Foundation Mathematics

Mathematics

VCE

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Foundation Mathematics focuses on building the mathematical skills and knowledge needed for personal, workplace and community life. It is designed for students who want a practical, applied approach to mathematics and develops confidence in applying maths in familiar, real-world situations.

Students will learn to:

  • Manage personal and household finances including budgeting, taxation, loans, and financial planning
  • Apply measurement and geometry in everyday contexts such as construction, design, and calculating material costs
  • Understand and interpret data and statistics in areas such as health, media, and workplace safety for informed decision-making
  • Solve problems using numeracy in real-world situations related to work and daily life
  • Develop skills in numerical reasoning to solve everyday problems

This course emphasises confidence in numeracy, supports students who prefer applied learning styles, and fosters mathematical literacy essential for life after school.

Use of calculators and digital tools is integrated into all areas of study to model and solve problems, including computation, graphing and data analysis.

Assessment activities

  • portfolio
  • assignments
  • tests
  • solutions to sets of worked questions
  • summary notes or review notes
  • modelling tasks
  • problem-solving tasks
  • mathematical investigations
  • exams.

Selection advice

Foundation Mathematics Units 1 and 2 focus on providing students with the mathematical knowledge, skills, understanding and dispositions to solve problems in real contexts for a range of workplace, personal, further learning, and community settings relevant to contemporary society. They are also designed as preparation for Foundation Mathematics Units 3 and 4 and contain assumed knowledge and skills for these units.

Links to further pathways

Foundation Mathematics supports pathways into work, apprenticeships, and vocational education and training (VET). This course is ideal for students not pursuing university pathways that require higher-level mathematics. Please note: Foundation Mathematics is not designed for students aiming to study mathematics-intensive courses.