Education & Curriculum in Victoria

The Victorian Government requires Government (incl. Victorian School of Languages), Catholic and funded Community schools to implement and report on the Victorian Curriculum for Foundation to Year 10 and/or a VCAA accredited senior certificate.

Independent schools may choose to follow the Victorian Curriculum.

The Victorian Curriculum is determined by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA), a statutory authority with the goal to ‘provide high quality curriculum, assessment and reporting (0-18) to enable learning for life’.

VCAA are responsible for setting the curriculum and external exams for secondary school certificates, including the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE).

Some independent schools choose to follow the Australian Curriculum, which is determined by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA).

NB: ACARA is currently finalising a new Australian Curriculum for German.

Schools from all sectors may apply to implement a Primary (PYP), Middle Years (MYP) or Diploma program of the International Baccalaureate (IB). The IB Diploma is an internationally recognised certificate of secondary education.

Some families choose to education their children at home. The law says that any child of compulsory school age (6–17 years) who is being educated at home must be registered with the Victorian Registrations and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) for Home Education.

VCAA: Victorian Curriculum (F-10)

Victorian Curriculum (F-10)

The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority determine the Victorian Curriculum, a curriculum framework for Foundation to Years 10. It is a local implementation of the Australian Curriculum and has some differences e.g. in the Capabilities*.

VCAA is reviewing the Victorian Curriculum (incl. Languages) in response to the new Australian Curriculum (V9). German is a Phase 2 Language and the new Victorian Curriculum for German will not be published until November 2024 for familiarisation in 2025.

Victorian Curriculum for Languages

The Victorian Curriculum (and Australian Curriculum) has two sequences for Languages:

  • Foundation to 10
  • Year 7 to 10.

Both are designed to ‘extend the students’ literacy repertoires and their capacity to communicate, and to strengthens students’ understanding of the nature of language, culture, and the processes of communication’.

The Victorian Curriculum for German has content descriptions for six sub-strands under two strands (Communication and Understanding) and achievement standards.

The Victorian Curriculum also nominates four Capabilities* will be developed, practised, deployed and demonstrated by students in and through their learning across the curriculum, including Languages.

*The Victorian Capabilities differ from the General Capabilities of the Australian Curriculum including some of the General Capabilities being embedded in the Victorian Curriculum.

VCAA: Senior Certificates for German – VCE or VET

Students may choose to study German as part of an accredited senior certificate, usually the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE).

VCE VET in Applied Languages

Some schools offer VCE VET in Applied Languages, nationally accredited certificates.

VCE German

The VCE Study Design for German outlines the course for Units 1 to 4 including assessment tasks for each outcome. Each unit has three Areas of Study (AS):

  • AS1 – Interpersonal communication
  • AS2 – Interpretive communication
  • AS3 – Presentational communication

There are two external exams: an oral exam in October and written exam in November.

VCAA provide further advice, documents and reports to support teachers in planning the specific subtopics, learning activities and assessment tasks for their students.

Support from the AGTV

The AGTV offer professional development programs during the year for teachers of VCE German at in person events or online Members Lounges, and Student Forums for Year 12 students. The Committee is happy to respond to questions or concerns.

Contact: agtv[a]agtv.vic.edu.au

ACARA: Australian Curriculum

The Australian Curriculum is determined by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), a federally funded authority.

Implementation of the Australian Curriculum is the responsibility of state and territory Government Authorities and may be implemented differently from state to state.

Independent schools in Victoria may choose to follow the Australian Curriculum.

The Australian Curriculum was reviewed and the current version (V9) now includes German.

Other Curriculum in Australia and Beyond

International Baccalaureate (IB) in Victoria

The International Baccalaureate (IB) has programs for Primary (PYP) and Middle Years (MYP) and an internationally recognised Diploma program for senior secondary.

Curriculum in other States and Territories in Australia

The Australian Curriculum is endorsed by all states and territories.

However, each state and territory has responsibility for implementing curriculum in their schools and this often means local versions of the curriculum.

The website of the Network of Australian Teachers of German (NATG) has collated links to curriculum documents for each state and territory.

New Zealand

European Centre for Modern Languages of the Council of Europe