Curriculum
Accreditation periods for VCE studies effective 1 January 2022
The following accreditation periods for VCE studies have been approved by the VCAA Board and accredited by the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority.
Accreditation period expires December 2022
- Algorithmics (HESS)
- Art
- Business Management
- Chemistry (Units 1 and 2)
- Chinese Language, Culture and Society
- Economics
- English and English as an Additional Language (Units 1 and 2)
- Food Studies
- Indigenous Languages of Victoria: Revival and Reclamation
- Literature
- Mathematics
- Music
- Physics (Units 1 and 2)
- Psychology
- Religion and Society
- Studio Arts
- Texts and Traditions
Accreditation period expires December 2023
- Australian and Global Politics
- Chemistry (Units3 and 4)
- English Language
- English and English as an Additional Language (Units 3 and 4)
- Languages Collaborative Curriculum and Assessment Framework for Languages (CCAFL) – Units 1 and 2: Armenian, Auslan, Bengali, Bosnian, Chin Hakha, Croatian, Dutch, Filipino, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Karen, Khmer, Macedonian, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Sinhala, Swedish, Tamil, Turkish, Yiddish
- Legal Studies
- Media
- Outdoor and Environmental Studies
- Physics (Units 3 and 4)
- Product Design and Technology
- Sociology
- Visual Communication Design
Accreditation period expires December 2024
- Accounting
- Applied Computing
- Classical Studies
- Dance
- Drama
- Extended Investigation
- Health and Human Development
- Industry and Enterprise
- Languages: Arabic, Chinese Second Language, Chinese Second Language Advanced, French, German, Greek, Indonesian Second Language, Italian, Japanese Second Language, Korean Second Language, Spanish, Vietnamese Second Language
- Languages CCAFL – Units 3 and 4: Armenian, Auslan, Bosnian, Chin Hakha, Croatian, Dutch, Filipino, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Karen, Khmer, Macedonian, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Sinhala, Swedish, Tamil, Turkish, Yiddish
- Philosophy
- Physical Education
- Systems Engineering
- Theatre Studies
Accreditation period expires December 2025
- Agricultural and Horticultural Studies
- Foundation English.
Accreditation period expires December 2026
- Biology
- Bridging English as an Additional Language
- Environmental Science
- Geography
- History
- Languages: Chinese First Language, Classical Greek, Classical Hebrew, Indonesian First Language, Japanese First Language, Korean First Language, Latin, Vietnamese First Language
Please note from January 2022, VCE Maltese is no longer offered as a VCE study.
VCE study design wall chart
All schools will be sent a study design wall chart in Term 1. This chart provides VCE coordinators, teachers and librarians with a quick visual reference to the entire collection of accredited VCE study designs for 2022.
Each accredited study design is available from our relevant study page. It is essential that teachers use the current accredited study design as the basis for all course development and assessment of VCE studies.
Reaccredited study designs for implementation in 2023
The following VCE studies have revised study designs for implementation in 2023:
- Aboriginal Languages of Victoria (currently known as Indigenous Languages of Victoria: Revival and Reclamation)
- Algorithmics (HESS)
- Art Creative Practice (currently known as Art)
- Art Making and Exhibiting (currently known as Studio Arts)
- Business Management
- Chemistry(Units 1 and 2)
- Chinese Language, Culture and Society
- Economics
- English and English as an Additional Language (Units 1 and 2)
- Food Studies
- Literature
- Mathematics: Foundation Mathematics, General Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Mathematical Methods, Specialist Mathematics
- Music
- Physics (Units 1 and 2)
- Psychology
- Religion and Society
- Texts and Traditions
Chemistry, English, English as an Additional Language and Physics will have a staged implementation, with Units 1 and 2 to be implemented in 2023 and Units 3 and 4 to be implemented in 2024.
These updated study designs are published online during Term 1 in the year before implementation on the relevant VCE study webpage. This is to assist teachers to prepare for the implementation of the reaccredited studies in 2023 and must not be used for the 2022 academic year.
Updates and amendments to study designs are announced in the Bulletin and published on individual study pages.
Please refer to our Professional learning page for details on implementation briefings scheduled for Term 2.
2022 VCAA Consultation Register now open
Consultation is an important part of the review and accreditation process for VCE studies. The consultation process is conducted electronically and teachers and stakeholders are invited to participate by joining the VCAA Consultation Register for the following VCE studies:
- Australian and Global Politics
- English Language
- Legal Studies
- Media
- Outdoor and Environmental Studies
- Product Design and Technology
- Sociology
- Visual Communication Design
Teachers and stakeholders registered for consultation will receive email notification once the draft of the relevant VCE study design is available online and will be invited to respond via an online questionnaire. You will be given the option to receive email notification of the implementation briefings for the reaccredited studies in 2023.
Consultation drafts of the listed study designs will be available for consideration throughout 2022. Each study or group of studies will have a four-week consultation period. The draft study design and consultation questionnaire will be available from the relevant VCE study page.
