC calculate your ATAR
Is not a score
Is not out of 100, it is a rank between and 99.95
E.g. an ATAR of means a student is in the top 25% of the Year 12 age group
Many courses select on the ATAR and other requirements
VTAC administers application services for
Tertiary courses
SEAS (Special Entry Access Scheme)
Scholarships
Admissions tests (STAT and ALSET)
VTAC also
Calculates and issues the ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank) for VCE students.
Provides information and enquiry services including telephone, , blog, Facebook and Twitter.
Are not a government body – they are funded by the tertiary institutions

17. TRUE or FALSE
Specialist Mathematics is scaled up because it is (very) hard?

18. Scaling and your ATAR
VTAC scales your study scores in each subject to reflect how hard it is in each subject to access higher scores.
Based on the students in the subject, not the subject itself.

19. Why Scale?
Take two students of the same ‘ability’ let’s call them ‘clever’
One enrols in a subject full of ‘very clever’ people
Other enrols in a subject full of ‘not very clever’ people.
Both work with same degree of application
Will they end up in the same spot in their subjects relative rankings?

20. Clever student in subject of ‘very clever’ people will be lower ranked in the subject and will receive a lower study score as a result.
Harder to access higher scores means that the computer scales these scores up to calculate ATAR.
Clever student in subject full of ‘not- so-clever’ people will finish higher ranked in the subject and will receive a higher study score as a result.
Easier to access higher scores means computer scales these subjects down to calculate ATAR.

21. After Scaling how do they get ATAR?
Using scaled study scores
Computer takes
English
+ Next best 3 subjects
+ 10% of 5th and 6th subjects (if applicable)

22. Student A A English 33 +MM 45 +Physics 44 +SM 43 +10% Chem 4.2
+10% Biology 4.0 =

23. Some rules and anomalies
“Forbidden combinations” - There are restrictions to how many studies from the same study area grouping and how they can contribute to your aggregate.
As a result of government policy to encourage the study of languages, each language is adjusted up by adding five to the initial VTAC scaled study score average.

24. Example Calculation English 33 +Accounting 42 +Legal 38 +PE 38
+10% Psych
+10% FM 3.3 =

25. Totals used to rank every student in state.
ATAR scores allocated based on ranking.
Top .05% of state get 99.95
Next .05% get 99.9
Next .05% get 99.85
Down to ‘≤30’ for bottom 30% of state

26. Interesting ATAR totals (2017)
99.95 needed at least
( = 212!)
99.90 needed at least
99 (top 1% of state) needed
( =192)
80 (Top 20% of state) needed ( =141.4)
(Remember that 34 puts you in the top 28% of the subject)
67.05 (top 33% of state) needed 123
( =123)
(Remember that 30 is the average for every subject)

27. Messages to take with you
Pick subjects that you are interested in
Pick subjects that you are good at
Pick subjects you need for courses (assuming the above)
Do not pick subjects based on scaling
Scaling is extraordinarily clever and VERY FAIR
Ignore media hype on scaling – they do not understand it properly

28. Parent Pressure Explain this process to them
Explain what subjects you are interested in
Make conscious choices based on what you enjoy