VCE Latin study guide
VCE Latin · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
VCE Latin is a Victorian Certificate of Education study in the classical language, accredited by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority for the accreditation period beginning in 2022. It is designed for senior secondary students who want to read Latin authors in the original and to understand how the language works, rather than relying on translations. The study design sets out areas of study, outcomes and assessment for Latin Units 1 to 4 from 2022, so the course combines language work with the close study of a prescribed text. That prescribed text is the set passage that students prepare in detail; a new prescribed text applies for 2027-2029, following the 2023-2026 prescribed text. Topics on this exam: Latin language and texts (Units 1-4 areas of study, including prescribed text study) and Latin examination specifications (external assessment of language and prescribed text). The VCE Latin study guide has 2 sections and about 689 words.
01Latin Language and Prescribed Texts (Units 1–4)
Units 1–4 build a single skill set: reading authentic Latin accurately, then interpreting it. You need secure morphology (all five declensions, the six tenses of the indicative active and passive, deponents, participles, infinitives, subjunctive uses, imperatives, gerunds and gerundives), syntax (case functions, agreement, indirect statement, purpose and result clauses, cum-clauses, conditionals, indirect questions and commands), and a working vocabulary from the prescribed word list. Around this sits the prescribed text: you must know its content, characters, themes, structure, and literary techniques, and be able to translate a passage and comment on it. Case usage in context , not in isolation: dative of agent with passive periphrastic, genitive of value, ablative absolute versus ablative of means.
376 words, about 2 min02External Examination: Language and Prescribed Text
The external paper tests both areas: a language component (translation of a prepared or unseen passage, plus comprehension and grammar questions) and a prescribed-text component (translation and literary/contextual commentary). Marks reward accuracy first, then expression. Know the allocation and timing before the day, and practise under timed conditions. Translation marking : meaning is awarded in segments; a wrong case or tense can lose a whole segment, so accuracy of syntax matters more than elegant English.
313 words, about 2 min