Three essays in three hours: More than 42,000 sit English test as VCE exams begin in earnest

Year 12 students will do their first major end-of-year exam on Wednesday, and it’s an academic marathon.

More than 42,000 will sit the three-hour, three-essay English exam in the morning, including some students whose homes and schools have been destroyed or cut off by floods.

The exams cap a tumultuous few years for the class of 2022, who endured long periods of remote learning during years 10 and 11 but will not automatically qualify for special consideration.

Greater Shepparton Secondary College school captain Rowan Farren.Credit:Eddie Jim

The northern Victorian town of Kerang can’t run any exams at the moment. Kerang Christian College had planned for students to sit the English exam in the nearby town of Swan Hill, but the road there closed overnight.

“It’s a shame,” said principal Wayne Barker. Flood-affected students will be automatically offered derived exam scores, which are intended to ensure that students’ final results reflect the level of achievement that was expected, based on their results from school-assessed coursework and the recent General Achievement Test.

Meanwhile, dozens of students from the flood-hit towns of Rochester and Echuca will sit the English exam at Bendigo Senior Secondary College on Wednesday, the biggest exam site in the state with an expected 930 students.

“We’re ready to go, and we’ll welcome those kids as they arrive,” principal Dale Pearce said.

Pearce expects students from Rochester to complete all of their exams at his school, due to the extensive flood damage in their hometown. Echuca students might be able to sit the rest of their exams at their home school when an evacuation order is lifted, he said.

The year 12 exams began in early October with dance and music, and end in mid-November with drama and French. Students will receive their results in December.

The most popular VCE subjects this year are English, further mathematics, psychology, maths methods, biology, health and human development, business management, chemistry, physical education and legal studies.

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