Everything you need to know to get a top score in 2026
In order to graduate with a VCE certificate (and finish high school in Victoria), you will have to complete at least one 'English' subject at units 3 and 4, and at least one unit of a unit 1 and 2 English subject. It is not possible to obtain an ATAR without completing this English requirement.
In 2026, there are 3 eligible subjects to choose from which have unit 3-4 components.
1. English (units 1-4) and English as an Additional Language (EAL) (units 3-4).
English is the most common English subject. It is offered by almost every school, and is the preferred 'English' for students to take. It also has the most varied study design, testing students on a range of general writing skills. The curriculum for EAL is almost exactly the same, but it is assessed differently, against other EAL students rather than against mainstream English students. Only students who do not speak English as a first language can take EAL.
Note: These are technically separate subjects. While they are still assessed differently, the study design and curriculum is these days almost exactly the same.
2. English Language (units 1-4)
This is typically considered a more 'mathsy' or 'sciencey' kind of English, and is often preferred by students who don't enjoy the humanities. It takes a more grammatical approach to English, and is more based around the mechanics of language. However, it still involves essay writing.
3. Literature (units 1-4)
This subject is preferred by students who are strong in the humanities, or who like English as a subject. Commonly, students will study both subjects of English and Literature together (or concurrently), rather than taking Literature by itself. It tests more advanced analysis, and generally is taken by a cohort of capable writers (due to it being an elective). As such, students will usually score higher in mainstream English than they will in Literature (though this is not always the case).
In recent years, VCAA has added two subjects at year 11 only. These subjects can only be taken as units 1&2 subjects, so you will still need to pick one of the above three subjects in year 12.
4. Bridging English as an Additional Language (units 1-2)
This is the units 1-2 version of English as an Additional Language (above).
5. Foundation English (units 1-2)
This is a more basic version of what would be English in units 3-4. It is taught only at units 1-2 level.
In VCE, subjects are generally taught as 'Units 1 and 2' and 'Units 3 and 4'. Each pair of units is studied over the course of one year. Most commonly students will study 'Units 1 and 2' for all their subjects concurrently in year 11, and 'Units 3 and 4' concurrently for all of their subjects in year 12.
However, students can take any VCE subject in any year (as long as their school offers it, or they are willing to study it through Distance Education). It's quite common for schools to offer a few subjects (such as maths of biology) early - this is why some year 10 students take 'units 1/2 bio' and then complete units 3 &4 "early" in year 11. More academic students often prefer this as it allows them to take fewer subjects in year 12 - meaning they can focus better and have fewer assessments to manage.
In 2026, VCAA has specified the following as the 20 texts which will be examined in Section A of the exam. Students will study two of these texts (one in unit 3, one in unit 4). They only need to write on one of these texts in Section A of the final exam.
Note 1: the number after each text designates how many years it has been on the list. So (1) means a book is on the list in 2026 for the first time, while (4) means this is its fourth year on the list. Generally texts only stay 4-5 years on the list before being rotated off.
Note 2: (A) after a text's name means it is an Australian text. Every year VCAA has a quota of texts which must be 'Australian'.
Novels
Barker, Pat, Regeneration (1)
Brontë, Charlotte, Jane Eyre (2)
Franklin, Miles, My Brilliant Career (A) (3)
García Márquez, Gabriel, Chronicle of a Death Foretold (3)
Harvey, Samantha, Orbital (1)
Jackson, Shirley, We Have Always Lived in the Castle (4)
Moss, Sarah, Ghost Wall (2)
Ogawa, Yōko, The Memory Police (3)
Short stories
Hadley, Tessa, Bad Dreams and Other Stories (4)
- Stories for study: All
Malouf, David, The Complete Stories (A) (2)
- Stories for study: ‘The Valley of Lagoons’, ‘Every Move You Make’, ‘War Baby’, ‘Towards Midnight’, ‘Elsewhere’, ‘Mrs Porter and the Rock’, ‘The Domestic Cantata’
Plays
Harrison, Jane, Rainbow’s End (A) (4)
Shakespeare, William, Twelfth Night (2)
Sophocles, Oedipus the King (3)
Poetry/songs
Hughes, Langston, Selected Poems (1)
- Poems for study: All poems from ‘Afro-American fragments’, ‘Magnolia Flowers’, ‘Montage of a Dream Deferred’ and ‘Words Like Freedom’
Oliver, Mary, New and Selected Poems, Volume One (2)
- Poems for study: All poems from ‘Dream Work’ and ‘American Primitive’
Multimodal texts
Films
Johnson, Stephen (director), High Ground (A) (4)
Wilder, Billy (director), Sunset Boulevard (4)
Other
Ottley, Matt, Requiem for a Beast (A) (4)
Non-fiction texts
Dank, Debra, We Come with This Place (A) (1)
Noah, Trevor, Born a Crime (4)
In year 12 (units 3-4), English is assessed via School-Assessed Coursework (SACs) and a final exam. SACs are marked by school teachers, while the final exam is externally set, marked, and moderated.
English has 5 SACs: 2 text response essays (one in unit 3, one in unit 4), 1 crafting texts assessment (unit 3), 1 argument analysis essay (unit 4), and 1 oral presentation (unit 4).
The crafting texts SAC often includes 2 separate pieces of writing, as well as a reflective commentary (or statement of intention). Sometimes schools break this into two or three separate pieces of writing (rather than one single SAC).
In 2026, the year 12 VCE English exam will be Tuesday, 27 October at 9 am.
The VCE English exam includes 180 minutes (3 hrs) writing time and 15 minutes reading time.
Reading time is from 9 - 9:15 AM, and writing time is from 9:15 AM - 12:15 PM.
No, VCE English is not inherently hard, though a student's ability to score highly depends on their baseline skills as well as how much they are willing to study in year 12. Someone who has strong grammar and writing skills will find they progress much faster than a student who struggles with writing foundations. However, all tasks are designed to be achievable at a basic level by students of all abilities.
While it's good to start preparing for VCE English as early as possible, some preparation is more useful than others. For argument analysis, it's best to start as early as possible because this is a skill that builds over the years, and a solid early foundation will save you a lot of time in year 12. For crafting texts and text response, it's better to gain solid writing skills in years 9-11 because the content is often not worth preparing before January of the year you take units 3-4, or November of the year prior.
Teachers generally recommend setting aside 3-5 hours per week to focus on English in VCE. If you find English challenging, it might be worth allowing more time. Due to the complex nature of English, it's recommended to study for English in longer blocks of 2-3 hours at a time, 1-3x weekly, rather than shorter blocks of 15-45 minutes per day.
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