queensland core skills test: retrospective 2017...2 | retrospective 2017 qcs test mc i & ii 2017...

For all Queensland schools

Retrospective2017 Queensland Core Skills Test

ISSN 1321-3938

© The State of Queensland (Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority) 2017

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ForewordThe Retrospective is an annual publication that provides detailed and wide-ranging feedback on the Queensland Core Skills (QCS) Test and the responses of students.

The core skills are the common curriculum elements that are within the curriculum experience of most senior students. The level of sophistication demanded by the test is appropriate for Year 12 students. It is a cross-curriculum test, which means that it does not test the content of specific subjects. Rather it tests the skills learnt from the combination of subjects in a balanced curriculum.

The QCS Test consists of four testpapers — a Writing Task (WT), a Short Response (SR) testpaper and two Multiple Choice (MC) testpapers. Students experience a variety of stimulus material such as prose passages, poems, graphs, tables, maps, mathematical and scientific data, cartoons and reproductions of works of art.

The MC response sheets are computer marked. The WT and SR testpapers are marked each year in the first week of the September school holidays. Two marking operations are held concurrently and involve hundreds of carefully trained Queensland teachers. In 2017, the responses of approximately 27500 students were marked by 165 WT markers and 280 SR markers. Each response is double marked, with referee marking taking place if required.

The Retrospective is a definitive and descriptive report on the integration of the test specifications, the expectations of the test constructors, and the performance characteristics of the students. It also provides information on the relative worth of items on the test and provides data that allow the determination of student achievement on the test.

This publication is written for several audiences. At the school level, it offers advice to future candidates and it supports teacher efforts to prepare students and build their confidence with respect to sitting the test. For each subtest, ideas, strategies and reminders are given. In addition to being valuable for schools, anyone interested in cross-curriculum testing will find the Retrospective informative.

Because of copyright issues, the Retrospective does not include copies of the testpapers. All schools receive copies of the testpapers when the QCS Test is administered. Hard copies can be purchased from the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority. Electronic versions cannot be provided because of copyright considerations.

Chris RiderChief Executive Officer

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| Retrospective 2017 QCS Test

ContentsForeword ............................................................................................................................... i

Multiple Choice (MC) I & II

MC I & II 2017 summary ....................................................................................................... 2

MC I commentary ................................................................................................................. 5

MC II commentary ............................................................................................................... 10

Common Curriculum Elements (CCEs) and the MC format ...................................................... 13

Short Response (SR)

SR 2017 summary............................................................................................................... 15

Unit One ............................................................................................................................. 16

Unit Two ............................................................................................................................. 18

Unit Three ........................................................................................................................... 21

Unit Four............................................................................................................................. 27

Unit Five ............................................................................................................................. 35

Unit Six............................................................................................................................... 38

Unit Seven .......................................................................................................................... 44

Unit Eight............................................................................................................................ 50

Writing Task (WT)

WT 2017 Overall concept: What lasts .................................................................................... 57

Diagram of the testpaper ..................................................................................................... 58

Commentary on stimulus pieces .......................................................................................... 59

Stimulus pieces: Visual, written or combination?.................................................................. 61

Choice of text type .............................................................................................................. 61

Choice of genre ................................................................................................................... 62

Selected student responses ................................................................................................ 67

Relative worth of each subtest

Relative worth of parts of the QCS Test................................................................................. 84

Deemed CCEs and QCS Test items........................................................................................ 85

Balance of the QCS Test in terms of CCEs ............................................................................. 85

Appendixes

Appendix 1: The 49 Common Curriculum Elements ............................................................... 86

Appendix 2: CCEs ................................................................................................................ 90

Appendix 3: CCEs grouped by baskets ................................................................................. 91

Appendix 4: Glossary of terms used in relation to the QCS Test ............................................. 92

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Multiple Choice (MC) I & IIThe 2017 MC subtest consisted of two testpapers, each with 25 verbal and 25 quantitative items. For an item, the facility (F) is the proportion of students who gave the correct response; it is expressed as a percentage. For the 2017 MC subtest, the average facility (AF) was 52.7%. The average facility on verbal items was 52.5%, and on quantitative items was 52.9%. The average facility for MC I was 52.8% and for MC II was 52.6%. On MC I, facilities for items ranged from 15% (item 33) to 84% (item 12), and on MC II from 21% (item 85) to 82% (item 57).

Within the verbal domain, stimulus materials included extracts from novels, poems, a biography, newspaper articles, opinion pieces, cartoons and artworks. Within the quantitative domain, stimulus materials included diagrams, illustrations, tables, graphs and displays. Epistemic areas covered included English language and literature, geography, astronomy, business/commerce, visual arts, history (ancient, medieval and modern), archaeological science, and pure and applied mathematics.

The following table summarises data about the 18 units that made up the 2017 MC subtest. The main Common Curriculum Elements (CCEs) tested in each unit are listed. The order of the CCEs for each unit does not reflect the order of the items, nor does it imply a cognitive hierarchy. The baskets into which CCEs are grouped are shown in Appendix 3.

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MC I & II 2017 summary

Unit Item Key Basket F AF (%) Common Curriculum Elements

1 Brisbane (memoir; geography)

1 C 5360.0

4 Interpreting the meaning of words or other symbols

2 B 67

2 Pentagons (geometry)

3 D 74

64.8

6 Interpreting the meaning of tables or diagrams or maps or graphs

19 Substituting in formulae32 Reaching a conclusion which is necessarily

true provided a given set of assumptions is true

51 Identifying shapes in two and three dimensions

4 C 65

5 A 67

6 D 62

7 A 56

3 Wayman (poetry)

8 A 46

59.9


29 Comparing, contrasting33 Reaching a conclusion which is consistent

with a given set of assumptions38 Generalising from information52 Searching and locating items/information

9 B 62

10 C 40

11 D 56

12 B 84

13 A 70

4 Big wheels (applied mathematics)

14 B 51

56.1

15 Graphing16 Calculating with or without calculators32 Reaching a conclusion which is necessarily


36 Applying strategies to trial and test ideas and procedures

37 Applying a progression of steps to achieve the required answer

15 D 69

16 C 50

17 D 42

18 A 63

19 B 62

5 Evans (novel)

20 A 46

55.7


11 Summarising/condensing written text31 Interrelating ideas/themes/issues38 Generalising from information43 Analysing

21 C 66

22 B 31

23 D 54

24 C 53

25 D 84

6 Bright stars (astronomy; applied mathematics; graph)

26 A 57

44.3

15 Graphing29 Comparing, contrasting31 Interrelating ideas/themes/issues32 Reaching a conclusion which is necessarily


34 Inserting an intermediate between members of a series

45 Evaluating

27 B 45

28 A 52

29 D 32

30 C 50

31 C 28

32 B 45


7 Harbour bridge (visual arts)

33 A 15

48.6

5 Interpreting the meaning of pictures/illustrations

42 Criticising45 Judging

34 C 40

35 A 75

36 B 60

37 B 53

8 Kiva (commerce; applied mathematics; table & expository text)

38 D 71

50.8


16 Calculating with or without calculators32 Reaching a conclusion which is necessarily



39 D 58

40 B 41

41 C 43

42 D 38

43 C 57

44 B 47

9 Saving English (opinion piece; English language conventions)

45 A 28

43.1


7 Translating from one form to another21 Structuring/organising extended written text35 Extrapolating43 Analysing45 Judging

46 C 58

47 A 58

48 A 28

49 D 40

50 C 47

10 Modern art (art history; cartoon) 51 B 32 32.0


11 Odometer (applied mathematics; illustration & table)

52 D 74

54.8




53 C 45

54 A 47

55 A 49

56 B 59

12 Henry VIII (novel; history)

57 D 82

55.3


10 Using vocabulary appropriate to a context33 Reaching a conclusion which is consistent

with a given set of assumptions38 Generalising from information43 Analysing

58 D 59

59 A 37

60 B 54

61 A 40

62 B 60

13 Canopus (applied mathematics; board game)

63 C 67

58.9



35 Extrapolating36 Applying strategies to trial and test ideas

and procedures49 Perceiving patterns

64 B 68

65 D 58

66 C 55

67 B 67

68 D 38



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14 Luck (opinion piece; sociology)

69 D 65

53.2


10 Using vocabulary appropriate to a context11 Summarising/condensing written text31 Interrelating ideas/themes/issues33 Reaching a conclusion which is consistent

with a given set of assumptions41 Hypothesising

70 A 41

71 C 76

72 D 42

73 C 47

74 A 49

15 Greek jury (ancient history; applied mathematics; diagram)

75 A 55

49.5

16 Calculating with or without calculators29 Comparing, contrasting32 Reaching a conclusion which is necessarily



41 Hypothesising

76 C 60

77 C 41

78 D 49

79 C 48

80 A 53

81 A 41

16 One life (memoir; personal relationships)

82 D 54

47.5


28 Empathising33 Reaching a conclusion which is consistent

with a given set of assumptions43 Analysing

83 B 51

84 A 63

85 D 21

86 D 48

17 Pollen archaeology (archaeological science; table, graphs & diagrams)

87 B 36

49.2


7 Translating from one form to another16 Calculating with or without calculators32 Reaching a conclusion which is necessarily


45 Judging49 Perceiving patterns

88 B 49

89 B 55

90 C 44

91 D 55

92 C 39

93 A 67

18 Fame (opinion piece; sociology)

94 C 67

55.9


10 Using vocabulary appropriate to a context43 Analysing45 Judging

95 D 70

96 B 32

97 A 60

98 B 68

99 B 52

100 C 43

Average facility on subtest 52.7



MC I commentaryThis section gives a brief outline of each unit. Two units (4 and 7) are singled out for detailed analysis.

