Reporting results: Score aggregation

Study scores

A study score indicates how a VCE student performed in relation to all other VCE students who undertook the study. It is calculated using the student’s final scores for school-assessed coursework (SACs), school-assessed tasks (SATs), externally assessed tasks and examinations for each study.

To receive a study score, students must achieve 2 or more graded assessments in the study and receive an S for both Units 3 and 4 in the same academic year, unless they have interrupted studies status and have met these requirements over 2 academic years.

Study score calculation

The final score for each graded assessment is standardised. This is done by subtracting the state mean for a graded assessment from the student’s final score for that graded assessment, and dividing the result by the state standard deviation for the graded assessment:

standardised score = (final score − state mean) / state standard deviation

The standardised score for each graded assessment is multiplied by its percentage contribution to the study score. In some studies, the graded assessments are equally weighted, while in others they are weighted differently. For English, the formula is:

(standardised Unit 3 coursework score × 0.25) + (standardised Unit 4 coursework score × 0.25) + (standardised end-of-academic-year examination score × 0.50)

Student weighted standardised scores are added together. For VCE studies, up to 3 weighted standardised scores are added together. The weighted totals of all students in the study are ranked in descending order. When students have the same total, they are given the highest rank of the group. For example, in a study of 1500 students, if 3 students have the equal highest total, each will be assigned the rank of 1500. The next highest total will be assigned the rank of 1497.

The ranks are then normalised using an inverse normal function. The scores resulting from this transformation are distributed normally, with a mean of 0 and a standard deviation of 1. The normalised scores are then converted to a scale with a mean of 30 and standard deviation of 7, truncated at 0 and 50. This produces a possible study score ranging from 0 to 50, with most study scores between 23 and 37. Further adjustments are made for studies that have small numbers of students.

For further explanation, see the series of videos detailing VCE study score.

Calculating a VCE VET study score

Some VCE VET programs include scored assessment. In these programs, students receive a score and a grade for each of 2 components:

• SACs, a set of tasks students undertake in the Unit 3–4 sequence of their program
• an examination based on the Unit 3–4 sequence, set by the VCAA.

The statistically moderated SAC score and the examination score are used to calculate study scores by the same procedures as for other VCE studies.

Study score calculation for students with Interrupted Studies status

Students who have been granted interrupted studies status will have their study scores calculated using graded assessments across 2 academic years, provided they have achieved 2 or more graded assessments in the study and received an S for both Units 3 and 4. The best results for each graded assessment across the 2 years of study are used when the study score is calculated.

This table demonstrates how these requirements are applied.

Example of interrupted studies study score calculation

Interstate credit and study scores

A student awarded credit at Unit 3 and 4 level for interstate studies will have a study score calculated only if they have credit for Unit 3, receive an S result for Unit 4 in a similar VCE study and have attempted at least 2 graded assessments in the VCE study.

Statistical moderation

School-based assessment is an important part of the VCE. In many studies it contributes 50% towards the calculation of a student’s study score. To ensure fairness when study scores are calculated, it is important that school-based assessments made by all schools are comparable.

The VCE program gives teachers some flexibility in deciding which teaching and learning activities and school-based assessment tasks they will use to assess the learning outcomes specified in each study design. As a result, coursework assessment from different schools will sometimes be based on different sets of assessment activities, even though they are assessing the same learning outcomes, and therefore cannot be compared.

The VCAA acknowledges that teachers are best placed to assess students’ academic achievement. However, assessment scores are comparable only when they are expressed on the same scale. Statistical moderation does not change the relative performance of students within the statistical moderation group. For each VCE and VCE VET program the VCAA uses statistical moderation to adjust the achievements of students from all schools on the same scale. This provides fairness for students across the state. To ensure comparability of across school-based assessments from different schools, the VCAA applies statistical procedures to each moderation group, study by study.

For VCE studies, moderation groups are the cohort of students in each school undertaking the study, or the total cohort of students from schools that combine for the purposes of assessment and moderation for a particular study.

For VCE VET programs with scored assessment, the moderation group is the identified assessing group. By selecting an assessing group, schools are choosing the group in which students will be statistically moderated, students will be statistically moderated with the entire assessing group. An assessing group can be a cohort of students who are enrolled in the same program in:

• a home school – a teacher from the school delivers and assesses the scored Unit 3–4 sequence from the VCE VET program
• an RTO – students attend an external RTO for delivery of the scored Unit 3–4 sequence from the VCE VET program
• a cluster group – students attend another school as part of a VET cluster for delivery of the scored Unit 3–4 sequence from the VCE VET program.

Statistical moderation aligns, for each school group or moderation group, the distribution of school-based scores with the distribution of external scores for each school-based assessment. The external score is based on examination scores that are undertaken by students across Victoria with common tasks and common assessors, to provide a suitable basis for moderating school-based scores awarded by individual schools.

