Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE)

What is it?

The Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) is the certificate that the majority of students in Victoria receive on satisfactory completion of their secondary education.

The VCE provides diverse pathways to further study or training at university or TAFE and to employment.

How is VCE structured?

The VCE course is made up of studies and units, some of which must be studied as a sequence.

A study is a subject, for example, English or Biology. It is made up of four units (Units 1, 2, 3 and 4), each of which is a semester in length.

For most students, VCE is completed over two years.

Students typically study Units 1 and 2 in their first year, and Units 3 and 4 in their second year.

You can study Unit 1 or Unit 2 of a subject as stand-alone units. However, you must enrol in Units 3 and 4 of a study as a sequence. This sequence needs to be completed in the same year if a study score is to be calculated.

Students usually study from 20 to 24 units (five or six studies) in Years 11 and 12.

You can take longer than two years to finish VCE if you need to. Some students start VCE in Year 10, and some study Units 3 and 4 in Year 11.

You should talk to your teachers or the pathways team about how to structure your VCE program to best meet your needs.

What do I have to do to achieve my VCE?

To achieve your VCE you must successfully complete 16 units including:

• three units from the English group, two of which must be a Unit 3 and 4 sequence.

• at least three additional Unit 3 and 4 sequences.

Your teacher can explain the differences between the English group studies, or you can find out more about them on the VCAA website.

You can complete the remaining units, including the three sequences at Unit 3 and 4 level, in any study that interests you. This could even be an additional English group study on top of the units you take to meet the minimum English requirement.

Your teacher determines if you have satisfactorily completed a unit based on the work you produce and submit and your adherence to VCAA and school rules.

VCE at Brentwood

While students are studying at Brentwood, they must follow the rules outlined in the Brentwood Senior School Handbook.

Students will also be enrolled into

• 6 subjects (12 Units) for Units 1&2 subjects

• 5 subjects (10 Units) for Units 3&4 subjects

Students must complete both hurdle tasks and SACs, where hurdle tasks are used to assess satisfactory completion of units, and SACs are the scores given to VCAA to calculate final subject scores and their ATAR. 

Brentwood offers a range of subjects for VCE, all of which can be found under the 2023 Subject Guide and Subject Selection (see below).