Assessment in the VCE
P A G E 1 1 | P A K E N H A M S E C O N D A R Y C O L L E G E S E N I O R S C H O O L 2 0 2 6 H A N D B O O K
‘For satisfactory completion of a Victorian
Certificate of Education (VCE) unit, students
must demonstrate their achievement of the
set of outcomes as specified in the study
design. The decision about satisfactory
completion of outcomes is based on the
teacher’s judgment of the student’s overall
performance on a combination of set work
and assessment tools related to the
outcomes. Students should be provided with
multiple opportunities to develop and
demonstrate the key knowledge and key
skills required for the outcomes for the unit.
The assessment of levels of achievement is
separate from the decision to award an S for
satisfactory completion of a unit.’ – VCE and
VCAL Administrative Handbook (2021).
Outcomes
Every Unit has a set of learning outcomes,
directly related to the areas of study in that
Unit. The subject teacher, who may use a
range of assessment methods, assesses
them.
Outcomes are assessed as S (Satisfactory) or
N (Not Satisfactory). Each Unit has a number
of outcomes and an N for any one of these
gives the student an N for the unit. It is from
the outcome grades that satisfactory or not
satisfactory completion of a unit is determined.
Graded Assessment Tasks
For students undertaking Units 1 & 2, there will
be a variety of tasks in each unit that will be
graded. In addition to this there is a school-
based examination to be undertaken at the
end of each unit. Note that all school-based
examinations provide students with the
opportunity to gain examination experience
and provide feedback on their performance.
For students undertaking Units 3 & 4, there
will be School Assessed Coursework (SAC)
and/or School Assessed Tasks (SAT) for
each unit. In each study there will be a
combination of this school assessed work
and examinations, which are assessed
directly by the VCAA. Grades will be
awarded on the scale A+, A, B+, B, C+, C,
D+, D, E+, E, UG or NA.
Note: All marks and grades awarded by the
school are conditional and may change as a
result of statistical moderation.
It is from these grades in each study that
the VCAA determines the student’s study
score which is then used to derive their
ATAR.