VCE Subjects Selection Guide

The Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) is an educational certification program in Victoria, Australia, designed for students in their final two years of secondary school. The VCE program offers diverse subject selection for students to study during this 2 year period, the aim of the VCE program is essentially a deciding factor between what university courses students quality for. (A pretty significant point that will often very likely determine future opportunities and career paths). Whilst it’s essential to understand the VCE subjects, how to choose them effectively, and how they can impact a student’s final ATAR score. One might also remember that VCE is the beginning of the end of high school, so make sure you cherish it fondly and don’t get discouraged by your results. (Although I doubt you won’t ;))

Types of VCE Subjects:

The VCE offers a range of subjects, including:

• English
• Mathematics
• Science
• Humanities
• Arts
• Languages
• Technology
• Business and economics
• Physical education
• VET/VCAL based subjects

More reference from VCAA’s official website – https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/curriculum/vce/vce-study-designs/Pages/vce-study-designs.aspx

VCE requirements

Students are recommended to take 6 subjects in total to maximize results (4 core subjects with 2 more subjects for the additional percentage added on top), however, it is noted that only 16 units/4 subjects are required to pass for VCE (the extra 2 counts only as additional percentages). 

• If you’re feeling “extra”… you can take a 7th subject (though this is a risk in the sense of greater workload and one of your subjects ultimately not contributing to the final results, you may find potentially the 7th subject can outweigh/outperform certain subjects taken before)

Note that taking an English subject is compulsory (Boohoo, yes we have to take it regardless if you do or don’t know how to speak it). I think it just relates to the idea that we are a dominantly an English-speaking country and we can’t expect all universities to speak another language for all different subjects (standardization basically). So suck it up for 2 years and just read your 500 pages of “All the Ligh We Cannot See”. 

Subjects selections generalized

1. English

Mainstream English in VCE is the most popular subject in the state (unsurprisingly) and sets the bar of taking deeper analysis to a whole new level. English is not just a comprehensive study of your literary analytical skills, but also a comprehensive study of clever persuasion, oral presentation skills, discussion of greater ideas, and justification of your chosen understanding. 

• English invites students to procure a deeper understanding of the techniques used by authors to create meaning, themes, and character development within literary texts (although biased sometimes I’ll admit). The construction of sound arguments using evidence, and structured formatting to create sound arguments is essentially basically what English is all about. The synthesis of the information to articulate a point of view for specific contexts and audiences in written form, all within a time limit (is part of the fun). Moreover, it explores a range of literary and other written, spoken, and multimodal texts to develop creative responses.
• The main topics you will undertake are creative response, analytical argument, text analysis and previous comparative (removed for the 2023 study design). Though these are merely topics offered within general English… Literature and English Language is an extension of English, perfect for those who can read beyond just your basic understanding.

In essence, whilst VCE English perspective can feel quite biased and very much opinion based. A student’s ability to produce concise responses will ultimately be rewarded, because functionally… the subject is basically logic and encourages users to take deeper literal understandings in text reading (almost philosophical-like)

2. Mathematics

Mathematics is actually not a compulsory subject in VCE, and students actually have a fair variety of selections in terms of difficulty levels. Options include:

• General Mathematics
• Maths Methods
• Maths Specialist
• Foundation Mathematics (The latest option)

To break it down, general Mathematics is designed for students who want to undertake a mathematics subject without a need for it to be a uni pre-requisite. Foundation maths is an even lower-level maths course for those who are still interested in maths without requiring any additional advanced mathematical skills. (a subset of foundation maths, almost)