Unit 1 Brisbane

This unit is based on an extract offering an Australian author’s thoughts on living in Brisbane. The two items required students to make a broad assessment of the extract as a whole.

Unit 2 Pentagons

This unit focuses on pentagons and their angles and required students to calculate the sizes of various angles and side lengths.

Unit 3 Wayman

This unit is based on ‘What Good Poems Are For’, a poem by American poet Tom Wayman, whose style is described as conversational or colloquial.

Unit 4 Big wheels

This unit is based on observation wheels in various cities. A table of information about selected observation wheels is given. The items tested students abilities to locate relevant information presented in the table, to extract that information and to perform various quantitative processes and transformations on it, including calculating, graphing, deducing, extrapolating and applying strategies.

Item 14: This item explores ‘clearance’ — the idea that the wheel needs to rotate clear of the ground — in relation to the New York Wheel. The height of the New York Wheel is given in the table but not its wheel diameter. Students are told that the New York Wheel will have a clearance equal to the current largest clearance in the table. Clearance is calculated by subtracting the wheel diameter from the wheel height. The Changsha Wheel had the highest clearance: 21 metres. The diameter for the New York Wheel, using a clearance of 21 metres and height of 192 metres, is 171 metres. Option B is the key. Using incorrect data from the table will result in options A and D. Option C incorrectly uses the clearance of the Singapore Flyer, which is the wheel with greatest wheel height but second-largest clearance.

Item 15: This item required students to select the graph of how a cabin moves in relation to the ground, as it completes three rotations. The cabin gradually moves further away from the ground until it reaches its highest point, after which the distance from the ground gradually decreases as the cabin returns to its starting point near the ground. This is described by the graph in option D (the key), where the transition points at the top and bottom of each rotation form smooth curves. Option A indicates that there is a flat stage when the cabin stays at the same distance from the ground for a period of time; this suggests, incorrectly, that the cabin moves linearly beside the loading platform instead of continuing its circular motion. Option B indicates that a cabin can be at different distances from the ground at the same time. Option C indicates that the cabin moves from a decreasing distance from the ground instantaneously to an increasing distance from the ground.

Item 16: This item required students to calculate the circumferential speed of the Singapore Flyer, i.e. the speed of a fixed point on the rim of this wheel as determined by the distance it travels over a certain time. The diameter of the Singapore Flyer, 150 m, is given in the table. When 75 m (the radius) is substituted into the circumference formula 471.24 m is obtained which corresponds to the distance the fixed point travels in a single rotation. The table shows that this takes 30 minutes, so a fixed point on the Singapore Flyer would travel 942.48 m, or 0.94248 km, in one hour. Option C is the key. Option A is obtained if the diameter of the Singapore Flyer is used as r in C=2πr instead of the radius, giving a circumference of 942.48 m, which yields 1.88 km/hr. Incorrectly using the height of the Singapore Flyer as the diameter results in a speed of 1.04 km/hr which is option B. Option D, 0.30 km/hr, results when 150 m (0.15 km) — the wheel’s diameter — is incorrectly used as the distance travelled in one rotation, i.e. 30 minutes.


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Item 17: In this item, Figures 1 and 2 represent an observation wheel with an X marked on the rim. The diagrams show the wheel divided into 10 equal sections each of 36° (there are 360° in a circle) . Figure 2 shows that, after a specified time, the X has moved seven sections, or 252° (7 x 36°), from its starting position. The Tianjin Eye takes 30 minutes for a complete rotation, so the X marked on the rim of this wheel will be in the position shown at the start in Figure 1 at 30 min, 60 min, 90 min and so on. After 280 min (option A) and 85 min (option B) of operation, the Tianjin Eye has completed 9.33 rotations (9 complete rotations plus 0.33 of a rotation) and 2.83 rotations (2 rotations plus 0.83 of a rotation) respectively. The 0.33 of a rotation is 0.33 x 360°, approximately 120°, and the 0.83 of a rotation is approximately 300°. Options A and B are incorrect. The Diamond and Flower Wheel takes 17 min for each complete rotation.

After 255 min it has completed 15 rotations, while in 80 min it makes 4 complete rotations plus 0.7 of a rotation. For 15 rotations the position of X is identical to where it was in Figure 1, so option C is incorrect. Option D is the key, as 0.7 of a rotation is 0.7 x 360° = 252°.

Item 18: This item required students to determine which wheel had an occupancy rate of 35% when 144 passengers were being carried. Occupancy rate is defined in the extra information provided. One strategy for approaching this item is to use the total maximum number of passengers in order to calculate the number of passengers carried if the occupancy rate is 35%, and then to compare this with 144, the passenger number given in the item stem. Option A, the Diamond and Flower Wheel, can carry a maximum of 408 passengers (68 cabins x 6 passengers per cabin). With an occupancy rate of 35%, this gives about 143 passengers (0.35 x 408). Option B, the Star of Nanchang, has a maximum capacity of 480 passengers (60 x 8). At 35% occupancy, 168 passengers would be on the ride. The Suzhou Wheel, option C, has a maximum capacity of 300 passengers (60 x 5). At 35% occupancy, 105 passengers would be on the ride. Option D, the Tianjin Eye, has a maximum capacity of 384 passengers (48 x 8). At 35% occupancy, that is about 135 passengers on the ride. Option A is the key, with 143 passengers being closest to 144.

Item 19: This item required students to extract the relevant information from the table and from within the item itself, and correctly perform a series of calculations. The total number of passengers that can be carried in one year on the New York Wheel with an occupancy rate of 100% (36 cabins x 40 passengers per cabin x 19 rides per day x 365 days per year) is 9986400 or 9.9864 million passengers. The predicted number of passengers per year is given as 4.5 million which would occur if the occupancy rate per ride was about 45% of the full occupancy rate. Thus, the key is option B.

Unit 5 Evans

This unit is based on an extract from Richard Flanagan’s Man Booker Prize-winning novel, The Narrow Road to the Deep North. The extract involves a reminiscence on the life of the main character, Dorrigo Evans.

Unit 6 Bright stars

This unit required students to understand and interpret a graph known as a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, which displays a variety of information about stars, including their size, brightness, temperature and luminosity. The graph is accompanied by explanatory text.


Unit 7 Harbour bridge

This unit presents students with four very different artworks of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The unit required students to understand key elements of the compositions of each artwork, and how those elements contributed holistically to an understanding of each artwork. Part of that understanding is to differentiate between a subjective response to an artwork and the ideas encoded purposefully by the artist and intended to be perceived by a viewer. Both responses to visual art — the subjective and the objective — are valid, though in this unit the latter was tested.

Item 33: Students were required to identify and analyse the composition’s elements — the main parts (bridge, buildings, water, watercraft, etc.) and their manner of depiction — and then to see how the synthesis of these elements contributes to the central ideas of the artwork. The emphasis in the artwork is on the bridge as a built structure in which the individual beams, struts and pylons that comprise it are clarified with strong lines and tonality. Also emphasised are the foreground buildings, which are of an industrial rather than a domestic character. The chimney smoke in the foreground is echoed in two or three similar elements in the background, on the other side of the harbour, where we also see depicted buildings of a largely industrial character. The other kinds of buildings and spaces are marginalised or absent from this image: no trees or parks or beautiful historic buildings, and so forth. The harbour is depicted with a dullish tone. Also, the artwork shows few activities taking place on the harbour. What we see on the harbour are a small number of large vessels, and none of these are depicted in a way that emphasises aspects of lightness or fun, rather they are in dull and flat tones which portray the harbour as a functional space, subordinated visually to the towering bridge. So, option B is incorrect because it suggests that the central focus of this artwork is on the harbour and its life, which is not the case. For option C to be correct one would expect the broader scope of the city itself to have been a focus of the composition. Little if anything of that broader city can be seen, just sharp-edged industrial buildings in the foreground and some washed-out buildings on the far shore of the harbour, all with a functional appearance. The composition can hardly be considered ‘welcoming’ given the absence of light colours and tones. For option D to be correct, one would expect a composition that gives equal weight to both sides of the harbour. But here, the other side of the harbour is reduced to misty colours intermixed with some patches of wan light. Also, it may be noted how the structure of the bridge itself recedes into the distance; by the time it reaches the other shore, its individual elements are barely discernible. The emphasis in this artwork is on the foreground elements, so the title ‘Bridging Worlds’ is not appropriate. This leaves option A as the key. The elements of the composition emphasise industrial structures and, by implication, the industrial processes by which material culture is ‘built’. The foreground emphasises the structure and building of the bridge through clear lines and strong light tonalities. Sydney is used here as a recognisable icon of Australia as the artwork could not depict the whole of Australia.

