It has to be recognised, however, that when the Board came into being in 1964 it was at a time of considerable educational and social change. Sixth form students were already feeling the strain of the competition to gain places in university quotas and Commonwealth Tertiary Scholarships. Because of the increasing social mobility more students were staying on to sit for the Matriculation Examination. As the standards of those applying for admission to other tertiary courses rose so did the entrance requirements to the institutions requiring them. Employers became more interested in those who had, at least, attempted the Matriculation Examination as being better equipped and more mature. The Matriculation Examination, originally intended only for those seeking entrance to a university, became a multi-purpose examination. As a result, the newly formed Board found that it could not restrict its thinking to questions of university entrance qualifications. By the nature of its influence on education in all types of secondary schools, and its unique position in the Victorian educational scene, it has been forced to consider much wider educational issues.

VUSEB Third Annual Report, 1967-68

For the 1970 examination the title Matriculation Certificate has been changed to the Higher School Certificate of Victoria. There are several reasons why the change became necessary. First, because of university quotas, candidates who pass the examination do not necessarily matriculate, i.e., enter a university and sign the matriculation role. Secondly, the examination is now used for a number of purposes other than application for entrance to a university. Thirdly, because the title was misleading, it was causing confusion in the minds of many parents, students and employers who did not understand that only a university has the power to confer matriculation status.

…the change in the title has not altered the form of the present examination … basic university requirements of at least a Grade D in English expression and 3 other subjects.

VUSEB, Handbook of directions and prescriptions for the higher school certificate examination, 1970

In 1971, the position of English expression in the Higher School Certificate range of subjects will alter. While it will remain a compulsory subject for university entry and a variety of other purposes, it will become a subject of equivalent status and marking procedures to those of other subjects, and the English Expression results will be given the grades A to H, no longer the former Grade D or below. … a growing recognition that teachers and students have no wish to perpetuate the Cinderella status of one field of study. Certainly, we anticipate that English Expression should no longer be regarded by able students as a time-waster …

(Report of Examiners, 1970)

Developments in our society are placing an increasingly higher premium on its members’ abilities to handle large amounts of information expressed in language, to make sense of that information and to make judgements on its value. The skills taught by an English course are necessary both to the society as a whole and to the individual’s participation in it.

There has recently been a strong revival of criticism from employers, post-secondary institutions and others of the ability of our school students to handle language effectively. While this kind of criticism is not new, and while there is little or no evidence that standards are falling, it might well be the case that many school leavers are not keeping up with the increasingly sophisticated demands that society is placing on their linguistic abilities.

The increasing ethnic (and hence linguistic) diversity of Australian society is imposing particular burdens on its ability to function with clear channels of communication. While the English subject committee welcomes such diversity, the linguistic demography of Australia I such as to rule out any language but English as an ‘official’ medium of communication for the foreseeable future. We owe it to those school leavers whose native language is not English to help them function as members of this society fully literate in English.…

The subject, by its nature, fosters and extends students’ awareness of self and the world in which they live. It encourages students to respond sensitively and thoughtfully to their own experiences and others’. It encourages students to make judgements about these experiences, to support these judgements, to draw conclusions that will be meaningful to themselves, and of whose efficacy they can hope to persuade others. The subject also creates opportunities for students to interpret and express their experience in personal and imaginative terms.

(HSC English Course Description, 1986-1989)

1956

… The first choice was badly done on the whole. Students were unable to show how the reader was made aware of the strong feeling of the author, although the introduction to presenting ideas discuses this very question and various methods and techniques of presentation. There was very little good discussion of whether the strong feeling was injurious to sound thinking. Students tended to say it was not injurious if they agreed with the author’s conclusion, and vice versa, which was disappointing from those trained in clear thinking. Plato was occasionally referred to as Pluto.

The third choice was the most popular, and some clear, dramatic accounts were given of the incidents, revealing, for example, the horror of the episode of the octopus and the humour of the episode of the belch. Ten variations of the spelling of octopus its plural were encountered, including the fantastic "octopoidioides’. Some candidates were unnecessarily verbose in naming two qualities. …

Teachers might stress even more this year that students must study the questions carefully to discover the point, and that, having discovered the point, they must stick to it.