• For those who truly preach maths or realized that Maths Methods is unavoidable for many university courses. Maths Methods is indeed relevant and very much a challenging road to undertake. Some may even argue, “harder than spec”! But really, that’s up to your interpretation and ability to read beyond the fine line to determine the true nature of Maths methods. You’ll know if you’re good if you take the course in year 11 instead of year 12.
• Maths Specialist is truly the peak in terms of what’s available as a mathematical study in highschool, for those who see numbers beyond the ordinary and into its more imaginary and complex form. This is truly the subject and absolute requirement for those that would very much like to pursue a mathematics-related field, for those who thrive on “suffering”.
• In terms of testing wise – Maths Specialist and Maths Methods both have a tech-free and a tech-active component. One to test the depth of your understanding, the other to test your ability to comprehend further knowledge and gain deeper insights into the test requirements. Although it is an open book for tech active, are you really gonna spend your time going through all the contents to find that one formula especially when you only have 2 hours to complete it? (Tip here is that you should remember all your formulas by heart! It’ll save you a massive amount of time in tech activity and prepare you extremely well for tech-free)

However, it should also be noted that although you can do more than 3 maths subjects (only 2 of it will count towards the top 4 and the remaining one other will only be put as an additional percentage subject). So make sure you’re diversified, or else you’ll live to regret to see your bottom subjects being on top despite outperforming in your maths subjects.

3. Science

Science, the most socially accepted and hated subject in high school (so pick your poison carefully!). VCE offers a range of science subjects, this includes:

• Biology
• Chemistry
• Physics
• Environmental Science
• Psychology? (Socially divided subject)

These subjects as expected provide students with a foundation knowledge in both scientific principles and current practical scientific theories. But none of these subjects matters as much as chemistry, serving as the core university pre-requisite in many scientific fields. You better take it if you’re trying to be anything close to a scientist or a doctor, there’s no other options and you’re gonna have to like it regardless. It’s tricky, but it’s relevancy in many fields makes it by far the most relevant and current subject you can take in VCE.

• Biology, it’s a fun one (personal bias). Your depth of content is very much manageable. Feels very relevant and based on your biology resource provider (hint Edrollo Andrew ;)), the subject can be much more fun. So if you’re still interested in science without the grit, biology is definitely an enjoyable sampler for VCE.
• Physics, if you like maths and understanding the application of natural forces. You’ll have fun. (I should’ve probably researched more on this, I didn’t take the course so ha!)
• Psychology. Is it a science (probably)?????? Great debate on this, but overall a pretty good subject. Classic case studies and ethics are one of the many things you’ll discuss in this subject, psychology actually touches on the standards of scientific research Maths methods and expectations when conducting proper scientific research. It’s fun, trust me!

4. Humanities

Humanities subjects include History, Geography, Politics, and Philosophy. These subjects provide students with an understanding of the social sciences and help develop critical thinking skills. I won’t explore too much on this category, as this is a very niche subject for those who are truly interested. The scaling is slightly lower, so do be wary that great performance is required for this subject in order for you to perform well in your ATAR.

5. Languages

The holy Trinity of scaling! Praise be to the students who dare take on such risks for such great rewards (like it’s genuinely crazy the amount of scaling one receives, rivaling even spec!). Languages are no joke, that’s why some school makes it an absolute requirement for you to take the subject pre-vce times to be available for testing in VCE. It’s simply not a cake walk is all I can say. The VCE offers language subjects such as Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, Spanish, and much more. Whilst these are the selections, some languages are split into separate levels/categories. E.g: Chinese have Chinese society, language, and culture, second language, second-language advanced, and even first language. (These differentiating factors help to give balance to students who haven’t had previous learning experience to compete fairly against students who had, basically team sorting for equal skill sets)

• If you’re going to take a language, just know that there are several testing components: Listening, reading, writing, and speaking (the fundamental of human social interactions). Most often enough, the oral presentation is a stand-alone component followed by a listening, reading, and writing test on future dates. If you think you’re up to the task, go right on ahead! (But don’t say I didn’t warn you, the standards are really up there!)

6. Technology

Technology subjects are another niche selection, though I wouldn’t discredit these as not useful. Many of these course selections can be a good headway into university, as these not only provide fundamentals into what coding or mathematical implications are often demanded in future jobs and uni. In fact! Many of these course selections can be used as credit leading into university to help increase your learning potential, accelerating you past core subjects and into the higher learning classes is something that can occur within the first year, for those who are specifically interested in taking on the IT field of study. Of the included subjects, these include Algorthimics, computing, and Systems Engineering. These are some practical technology based subjects that help students develop current hard skills that prepare them for careers in technology-related fields. 

