The general track (VG) and its levels 1 and 2, explained to Vaud parents

From the end-of-Year-8 orientation, Vaud parents whose child is in the general track (VG) discover a confusing vocabulary: level 1, level 2. And the first question is almost always asked back to front: 'level 1 is the best one, right?'

This article sets the record straight, from the canton's official texts. Understanding the VG levels means not reassuring or worrying yourself for the wrong reasons, and knowing what to act on.

01What is the general track?

The VG is one of the two lower-secondary tracks (Years 9, 10 and 11), alongside the pre-gymnasium track (VP). It welcomes pupils heading mainly for general-culture and commerce schools, vocational maturity, or vocational training, that is, apprenticeship.

It must be said clearly, because many parents take it badly: the VG is not a track of relegation. It is another path, leading to demanding trades and qualifications. The useful question is not 'VG or VP', already settled by orientation, but 'how to get the best out of the VG'.

02Levels 1 and 2: the mistake to clear up

Here is the point half of parents get backwards. In the VG, in official terms, 'level 1 corresponds to basic requirements, while level 2 corresponds to higher requirements'. In other words, level 2 is the higher one, not level 1.

These levels exist in three subjects only: French, mathematics and German. The other subjects are taken by all VG pupils in the same way. So the distinction plays out on these three subjects alone.

An important and reassuring point: a pupil is not 'in level 1' or 'in level 2' as a block. Levels are decided subject by subject. A child may well take two subjects at level 2 and one at level 1, for example maths and German at level 2, French at level 1. The profile is fine-grained, not binary.

03Why the levels really matter

Levels are not a mere label: they shape part of the doors that stay open after compulsory school. That is where their concrete stake is measured.

A documented example: a pupil finishing the VG with all three subjects (French, mathematics, German) at level 2 can access the raccordement, known as 'Rac 1'. This extra year, if passed, opens access to the general-culture school, the commerce school or the vocational-maturity orientations. Level 2 in all three subjects is therefore not a detail: it is a key.

04Bridges: changing level, or joining the VP

As with orientation between tracks, nothing is fixed. A VG pupil who progresses can aim to move from level 1 to level 2 in a subject, and a strong pupil can even follow pre-gymnasium-level teaching in French, mathematics, German or English.

A broader move, from VG to VP, can happen at the end of the first semester of Year 9, then at the end of Years 9 and 10, depending on results. In practice, a good VG trajectory does not lock in: it can raise a level, open the raccordement, or even lead back to the VP.

05How to help your child aim for level 2

Since everything plays out on three subjects, the effort is targeted: French, mathematics, German. The goal is not to cram, but to build consistency and fill the underlying gaps that prevent a move up to the higher level, before they add up.

This is exactly the kind of support we provide in our centres in Lausanne, Vevey and Montreux, and at home across the canton: pinpoint where the pupil is stuck in French, maths or German, and work on it over time to aim, when realistic, for level 2 and the doors it opens.