...and I'm wondering what the difference between the VCE English subjects are.
I'm angling this towards what I know so far of the new study designs, since as Emma noted, they will have changed by the time you're in Year 12.
English: fairly standard, will be the closest thing to what you've done throughout high school. Language Analysis (writing about newspaper articles and persuasion) is largely unchanged with the exception of a few guidelines and requirements. You'll do a Text Response essay (writing about a book or film you've studied in response to a prompt) as well as a creative response to the text. The third section involves a comparative essay which I'm afraid I can't shed much light on because it's a totally new thing that hasn't been explained properly yet
Hopefully some more resources will crop up towards the end of next year.
From a pragmatic perspective, the big advantage of English is that the cohort is more evenly spread. Since doing one English is compulsory, and most schools only offer mainstream English, you'll be on the same bell curve as people who are borderline illiterate. English is also general speaking, easier to do well in, not only because of the amount of resources that are available, but because of how the course is structured. Things are always geared towards the exam, and how you write throughout the year is usually a pretty good indication of your skillset.
Literature: is for English nerds. That may sound exclusive or pretentious, but it's a subject that suits English nerds more than anyone. Unless you enjoy the idea of analysing and writing essays, stay clear.
I've tried to decipher the new study design, and first impressions would seem to suggest it's the same as the current one. So a major difference between Eng and Lit is that out of the five SACs you have for Lit, only one is even remotely similar to the format of the exam. I can explain these briefly if you need clarification, but I'm assuming you're more concerned with the difference between English and Englang.
English Language: often regarded as the 'science-y' English, this subject is geared towards a more diagnostic deconstruction of words and linguistic devices, so it has a reputation for being popular with people who don't enjoy the vagueness of regular English tasks and essays. That said, this essay won't necessarily have clear answers for everything, and you're still expected to develop a flare for commenting on how language is used, making it arguably more challenging that standard English. I haven't done Englang myself so I can't comment much more beyond this, maybe someone else can jump in.
Suffice it to say that your enjoyment of each subject will be more important than any inherent advantage/disadvantage that others have found in their studies.
Most schools will help you out during the process of subject selection and offer you some information about everything your school offers. You could also ask people in the years above you what their impressions are (at least for Lit and Englang) about the teachers and the workload, since there's a lot of variance between schools.
The subjects themselves could also change between now and your VCE, especially with rumours of a nationalised curriculum happening within the next decade. There's no reason to cement yourself down one path right now, since improving general English abilities by reading heaps and accruing vocab will be transferable to all English subjects anyway
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