7. Business and economics

For those who are interested in a field less so scientific (like chemistry) and abstract (like English). One cannot deny that business subjects aren’t interesting, considering many of it’s components can be found in everyday news and items we used today. It’s definitely a relevant subject that can propel many student’s interest in the field of commerce in university degrees. The main selections include legal study, economics, business studies and accounting.

• Accounting – Definitely an interesting subject considering its relatability in actual accounting, this subject requires absolute precision and consistency to obtain great results. After all, one mistake can result in a sizeable difference in the final results of your balance sheet or cash flow statement. But the examiners are generous, but don’t be swayed by that so do your dill diligence to be careful and efficient when calculating your results
• Legal study – Law, if you like remembering cases and laws, then citing it in different case scenarios. Here you go! (This is a biased review, I didn’t take this subject;-;)
• Economics – Very current subject, dives into current world economics and exams are very much linked to current events E.g: Covid. Economics implores students to stay relevant and open minded on why economics event occurs, linking it through to existing economics ideas etc. The subject can be challenging in the sense that no one answer is correct, regardless… it’s insights into adult world financial knowledge is made very much interesting and accessible. 
• Business studies – For those who are interested in how a business functions and how to manage it. Then I guess this class is for you? But most people take it because it’s quote-on-quote “easier” than other business subjects, but that’s up to you to decide. There’s definitely a lot of terminology worth remembering and a whole lot of writing too, but if you can bear that interest then it’s definitely worth trying out due to it’s ease of entry.

8. Arts and designs

This is definitely an interesting subject if not than anything else. You’re not really learning anything like at all, you’re more so creating designs or art based on the provided techniques/criteria and exploring it further on with your portfolio. These are the main selections offered: Product design and technology, Media, Visual communication and design and arts are the key subjects offered. Note that whilst this subject is fun and highly soothing during the VCE period, the scaling is a major drawback of it being such an easy subject. So do be prepared to do more than impress but actually wow your examiners in the final exams! Additionally, if you’re looking to pursue an arts/design degree. Maintaining a quality portfolio is part of the entry process, sometimes mattering even more than your ATAR. So if that’s definitely something of your interest, do remember to keep your portfolio for future reference!

Subject Scaling

Subject scaling refers to the process of adjusting a student’s study scores to ensure fairness in comparing their results with other competing students across different subjects. The VCE uses a scaled score, which takes into account the difficulty of the subject and the performance of the competing students studying that subject to provide a fair calculation standard to one’s final study score.

Each VCE subject has a study score, a number of 0 and 50. The average study score across all VCE subjects is 30, and a study score of 40 or above is considered an excellent result. (pretty standard stuff)

The final ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank) score is a ranking system used by universities in Australia to determine a student’s eligibility for entry into different tertiary education. The ATAR is calculated using a student’s scaled study scores, with English being a compulsory component as mentioned before.

The ATAR is calculated by taking the sum of a student’s best four scaled study scores plus an additional subject as a percentage, with English accounting for at least one of these scores. These scores are then ranked against all other students who completed the VCE in that year, and serve additionally as bragging rights ;).

The ATAR is a crucial factor in determining a student’s eligibility for tertiary education, with some courses requiring a minimum ATAR for entry. Therefore, a student’s VCE subject selection can have a significant impact on their final ATAR score and their eligibility for their desired tertiary course.

• Factors to Consider When Choosing VCE Subjects

Choosing VCE subjects can be challenging, as it can impact a student’s future opportunities and career options (So definitely stress about it, unless you’re doing unscored…). Regardless, students need to consider several factors when selecting their subjects, including:

1. Personal Interests and Passions

VCE subjects are diverse, hence many subjects can align with a student’s personal interests and passions. Studying a subject that a student is passionate actually makes studying somewhat enjoyable and tougher content more bearable. Whilst I can’t guarantee you’ll succeed equally just because you enjoy it, it’ll at least be a fraction of the stress compared to the subjects you must take for university (Looking at you Maths speccialists or Maths methods).

