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March 29, 2024, 01:13:54 pm

Author Topic: Maths subjects  (Read 4053 times)

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moopcrayon

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Maths subjects
« on: January 12, 2022, 07:14:32 pm »
+1
Hey I ‘m new and in yr 9 this year  :D
What is the difference between all the maths subjects available? Like there’s further maths, specialist maths, general maths a & b, foundation maths?
And u know how there’s 6 subjects in VCE? Are they all considered as one?

Commercekid2050

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Re: Maths subjects
« Reply #1 on: January 12, 2022, 07:46:45 pm »
+4
Hey I ‘m new and in yr 9 this year  :D
What is the difference between all the maths subjects available? Like there’s further maths, specialist maths, general maths a & b, foundation maths?
And u know how there’s 6 subjects in VCE? Are they all considered as one?

Hi,

First of all welcome to Atar Note

First of all Further, Method and Specialist are all math subject for year 12. Genral Matt is a year 11 Math and by doing that you can do Further in year 12. Foundation is again just for year 11 but does not have any year 12 equalaent.

General/Further Math- This is the second most popular subject after English. It is an easier subject when compared to Method and Specialist it is also pretty different. In this math you would be looking at finding Mean or Median of data. You would also be looking at Financial math so finding interest rate. I did this math and find it pretty useful of life.

Math Method-  Many people do this math as it acts as it is required for many uni courses. The content is really different from Further, you would be looking at calculus, looking at function and relation, unit circle, log and Probability. There are lot of content covered in Method but generally content overlaps between each section.

Specialist Math- This is the hardest math. Generally things taught in Method is also taught in Specialist but in more details. The content is pretty much similar but the content is taken further like adding Vertex .  If you decide to do specialist math then you have to also do Method(Sorry can't give much info about this).

Foundation Math- Only taught in year 11. This is more basic Math. It is mostly for people who are not a huge fan of math and planing of doing degree which does not require math. It is also not present in many schools. Sorry I don't know much laugh in this.

Also in VCE you can do all three math if you want but for your top 4 only top two math would be picked

There is also a link to study design for math which will give you further detail

https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Documents/vce/mathematics/2016MathematicsSD.pdf

Hope this helps  :)
« Last Edit: January 12, 2022, 07:52:03 pm by Commercekid2050 »
2021 VCE- English, Math Method, Further Math,Accounting and Economics

2022-2026 Bachelors in Business (Taxation) and Accounting in Monash

moopcrayon

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Re: Maths subjects
« Reply #2 on: January 12, 2022, 07:59:49 pm »
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okie. so with the subjects u do in yr 11, is that part of ur VCE? also if i'm doing a medicine pathway which one do u think is most useful?
and can anyone show me a thread/explain how VCE and sacs work??! sorry i am such a noob lmao

Commercekid2050

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Re: Maths subjects
« Reply #3 on: January 12, 2022, 08:14:37 pm »
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okie. so with the subjects u do in yr 11, is that part of ur VCE? also if i'm doing a medicine pathway which one do u think is most useful?
and can anyone show me a thread/explain how VCE and sacs work??! sorry i am such a noob lmao

Subject you do in year 11 is part of VCE but does not influence your ATAR of if I may saw your end result.

https://atarnotes.com/forum/index.php?topic=168804.0 This forum by Joseph should help you.

If I briefly explain then  you have 4 units in each subject unit 1 and 2 which you would do in year 10 or 1 and then unit 3 and 4 you would do in year 12. Your unit 3 and 4 would influence your study score (individual subject) and that would determine your overall ATAR. You have to abreast complete 24 units (4 subject) to complete VCE.

Also it is fine we were all in the same position as you once.

Feel free if you have any other doubt

EDIT- If you would like to do Medicine then you have to do Method. Method is compulsory so it is must. With that you can if you want do Further or Specialist though it is not a must
 
« Last Edit: January 12, 2022, 08:17:39 pm by Commercekid2050 »
2021 VCE- English, Math Method, Further Math,Accounting and Economics

2022-2026 Bachelors in Business (Taxation) and Accounting in Monash

AngelWings

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Re: Maths subjects
« Reply #4 on: January 13, 2022, 01:33:59 pm »
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Just here to clear up two things:
EDIT- If you would like to do Medicine then you have to do Method. Method is compulsory so it is must. With that you can if you want do Further or Specialist though it is not a must
This is technically incorrect. Not all unis require that you do Methods as a prerequisite for medicine. The only undergrad medicine course in Victoria (at Monash uni) only has English subject and Chem as its prerequisites, along with a competitive ATAR (often in the 99+)s and UCAT score. However, Methods is a prerequisite for a lot of other courses that people use as back ups for medicine e.g. Biomed or Science at UoM.