Administrative information for school-based assessment now available
The administrative information for school-based assessment for the following VCE studies are now available on the relevant study pages:
- Algorithmics (HESS)
- Applied Computing
- Art
- Media
- Product Design and Technology
- Studio Arts
- Systems Engineering
- Visual Communication Design
Drama and Theatre Studies Playlist updated
The 2022 VCE Drama and Theatre Studies Playlist is available on the Drama and Theatre Studies study pages.
To allow for a variety of styles and forms to be accessed by students in case of further interruptions to theatres, the lists have again been formulated in a more flexible manner for 2022. Details are provided on the first page of the 2022 playlist.
VCE English and English as an Additional Language and VCE Literature Text Lists 2023
The VCE English and English as an Additional Language (EAL) and the VCE Literature Text Lists for 2023 are now available on the relevant VCE study pages.
Teachers should consider the lists in conjunction with the relevant text selection advice published in the study designs.
VCE English and English as an Additional Language and VCE Literature Text Lists 2023
Updated playlists
The 2022 solo and group lists of works are now available on the VCE Music Investigation and the VCE Music Performance study pages. The same lists are used for Units 3 and 4 of both Music Investigation and Music Performance. Information about study specific requirements is provided in the lists.
For the majority of listed works, the cited editions are only recommended, and equivalent editions may be used without seeking VCAA approval. Where a work is a specific arrangement or a transcription, it will have been generally published only in the cited edition. It is the responsibility of schools to ensure students perform only listed works or approved alternative works.
Alternative works and instruments
Guidelines and application forms for approval of alternative works and instruments for solo performance are available on the VCE Music Investigation and VCE Music Performance study pages.
Separate guidelines and application forms are provided for VCE Music Investigation and VCE Music Performance. These forms must be submitted by 5pm on Wednesday 23 February.
Playlist reviews
All VCE Music Lists will be reviewed in line with the revised VCE Music study design, due to commence in 2023. New lists will be published for use in 2023.
VCE Music Investigation topic approval
Students enrolled in VCE Music Investigation Units 3 and 4 must complete an Investigation Topic Approval form, available from the VCE Music Investigation study page. Schools must submit the completed form via VASS (go to Student Program > VCE > Approved Focus Area) by 5pm on Wednesday 23 February.
It is the school’s responsibility to:
- make sure each student is correctly enrolled in the study (VASS code MC05 3-4)
- enter the correct focus (instrument) code (a list of codes is available as a VASS download)
- submit a separate application for an alternative instrument, if applicable
- submit a separate application for an alternative work, if applicable
Schools are not required to submit sheet music or audio files at this stage. We will reply ‘approved’ or ‘not approved’ during March to the person identified on VASS as the Music Investigation school contact person. During the approval process, we may contact schools and request copies of sheet music and audio recordings of prescribed works.
For further information, please email the Performing Arts Curriculum Manager or call (03) 9059 5140.
Higher education studies in the VCE program
Information about higher education studies (HES) in the VCE program for 2022, including a complete list of participating universities and studies offered, is now available.
Schools must finalise VCE enrolments for students interested in applying for a HES in the VCE before Monday 9 May. A finalised school enrolment is required for universities to confirm a student’s eligibility for their HES course.
Schools are also responsible for ensuring that students have met the pre- and co-requisite requirements for their selected HES.
Please refer to Higher education in the VCE recommendations for students, schools and participating universities.
VCE History 2022–2026 Advice for teachers
VCE History 2022–2026 Advice for teachers provides detailed information to support teacher’s implementation of the reaccredited study. The following resources have been developed to support teachers understanding and implementation of VCE History 2022– 2026 assessment:
- On-demand videos explaining VCE History units, School-based assessment, performance descriptors and examination specifications are now available on the Advice for teachers – VCE History page
- The Advice for teachers also provides detailed information on Sample approaches to developing an assessment task and advice on how to develop Performance descriptors for assessment tasks
- VCE History 2022–2026 examination specifications and sample materials are now available for Units 3 and 4 Ancient History, Units 3 and 4 Australian History and Units 3 and 4 Revolutions. This content will support teachers’ understanding of the structure of the examination Section A and B, the design of question items, and the selection and use of historical source types and forms. Teachers are encouraged to look at all three sample examinations to get range of the types and design of question items
Course prescriptions for VCE Classical Greek and VCE Classical Hebrew
Refer to Notice to Schools 4/2022 and Notice to Schools 5/2022.
Professional learning
VCE briefings on-demand videos and webinars
Refer to Notice to Schools 10/2022.
VCE school-based assessment information webinars
Refer to Notice to Schools 11/2022.
2022 VCE school-assessed tasks professional learning program
Refer to Notice to Schools 12/2022.
2022 VCE Biology and VCE Environmental Science support for revised study designs
Refer to Notice to Schools 14/2022.
VCE Extended Investigation professional learning
Refer to Notice to Schools 15/2022.
