below: Students' academic progression Being an academically high-achieving school, Melbourne High School offers a large variety of subjects to choose from relative to other public schools. The range increases as the student moves to higher year levels. Year 9 students at Melbourne High School study a combination of "core subjects" that are compulsory to all and "electives" that are only taken by a students who choose those subjects. The core subjects that are taken for the entire year are English, Mathematics, Science, Physical Education, History, Geography and LOTE (or "Languages Other Than English", specifically German, French, Indonesian, and Japanese). Similarly, Art (referring to visual arts) is taken for one semester and is replaced by Music for the second semester. Year 9s select one elective per semester. The electives generally cover educational areas that are not covered by the core, such as commerce or software design. Mid-year and end-of-year examinations are used to evaluate performance in each semester and determine a student's progression. The Year 10 core subjects operate identically to the Year 9 system. However, more electives are available, and several of these electives are more specialised than Year 9 electives. Some Year 10 electives, such as Business Management, provide an introduction to the VCE Business Management course. Many Year 10 students also take the option of selecting a unit of a select few VCE subjects. These students typically advance to take units 3 and 4 of these subjects (the units that are externally examined by VCAA) in Year 11. Again, mid-year and end-of-year examinations test material for all subjects. In addition, years 9 and 10 students devote one period a week to massed singing, an intrinsic part of the school's tradition and ethos. There is no accelerated program at Melbourne High and all students are taught at the same level. However, students identified by their teachers to have a strong aptitude for mathematics are placed into a Maths Extension program in years 9 and 10. Results in year 9 and 10 examinations also may impact on a student's ability to select a particular Unit 3/4 sequence. In Year 11 and 12, students work towards completion of the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE). The International Baccalaureate is not offered at Melbourne High School. The general pathway taken by students is to undertake Units 3 and 4 of one subject in Year 11, and Units 1 and 2 for five other