And u know how there’s 6 subjects in VCE? Are they all considered as one?
This depends on the units you do (a unit is a semester long). If you do General + Further (all units), this is 4 units total (or 1 subject).
Some other notes: if you want to take Spesh, you must take Methods, as it’s a prerequisite.

Also, some schools have General Maths A and B - one of these is usually the precursor for Spesh (otherwise it can be called things like General Maths Advanced, Specialist U1/2 or General Maths for Specialist).

Feel free to keep the questions coming. VCE is pretty complex sometimes, especially to someone new! :)
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1729

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Re: Maths subjects
« Reply #5 on: January 13, 2022, 02:38:58 pm »
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Hi Moopcrayon,

Considering you are Year 9, you might want to read the following which will apply to you in 2023.

VCE Mathematics 2023 Study Design DRAFT

VCAA's Implementation Advice for Units 1/2 in Preparation of 2023 Changes

This should give you a rough idea about the content that will be explored in each VCE Mathematics subject.

Some other posts that I definitely suggest you check out
- How SAC Rankings work
- How VCE Works
- More about SACs

moopcrayon

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Re: Maths subjects
« Reply #6 on: January 13, 2022, 03:22:13 pm »
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Hey thanks for the help everyone! :)
I just read heidi's guide on picking VCE subjects and I have a few questions:
1. What if I'm the kind of person who can do anything if I really want to (I feel like I'm a mixture of both the 'mathematical/scientific' as well as the 'creative/free-willed' personality type), should I go with the prerequisites for Medicine (chem, english, 1 or 2 maths/LOTE subjects, maybe bio or physics)?
2. With scaling, does the scaling report determine exactly how many marks would be added to your final score? Say I'm doing Chinese. If I got 45 and if it scales up by 4 points (idk how many really) does that make my final score 49? Apparently with chinese competition is very fierce (since ppl are going to tutoring outside of school), so I'm not sure if - say 30 percent of the kids are beter than me - my final score would be poorer because of that.
Is it true that you can get an atar of 99.95 with ANY combination of subjects?
3. Which subjects are prerequisites for Medicine school?
4. What if I'm going to a uni that's outside of Australia? Does Atar still matter?
5. Do you guys recommend doing a LOTE that's ur second language (at home) or something else? Like my new school offers French , which I haven't learnt before, but should I pick it over Chinese because it scales higher AND has more mild competition (plus I found out from research that French is a good LOTE for doctors)?

1729

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Re: Maths subjects
« Reply #7 on: January 13, 2022, 04:01:19 pm »
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1. What if I'm the kind of person who can do anything if I really want to (I feel like I'm a mixture of both the 'mathematical/scientific' as well as the 'creative/free-willed' personality type), should I go with the prerequisites for Medicine (chem, english, 1 or 2 maths/LOTE subjects, maybe bio or physics)?
I think you should do whatever subjects you are most interested/passionate about and of course, doing prerequisites for courses. You should also take a look at the study designs for a bunch of subjects to see if it is something that interests you. Remember you don't have to lock in subjects at the moment, you are in year 9! You have plenty of time to consider this and explore other subjects/courses.

2. With scaling, does the scaling report determine exactly how many marks would be added to your final score? Say I'm doing Chinese. If I got 45 and if it scales up by 4 points (idk how many really) does that make my final score 49? Apparently with chinese competition is very fierce (since ppl are going to tutoring outside of school), so I'm not sure if - say 30 percent of the kids are beter than me - my final score would be poorer because of that.
Is it true that you can get an atar of 99.95 with ANY combination of subjects?
It determines the scaled score you will receive for a certain raw score in a certain subject, for that certain year.
The 2020 scaling report can be seen here and it tells you what scaled score you would receive with a particular study score in a particular subject. Note, scaling varies year to year.

The scaling report also shows you what aggregrate score you need to get a certain atar. Remembering that atar is calculated by adding up your scaled scores for your top 4 subjects (primary 4) and English must also be included in your primary 4, plus 10% of the sum of your bottom 2 subjects. Hopefully that also answers your question about whether or not 99.95 is possible with different combinations of subjects.

3. Which subjects are prerequisites for Medicine school?
For Monash University (the only uni in Victoria where when you finish year 12, you can directly get into the Medicine program)
Units 3 and 4: a study score of at least 35 in English (EAL) or at least 30 in English other than EAL; Units 3 and 4: a study score of at least 30 in Chemistry.