Item 34: This item required students to analyse the given painting in some detail and to evaluate the four options against their analysis. Option A: The aggressiveness of this statement is not a strong match for the elements of the composition. Though the strong lines and detail of the bridge imply robustness, that impression is softened by its curved, flowing lines, which impart to the bridge a sleekness and smoothness; so one cannot defend the view that the bridge simply ‘powers through’ the city or ‘cuts a swathe’. Option B: Some elements of the foreground composition suggest a suburban, domestic environment — the house, telegraph poles, shrubs, trees, and a single human being at the foot of the piers — however the middle ground shows part of an industrial building. So this is a mixed-use environment and not solely a ‘domestic suburban’ environment. Irrespective of that, the view that the bridge ‘makes no sense’ in its environment is not well supported. We can see the bridge resting on its piers, and the piers firmly founded on the ground, and we can appreciate the ‘reality’ of the spatial relationships between bridge, piers and surrounding environment, i.e. they make sense. Option C: From what has been said above in relation to options A and B, it is clear that, through its piers, the bridge is grounded in the city; also, it is equally clear that the bulk of the bridge rides clear of the roofs of surrounding buildings; ‘rise clear’ is a phrase that is supported by the upward-soaring curves of the bridge. Option C is the key. Option D: Though the idea that the bridge ‘grows logically out of the city’ is supported by several elements of the composition — the size and tonality of the piers in relation to the adjacent buildings and land, and the cables that rise from the ground to become part of the bridge’s fabric — the idea that the bridge is ‘fully’ a part of the city is not well supported; indeed, as argued for option C, the bridge exists in two worlds, in the city and above the city.


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Item 35: This item presents statements that could apply to any artwork of the bridge, and asked students to choose which were most relevant to this painting of the bridge. Attribute P: The Harbour Bridge is most readily recognisable when it is shown face-on, and that is how it is depicted here; so attribute P is correct. Attribute Q: Though it is a reasonable supposition that the Harbour Bridge has been somehow integrated with the city, this painting is not so much interested in the city per se; rather, it focuses on the bridge as a commanding icon. The city as such barely exists in this artwork. Attribute Q is thus incorrect. Attribute R: There is no evidence in the artwork for significant physical distortion of the bridge; it is depicted very much as it would be seen from a boat on the harbour; attribute R does not apply to this artwork. Attribute S: The bridge is by far the largest single object in the composition, it is placed almost centrally, its structure is clearly delineated and thrown into relief against the golden yellow of the setting sun. This elevates the bridge above the mundane and effectively puts it on display; thus attribute S is very relevant to this artwork. In summary, the two attributes that are well-supported by an analysis of this composition are P and S. Option A is the key.

Items 36 and 37 present a very different take on the Harbour Bridge. Students were required to try to see the merits in two opposing opinions about how the bridge was depicted in this artwork.

Item 36: Option A: In this artwork we see a major road sweeping up toward the bridge from the left foreground, and the bridge itself straddling the harbour; from these observations we can reasonably conclude that the bridge serves as a means of vehicular communication between both sides of the harbour; therefore the idea that the bridge serves no practical function is not well-supported. Option B: The bridge is small in relation to the whole composition, occupying only a small part of the total area; also, it is unnaturally small in relation to some of the structures and objects near it, such as the roadway that leads up to it, the train beside the road, the three jetties, and the tall building to the left of the bridge on the far shore. The bridge is clearly shown as ‘dark’; in fact, it is shown as a blackish blob. The bridge is ‘distanced’ in the sense that it is set near the top of the composition, in the background, and most of the major lines in the foreground are funnelled toward it. Though we can still make out the essential shape of the bridge, it has lost nearly all its internal structure and coherence; to that extent the bridge can be said to be ‘reduced in form’. For all these considerations, option B is the key. Option C: Other features in the city are not emphasised at all. Option D: Though the bridge represents a concentration of very dark tones, one can readily find equally dark tones throughout the composition; though we see the occasional touch of colour and lighter tones, the atmosphere of the composition is sombre.

Item 37: Option A: There is a deal of sketchiness and deliberate exaggeration or distortion in this artwork. However, there is enough spatial coherence to make some sense of the composition. For example, we can identify the typical form of a roadway leading up to the bridge; we can see jetties and a train alongside this roadway; we can make out the forms of other buildings in the right foreground, enough to form the idea of ‘inner suburb’; we can identify the farther shore of the city, with some buildings picked out, and rolling hills in the distance. It is therefore incorrect to say that the composition is ‘chaotic and formless’. Option B: All the major lines of the composition lead toward, or emanate from, the bridge. In the foreground, all major lines move in perspective recession toward the bridge, yielding an impression of a ‘grand sweep’. Option B is the key. Option C: This option is only partially correct. The black tones of the bridge do make it a visually impressive feature. However, it is not just the dark tones of the bridge that contribute to its visual dominance. The left and central foreground of the composition is, like the bridge, represented in bold, black tones; yet, this part of the composition cannot be said to command the visual field. Option D: If we took the bridge out of this composition, we would still be able to recognise roads, buildings, a train, the harbour and its foreshore, and the distant hills, and we would be able to understand the essential spatial relations between these elements of composition. It might be argued that a road that leads only to the water’s edge makes no sense without a bridge to carry it across the harbour; but there is no necessity for a road down to the harbour to be carried across the harbour.


Unit 8 Kiva

This unit is based on information about an organisation that lends relatively small sums of money to individuals, small businesses and groups, mainly in Third World countries. Students were required to deal with proportion, percentage and fractions in the various items.

Unit 9 Saving English

This unit is based on an extract from an opinion piece by British novelist George Orwell, in which he criticises the manipulation of the English language for political purposes, and suggests ways in which English written expression might be improved.


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MC II commentaryThis section gives a brief outline of each unit. Two units (13 and 14) are singled out for detailed analysis.

Unit 10 Modern art

This unit is based on a cartoon about galleries of modern art, and poses the question: what actually is ‘modern art’?

Unit 11 Odometer

This unit required students to understand and apply the information provided in a driver display, which appears on the dashboards of most vehicles and allows drivers to know how far they have driven in a particular trip and what their fuel consumption has been.

Unit 12 Henry VIII

This unit is based on an extract from a novel by Hilary Mantel about the reign of the English king, Henry VIII. The text takes the form of a piece of advice delivered by the king’s chief councillor Thomas Cromwell to a young courtier. The text is rich both linguistically and conceptually.

Unit 13 Canopus

This unit is based on an invented board game called Canopus. Players play numbered tiles, in turn, onto a 4x4 square board. At the end of each turn, the player selects the next tile to be played and gives it to their opponent. A player wins and the game ends by creating a row, diagonal or column of tiles which share one attribute. Each of the 16 tiles is either black or white, square or circular and has a number which is either large (greater than 10) or small (less than 9). The fourth attribute is that the tile’s number is either even or odd. The rules of the game are explained and a game board is shown with a full set of tiles.

Item 63: This item considers only those tiles with numbers greater than 10, paired on the basis of their shape and their odd- or even-ness. For each option the particular tiles had to be determined and their values added. The odd, square tiles are 11 and 15, giving the sum of 26. The odd, circular tiles are 13 and 17, giving the sum of 30. The even, square tiles are 14 and 18, giving the sum of 32. The even, circular tiles are 12 and 16, giving the sum of 28. The largest sum is 32 so option C is the key. This item enabled students to familiarise themselves with the set of tiles.

Item 64: As explained in the stimulus, to set up a game, six tiles are chosen at random and placed on the board in specified places. This item required students to consider whether it was possible to win on the first turn or not and to know why. The positions of the first six tiles preclude winning on the first turn as no row, column or diagonal contains more than two tiles at the start of play so no row, column or diagonal can be completed with the placement of just one tile. Options C and D are incorrect and option B is the key. Option A suggests that the uniqueness of the tiles is what makes an instant win impossible. Each tile is indeed unique but that has no impact on whether the game can be won on the first turn or not.

Item 65: This item presents a board with thirteen tiles already placed and three still in play – the 4, the 6 and the 13, all of which are white. Students were required to identify which of these tiles would allow Jim to win immediately. As each of the three tiles is white and no all-white row, column or diagonal is possible, colour does not need to be considered here. The 4 is square and can be played in the bottom right corner to complete the diagonal of squares and win the game for Jim. The 13 can also be played in the bottom right corner to complete the bottom row with all large numbers. The circular 6 cannot be placed to give an immediate win to Jim. This makes option D the key.


Item 66: Four completed boards are shown and students were required to determine which completed game had ended in a draw. The third column of the board in option A contained 6-1-7-3, all small numbers, so this game was won by the last player to play. The bottom row of the board in option B contained 16-12-2-18, all even, so this game was also won by the last player. A diagonal of the board in option D contained 12-4-7-15, which are all white, and so D was also won by the last player. The board in option C contained no row, column or diagonal that was all even, all less than 9 or greater than 10, all one colour or all one shape and hence was not won by either player, i.e. it was a draw. Option C is the key.

Item 67: This item presents a board with four spaces still open and four tiles — 3, 4, 15 and 18. Only one of the tiles will give an immediate win if Jim gives it to Sara. If he gives her the 3, she could put it in the top left corner to complete an all black diagonal. Both the 15 and the 18 could be placed to complete the left-most column with all large numbers. The 4 is the tile Jim should give Sara. Option B is the key.

