Holiday Revision & Exam Preparation

As you will be aware, the VCE Units 3 and 4 examination period is fast approaching. The results from these examinations make a significant contribution to students’ final study scores and consequently their ATAR score. As your child continues to the end of Term 3, they will complete their School-Assessed Coursework (SAC) and prepare for examinations.

To support students with this exam preparation, the College has several holiday support sessions, in the form of summary lectures and practice examinations. We strongly encourage students to attend these sessions, as they can inform how students best use their final few weeks of study to prepare for these exams. A copy of the holiday revision timetable (which was updated on Monday 17 September) can be downloaded below.

To further support students preparing for their Units 3 & 4 examinations, the College has signed onto the digital learning platform ‘Edrolo’ for a wide range of Units 3 & 4 subjects. Edrolo provides students with videos, resources, practice exam questions and detailed video solutions, all targeted at key skills and topic areas of their courses.

Research has shown that while exams can be stressful to many students, the support that teachers and parents provide to students at this time makes a significant difference to outcomes and reducing anxiety. If you are looking for strategies to support your child with exam stress, there are many useful tips here: https://www.parentline.com.au/older-kids/issues/helping-kids-cope-exam-stress.

To continue our support of students through the final weeks of their study, the College asks that during Term 4, all Year 12 students remain at school on Friday afternoons until at least 3.25pm to complete practice examinations. These exams will run in exam conditions and will be supervised by college leadership members. The purpose of these exams is to familiarise students with the examination environment and conditions, prior to the actual exams, and to better support students in their revision process. These practice exams will run in the Kelly building on Friday afternoons from 1.50pm. Students may choose to stay as late as 5.00pm to complete longer practice exams, such as the 3-hour English exam.

Students should pay special attention to the example essays and video explanations for the English subject, as these have proved extremely useful to many students in the state. With English automatically being in the students ‘primary-four’ scored subjects, it is vital that students put their best foot forward in their approach to this subject.

If you have any questions about how to support your child through the revision process, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teachers or Mrs Suzie Kemp, VCE Coordinator, by phoning the College on 5445 9100.

Mr Matthew Angove, Director of Learning & Teaching and Mr Ben Fitzpatrick, Deputy Principal

St Mary’s Campus