from reading http://arts.monash.edu.au/japanese/ugrad/placement.php level 3 looks basically like a bit under VCE to VCE level, and level 5 looks like VCE extended, with significantly more Kanji. According to the thingy even during level 5 you'll be learning a lot of VCE level stuff, but just more in depth.
thats initially what put me off level 5 in the 1st place
kanji is my #1 weakness in jap
Really?
I find kanji to be quite easy and fun... it's grammar I dislike trying to learn... I have a natural aptitude for languages though, so I never seem to have too much trouble.
Anywayz:
Level 3 utilises the last 2 chapters of the Yookoso 1 textbook... the rest was done in levels 1 and 2.
The textbook is designed in a way that gives each chapter a theme.
Level 1 covered "classroom" and "community".
Level 2 covered "everyday life", "family", "weather" and "hobbies".
For level 3 the broad vocabulary themes are "food" and "shopping".
Kanji:思、終、始、物、肉、事、茶、酒、池、泳、河、泣、油、温、湿
牛、鳥、湯、野、魚、味、悪、料、化、仲、働、虫、風、仏、独
理、米、品、和、洋、夜、言、貝、訪、試、験、説、明、相、談
同、長、市、場、主、電、売、買、着、切、円、引、安、店、員
色、黒、白、青、赤、黄、服、返、花、屋、暗、草、若、荷、星
私、京、都、寺、神、社、内、曲、目、机、板、森、鯨、鰯、鮪、鮫
所、予、約、車、早、歩、旅、館、乗、字、宿、寝、宮、官、守
待、駅、止、客、地、図、海、持、拾、折、包、抱、王、玉、宝
新、聞、公、園、住、階、広、直、戸、古、門、室、親、両、苦
伝、洗、建、友、貸、借、置、静、庭、便、利、不、覚、争、健
Grammar:1st Chapter:
ta-form + ことがある
expressing desire (I assume this is たい form, but obviously I haven't learned about this yet)
expressing an opinion
expressing intention
~すぎる
indirect quotation という
te-form verbs + みる、しまう、いく、くる
convey simultaneous action ~なから
2nd Chapter:
expressing *when* something happens (as in, the point in time... think 時)
indefinite pronoun の
~たら conditional
expressing purpose using に
reporting hearsay そうだ
expressing whether or not かどうか
giving reasons ...し、...し