How many VCE subjects do you need to do?

What is the maximum number of VCE subjects?


The VCE Subjects includes more than 90 subjects to choose from. Each school decides which VCE subjects they offer. Most subjects are made up of four units which your child studies over two years (one unit per semester): Units 1/2 are usually studied in year 11.

What is the hardest subject in VCE?

Legal Studies

Is a 40 study score good?

This raw study score will be a number between 0 and 50. A raw study score of 40 would mean that you performed better than around 91% of all students who took the same subject. A raw study score of 50 means that you performed in the top 0.3% of students enrolled in the subject.

The subjects you choose in Year 10 affect what you can do in the future. You should go for a good balance of subjects to keep your career options open. Choosing subjects that suit you and your abilities is very important.

Consider what sort of person you are

To help you decide what to study in Yr 7- Yr 10 Subjects, it's a good idea to start asking yourself what sort of person you are:

think about what you're like at home, as well as in school - what skills you've developed outside school

ask yourself what types of things you enjoy doing the most - for example, working things out and thinking them through, practical activities or artistic options like painting, drawing or performing music

think about what you are most interested in: it could be languages, writing projects, helping people, being outdoors or designing things


What you want to do

If you have a particular career in mind, or you are hoping to go to university, then it is worth finding out if there are specific subjects you need to study.

Before choosing your GCSE subjects you should be aware of choosing subjects which may affect your choices at a later stage, for example, double award science is essential for careers related to medicine but it will also give you many other options.

Making choices

You'll have many options in Year 10, but there are some subjects so important that everyone has to take them. English and Maths are the subjects most often required for courses and careers. Doing as well as you possibly can in Maths and English will improve your chances of getting a job or course at a later stage.

For subjects you can choose you should:

make sure that you have accurate and up-to-date information

talk to those who can give you good reliable advice such as your careers teacher/adviser

discuss the options with your family and subject teachers

There are a number of factors you should consider when you make your subject choices.




Choosing the subjects you need

If you know what career you want, choosing the right subjects can be critical. For example, if you are considering following a science pathway you will need at least double award science.

Choosing the subjects you like and are good at


Nearly everyone gets better marks in subjects they enjoy and are good at. You should take this into account, but always keep in mind your preferred course or career when you leave school.


What to avoid

You shouldn’t choose subjects for the wrong reasons, for example:

you like the teacher – the teacher may change

there isn’t much homework – that will change

your friends are taking the subject – it might be right for them, but not for you



The Education System

The Japanese/Korean public education structure is divided into three parts: six years of primary school, followed by three years of middle school and then three years of high school. In 1996 only about five percent of Korea's high schools were coeducational. The proportion of coeducational schools has increased by almost ten percent. However, classes in many coeducational high schools are still divided along gender lines. The curriculum is standardized so now both boys and girls study technology and domestic science.

The primary curriculum consists of nine principal subjects: moral education, Korean language, social studies, mathematics, science, physical education, music, fine arts, and practical arts. English-language instruction now begins in the third grade, so that children can start learning English in a relaxed atmosphere through conversational exchange, rather than through rote learning of grammatical rules as is still the practice in many middle and high schools. The major objectives, as stated in a 1996 background report by the Ministry of Education, are "to improve basic abilities, skills and attitudes; to develop language ability and civic morality needed to live in society; to increase the spirit of cooperation; to foster basic arithmetic skills and scientific observation skills; and to promote the understanding of healthy life and the harmonious development of body and mind.” The seventh annual curriculum, which began implementation in March 2000, kept these basic goals but updated many elements to reflect changes in Korean society.

Upon completion of primary school, students advance to middle school, which comprises grades seven through nine. The curriculum consists of 12 basic or required subjects, electives, and extracurricular activities. While elementary school instructors teach all subjects, middle school teachers, like their colleagues in the United States, are content specialists.

High schools are divided into academic and vocational schools. In 1995, some 62 percent of students were enrolled in academic high schools and 38 percent in vocational high schools. A small number attended specialized high schools concentrating in science, the arts, foreign languages, and other specialized fields. This is still the case.

Which IB subjects should I choose?

Your IB Subjects choices are one of the first big decisions you have to make when embarking on your IB journey (and beyond). We have put together this article to help guide you through which subjects you may want to take and what the deciding factors could be. We hope you enjoy!

We know that choosing IB subjects can be daunting, but, remember that this, firstly, is an experience to enjoy. You have the freedom to study what you want, which puts you in a position of a little more independence. No longer do you have to study Geography or P.E. or Chemistry! We understand that you are still required to pick a subject from each of the 5 groups (and yes these include Maths), but you are likely to now have a greater amount of freedom to choose what you study than you did at GCSE level or equivalent. Therefore, try and enjoy this process, and see it as a chance to develop your skills in a direction you wish.

Additionally, the subject choices you make will not limit you entirely to one career path. As we will discuss in this article, it is possible to ‘keep your options open’ studying the IB. In fact, by choosing the International Baccalaureate, you have done just that! You can now study 6 Foundation Courses, rather than the standard 3, and participate in CAS, ToK and an EE. This will help you develop skills that apply in all fields of work and study.

If you would like to know how the IB stacks up against A-levels, please take a look at our article comparing the two!