2. Future Career Aspirations

When choosing VCE subjects, students should also consider their future career aspirations. Things like an art portfolio, chemistry, English, Maths Methods, and Maths specialists are all examples of prerequisites for many university degrees. But regardless, many of the subjects available are derivatives of real-life work. Things like accounting are an excellent introduction to the world of financial accounting, not necessarily the whole image but an image regardless.

3. University Course Requirements

Many university courses have specific subject requirements that students must meet to be eligible for entry. Hence, you should definitely research the courses you are interested in and ensure these are properly met. Don’t make the regret of not choosing something just because it’s hard, so long as you meet the bare minimum requirements. You’re good to go!

4. Subject Difficulty

Students should also consider the difficulty level of each subject when making their selection. While it’s important to challenge themselves (Sometimes, not always, but sometimes), they should also be realistic (like genuinely) about their abilities and choose subjects that they can handle. Because the last thing you want is to be halfway through your Maths specialists ¾ content and realize you can’t actually do any of it and fast forward a few months you have 2 exams to complete.

5. Teacher Recommendations

Teachers can provide valuable insight into a student’s academic abilities and interests. Heck, you might even choose a subject simply because the teacher is awesome. (Best way to spend your last few years in high school) Therefore, students should consider seeking their teacher’s recommendations when choosing VCE subjects. Maybe even talk to your friends to see if that teacher is any good in that subject (Don’t be mean though!), we’re here to succeed after all! High school is really only 2 years!

6. Availability of Resources

Students should also consider the availability of resources when choosing VCE subjects. For example, if a student wants to study a language, they should consider whether the school has a language department and whether there are enough resources, such as textbooks and teachers, to support their studies. Unless you’re super committed, you can take the VCE subject outside of class… but that’s just extra consequences/financial that your parents might not want so consider that!

7. Balance of Subjects

It’s essential to choose a balance of subjects to ensure a well-rounded education, as this is really the last time you have the option to dive into multiple fields without too much consequence. Whilst this isn’t exactly necessary (For this out there to win it), be wary that VCE does attempt to put a cap against students who are especially good at a particular subject (you may do more than 2 maths subjects, however only 2 will be counted towards the top 4 in your results). So long as you can bear the consequences/challenges of the subject, in a sense there is balance. However, highschool VCE days are short-lived… so consider what you want to do outside of school. Simply ask yourself, just “How committed are you to get a high ATAR?”

Tips for Choosing VCE Subjects

Here are some tips to help students choose the right VCE subjects:

1. Research the subjects thoroughly and consider attending subject information evenings.
2. Seeking advice from teachers, career advisors, and older students who have completed the VCE.
3. Be open to trying new subjects and stepping outside of your comfort zone. This is only effective in units 1 and 2 or the early weeks of starting a ¾ subject, but if you go beyond the deadline of the unit ¾ change date. Boohoo, you’re screwed!
4. Consider your strengths and weaknesses and choose subjects that align with your abilities. Sometimes certains skills are ‘unlocked’ the more you learn them. But having a clear strength already will make you one step closer to your end goal!
5. Make a list of your top choices and compare them to ensure a balance of subjects. (Good Social life + Good Study size = life balance!)
6. Consider high-scaling subjects, you might not like them… but if you do the bare minimum that’s necessary, you can be skyrocketed to the top simply because of scaling (will that sort of hurt your mind… yes… but is the dopamine of a +5 scaling on your final study score tempting… very!)

In conclusion, choosing VCE subjects is an essential decision that can impact a student’s future academic and career opportunities. By considering personal interests, future career aspirations, university course requirements, subject difficulty, teacher recommendations, availability of resources, and a balance of subjects, students can make informed decisions and set themselves up for success. But if there is doubts, make the change of interests quick, before you start regretting it!

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