Item 68: This item required students to determine the sequence of turns that would continue beyond Jim’s next turn. A nearly complete diagonal contains 6, 1 and 3, each of which is circular and a small number. For option B, if Jim gives Sara the 13, and she places it beside the 3 then gives Jim the 4 or the 7 he could complete the diagonal with all small numbers and win the game and so it would not continue past his next turn. For option C, if Jim gives Sara the 13 and she places it under the 14 then gives Jim the 2 or the 5 he could once again complete the diagonal with all small numbers and win, and the game would end. Both options B and C are therefore incorrect. Option A has Sara placing the 15 beside the 3 and giving Jim the 13. Jim could complete the diagonal with the circular 13 and win, and the game would end. However, if she places the 15 beside the 17 the diagonal cannot be completed. She can then give Jim the 4 or 7, which are both square and white, and cannot complete the right-most column. The game can continue beyond Jim’s turn so o ption D is the key.

Unit 14 Luck

This unit is based on an extract from an article written by Australian philosopher Patrick Stokes. The extract is about how humans think about, and are affected by, the concept of luck.

Item 69: This item required students to summarise the ideas presented in the first six lines. Option D is the key. The author asks readers to imagine a person who achieves despite overwhelmingly difficult life circumstances, only to then point out that such an individual is still reliant on luck in order to have the resources and temperament required to achieve. Option A is incorrect — even though the author agrees that the individual in question would deserve more credit for their success than others, he does not suggest that this individual should be praised or idolised. Although it is more in line with the author’s view of luck as fundamentally influential, option B is incorrect because the author does not discuss the ideas of gratitude or luck changing. Option C is incorrect as it suggests that luck is secondary to effort when it comes to achieving, which is the opposite of the ideas expressed by the author.

Item 70: This item required students to interpret the phrase ‘dizzyingly contingent’, which is used to describe a number of specific life circumstances. ‘Dizzyingly’ is the adverbial form of dizzying, meaning to make one dizzy, and ‘contingent’ meaning dependent on something uncertain in order to exist. In the context of the extract, the phrase therefore means that the life circumstances are dependent on so many other events having happened that the unlikelihood would make one dizzy, and so option A is the key. Option B is incorrect as it suggests that the circumstances are not subject to chance, which contradicts the meaning of ‘contingent’. Option C is incorrect as it is not consistent with the meanings of either word. Option D is also incorrect, despite being quite in line with the author’s perspective; it reflects the opposite meaning of the word contingent by portraying the circumstances as allowing for something else to exist rather than being dependent on something else to exist.

Item 71: The relevant information required to answer this item can be found in lines 11–14, where the author states that admitting the role of luck in our lives would make ‘our claims to have what we have by merit alone shallower and more relative than we might like to believe’. Option C is the key. Option A is incorrect as, even though the author agrees that discussing luck makes people ‘uneasy’, it is never stated that this is due to potential misfortune. Option B is incorrect as it is unsupported as well as being somewhat illogical — admitting the role of luck would allow one to justify why some do better than others, so it would more likely


12

be the case that unrealistic expectations for what one should achieve would come from ignoring the role of luck rather than recognising it. Option D is incorrect as it also lacks supporting evidence — the author only ever discusses the consequences of recognising luck on the individual’s own achievements and perceptions thereof, not the individual’s perceptions of others.

Item 72: This item required students to infer how the author regards karma based on his comments in the last two paragraphs. Option D is the key. In lines 15 and 16, the author discusses karma’s popular appeal, calling the concept ‘powerful’ and recognising that it has underpinned a sense of justice for ‘billions of people for millennia’. He notes that the concept has carried over into Western society under the idea ‘you get what you deserve’, a mantra which he sees as ‘no less stark’. This suggests that he thinks both beliefs are somewhat severe and unforgiving. Lines 18–21 then confirm that the author sees karma as questionable, since he goes on to discuss the moral ‘cost’ of believing in karma — namely that we see everyone who is unsuccessful as unworthy. Option A is incorrect. Although ‘stark’ might be related to ‘exacting’, it is unlikely that the author sees karma as ‘reasonable’, since he devotes most of the last paragraph to pointing out the problems that arise from believing in it. Option C is incorrect for similar reasons; while the author certainly does recognise karma’s imperfections, he does not view it as a ‘worthwhile’ belief. Option B is incorrect as the author gives no indication that he thinks karma is misunderstood in any meaningful way: even though the ‘modern Western version’ is ‘far less grandiose’, it is still ‘no less stark’, implying that variants of the belief system have the same flaws as the belief system itself.

Item 73: In this item, students were required to find a suitable substitute for the word ‘effacing’, used in line 18. Even if students did not know the meaning of the word, it was possible to answer the item correctly by considering the context in which the word was used. In lines 14–17, karma, and its ‘modern Western’ equivalent are associated with viewing the world as a ‘meritocracy’, i.e. a world in which rewards are based on merit rather than luck. ‘Effacing the role of luck’ is used within the context of describing the ‘cost’ of these belief systems — so it follows that, since these belief systems deliberately minimise the role of luck, option C is the key. Options A, B and D are all inconsistent with the context, as they each presume that people who adopt these belief systems recognise the role of luck to a significant extent — something which people who adopt these belief systems deliberately avoid doing.

Item 74: In this item, students were required to speculate about the type of person that the author intended the article to be read by. To do this, students had to consider the whole extract in order to determine the main argument posed by the author: namely, that people should recognise the role of luck in their lives to a greater extent, and that failing to do so has moral consequences. With this in mind, option B can be discounted, as the author would have had no need to reach people that see luck as influential — these people already agree with the author and so would not have required convincing. One must remember that this item is posed from the author’s perspective. Even though people who agree with the author would probably enjoy reading the article since it is in line with their beliefs, the author’s purpose in this text is to persuade, and it follows that there is little point in persuading those who already agree with the perspective. Option C is incorrect, as it is probable that a person who has endured considerable hardship would recognise the role of luck far more than an average person, since they have suffered the effects of misfortune firsthand. Option D is also incorrect. People would not necessarily need to be self-focused or egotistical in order to view the world as a meritocracy — indeed, it is not unreasonable to think that they might happily recognise others’ achievements and view them as proof that success is purely a matter of hard work, thus reinforcing their views. Option A is the key. People who view themselves as ‘self-made’ are the same people who would ‘insist that luck plays only a minor role’, and also be the ones who ‘pay the cost’ of viewing people who fail as ‘simply undeserving’.

Unit 15 Greek jury

This unit is based on an explanation of how the ancient Greeks used a device called a kleroterion to elect jury members. A diagram of a kleroterion was also provided.

Unit 16 One life

This unit presents an extract from Australian author Kate Grenville’s biography of her mother, and discusses the issue of who is allowed a voice in the writing of history.


Unit 17 Pollen archaeology

This unit presents stimulus about an archaeological investigation. Students were required to analyse data presented in tabular and graphical form.

Unit 18 Fame

This unit is based on an opinion piece published in an Australian newspaper. It represents a genre of popular, informal writing about subjects of general interest.

Common Curriculum Elements (CCEs) and the MC formatOf the 49 CCEs, the following cannot be tested directly in MC format, though a few CCEs such as graphing, summarising and manipulating equipment, may be tested at ‘second order’ i.e. indirectly:• 11 Summarising/condensing written text• 12 Compiling lists/statistics• 13 Recording/noting data• 14 Compiling results in a tabular form• 15 Graphing• 20 Setting out/presenting/arranging/displaying• 21 Structuring/organising extended written text• 22 Structuring/organising a mathematical argument• 26 Explaining to others• 27 Expounding a viewpoint• 46 Creating/composing/devising• 53 Observing systematically• 55 Gesturing• 57 Manipulating/operating/using equipment• 60 Sketching/drawing.

These CCEs can be validly tested in SR format.


14

Short Response (SR)This year’s SR subtest comprised 14 items across eight units. As students worked through each unit, they interacted with stimulus material, which was chosen to be challenging and engaging. Test developers paid careful attention to framing each item in a way that made it accessible to most students. The SR testpaper comprised units with stimulus material selected from fields such as mathematics, science, geography, history, the social sciences and literature.

This year’s paper was varied in its content, covering a broad range of CCEs. The different tasks included determining numbers of pills/days, comparing temperatures, drawing following instructions, giving instructions, measuring carefully, interpreting quotations, creating an extension to an extract, providing clear explanations, using equipment (drawing compass) and describing how illustrations and ideas are connected.

Model responses and commentaries on student performance

What follows is an item-by-item report that includes model responses and marking schemes, tables and graphs of the distributions of grades, and commentaries that discuss the tasks. At times, references to specific student responses are included to exemplify observations. As much as possible, model responses are actual student responses. Model responses are those that demonstrate a high level of performance and would have been awarded the highest grade.

For some items, especially the more open-ended ones, responses were extremely varied. For these responses it is not possible to provide examples of the many ways students responded. The detailed, item-specific marking schemes indicate the scope of acceptable responses for different grades. Even for the more closed items the marking schemes demonstrate that different ways of perceiving ‘the solution’ were able to gain credit.

