The three-hour exam was the first one on the three-week VCE examinations timetable.

Horsham College student Tanner Wills said he was glad when the exam was over, and was happy with how he went.

"It went better than I expected," he said.

"I was nervous before it though, because this is the main one."

He said English was the longest exam and was automatically included on ENTER score calculations, which only added to the pressure.

His classmate Danielle Simmons was satisfied with her performance on the exam.

"I'm feeling fairly confident now that it's over," she said.

She said she was not surprised by any of the questions.

"I'd done a lot of practice exams so I knew what to expect, but I was still really nervous on Friday morning," she said.

Her classmate Jess Harris said she was not nervous before the exam.

"I was happy on Friday morning, because that way it was over faster," she said.

The final VCE exam is on November 19.