I remember loving Year 11 and Year 12. I went to school and university in Canberra, Australia, and at that time (some time ago!) the education system in the Australian capital worked on a continuous assessment model. We had one scaling exam at the end of Year 12 but, in all honesty, it wasn't something you could study for and the rest of our rank score was based on how well we performed during the year in each of our courses.
At the time, I remember feeling sorry for my student peers across the border (NSW) and down south (Vic) because they had this awful-sounding thing called Higher School Certificate (HSC) exams (NSW) or Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) exams (in Vic) and it mattered very much what subjects you chose as some were 'known' to rank higher than others for entry into tertiary study.
A year or so after I left school and moved on to university, they changed the requirements for the ranking system here in Canberra and modified it slightly in other states. In NSW and Vic, they retained their HSC and VCE, just making a few changes to requirements. In Canberra, however, they introduced the ACT Scaling Test (AST).
The whole point of this exercise was to bring state education departments in line, as much as they could, with each state and territory in Australia having an exam that could be used for scaling to provide a standard score for university entry. It also ensured new pathways for international students to gain entry into Australian universities. This score, or rank, is known as the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) and is used by the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) to determine whether Year 12 students will be offered entry into their chosen degree in their preferred university.
The ATAR a student receives does not rely solely on the scores of their end of Year 12 exams. The exam scores account for a certain percentage of the ATAR rank and the rest is calculated from the scores received in a predetermined number of subjects studied by the student. These two raw scores form an aggregate score from which the ATAR is calculated.
Phew!
Does your subject selection matter?
That's one of the first questions most students ask. Yes. And no. In theory, a score is a score, whether you receive it for English, science, mathematics or a humanities subject. But, in reality, it is true that some subjects rank higher than others.
Humanities tend to rank lower.
Certain science subjects rank higher and English is mandatory in most states.
With maths, however, it can depend on what level of mathematics you study — essentially, though, the higher the level, the higher the ATAR rank. More about this later.
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What are the differences between different mathematics units?
Like the requirements for the Year 12 certificate, the names and outcomes of different mathematics courses and subjects in senior secondary school vary between Australian states — although the general content is the same, thanks to the gradual rollout of the Australian Curriculum from 2009.
Instead of looking at mathematics units in all states, let's focus instead on Victoria, where the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) manages the implementation of the VCE, and sets the requirements for achieving an ATAR.
What are the VCE Mathematics Units?
There are three main subject streams for mathematics in the VCE maths curriculum that are each four units in length. Plus, there is an additional subject that is only two units in length.
Specialist Mathematics
The four units of Specialist Mathematics are usually taken by the student who wants to complete an in-depth study of mathematics and potentially needs the subject for admission into their chosen university or degree (often a science or technology degree). In Specialist Mathematics, students study a broad range of content, including statistics, linear relations, arithmetic and number functions, transformations, matrices, algebra, functions and graphs, calculus, vectors and mechanics.
Mathematical Methods
The four units of Mathematical Methods are often taken in conjunction with Specialist Mathematics but are also taken in isolation by a student who wants a solid grounding in pre-university maths content and methods. In Mathematical Methods, students cover a range of content, including algebra, functions and graphs, probability and statistics, and calculus.
Foundation Mathematics
Students who study Foundation Mathematics often only want a minor in maths, although the two units in this subject do equip the students to continue with Further Mathematics the following year. The content in Foundation Mathematics includes space, shape and design, patterns and number, data, and measurement.
General Mathematics / Further Mathematics
Students who elect to study General Mathematics usually want to study a maths major but do not necessarily need maths for their university degree, other tertiary studies or future career. Students who complete General Mathematics, which is only two units in length, tend to move on to Further Mathematics. Both subjects are very applications focused but are more about day-to-day maths than Specialist Maths or Maths Methods. The content in General Maths and Further Maths includes statistics, data analysis, graphs and functions, financial modelling, matrices, geometry and problem-solving skills.
Does Maths Benefit Your ATAR Ranking?
Subjects that 'rank higher' than other subjects was touched upon briefly above — but here is where we'll set the record straight.
When your ATAR has been calculated, the subjects you took would have gone through the process of scaling with the subjects taken by every other student to achieve your raw score and then your aggregate score. The misconception lies in the question of subject difficulty versus subject competitiveness.
Scaling is not based on the difficulty of a subject but on how much competition there is within the subject.
This is why each subject scales slightly differently each year — a new cohort of students.
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Scaling evens out the playing field.
However, in mathematics, there is additional scaling to make sure that the students who are taking the more difficult units — Specialist Maths and Mathematical Methods — are not at a disadvantage.
To illustrate this, we can look at the scales report from 2020 in Victoria, where an initial aggregate score of 30 in any maths unit had scaling applied as follows:
- Further Mathematics — 27
- Mathematical Methods — 34
- Specialist Mathematics — 41.
So, is there an advantage to taking VCE maths? Yes.
Is there an advantage to taking Further Mathematics? It depends on how you look at it. If we only consider it in terms of scales for ATAR, probably not. However, if we consider WHY we're taking this unit, the answer is different. A student taking Further Maths is likely to be needing a lower tertiary entry rank than those taking Specialist Maths or Maths Methods. And, when it comes to general purpose, highly practical mathematical skills that can be used in a range of contexts — Further Maths is the unit to study.
Is a Further Maths Tutor Necessary?
If you are in the midst of a Further Maths unit, and you're struggling, then a tutor is certainly recommended. Finding a 'Further Maths' tutor may not be essential, however, a tutor with knowledge of the specific content in the unit you are studying would certainly be beneficial.
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Another advantage to engaging tutors who identify as a 'Further Maths tutor' is that they should have a deeper knowledge and understanding of course requirements and the details of each unit. They should be familiar with the assessment tasks and the three broad outcomes for each unit in the series. And they should understand the requirements and the types of questions for both the multiple-choice exam and the written short answer exam.
Having a tutor with this knowledge upfront makes it easier for the student to identify the areas in which they need help, allowing them to quickly receive the targeted support to help them achieve their goals.
Maths tutors with good skills can assist students with their studies in a number of ways, including:
- specific content tuition
- exam techniques
- exam preparation and revision
- pre-study and preparation for an upcoming unit (to get ahead)
- application of maths concepts to other subject areas, such as science
- answering questions about UAC requirements, how ATAR is calculated
- interpretation and comprehension of written questions (particularly for international students who don't have English as their first language)
- analysis of test and exam results to identify areas for improvement.
Tutors are also great if you want extension work to cover content that may not be included in your maths course or unit. For example, calculus is not covered in depth in Further Maths but if you want to study calculus independently, a tutor can help you with this.
Maths tutors are easy to find. Check noticeboards at universities or online. Don't forget the Superprof platform either, where there are hundreds of maths tutors right around Australia who are able to help you meet your study goals.
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