Marking schemes

The marking schemes used during the marking operation and included in this section of the Retrospective are not designed to be read in isolation. They are only one element of the marking prescription. During the marking operation, markers undergo rigorous training in how to apply the marking schemes to student responses of one marking unit. The training involves careful consideration and application of the material presented by immersers.

Each marking scheme provides descriptors for up to five creditable grades, as well as the non-contributory grades N (where the response is unintelligible or does not satisfy the requirements of any other grade) and O (where no response has been given).

For organisational purposes during the marking operation, the testpaper units were grouped into five marking units. In 2017, Marking Unit 1 contained testpaper units One and Five, Marking Unit 2 contained testpaper units Two and Eight, Marking Unit 3 contained testpaper unit Three, Marking Unit 4 contained testpaper units Four and Six and Marking Unit 7 contained testpaper unit Seven.

All SR items are double marked. This means that a student’s response booklet is marked by at least 10 different, independent markers. Referee marking also occurs when necessary.


SR 2017 summary

Note: CCEs specific to an item are listed on the item’s marking scheme.The baskets into which CCEs are grouped are shown in Appendix 3.

Unit Item Basket Common Curriculum Elements by unit

OneSwings

1 5 Interpreting the meaning of … illustrations10 Using vocabulary appropriate to a context 29 Contrasting

TwoHolidays

2 16 Calculating with or without calculators37 Applying a progression of steps to achieve the required answer

ThreeCards

3 10 Using vocabulary appropriate to a context26 Explaining to others27 Expounding a viewpoint28 Empathising29 Comparing31 Interrelating ideas …41 Hypothesising

4

FourLaces

5 7 Translating from one form to another17 Estimating numerical magnitude29 Comparing32 Deducing37 Applying a progression of steps to achieve the required answer49 Perceiving patterns51 Identifying shapes in two and three dimensions60 Sketching/drawing

6

FivePlough

7 28 Empathising31 Interrelating 43 Analysing

SixColdest

8 16 Calculating with or without calculators29 Comparing37 Applying a progression of steps to achieve the required answer44 Synthesising52 Searching and locating … information57 Manipulating/operating/using equipment

9

SevenMeeting

10 10 Using vocabulary appropriate to a context21 Structuring … extended written text26 Explaining to others28 Empathising43 Analysing48 Justifying50 Visualising

11

EightWheat

12 16 Calculating with or without calculators17 Estimating numerical magnitude19 Substituting in formulae20 Setting out/presenting/arranging/displaying32 Reaching a conclusion which is necessarily true provided a given set of

assumptions is true37 Applying a progression of steps to achieve the required answer45 Judging

13

14


16

Unit OneThe item in this unit is based on three different interpretations of a swing.

The following table shows the percentage of responses awarded the various grades for the item in this unit.

Item 1

Commentary

Item 1 is a two-star item that tested achievement in CCEs 5 Interpreting the meaning of … illustrations, 10 Using vocabulary appropriate to a context and 29 Contrasting.

This item required students, for each interpretation of the swing, to give one adjective that would distinguish that swing from the other two and would capture an essential quality of the particular swing. Students were directed to use unhyphenated adjectives. The cue instructed students to choose each adjective carefully and to use words that would distinguish each swing from the others.

An A-grade response needed to provide three adjectives. The adjectives could not be words that were hyphenated words nor should be hyphenated. Each adjective had to describe a distinguishing characteristic of a swing. For the customer swing, such characteristics as simple, traditional or basic could be described. For the salesperson swing, such characteristics as elaborate, comfortable or lavish and for the engineer swing, sturdy, durable or strong characteristics could be described.

Some responses showed that the focus was on the illustration of the swings rather than the 'interpretation' proffered by the illustrations. This led to responses such as 'detailed' for the engineer swing interpretation which only focused on the illustration that provided labels and structural details rather than the interpretation of the swing.

Students should remember to not give multiple responses when the instruction is to give a single response. In this item, responses where more than one word was given for a swing could not gain credit for that swing.

Model response

A B C D E N O

Item 1 10.6 10.5 53.9 24.1 1.0

A shaded box indicates that the grade was not available for that item.

A B C N O

100%

the ‘customer’ swing is: ......................................................................

the ‘salesperson’ swing is: ....................................................................

the ‘engineer’ swing is: .......................................................................

simple

elaborate

sturdy


UN

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1.C

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s of t

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ings

incl

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for

exam

ple:

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for

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�cus

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sim

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asic

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t is,

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able

.

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ord

mus

t des

crib

e th

e sw

ing,

not

the

illus

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ion

nor

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rt o

f the

swin

g/s.

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ple

the

follo

win

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/wor

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re; �

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hair

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elf.

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the

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ount


18

Unit TwoThe item in this unit is based on managing the number of pills required.


Item 2

Item 2 is a three-star item that tested achievement in CCEs 37 Applying a progression of steps to achieve the required answer and 16 Calculating with or without calculators.

This item presented students with information about Grant’s holiday plans and the three types of pills he takes. It required students, in part I, to determine the number of each type of pill he has before he goes on holidays and, in part II, to determine how many days' worth of each pill he would have remaining on the last day of his holidays.

An A-grade response needed to provide the numbers 20, 34 and 10 for the number of pills in the appropriate cells in part l and 6, 3 and 6 for the number of days in the appropriate cells in part ll.

The working in some responses indicated that the stimulus was not read and considered carefully enough, e.g. using 45 or 47 as the number of days until Grant goes on holidays. The different dosages of the pills were clearly shown in the table in the introduction but at times these were not taken into account in a response. This item is an example of problem-solving where drawing a diagram/timeline would most likely have assisted in keeping the information organised. While working was not required to be shown, sufficient white space was provided for notes or diagrams.

Students should remember to read an item carefully and pay attention to details to ensure they answer the question asked. In this item some responses to part II gave the number of pills instead of number of days. Care should also be taken to provide answers in the appropriate spaces when directed to do so.

A B C D E N O

Item 2 11.3 5.3 29.1 15.3 37.4 1.6


DA B C N O

100%


Model response

I. On the day before he begins his holidays and after taking his pills for that day, Grant checks how many pills he has. Find the number of each type of pill he has and complete the table.

II. Determine how many days’ worth of each of his pills Grant would have remaining on the last day of his holidays after taking that day’s pills. Complete the table.

type of pill number of pills

A

B

C

type of pill number of days

A

B

C

20

34

10

6

3

6


20

UN

IT T

WO

ITEM

2

PER

FOR

MA

NC

E D

OM

AIN

Mar

king

Sch

eme

Mar

king

Uni

t 2 1

of 5

N

Res

pons

e is

uni

ntel

ligib

le o

r do

es n

ot sa

tisfy

the

requ

irem

ents

for

any

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r gr

ade.

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No

resp

onse

has

bee

n m

ade

at

any

time.

37A

pply

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a pr

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step

s to

achi

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the

requ

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wer

16C

alcu

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g w

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r w

ithou

t cal

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tors

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pro

vide

s TH

RE

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corr

ect n

umbe

rs in

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appr

opri

ate

cells

in th

e ta

bles

.

OR

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pons

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ased

on

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num

ber

of p

ills f

or A

, B, C

in

part

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for

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B

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es.

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for

part

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f pill

s

21 36 10.5

and

for p

art I

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f day

s

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OR

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pons

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r pa

rt I

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s

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and

for

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no. o

f pill

s

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OR

OR

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pons

e pr

ovid

es fo

r pa

rt II

no. o

f day

s

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no. o

f day

s

5 2 5

OR

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es:

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r th

e re

spon

se to

gai

n cr

edit

the

valu

es m

ust b

e sh

own

in th

e ap

prop

riat

e ce

lls in

the

tabl

es.

2.O

nly

num

bers

gre

ater

than

zer

o ca

n be

giv

en c

redi

t.

Mod

el R

espo

nse:

I. II.ty

pe o

f pill

num

ber o

f pill

s

A2

0

B3

4

C1

0

type

of p

illnu

mbe

r of d

ays

A6

B3

C6

Las

t Pag

e C

ount


Unit ThreeThe items in this unit are loosely based on an adaptation of a game played with a set of illustrated cards.

The following table shows the percentage of responses awarded the various grades for the items in this unit.

Item 3

Commentary

Item 3 is a three-star item that tested achievement in CCEs 28 Empathising, 26 Explaining to others and 10 Using vocabulary appropriate to a context.

This item required students to associate the illustration on a card with the idea of fragile personalities and to give an explanation to support this by making direct links between two elements of the illustration and the idea.

An A-grade response needed to clearly identify two elements of the illustration and use these elements to describe how 'fragile personalities' was associated with the illustration. ‘Fragile personalities’ was interpreted in many different ways.

Interpretations were made by combining notions of fragility with notions of personality. Responses did not need to state the interpretation/s explicitly, but had to make clear how the illustration was associated with the interpretation.

Some responses indicated that elements could be identified but instead of associating them with the full idea of fragile personalities they were in many cases only associated with part of the idea; that is, only ‘fragile’ or ‘personalities’.