Report of Examiners, English Expression, 1956

1957

The first question on the set books was well done (The Americas), and showed that there had been much discussion in schools on Australian and American education. … many wrote sensibly on such important differences as administration, curriculum and self-government.

… second question …the best answers drew on several articles to answer the latter part of the question. Information on American individualism, for example, was drawn from the articles on education, business and politics, as well as from "The Frontier Tradition".

This type of question, and indeed this type of book, tempts students into easy generalisations, a tendency which might be overcome by class discussion.

The first question on Seven Years in Tibet tested the candidates’ ability to select and organise material.

(Report of Examiners on 1957 English Expression.)

1960

5. Give some account of the passage in "Presenting Ideas’ which held your attention most firmly. Why was it that the writer succeeded in interesting you?

Or

Select a passage from "Presenting Ideas" in which the subject is either freedom or education. Estimate the value of the views expressed in it, and briefly state your opinion of the effectiveness of the manner in which they are presented.

Or

What personal qualities enabled Mary Kingsley to succeed in her expeditions? What equipment did she take with her?

Or

What were Mary Kingsley’s purposes in setting out for Africa? What did she achieve?

[12 marks]

Matriculation Examination, 1960, English Expression

1965

The Getting of Wisdom

Laura’s immaturity is often revealed in her relationships with other people. Show how this is so by reference to one of the following:

Or

Many of Laura’s unhappy moments at school arise from a fear that she might be thought inferior to the other girls.

Describe an incident in which her unhappiness is caused in this way.

(18 marks .150 words. Three answers).

English Expression Examination Paper, 1965

This was the first occasion on which candidates were required to give evidence that they had read more than one of the prescribed books. It was gratifying to discover that the great majority of candidates had read all three books and showed a good grasp of their contents. The Exhibition candidates, however, had a much lower proportion of candidates attempting all three ‘books" questions, and in fact many attempted none at all. Many cases of failure were directly due to the omission of one of more of these questions. … teachers would be well advised to develop techniques of encouraging their pupils to read more widely and also to discuss and record the ideas raised by their reading. …

Most of the lengthy answers made the mistake of reproducing material from the book concerned without adding much in the way of comment. Thus in Father and Son it was not enough to just describe Edmund Gosse’s public baptism as one of the "saints". The best answers indeed tended to ignore the details of the ceremony, memorable and all as they were, and to concentrate on such things as the changed relationship between the father and the son that followed the baptism and the boy’s enhanced status within their religious community. The very best answers remembered the very human and humorous little piece of evidence supplied by the tongue-poking moment that the boy remained incorrigibly a boy and a rather insufferable one at that despite his new-found sanctity.

Report of Examiners, 1965

1970

… the reading with discernment of prescribed books (which, each year, will be related to one or more topics of general interest)…

Part III — Prescribed Books

There were sufficient good quality answers produced in this section of the paper to justify the examiners’ aim of testing students’ ability to respond to the prescribed texts, and to use them in the presentation of their own ideas on some of the issues raised in those te[x]ts.

An encouraging number of candidates tackled the them of their chosen question with a taut economy of style, an understanding of the concepts involved, an eye for conceptual distinctions contained in the questions and a sense of relevance which was demonstrated in the intelligently selective use of their texts. There was much thoughtful and sensitive writing. Perhaps the best feature of many of the good answers was the avoidance of potted character sketches and plot summaries. They stuck to the theme and argued, using apt material to illustrate their argument. Minds were ‘at work’, even though the results might not always have been models of consistency and logic.

(Report of Examiners, 1970)

1975

The first object in studying these books should be to grasp as fully as possible, and to assess, whatever each book or group of books adds to our understanding of - or our capacity to understand — ourselves and the world. No doubt literary questions about how each book does so will arise in the course of reading and discussion; nevertheless, these questions should be subordinate. Students should be able to express simply, directly and economically, in the light of particular personal or social issues which might be raised, what they have found of interest in the individual books or groups o books they have studied.

It is regarded as important, however, that the study of the chosen books should also lead outwards, suggesting a number of directions for exploratory discussion and further reading. Students (and teachers) should feel free to follow up whatever strike them as the most interesting topics to emerge in the process of studying a book or a group of books, and to pursue such comparisons and contrasts with other books or other material (listed and unlisted) as seem most relevant to their interests.

