A lot of students are being encouraged to accelerate in VCE - that is, do Units 3&4 of a VCE subject early in Year 11 rather than waiting until Year 12. It can be great for some students and make life difficult for others, so let’s look at how it works and what the benefits and drawbacks are.

1:47 What is accelerating in VCE?

2:39 Is it a disadvantage to not do Units 1&2 of a VCE subject?

Usually, no. Most subjects that are offered for acceleration are ones where the Unit 1&2 topics are very different to those covered in Units 3&4.

4:37 Advantages of accelerating in VCE

1) You get a chance to see what it’s like to do a Unit 3&4 subject, including doing external exams, before you do the rest of your subjects.

2) You get a subject done and out of the way early, and that may mean that you’re allowed to do less subjects as a Year 12 student and have a study period instead.

8:48 Disadvantages of accelerating in VCE

1) You might focus too much on the Unit 3&4 subject to the detriment of your Unit 1&2 subjects, which will make it harder for you the following year.

2) It can extend the anxiety of VCE beyond the one year of Year 12.

3) In accelerating, you may at some point have missed content (either by missing Units 1&2 or before then if the acceleration started earlier), and therefore not do as well as if you had just worked through the subject sequentially without skipping a year.

13:20 For Year 11s already accelerating

Use the Term 1 break to make sure you’re putting equal time and energy across all of your subjects and not putting everything into the Unit 3&4 subject.

My website: https://www.roadmapeducation.com

VCAA study designs: https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/curriculum/vce/vce-study-designs/Pages/vce-study-designs.aspx