4. What if I'm going to a uni that's outside of Australia? Does Atar still matter?
5. Do you guys recommend doing a LOTE that's ur second language (at home) or something else? Like my new school offers French , which I haven't learnt before, but should I pick it over Chinese because it scales higher AND has more mild competition (plus I found out from research that French is a good LOTE for doctors)?
I'm not too sure to be honest, I'm pretty sure ATAR matters but it's not the only thing that will determine entry into other universities outside of Australia. And I personally believe it is a good idea to do a LOTE that's your second language since you have had previous exposure to that language. Also, If you want to get into other universities outside Australia you might also want to consider doing IB.

AngelWings

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Re: Maths subjects
« Reply #8 on: January 13, 2022, 06:19:20 pm »
+6
Adding my two cents here, although 1729’s response was great!

1. What if I'm the kind of person who can do anything if I really want to (I feel like I'm a mixture of both the 'mathematical/scientific' as well as the 'creative/free-willed' personality type), should I go with the prerequisites for Medicine (chem, english, 1 or 2 maths/LOTE subjects, maybe bio or physics)?
Definitely go for subjects you like first and foremost, but also factor in prerequisites, as said above. Most of the time, you’ll find that you’ll need English (or equivalent English subject e.g. Literature) as a prereq, with Methods and Chem and/or Physics to be able to apply for the most courses. (Funnily enough, Biology is very rarely a prerequisite on its own.) A lot of the creative/ arts/ social science courses just need English as a prerequisite.

3. Which subjects are prerequisites for Medicine school?
Already answered above but just letting you know, a lot of medicine-hopeful students often try for interstate medicine courses, and not just Monash Uni to increase their chances of getting in. This is something you won’t need to care about until you’re in Year 12 though.

4. What if I'm going to a uni that's outside of Australia? Does Atar still matter?
Depends on where you’re going, but majority of the time, the International Baccalaureate (IB) is the preferred program instead of VCE for people who want to study abroad, as IB is recognised overseas while ATAR isn’t always. If your plan is to study in the US, then you’d also want to look at taking the SATs and probably bump up those extracurriculars.

5. Do you guys recommend doing a LOTE that's ur second language (at home) or something else? Like my new school offers French , which I haven't learnt before, but should I pick it over Chinese because it scales higher AND has more mild competition (plus I found out from research that French is a good LOTE for doctors)?
Do NOT pick via scaling. Pick based on whether you like Chinese or French more. (Doing a subject you don’t like in VCE will be like nails to a chalkboard.)  Personally, I didn’t like studying my second language much, and did Japanese instead (which I’d taken since Year 7) simply because I liked that better.

If you’re not sure, you can always take French in Year 9 and see whether you like it. If you find out you don’t, just switch to Chinese or opt out next semester/ year.  (Otherwise, you can go to a weekend school like VSL to continue Chinese if you or your parents are pretty adamant you want to keep it, or vice versa e.g. take French or another language you like outside of school.) From there, you can always choose to continue to higher year levels or not. Years 7-10 are all great years to explore your interests and experiment to find what you like best! Have some fun now and try a whole range of subjects; you’ll regret it if you don’t and you’ll learn more general skills that will help you for life.

As for French being good for doctors, it depends on where you want to go and what programs you’re hoping to join e.g. MSF, which primarily goes to French-speaking countries, but I would be wary of the fluency required.
« Last Edit: January 13, 2022, 06:22:22 pm by AngelWings »
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moopcrayon

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Re: Maths subjects
« Reply #9 on: January 14, 2022, 01:37:17 pm »
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Is it advisable to learn 4 languages at once? (English, Chinese - my background language, German - did it in yr 7 and 8 and French - which I might do this year)

AngelWings

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Re: Maths subjects
« Reply #10 on: January 14, 2022, 05:23:40 pm »
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Is it advisable to learn 4 languages at once? (English, Chinese - my background language, German - did it in yr 7 and 8 and French - which I might do this year)
It’s up to you, but consider the following questions:
- can you manage this workload?
- do you like all of the above languages?
- assuming you want to take classes for these (and not self teach), will your new school allow it and will they all fit on your timetable? (Most schools have timetable “blocks” where particular classes will run at particular times and only have a few LOTE classes for each year level. If you have, for example, German and Chinese classes within the same timetable “block”, you won’t be able to take both as you can’t go to two classes that run at the same time!)
- are there other subjects that you’d like to study apart from LOTEs?

If you’re talking about whether you can do this at a VCE level, each LOTE subject is quite intensive with a lot of work required, so it’s very unusual to hear of anyone taking more than 2 U3/4 LOTEs and very rarely in the same year.
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Isaiah Stewart

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Re: Maths subjects
« Reply #11 on: June 13, 2022, 04:45:52 am »
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Is it advisable to learn 4 languages at once? (English, Chinese - my background language, German - did it in yr 7 and 8 and French - which I might do this year)

I would advise you to learn all these 4 languages, you will need them.