Students should ensure that each step of an explanation is clear, specific and logical. Responses should not rely on the reader to infer what was meant. Students should be wary of glossing over steps in explanations and assuming that readers are privy to their thoughts. Students should also avoid rewording and rewriting the stem as the first sentence of a response as this uses up time and response area space.

A B C D E N O

Item 3 7.1 14.5 30.2 37.0 9.6 1.6

Item 4 5.4 19.1 39.7 17.1 7.9 4.4 6.3


DA B C N O

100%


22

Model response

The illustration on the card below has been associated with the idea of fragile personalities. Give an explanation to support how the illustration is associated with this idea. Make direct links between two elements of the illustration and the idea.

..............................................................

..............................................................

..............................................................

..............................................................

..............................................................

..............................................................

..............................................................

..............................................................

..............................................................

..............................................................

The idea of fragile personalities may be associated

with this image due to its use of mirrors on heads.

The face and head is the main source of one’s

personality. Mirrors, which are very easily broken

and fragile, have been used in place of the faces of

the two figures. Continuing this reading of

personality the mirrors also allow the figures to

shield their uncertainty from the world as they

reflect others in order to conform to society.


UN

IT T

HR

EEIT

EM 3

PER

FOR

MA

NC

E D

OM

AIN

Mar

king

Sch

eme

Mar

king

Uni

t 3 1

of 2

N

Res

pons

e is

un

inte

lligi

ble

or d

oes n

ot

satis

fy th

e re

quir

emen

ts

for

any

othe

r gr

ade. O

No

resp

onse

ha

s bee

n m

ade

at a

ny ti

me.

28E

mpa

this

ing

26E

xpla

inin

g to

oth

ers

10U

sing

voc

abul

ary

appr

opri

ate

to a

con

text

C

The

res

pons

e cl

earl

y id

entif

ies T

WO

el

emen

ts.

Eac

h of

thes

e ele

men

ts is

use

d to

do

any

one

of th

e fo

llow

ing

�de

scri

be h

ow �f

ragi

le� i

s ass

ocia

ted

with

th

e ill

ustr

atio

n

OR

�de

scri

be h

ow �p

erso

nalit

y� is

ass

ocia

ted

with

the

illus

trat

ion

OR

�su

gges

t how

�fra

gile

per

sona

litie

s� is

as

soci

ated

with

the

illus

trat

ion.

A

The

res

pons

e cl

earl

y id

entif

ies T

WO

el

emen

ts.

The

ele

men

ts a

re u

sed

to

�de

scri

be h

ow �f

ragi

le p

erso

nalit

ies�

is

asso

ciat

ed w

ith th

e ill

ustr

atio

n.

B

The

res

pons

e cl

earl

y id

entif

ies O

NE

el

emen

t.

The

ele

men

t is u

sed

to

�de

scri

be h

ow �f

ragi

le p

erso

nalit

ies�

is

asso

ciat

ed w

ith th

e ill

ustr

atio

n.

D

The

res

pons

e cl

earl

y id

entif

ies O

NE

el

emen

t.

Thi

s ele

men

t is u

sed

to d

o an

y on

e of

the

follo

win

g

�de

scri

be h

ow �f

ragi

le� i

s ass

ocia

ted

with

the

illus

trat

ion

OR

�de

scri

be h

ow �p

erso

nalit

y� is

as

soci

ated

with

the

illus

trat

ion

OR

�su

gges

t how

�fra

gile

per

sona

litie

s� is

as

soci

ated

with

the

illus

trat

ion.

Mod

el R

espo

nse:

The

idea

of f

ragi

le p

erso

nalit

ies m

ay b

e as

soci

ated

with

this

imag

e du

e to

its u

se o

f mir

rors

on

head

s. T

he fa

ce a

nd h

ead

is th

e m

ain

sour

ce o

f one

�s p

erso

nalit

y. M

irro

rs, w

hich

are

ver

y ea

sily

br

oken

and

frag

ile, h

ave

been

use

d in

pla

ce o

f the

face

s of t

he tw

o fig

ures

. Con

tinui

ng th

is r

eadi

ng

of p

erso

nalit

y th

e m

irro

rs a

lso

allo

w th

e fig

ures

to sh

ield

thei

r un

cert

aint

y fr

om th

e w

orld

as t

hey

refle

ct o

ther

s in

orde

r to

con

form

to so

ciet

y.

Not

es:

1.�F

ragi

le� m

ay b

e un

ders

tood

by

cons

ider

ing

notio

ns su

ch a

s eas

ily b

roke

n/sh

atte

red/

dam

aged

, del

icat

e, b

ritt

le, f

rail,

insu

bsta

ntia

l, un

stab

le, u

nste

ady,

wea

k, v

ulne

rabl

e, n

ot r

esili

ent,

unce

rtai

n, in

secu

re, e

asily

sway

ed/c

hang

ed, d

efen

sive

, uns

ure.

2.�P

erso

nalit

y� m

ay b

e un

ders

tood

by

cons

ider

ing

notio

ns su

ch a

s the

men

tal/e

mot

iona

l/soc

ial c

hara

cter

istic

s of a

n in

divi

dual

, per

sona

l ide

ntity

, qua

lity

of b

eing

a p

erso

n, se

nse

of se

lf, e

go,

bein

g fa

mou

s, ha

ving

stat

us, b

eing

a c

eleb

rity

or

lead

er, b

eing

uni

que/

diff

eren

t.

3.Fo

r th

e pu

rpos

es o

f thi

s mar

king

sche

me

an e

lem

ent i

s und

erst

ood

to b

e an

ele

men

t of t

he il

lust

ratio

n w

ithin

Item

3.

4.To

�des

crib

e ho

w�,

the

resp

onse

mus

t cla

rify

, i.e

. no

gaps

nee

d to

be

fille

d by

the

read

er in

ord

er to

fully

und

erst

and.

To �s

ugge

st h

ow�,

the

resp

onse

mus

t pre

sent

eno

ugh

info

rmat

ion

to p

rovi

de th

e gi

st, g

aps a

re fi

lled

by th

e re

ader

to �g

et� w

hat i

s mea

nt.

5.A

n A

-gra

de r

espo

nse

may

eith

er:

�us

e tw

o el

emen

ts se

para

tely

to d

escr

ibe

how

two

diff

eren

t int

erpr

etat

ions

of �

frag

ile p

erso

nalit

ies�

are

ass

ocia

ted

with

the

illus

trat

ion

or

�us

e tw

o el

emen

ts to

geth

er to

des

crib

e ho

w o

ne in

terp

reta

tion

of �f

ragi

le p

erso

nalit

ies�

is a

ssoc

iate

d w

ith th

e ill

ustr

atio

n.

6.W

here

mor

e el

emen

ts th

an r

equi

red

are

used

in a

res

pons

e, e

.g. t

hree

ele

men

ts a

re u

sed,

rea

d th

e w

hole

res

pons

e an

d gi

ve th

e be

st g

rade

for

whi

ch th

e re

spon

se is

elig

ible

.

7.A

cre

dita

ble

resp

onse

is n

ot in

cons

iste

nt w

ith a

rea

sona

ble

read

ing

of th

e ill

ustr

atio

n an

d re

ason

able

inte

rpre

tatio

n/s o

f �fr

agile

�, �p

erso

nalit

y�, �

frag

ile p

erso

nalit

ies�

.

Las

t Pag

e C

ount


24

Item 4

Commentary

Item 4 is a five-star item that tested achievement in CCEs 41 Hypothesising, 29 Comparing, 31 Interrelating ideas … and 27 Expounding a viewpoint.

This item required students to study the illustrations on two cards, looking for connections between the illustrations. They needed to come up with an idea based on those connections. Students had to elaborate on three connections the illustrations on the cards had with each other. The cue directed students to state their idea and refer to both illustrations in their response.

An A-grade response needed to use both cards and provide three connections. It also needed to state the idea, provide details about both illustrations for each of the three connections and recognise symbolism. The three connections needed to work together to support the one idea.

In some responses there was no elaboration of the connections, i.e. not enough detail about the parts of the cards and what they symbolised. Some responses did not recognise the important distinction between ‘connection’ and ‘idea’ as detailed in the introductory information. This misconception resulted in some responses elaborating on many isolated connections and ideas between the illustrations, rather than using connections together to support one idea.

Students should, for each item, read the introduction and stem carefully. Making notes or highlighting key information might be helpful. In this item, the word ‘elaborate’ meant that the connections had to be fully explained with supporting details for each of the connections.

DA B C N O

100%

E


Model response

.........................................................................................

.........................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

State your idea.

Refer to both illustrations.

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

The two illustrations are associated with the idea that all civilisations will

inevitably fall.

The first connection between the two is the ancient systems being shown. On card A it is

the Ancient Grecian style building and on card B it is a typical monarchy with kings and

queens. This links to the main idea by showing classical systems that are rarely in use in

modern times.

The second connection is the instability of the structures. Card A shows an hourglass,

clearly showing an inevitable destruction. To further this the buildings are made of sand,

showing that they might collapse at any moment. Card B demonstrates similar ideas with

a house of cards that could easily fall over or be destroyed. This supports the idea of the

instability of civilisations, that they have no strong grounding.

The third connection is an omen of destruction evident in the bottom of the illustrations.

