One down in VCE exam countdown

By CLARE QUIRK

Nov. 2, 2012, 4 a.m.

Warrnambool College year 12 VCE students Blake Hocking, Jasmin Prewett and Sandra Burrows are relieved to have their VCE English exam out of the way.

AFTER a sleepless night and seemingly endless study, it all came down to three hours.

Students from across the south-west were part of 42,000 from across the state who sat the VCE English exam yesterday.

Warrnambool College vice-principal Rohan Keert said the exams were just one step on a long pathway to an education.

He said the school’s mantra in the lead-up to the exams had been that they wanted the students to do “better than their best”.

He said the VCE essentially created a level playing field. “We know they are well prepared and our advice was to do better than their best,” he said.

Warrnambool College school captains Jasmin Prewett and Blake Hocking, and fellow student Sandra Burrows said there were a few nerves beforehand.

“I was pretty nervous,” Blake said.

“It took a while to get to sleep. It was all right though.”

Sandra said she was excited before the exam and relieved when it was over.

“I was kind of excited,” she said. “I wish I’d had more time.”

Mr Keert said there was a lot of satisfaction and pride in seeing some students sit their exams who might not have otherwise completed their VCE.

“To see some of these kids complete year 12 has moved some people to tears,” he said.

At Warrnambool College, 104 students sat the English exam yesterday, along with 138 students at Brauer College and 140 students at Emmanuel College.

Education Minister Martin Dixon said the English exam was always a milestone but it was important to remember all the good work to get to this point.

“While the exams are a test of skill and knowledge, they also give students an opportunity to demonstrate understanding gained through years of learning,” he said.

The top five subjects with the most students, after English, are further mathematics with 31,172 students, psychology with 16,099, mathematical methods CAS with 15,820, health and human development with 13,273 and business management 13,099.