The VCE Countdown That Has Every Student Holding Their Breath
The anxious wait is finally coming to an end, and you can almost feel the tension lifting across Victoria. After weeks of nerves, sleepless nights, and endless “what if” conversations, tens of thousands of students are about to receive their VCE results and ATARs. By 7am on Thursday, more than 49,000 students will open their results, and among them will be 42 remarkable achievers who have landed the rare, perfect ATAR of 99.95. VTAC has already confirmed that this year marks a record number of students receiving an ATAR, which says a lot about how many young people are pushing through to the next stage of study.
But the excitement doesn’t stop there. More than 15,300 students will discover that they’ve scored at least one study score of 40 or above, and a massive 664 students will earn the coveted top score of 50 in one or more subjects—another record-breaking achievement. And while the results matter, there’s another bigger trend unfolding: more students than ever are preparing to jump straight into tertiary study. Applications for courses through VTAC are up by 3 per cent compared with last year, showing just how strong the demand for further education has become.
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Among the many stories emerging from this year’s VCE cohort is that of Iris Zavros Phillips, an 18-year-old from Preshil, Australia’s oldest progressive school. Iris will be part of a milestone moment for Preshil, which reintroduced the VCE this year after several years of focusing solely on the International Baccalaureate. For Iris, who has ADHD and dyslexia, the structured format of the VCE simply aligned better with how she learns. That switch allowed her to channel her strength in visual arts and ultimately secure a provisional spot in a bachelor of interior design at the College of the Arts Australia. Her journey is a reminder that pathways aren’t one-size-fits-all—sometimes the right structure makes all the difference.
A lot has changed behind the scenes too. This year alone, 350,000 exam papers were marked by a small army of more than 5000 assessors. Each paper was scanned in Coburg, uploaded into a digital system, and then triple-checked—sometimes even more—whenever assessors didn’t agree. Every single question was marked at least twice, and if things got complicated, chief assessors like physics teacher Andrew Hansen stepped in to untangle handwriting, logic, and sometimes very messy workings. It’s a huge, meticulous process designed to make sure every student is assessed fairly.
By Thursday, all that work comes together in one defining moment. More than 65,500 students completed the VCE this year, including nearly 10,000 who finished with a vocational major. Whether they end up receiving an ATAR or not, every student has pathways open to them through VTAC, from diplomas and certificates to full university degrees.
So as the countdown ends, and inboxes across the state light up with results, one thing is clear: this year’s VCE class has shown resilience, ambition, and an incredible amount of hard work. Whatever comes next, the journey they’ve taken already says a lot about where they’re headed.
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