In card A this is a crack on the bottom of the hourglass slowly letting the sand leak out.

On card B this is shown by a cunning Jack who appears to be plotting something devious.

These show the idea that civilisations are often brought down from below by things that

inconspicuously leach away at the foundations of society.


26

UN

IT T

HR

EEIT

EM 4

PER

FOR

MA

NC

E D

OM

AIN

Mar

king

Sch

eme

Mar

king

Uni

t 3 2

of 2

N

Res

pons

e is

un

inte

lligi

ble

or d

oes n

ot

satis

fy th

e re

quir

emen

ts

for

any

othe

r gr

ade. O

No

resp

onse

ha

s bee

n m

ade

at a

ny ti

me.

41H

ypot

hesi

sing

29C

ompa

ring

31In

terr

elat

ing

idea

s �27

Exp

ound

ing

a vi

ewpo

int

C

The

res

pons

e us

es b

oth

card

s an

d

�pr

ovid

es O

NE

con

nect

ion

�su

gges

ts a

n id

ea�

prov

ides

det

ails

abo

ut b

oth

illus

trat

ions

for

that

co

nnec

tion

�re

cogn

ises

sym

bolis

m.

The

con

nect

ion

supp

orts

the

sugg

este

d id

ea.

A

The

res

pons

e us

es b

oth

card

s an

d

�pr

ovid

es T

HR

EE

con

nect

ions

�st

ates

the

idea

�pr

ovid

es d

etai

ls a

bout

bot

h ill

ustr

atio

ns fo

r ea

ch o

f the

th

ree

conn

ectio

ns

�re

cogn

ises

sym

bolis

m.

The

TH

RE

E c

onne

ctio

ns w

ork

toge

ther

to su

ppor

t the

one

idea

.

B

The

res

pons

e us

es b

oth

card

s an

d

�pr

ovid

es T

WO

con

nect

ions

�su

gges

ts a

n id

ea�

prov

ides

det

ails

abo

ut b

oth

illus

trat

ions

for

each

of t

he

two

conn

ectio

ns

�re

cogn

ises

sym

bolis

m.

The

TW

O c

onne

ctio

ns w

ork

toge

ther

to su

ppor

t the

su

gges

ted

idea

.

D

The

res

pons

e us

es b

oth

card

s an

d

�pr

ovid

es T

WO

con

nect

ions

�su

gges

ts a

ppro

pria

te id

ea/s

�su

gges

ts h

ow ea

ch o

f the

conn

ectio

ns

has r

elev

ance

to th

e id

ea/s

.

OR

The

res

pons

e, fo

r on

e ca

rd,

�st

ates

an

idea

�

prov

ides

det

ails

to sh

ow h

ow tw

o el

emen

ts o

f the

illu

stra

tion

rela

te

that

car

d to

the

idea

.

E

The

res

pons

e us

es b

oth

card

s an

d

�pr

ovid

es O

NE

con

nect

ion

�su

gges

ts a

ppro

pria

te id

ea�

sugg

ests

how

the

conn

ectio

n ha

s rel

evan

ce to

the

idea

.

OR

The

res

pons

e, fo

r on

e ca

rd,

�st

ates

an

idea

�

prov

ides

det

ails

to sh

ow h

ow o

ne

elem

ent o

f the

illu

stra

tion

rela

tes

that

car

d to

the

idea

.

Mod

el R

espo

nse:

The

two

illus

trat

ions

are

ass

ocia

ted

with

the

idea

that

all

civi

lisat

ions

will

inev

itabl

y fa

ll.

The

firs

t con

nect

ion

betw

een

the

two

is th

e an

cien

t sys

tem

s bei

ng sh

own.

On

card

A it

is th

e A

ncie

nt G

reci

an st

yle

build

ing

and

on c

ard

B it

is a

typi

cal m

onar

chy

with

kin

gs a

nd q

ueen

s. T

his l

inks

to th

e m

ain

idea

by

show

ing

clas

sica

l sys

tem

s tha

t are

rar

ely

in u

se in

mod

ern

times

.T

he se

cond

con

nect

ion

is th

e in

stab

ility

of t

he st

ruct

ures

. Car

d A

show

s an

hour

glas

s, cl

earl

y sh

owin

g an

inev

itabl

e de

stru

ctio

n. T

o fu

rthe

r th

is th

e bu

ildin

gs a

re m

ade

of sa

nd, s

how

ing

that

they

mig

ht c

olla

pse

at a

ny m

omen

t. C

ard

B de

mon

stra

tes s

imila

r id

eas w

ith a

hou

se o

f car

ds th

at c

ould

eas

ily fa

ll ov

er o

r be

des

troy

ed. T

his s

uppo

rts t

he id

ea o

f the

inst

abili

ty o

f civ

ilisa

tions

, tha

t the

y ha

ve n

o st

rong

gro

undi

ng.

The

thir

d co

nnec

tion

is a

n om

en o

f des

truc

tion

evid

ent i

n th

e bo

ttom

of t

he il

lust

ratio

ns. I

n ca

rd A

this

is a

cra

ck o

n th

e bo

ttom

of t

he h

ourg

lass

slow

ly le

ttin

g th

e sa

nd le

ak o

ut. O

n ca

rd B

this

is sh

own

by a

cu

nnin

g Ja

ck w

ho a

ppea

rs to

be

plot

ting

som

ethi

ng d

evio

us. T

hese

show

the

idea

that

civ

ilisa

tions

are

oft

en b

roug

ht d

own

from

bel

ow b

y th

ings

that

inco

nspi

cuou

sly

leac

h aw

ay a

t the

foun

datio

ns o

f soc

iety

.

Not

es:

1.A

con

nect

ion

is a

link

bet

wee

n C

ard

A a

nd C

ard

B.

2.Fo

r th

e A

-gra

de o

nly

the

stat

ed id

ea c

anno

t be

frag

ile/fr

agili

ty, p

erso

nalit

ies,

frag

ile p

erso

nalit

ies,

esca

pism

/esc

ape.

3.Fo

r th

e pu

rpos

es o

f thi

s mar

king

sche

me,

sym

bolis

m is

the

use

of so

met

hing

from

car

d A

and

/or

card

B to

con

vey

extr

a m

eani

ng.

4.Su

gges

ts m

eans

the

resp

onse

pre

sent

s eno

ugh

info

rmat

ion/

evid

ence

to p

rovi

de th

e gi

st, g

aps a

re fi

lled

by th

e re

ader

to �g

et� w

hat i

s mea

nt.

Las

t Pag

e C

ount


Unit FourThe items in this unit are based on different methods for lacing shoes.


Item 5

Commentary

Item 5 is a three-star item that tested achievement in CCEs 51 Identifying shapes in two and three dimensions, 29 Comparing, 17 Estimating numerical magnitude and 32 Deducing.

This item comprised two parts. In part I, students were required to circle number/s to show which lacing diagrams matched three different scenarios. In part II, students had to demonstrate and explain which of two lacing methods would require more lace. This was to be done without measuring. The cue directed students to refer to features of both lacing diagrams.

An A-grade response for part I needed to have the correct response to each of the three scenarios; in part II, a correct comparative statement and correct reasoning to support the statement needed to be provided.

Some responses did not give specific enough information about the nature of the difference in the two lacing methods, i.e. they have the same features except for one diagram having two diagonal sections and the other having two vertical sections. Some responses also stated that diagonals were longer than verticals but did not refer to a right-angled triangle or a rectangle to confirm the statement.

Students should carefully consider whether their explanation fully establishes the validity of their reasoning. Nothing is ‘obviously’ or ‘clearly’ longer, brighter, sharper unless the argument in words, numbers or diagrams makes it so.

A B C D E N O

Item 5 1.4 32.7 39.8 14.0 11.0 1.1

Item 6 5.2 22.3 25.8 22.5 17.7 3.7 2.8


DA B C N O

100%


| Retrospective 2017 QCS Test28

Model response

I. For each of (a), (b) and (c), indicate which lacing method/s match the description given. Circle the relevant figure number/s. (Figure 1 is not included as it has been labelled.)

II. The gap lacing method (Figure 1) and the display lacing method (Figure 2) are to be used to lace shoes that have the same number of eyelet pairs as in the lacing diagrams. The laces will be tightened so that the space between the eyelet flaps is the same for both methods.

Without measuring, clearly demonstrate and explain which of these two lacing methods would require more lace.

..............................................................................................

..............................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

(a) The lacing method/s in which all three of diagonal, horizontal and vertical sections of lace are used.

(b) The lacing method/s in which any vertical sections of lace are hidden from view.

(c) The lacing method/s not able to be used on a shoe with an odd number of eyelet pairs.

Refer to features of both lacing diagrams.

Figure 1 has 8 diagonal, 2 vertical and one horizontal lace sections.

Figure 2 has 10 diagonal and one horizontal lace sections. The difference

between the two lacing methods is 2 diagonals to be compared with 2 vertical sections.

In a right-angled triangle, with horizontal, vertical and diagonal sides, the diagonal is always

the longest. The two diagonals in Figure 2 are longer than the two verticals in Figure 1.

Therefore Figure 2, display lacing, requires more lace.


