More year 12 students opting for unscored VCE

“Stratospheric levels of stress” associated with VCE exams are leading to a trend among year 12 students.

Unscored VCE rates have risen in recent years, from 10.6 per cent of students in 2021, up from 8.3 per cent in 2020.

Desperate year 12 students are opting for unscored VCE in a bid to cope with anxiety, with “stratospheric” levels of stress after two years of lockdowns.

Experts predict the 2022 rate of unmarked VCE students will top the record rate of one in ten reached in 2021.

Some students only decided to opt for unscored VCE in the lead-up to exams, which run for most from 26 October to 16 November.

Unscored VCE rates have risen in recent years, from 10.6 per cent of students in 2021, up from 8.3 per cent in 2020.

Having an unscored VCE means students still pass year 12 and get their VCE but do not get an ATAR and can’t get into university.

Psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg said there were “stratospheric levels of stress around VCE”.

“Many more of my clients than normal are doing unscored VCE and more are making applications for special consideration,” he said.

“The last two years have taken a great toll.”

Students at Mount Waverley sit their English VCE exam. Picture: Stuart Milligan

Despite general agreement the VCE exams have been “kinder than usual”, students are sharing tales of their suicidal ideation and depression on social media.

One posted on a VCE discussion group: “I’m kind of chill with exams so far but the thought of literature exam soon low key makes me feel like I wanna die.”

“I’m not suicidal or anything but the idea of dying before the exam makes me feel better.”

Psychologist Sandy Rea said the stress for this years’ VCE students was “compounded by the after effects of lockdown, the lack of interest in with peers and teachers, and now the return to school”.

She said stress came from many areas, including poor preparation, family dysfunction, peer dynamics, absent teachers and undiagnosed learning difficulties.

Education Minister Natalie Hutchins said the goal is to “make sure year 12 students have options that set them up for whatever they want to do next.”

“This is why over the past five years students have been offered more pathways that don’t require an ATAR. This includes university pre-offers, more courses added to Free TAFE and other initiatives to make further education more accessible to Victorian students.”

“And we’re reforming the VCE next year when the vocational major will be offered adding even more choices for students especially in vocational and applied learning,” Ms Hutchins said.

Dr Selina Samuels, chief learning officer at Cluey Learning, said every year around 80 per cent of students reported high stress in year 12.

“But for young people today there are more stressors, such as greater uncertainty in the world and worries about climate change and the war in Ukraine,” she said.

“The unusual pressure of the last few years during Covid is adding up to far greater stress than normal,” Dr Samuels said.