Which Language to do

[yiduocui]

Hey guys!
Currently I have to make the decision of which LOTE I want to do for yr12.
I am currently studying Japanese and Chinese and I'm not sure which one to choose.
My Japanese teacher is exceptionally good and I learn alot each lesson with him. He has a long track record of students who end up achieving top scores in the exams, however I have no native background in it and do not speak it at home.
I study Chinese SLA at Saturday School, however I dont feel that I learn very much in the lessons and compared to most people in SLA, I am very average. That said, I DO have a Chinese background and speak basic Chinese at home.
Then there's also the changes studying Chinese for VCE which I heard scales down the students who have a background in Chinese which would put me at an disadvantage.
While I understand that ultimately, the decision is up to me, I would highly appreciate any help or insights you guys can give

[90+FTW]

Japanese all the way (mainly for the anime)

[catnus]

Which one do you enjoy most? Ultimately, you should choose the subject which you see as being more personally rewarding. If you enjoy Japanese, you are more likely to try to do well in it. How are your marks for both subjects?

[kawfee]

Then there's also the changes studying Chinese for VCE which I heard scales down the students who have a background in Chinese which would put me at an disadvantage.
While I understand that ultimately, the decision is up to me, I would highly appreciate any help or insights you guys can give

Just a question, is that change confirmed? And also is it only for Chinese?

[IndefatigableLover]

Just a question, is that change confirmed? And also is it only for Chinese?

The change hasn't been confirmed I don't think yet but if it were to change then the OP wouldn't have to worry about it being an issue since the study design for Chinese SLA is accredited to 2016 (which should be long enough for OP to finish VCE LOL).

Just a document that might help as well: Strengthening Chinese language provision in senior secondary schooling - VCAA

[aqple]

You already know Chinese and speak it at home so do Japanese. I'm sure you'd be more motivated doing Japanese because it is a foreign language not one that you already have background with.

[yiduocui]

The change hasn't been confirmed I don't think yet but if it were to change then the OP wouldn't have to worry about it being an issue since the study design for Chinese SLA is accredited to 2016 (which should be long enough for OP to finish VCE LOL).

Do you mean that these changes would be effective in 2016 or after? Because currently I am in yr10, graduating 2016

[IndefatigableLover]

Do you mean that these changes would be effective in 2016 or after? Because currently I am in yr10, graduating 2016

I should be after 2016 considering it's accredited 31 December 2016 so they wouldn't/shouldn't change the curriculum or any rules/expectations of Chinese SL/SLA and you'd have completed your Chinese exam before that date (either in Year 12 or as an accelerated subject) so I don't think it would affect you

[sugarbie]

I was the same boat with you except I did both Jap Sl and Chinese SLA plus other 4 sub in year 12.  I have a huge interest in Japanese and luckily I did have a very nice Japanese teacher at my school and wiling to help me with anything. My first language is cantonese but I do speak so-so mandarin and I have not studied it since year 6.
I'll say Chinese SLA is super competitive, saying that you are average (that is able to speak chinese without thinking too much in daily conversation) and if you willing to put effort in then probably around 30 range. But if you compare to Japanese, getting a 30 is easy (unless you are saying you are struggling think what to speak). And even with my level of Chinese without studying (I have also miss a SAC), I have only manage to get 26 and even the native speaker born in China and have studied in China until year 6 in my school did not manage to get over 40. This is how hard it is!
And also, from my experience I will definite say Japanese examiner are really trying to help student to achieve high score, they genuinely are being nice to student and will not trying get the harsh way out of you while Chinese, they are trying to pick bones from egg (even in mock exam ) (Not saying all of them are but definitely quite a few exist)
But really, if you can do both then do both! Both of them do scale up a lot and it's quite advantage in Atar as they scale up a lot. But if you can fit both in then definitely go for Japanese given 99% SLA are either background/dialect speaker or student have been study aboard in Chinese region. And able to recognise Chinese character (even simplified one) already gave you some sort of sense in knowing or guessing the meaning for kanji and it's already a advantage over some student.