Each VCE study includes at least one external assessment used to calculate the external score used for statistical moderation. In studies with 2 external assessments, scores from both will be used.

The VCE assessment program also includes the General Achievement Test (GAT). In a small number of studies, and where it is found to enhance the moderation process, student results from the GAT are also used to calculate the external score. In such cases, the examination scores remain the major reference for adjusting school-based scores. For more information, go to the Statistical moderation page.

Internal comparability of assessments

For statistical moderation, each school’s assessments in a study are treated as a single group, not as separate teaching classes. Each school should have established procedures for making school-based assessments and should apply these procedures consistently. There should be consistency across decisions made by teachers regarding individual studies and consistency across decisions made by multiple teachers of one study.

Small-group partnerships

Schools with moderation groups comprising fewer than 5 enrolments, or schools that might expect such groups to occur as a result of circumstances arising during the year, should form partnerships with other schools of their own choosing, as early in the academic year as possible.

See the Administrative information: Schools and registered training organisations section for information about forming small-group partnerships.

Transferring students

For each transferring student, the VCAA will make a specific decision on how the student’s school-based assessment is moderated for each study. The decisions will be based on the following conditions.

Students who transfer very early in the academic year and complete all assessment tasks at the receiving school

The receiving school is the assessing school and the moderation group.

The student’s school-based assessment scores and examination scores are treated in the usual way in the moderation process for the receiving school.

Students who transfer very late in the academic year, having completed all assessment tasks at the original school, but sit the examinations at the receiving school

The original school remains the assessing school.

The student’s examination score is treated as belonging to the original school.

The student’s school-based assessment scores and examination scores are treated normally in the moderation process for the original school.

Students who complete all the assessment tasks for Unit 3 at their original school and the assessment tasks for Unit 4 at their receiving school

Example for English

The original school is the assessing school for Unit 3 coursework.

The receiving school is the assessing school for Unit 4 coursework.

Because the student’s school-based assessment preparation for the examination has been completed at 2 different schools, the student’s scores are removed from the moderation process for both schools.

Once scores have been entered, they cannot be removed once the date for such changes on VASS has passed. Therefore, if a student no longer wants to be assessed for levels of achievement for all or any graded assessments, the school should enter NA (not assessed) for the remainder of that study. The scores already entered will remain.

Students who complete some assessment tasks for the School-based Assessment at their original school and the remainder of the tasks at the receiving school

Example for Mathematics

The student transfers during the academic year, having completed the Unit 3 tasks of the Unit 3–4 school-based assessment at the original school.

The student completes the Unit 4 tasks of the school-based assessment at the receiving school.

Example for English

The student transfers early in the academic year, having completed 2 of the 3 assessment tasks for the Unit 3 school-based assessment at the original school.

The student completes the remaining task for Unit 3 school-based assessment at the receiving school.

In both examples the student’s school-based assessment will be handled as follows:

The original school will enter the scores for the tasks assessed at that school on VASS before transferring the student to the receiving school.

The receiving school will enter the scores for the tasks assessed at that school on VASS.

The student’s SACs and examination scores will be removed from the moderation process for both schools.

At the completion of the moderation process for both schools, the VCAA will calculate a moderated partial score for the SACs completed at the original school, using the moderation parameters for that school. The VCAA will also calculate a moderated partial score for the SACs completed at the receiving school, using the moderation parameters for the receiving school.

The moderated partial scores from each school will then be added to produce the moderated total score for the student.

If a student arrives at the receiving school having completed only some of the assessment tasks for the school-based assessment, and those tasks have been done in a different sequence to that of the receiving school, the receiving school should provide support for the student to complete any missing tasks. This support should include the necessary teaching and preparation for the tasks, and scheduling of tasks for the student.

Schools should seek advice from Student Records and Results if they are unsure of appropriate measures to take in any of these situations.

Final grades

VCE studies have 3 graded assessments for each Unit 3–4 sequence. Scored VCE VET studies have 2 graded assessments for each Unit 3–4 sequence.

Levels of performance in graded assessments are reported as A+ to E, UG (ungraded) and NA (not assessed). UG indicates that the score achieved was too low to assign a grade. NA indicates that the school-based assessment was not submitted, or the examination was not undertaken.

All VCE studies include at least one external assessment, and all except Algorithmics (HESS) have SACs for either a combined Unit 3 and 4 assessment, separate Unit 3 and Unit 4 assessments, or a Unit 3 assessment only. Some studies have SATs; Music Composition, Music Inquiry and Extended Investigation have an externally assessed task.

Distribution of grade ranges for all assessment components in each study are reported each year and published on the Performance in senior secondary page.

Final grades for VCE and VCE VET school-based assessment

The minimum score required for each grade within each school-based assessment in a VCE study and a VCE VET scored program is determined by the VCAA, following statistical moderation of school-assessed initial scores.

Final grades for VCE external assessments

The minimum score for each grade is determined by the VCAA at the completion of marking.