An ‘ordeal comes to an end’, say students as year 12 end-of-year exams kick off for the class of 2021

After two years of COVID, this year’s VCE written exams kicked off for 42,626 students across Victoria sitting for the English exam and another 3,520 sitting for English as an Additional Language (EAL).

Zoe Haritopoulou-Sinanidou, who came to Australia from Greece four years ago, told Neos Kosmos that it was particularly hard not having the face-to-face teaching and interaction that would otherwise have helped her improve her English language.

“I think it negatively impacted me in the beginning, however I was able to create a study routine after I overcame the stress of not having face-to-face schooling,” she said, adding that she was able to build resilience thanks to her teachers’ support and her school’s pre-existing online system.

“As an Apple School, it was easier for my school to handle the changes as far as technology was concerned,” she said of Albert Park College, located near Lemnos Square.

“Initially, my motivation dropped because school wasn’t as entertaining without the physical presence of classmates and teachers. However, on the plus side, not seeing my friends also helped minimise distractions so that I could dedicate myself to studies.

“The worst parts of the two-year pandemic were the rapid switches between environments. For instance, just as we were getting used to studying from home we had to head to school and vice versa.”

READ MORE: Year 12 students will be permitted to sit for VCE exams, even those who are close contacts

Students say that language-based subjects were harder to cope with. John Vayenas from Salesian College in Chadstone studied for his year 12 Modern Greek exams with the Greek Language School of the Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne and Victoria and found it was more difficult online despite the Zoom sessions. “I didn’t have the opportunity to ask more questions and send practice exams as it is more difficult to do this online, however I was happy with how it went and it gives me comfort that, unlike Business Management, which I am also sitting for, Greek does scale up,” he told Neos Kosmos. 

Victorian students sitting for Modern Greek this year will be placed in a two-tier system to enable differentiation between students who have spoken the language as their ‘first language’ and third generation students like John, who doesn’t have the same opportunity to interact with the language. “Up until now, people from Greece dominated the top rankings and, consequently, students like myself were scaled down so it is very encouraging that we are now in a separate pool,” he said.

“I guess doing Greek and Business Management this year is helpful for me as I’ve got fallback and will just do four subjects next year,” he said.

Both John and Zoe tried hard to stay motivated amid the pandemic.

“Every day I’d write a set of goals. Not just for school but life in general. For instance, I’d put a note for myself to run a little or get some rest,” John said, adding that online schooling made it easier to sleep in and harder to stay focused.

Zoe kept her eyes on her goals, which include studying science at university. “I was motivated by focusing on my aspirations for the future and looking at the big picture of what I wanted to achieve,” she said.

READ MORE: Results are out! Spotlighting Victoria’s top Greek VCE achievers

There's no question that it's been a challenging two years – but the start of exams means you've made it, and I know I speak for your school communities, families and all of Victoria when I say how proud we are of your determination and resilience in the face of this pandemic.

— James Merlino (@James_Merlino1) October 4, 2021

“Balance was important. I put in consistent effort rather than cramming before exams and made sure I got rest. Getting a dog during COVID also helped keep me calm and happy, and gave me reason to get up and get dressed to take the dog for a walk before classes but many of my classmates showed up to classes tired, sleepless and wearing pyjamas.”

Both John and Zoe are looking forward to the end of the ordeal.

“In two weeks it will be over. Then borders will open and I’ll go on a holiday,” Zoe said looking forward to her final exam, Physics, on 10 November, and then, she will “put the ordeal behind” her.

John, Zoe and a total of 83,997 students will sit at least one examination by the end of the exam period on 17 November.

As every year, VCE exams are stressful, but the pandemic has made the experience even more torturous. For this reason, Consideration of Educational Disadvantage process will run as it did in 2020, making sure the only thing that counts towards students’ scores is their effort and hard work.

Are you a year 12 student who has been affected by the pandemic? Let us know by sending an email to mary@neoskosmos.com.au

✍️ All the very best to all the students in Melbourne’s outer north and across Victoria undertaking English and English as an Additonal Language (EAL) VCE exams today.

After an unprecedented two years, each of you should be incredibly proud of how far you’ve come.

— Ros Spence MP (@RosSpenceMP) October 26, 2021