(Details of Subjects for 1975)

1975

… Markers used three basic criteria:

[The Go-between (15.5%), Dibs (9%), Kes (13.3)] … popularity and quality of the writing suggested that candidates respond well to books that deal in some way with youthful experiences and the world of the young.

(Report of Examiners, 1975)

1977 … the books … are mainly about ordinary people trying to make sense of their experience and impose order on their lives ….. The prescribed books are intended to allow students to grasp as fully as possible and to assess what each book or group of books adds to their understanding of — or their capacity to understand — themselves and the world. It is regarded as important that the study of the chosen books should lead outwards to the exploratory discussion of additional material, and to further reading.

(Reports of Examiners, 1977)

1981

Part 1

(Context question or essay)

Part 2

(Themes)

Cultural conflict (22%)

The Journey (18%)

Power and Political Man (37%)

The World of Tomorrow (23%)

There were several satisfying qualities evident in the answers. There was a real willingness to go outside the texts and utilise other material. There was a willingness to take the questions to task and probe. There was a willingness to make profitable use of the required non-fiction text. There was evidence that the texts were well-known (though not always used effectively in arguments). Literacy has significantly improved in recent years, or, at least, the answers marked lowest are not now also noted for very poor expression. Overall, candidates attempted the tasks of integration required by this part of the examination paper. These tasks may be summarised as: previous thought, discussion, exploration of the theme; sound knowledge of the core books; ability to make apt selection from the books and other material to illustrate and extend an argument; ability to structure, and sustain an argument; ability to interpret a question; language control. The degree of integration of these tasks determined the candidate’s success. …

(Report on HSC Assessment program, 1981)

1985

Aims of course

(Handbook for 1985 Year 12 Curriculum and Assessment)

1985

Part 2 responses revealed a need for re-emphasis of the aims of this part of the course, especially the thematic focus. Far too many responses involved a disproportionate amount of story telling and excessive focus on the details of the core texts at the expense of the crucial focus on thematic issues and construction of an argument about the topic. The last point, failure to construct an argument, meant that far too much emphasis was placed on mere illustration rather than the selection of detail to support an ongoing, developing argument.

Report of Examiners, 1985

1986-9

The aims of Part 1 are the extension and deepening, through the close reading of literary works, of students’ experience, and the further development of their abilities to reach, clarify and defend considered opinions that are outcomes of their reading. If these aims are to be achieved, comprehension of the prescribed texts is essential, and this can only be achieved through careful attention to what is actually written in them. …

The aims of Part 2 are, through a balance of close and extended reading, to teach students how to engage personally with a theme that is a subject of common interest, and how to understand and develop ideas from a text. Further, this section of the course aims to help students develop the ability to sift and evaluate information and ideas for their relevance to the theme, to demonstrate that one’s point of view is well-informed and able to come to terms with the experience and (often conflicting) viewpoints of others; and to write about an issue related to the theme in such a way that the [point of view is well expressed and coherently argued.

(Course Description, HSC English, 1986-1989)

1994

Reading and the study of texts

Reading is important for tow principal reasons. First, it is a source of recreation and personal enjoyment. Secondly, in order to function effectively in today’s information-based society, people need to be able to read competently. The study of a wide variety of printed, visual, aural and oral texts will assist students to develop a critical comprehension and appreciation of their own culture, as well as the cultures of others, past and present. It also provides a context for reflecting on personal experience, and for clarifying ideas and values.

(VCE Study Design, English, 1994)

2000-1

Reading and the study of texts.

This area of study focuses on reading a range of texts with comprehension, enjoyment and discrimination. It encourages the development of critical responses to both literacy and non-literary texts. The term ‘text’ encompasses print, visual and oral materials. The term ‘selected text’ refers to a text chosen from the text list or according to the Guiodeli8nes for Text Selection published annually in the VCE Bulletin.

The area of study will include:

(Study Design, 2000-2003)

2000

Generally, students did show precision and good judgment in their choice of textual support for their points and in the shaping of their answers. The sens of commitment and engagement to text that has been urged repeatedly in these reports over the years is certainly staring to come thorough.

Such advice includes:

The very best allowed the text to ‘feed’ the answer, and responses to the wider reference of the texts were often thoughtful, provocative and very insightful. There was a general awareness of the contextual implications of a text and the way in which students valued and saw the importance of the texts as comment.

Report for Teachers, 2000