VCE Literature: Course, Assessment and Exam Guides (VCAA)
How VCE Literature is assessed, what Units 3 and 4 cover and how the two-hour exam runs, under the current VCAA study design.
About the course
VCE Literature is decided by two school-assessed coursework scores and one end-of-year examination. In the exam you write on two texts from different categories, one for each section, so your choice of texts matters as much as how you write.
The 2027 cohort sits the VCE Literature Study Design 2023 to 2027, version 1.1 (November 2023), which VCAA accredits for Units 1 to 4 from 2023 to 2027.
How is VCE Literature assessed?
| Assessment | Contribution to the study score |
|---|---|
| Unit 3 school-assessed coursework | 25% |
| Unit 4 school-assessed coursework | 25% |
| End-of-year examination | 50% |
Your school sets and marks the SACs, then VCAA moderates them against your school's exam results. The VCE SACs guide explains how that works, and the study score guide shows how the three parts turn into a study score.
What Units 3 and 4 cover
Units 1 and 2 introduce close analysis, literary movements and genres, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices, and reading a text in its context. Your final result comes only from Units 3 and 4, where the study design sets the task type for each outcome.
- Unit 3, Adaptations and transformations. You write an interpretation of a text using a key passage, and analyse how its form shapes meaning. You also compare the original with an adaptation.
- Unit 3, Developing interpretations. You form an initial interpretation of a text within its historical, social and cultural context. You then read a supplementary reading, such as a scholarly article, and write a response that compares or interweaves the two interpretations.
- Unit 4, Creative responses to texts. You write a creative response to a text and comment critically on both the original and your own writing.
- Unit 4, Close analysis of texts. You analyse a text through a selection of passages, supported by close attention to textual detail.
VCAA publishes a text list each year, with versions for 2026 and 2027, and your school chooses texts from it.
How does the VCE Literature exam run?
You get 15 minutes of reading time and 2 hours of writing time. The 2026 exam is on 29 October, 3:00 pm to 5:15 pm. The 2027 date is on the VCE exam timetable once VCAA publishes it.
| Section | What you do | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| A, Developing interpretations | Two extended answers on one set passage. Question 1 asks about the passage's significance in the whole text (6 marks). Question 2 asks about a key concept across the passage and the whole text (14 marks). | 20 |
| B, Close analysis | One sustained interpretation of a text, built on a close analysis of at least two of three set passages. | 20 |
You must write on two texts, each from a different category (novels, plays, short stories, other literature, poetry). Two responses from the same category earn zero for one of them. All outcomes in Units 3 and 4 can be examined.
In 2025, VTAC scaled a study score of 30 in Literature to 31 and a 40 to 41. Scaling changes every year. See how any result scales in the VCE ATAR calculator.
Common questions
How long is the VCE Literature exam?
Two hours of writing time after 15 minutes of reading time, for 40 marks in total. A printed English or bilingual dictionary is permitted.
Sources
- VCE Literature Study Design 2023 to 2027 (version 1.1), VCAA, November 2023, amendment history; Unit 3 p. 21; Unit 4 p. 25; contribution to final assessment. Version, accreditation period, areas of study, SAC contributions of 25% each and the 50% examination.
- VCE Literature examination specifications (version 5), VCAA, March 2025. Reading and writing time, Sections A and B, marks, approved materials and the two-category rule.
- VCE Literature planning and assessment pages, VCAA, 2026. Mandated SAC tasks for each Unit 3 and Unit 4 outcome, and the annual text lists.
- VCAA VCE examination timetable 2026, VCAA, 2026. Literature on 29 October 2026, 3:00 pm to 5:15 pm.
Syllabus and assessment material referenced in this guide is reproduced by permission, © VCAA. See our VCAA licensing notice. The VCAA does not endorse or make any warranties regarding this study resource. VCE® is a registered trademark of the VCAA.
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