The English and mathematics study designs decide more of a VCE than any other two documents: an English study is in every ATAR, and the maths study chosen in Year 10 fixes both the scaling (VTAC ranks the four as a hierarchy) and the university courses open at the end. This page sets out the VCAA's English and EAL study design and its Mathematics study design, with the areas of study, the weightings, the examinations and the technology rules, and a printable summary of both.
Download the VCE English and mathematics study designs summary (PDF) (the areas of study of English and EAL and the four mathematics studies, the SAC weightings, every examination with its duration and technology rule, the maths hierarchy, and a Year 10 maths-choice checklist; two pages, free).
English and EAL: Units 1 and 2 from 2023, Units 3 and 4 from 2024
The current document is version 1.4 (October 2024), which updated the Unit 3 Outcome 2 assessment task and its weighting, added task conditions for Unit 3, and updated the Unit 4 Area of Study 2 outcome statement. The accreditation runs to 2027 for both pairs of units. English and EAL share the design; EAL has its own examination and its own text and task conditions.
| Unit | Area of Study 1 | Area of Study 2 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reading and exploring texts | Crafting texts |
| 2 | Reading and exploring texts | Exploring argument |
| 3 | Reading and responding to texts | Creating texts |
| 4 | Reading and responding to texts | Analysing argument |
| Component | Weighting | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 3 School-assessed Coursework | 25% | An analytical response to a text (Outcome 1) and the Creating texts tasks (Outcome 2), with the task conditions added in version 1.4 |
| Unit 4 School-assessed Coursework | 25% | An analytical response to a text (Outcome 1) and an analysis of argument and language with a point of view (Outcome 2) |
| End-of-year examination | 50% | Three hours, set and marked by the VCAA; the assessment criteria and expected qualities and a sample answer book are published (December 2023) |
What the structure says about the year: two of the four SAC outcomes and two of the three exam sections are reading and responding, so text knowledge is half the study; Creating texts is the Unit 3 component that version 1.4 reworked, so the school's task conditions for it are the ones to read carefully; Analysing argument is the one section where a method can be drilled, because the exam always gives unseen material and asks for the same analysis of how language and argument work.
Mathematics: 2023 to 2027, all four studies
One study design covers Foundation Mathematics, General Mathematics, Mathematical Methods and Specialist Mathematics (version 1.1 of November 2022, which updated the Matrices key knowledge in General Mathematics). The document asks that technology be used throughout teaching and assessment, and it makes one exception: Examination 1 for Mathematical Methods and Examination 1 for Specialist Mathematics are technology-free; every other VCE mathematics examination assumes access to VCAA-approved technology. Each study also carries a mathematical investigation.
Areas of study, Units 3 and 4
| Study | Areas of study in Units 3 and 4 |
|---|---|
| Foundation Mathematics | Algebra, number and structure; Data analysis, probability and statistics; Discrete mathematics; Space and measurement |
| General Mathematics | Data analysis, probability and statistics (data analysis; recursion and financial modelling); Discrete mathematics (matrices; networks and decision mathematics) |
| Mathematical Methods | Functions, relations and graphs; Algebra, number and structure; Calculus; Data analysis, probability and statistics |
| Specialist Mathematics | Discrete mathematics (logic and proof); Functions, relations and graphs; Algebra, number and structure; Calculus; Space and measurement; Data analysis, probability and statistics |
Units 1 and 2 of General Mathematics cover four areas (Data analysis, probability and statistics; Algebra, number and structure; Functions, relations and graphs; Discrete mathematics) from which schools select; Foundation Mathematics Units 1 and 2 cover the same four as its Units 3 and 4. Specialist Mathematics Units 3 and 4 assume Mathematical Methods Units 3 and 4 are taken alongside or before.
Weightings and examinations
| Study | Unit 3 SACs | Unit 4 SACs | Examination 1 | Examination 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foundation Mathematics | 40% | 20% | One examination, 40%, 2 hours, technology assumed | |
| General Mathematics | 24% | 16% | 30%, 1.5 hours, multiple choice across all areas, technology assumed | 30%, 1.5 hours, written response, technology assumed |
| Mathematical Methods | 20% | 20% | 20%, 1 hour, short and extended answer, technology-free | 40%, 2 hours, multiple choice and extended response, technology assumed |
| Specialist Mathematics | 20% | 20% | 20%, 1 hour, short and extended answer, technology-free | 40%, 2 hours, multiple choice and extended response, technology assumed |
Formula sheets for Examinations 1 and 2 are published for Methods and Specialist (August 2024 versions) and given in the exam; learn what is on them in Term 1.
What the weightings say: in Methods and Specialist the two examinations are 60 percent of the study, and the one-hour technology-free paper is a fifth of the whole score, so by-hand algebra and calculus under time is not optional; in General the two papers are 60 percent and both carry the calculator, so the skill is modelling and interpretation; in Foundation the SACs are 60 percent, which is why it is the one maths study where class work dominates. Statistical moderation then aligns every school's SAC marks to its exam results, so the exams set the level of the whole study score in all four.
The maths hierarchy, scaling and prerequisites
VTAC scales the four maths studies with an extra rule: each is scaled against the studies above and below it as well as against everything else, and the higher result is used. The 2025 scaled scores (from VTAC's scaling report) for a study score of 25, 30, 35 and 40:
| Study | 25 | 30 | 35 | 40 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Specialist Mathematics | 36 | 43 | 48 | 51 |
| Mathematical Methods | 28 | 35 | 41 | 46 |
| General Mathematics | 23 | 28 | 33 | 38 |
| Foundation Mathematics | 16 | 20 | 26 | 32 |
So a 30 in Methods (35) equals a 37 in General; a 25 in Methods (28) equals a 30 in General. The choice in Year 10 is the highest study the child can rank in the top half of, and the university prerequisite list: most science, engineering, commerce and economics courses require Methods, and a few require Specialist. The full tables and the aggregate rules are on the VCE scaling page.
How we teach VCE English and mathematics
1-on-1 online in Melbourne's after-school hours. English is taught from the texts and the exam's assessment criteria, with every Analysing argument piece marked to the examination report's expected qualities. Methods and Specialist are taught in two modes from Term 1, by-hand for Examination 1 and with the CAS for Examination 2, because the one-hour paper is where most students lose their study score. The first 30-minute class is free; send the study list and the last SAC on WhatsApp or the contact page. The papers are in VCE past exams, the science designs in VCE science study designs, and the city page is Melbourne.
Download the VCE English and mathematics study designs summary (PDF)
Sources: VCAA, VCE English and English as an Additional Language Study Design (Units 1 and 2 from 2023, Units 3 and 4 from 2024; version 1.4, October 2024); VCAA, VCE Mathematics Study Design 2023 (version 1.1, November 2022); the VCAA's 2026 VCE study designs list; VTAC, 2025 Scaling Report (11 December 2025); read on 25 October 2026.
Questions parents ask
1What is the current VCE English study design?
2How is the VCE Mathematical Methods study score weighted?
3What are the areas of study in VCE Mathematical Methods Units 3 and 4?
4Which VCE maths should my child take?
See how we teach this, 1-on-1 online →
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