UN

IT F

OU

RIT

EM 5

PER

FOR

MA

NC

E D

OM

AIN

Mar

king

Sch

eme

Mar

king

Uni

t 4 1

of 6

N

Res

pons

e is

un

inte

lligi

ble

or d

oes n

ot

satis

fy th

e re

quir

emen

ts

for

any

othe

r gr

ade. O

No

resp

onse

ha

s bee

n m

ade

at a

ny ti

me.

51Id

entif

ying

shap

es in

two

and

thre

e di

men

sion

s 29

Com

pari

ng

17E

stim

atin

g nu

mer

ical

mag

nitu

de

32D

educ

ing

C

The

res

pons

e pr

ovid

es

for

part

I

�co

rrec

t ans

wer

s for

all

THR

EE

of (

a) (b

) (c)

.

OR

The

res

pons

e pr

ovid

es

for

part

I

�co

rrec

t ans

wer

for

ON

E o

f (a)

(b) (

c)

for

part

II

�a

corr

ect c

ompa

rativ

e st

atem

ent

�id

entif

ies t

he d

iffer

ence

bet

wee

n th

e la

cing

m

etho

ds.

OR

The

res

pons

e pr

ovid

es

for

part

II

�a

corr

ect c

ompa

rativ

e st

atem

ent

�re

ason

ing

to su

ppor

t the

com

para

tive

stat

emen

t.

A

The

res

pons

e pr

ovid

es

for

part

I

�co

rrec

t ans

wer

s for

all

TH

RE

E o

f (a)

(b) (

c)

for

part

II

�a

corr

ect c

ompa

rativ

e st

atem

ent

�fu

ll re

ason

ing

to su

ppor

t the

com

para

tive

stat

emen

t.

The

rea

soni

ng p

rovi

ded

does

not

dep

end

on

spec

ific

mea

sure

men

ts.

B

The

res

pons

e pr

ovid

es

for

part

I

�co

rrec

t ans

wer

s for

TW

O o

f (a)

(b) (

c)

for

part

II

�a

corr

ect c

ompa

rativ

e st

atem

ent

�re

ason

ing

to su

ppor

t the

com

para

tive

stat

emen

t.

The

reas

onin

g pr

ovid

ed d

oes n

ot d

epen

d on

spec

ific

mea

sure

men

ts.

D

The

res

pons

e pr

ovid

es

for

part

I

�co

rrec

t ans

wer

s for

TW

O o

f (a)

(b) (

c).

OR

The

res

pons

e pr

ovid

es

for

part

I

�co

rrec

t ans

wer

for

ON

E of

(a) (

b) (c

)

for

part

II

�a

corr

ect c

ompa

rativ

e st

atem

ent.

Not

es:

1.R

easo

ning

to su

ppor

t the

cor

rect

com

para

tive

stat

emen

t m

ust i

dent

ify th

at th

e di

ffere

nce

betw

een

the

laci

ng

met

hods

is th

at th

e di

spla

y la

cing

(Fig

ure

2) h

as tw

o di

agon

als w

here

the

gap

laci

ng (F

igur

e 1)

has

two

vert

ical

s an

d th

e di

agon

als a

re lo

nger

than

the

vert

ical

s.

2.Fo

r an

A-g

rade

, ful

l rea

soni

ng to

supp

ort t

he c

orre

ct

com

para

tive

stat

emen

t mus

t be

�rea

soni

ng� t

hat a

lso

uses

th

e pr

oper

ties o

f a r

ight

-ang

led

tria

ngle

or

rect

angl

e to

co

nfir

m th

at a

dia

gona

l is l

onge

r th

an a

ver

tical

.

Mod

el R

espo

nse:

I.

(a)

(b)

(c)

II.

Figu

re 1

has

8 d

iago

nal,

2 ve

rtic

al a

nd o

ne h

oriz

onta

l lac

e se

ctio

ns. F

igur

e 2

has

10 d

iago

nal a

nd o

ne h

oriz

onta

l lac

e se

ctio

ns. T

he d

iffer

ence

bet

wee

n th

e tw

o la

cing

met

hods

is 2

dia

gona

ls to

be

com

pare

d w

ith 2

ver

tical

sect

ions

.In

a r

ight

-ang

led

tria

ngle

, with

hor

izon

tal,

vert

ical

and

dia

gona

l sid

es, t

he

diag

onal

is a

lway

s the

long

est.

The

two

diag

onal

s in

Figu

re 2

are

long

er th

an th

e tw

o ve

rtic

als i

n Fi

gure

1. T

here

fore

Fig

ure

2, d

ispl

ay la

cing

, req

uire

s mor

e la

ce.

Las

t Pag

e C

ount

30

Item 6

Commentary

Item 6 is a four-star item that tested achievement in CCEs 7 Translating one form to another, 37 Applying a progression of steps to achieve the required answer, 49 Perceiving patterns and 60 Sketching and drawing.

In this item, part I required students to interpret written instructions presented in a series of steps and to represent these on a lacing diagram provided for them. The cue directed students to use pencils and details similar to those in the lacing diagrams provided. Part II of the item required students to study a diagram of a lacing method and to write concise instructions for how to create it using structure and language consistent with the lacing instructions given in part I of the item.

The cue directed students to use ‘repeat step …’ where possible and to use written instructions only.

An A-grade response for part I needed to provide a lacing diagram showing all fifteen identified features of the lacing method with no additional lace sections. There had to be no additional annotation on the diagram. For part II, the response needed to provide stand-alone instructions that described all ten features of the lacing method and to show correct use of ‘repeat step …’ at least once. The response had to use structure and language consistent with the instructions given in part I.

For part I, some responses showed diagrams where the lacing began at the top eyelet pair. A statement in the introduction indicated that all lacing methods begin at the bottom eyelet pair and that the path of the lace is always upwards. The part of the cue that required the use of details similar to the lacing diagrams given was not attended to correctly, with some responses using continuous lines or full colour to represent both visible and hidden lace sections on the diagram.

For part II, the instructions for correct positioning of the laces in the diagonal sections — lace A over lace B — and the instructions for threading the lace through the eyelets either up or down were not made clear or were given incorrectly.

Students should read the stem and cue/s of an item carefully, preferably more than once, to identify what they are being asked to do, the information they have been given and its relevance to the problem before beginning the response. Students should remember to read their response and check that it makes sense.

DA B C N O

100%

E



Model response

I. Draw, on the lacing diagram provided, the path of the lace for the lacing method described by the instructions. Do not annotate the diagram further.

step 1. Thread lace end down through the bottom eyelet on the appropriate side and lace end down through the bottom eyelet on the other side.

step 2. Using lace end , run it vertically underneath eyelet flap so it is hidden from view. Thread it up through the top-most eyelet on the same side.

step 3. Using lace end , run it vertically underneath eyelet flap so it is hidden from view. Thread it up through the very next eyelet.

step 4. Run the lace end horizontally to the eyelet across from it. Thread the lace end down through the eyelet.

step 5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until the lace end is threaded up through a top-most eyelet.

Use pencil/s.

Your diagram should use details similar to those in the lacing diagrams given.


II. Look carefully at the lacing diagram below and consider the path of the lace.

Write a set of concise instructions to describe the lacing method shown in the diagram. Use structure and language consistent with the instructions on the opposite page. Do not refer to colours or annotate the diagram further.

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

Use ‘repeat step …’ where possible.

Present only written instructions. Do not supplement with any sketches or arrows.

Step 1.

Step 2.

Step 3.

Step 4.

Step 5.

Step 6.

Thread lace end A up through the bottom eyelet on the appropriate side and lace

end B up through the bottom eyelet on the other side.

Using lace end B run it diagonally underneath the eyelet flap. Thread it up through

next available eyelet on the other side.

Repeat step 2 using lace end A.

Using lace end B, run it vertically over the eyelet flap so that it is visible. Thread it

down through the very next eyelet.

Repeat step 4 using lace end A.

Repeat steps 2 and 3.

UN

IT F

OU

RIT

EM 6

PER

FOR

MA

NC

E D

OM

AIN

Mar

king

Sch

eme

Mar

king

Uni

t 4 2

of 6

N

Res

pons

e is

un

inte

lligi

ble

or d

oes n

ot

satis

fy th

e re

quir

emen

ts

for

any

othe

r gr

ade. O

No

resp

onse

ha

s bee

n m

ade

at a

ny ti

me.

49Pe

rcei

ving

pat

tern

s 60

Sket

chin

g/dr

awin

g7

Tran

slat

ing

from

one

form

to a

noth

er37

App

lyin

g a

prog

ress

ion

of st

eps t

o ac

hiev

e th

e re

quir

ed a

nsw

er

C

The

res

pons

e

for

part

I

�pr

ovid

es a

laci

ng d

iagr

am th

at sh

ows

EL

EV

EN

of t

he fe

atur

es o

f the

laci

ng

met

hod.

for

part

II

�pr

ovid

es in

stru

ctio

ns th

at d

escr

ibe

FIV

E

of th

e fe

atur

es o

f the

laci

ng m

etho

d �

uses

som

e st

ruct

ure

and

lang

uage

co

nsis

tent

with

the

inst

ruct

ions

give

n in

par

t I.

OR

11 5*

The

res

pons

e

for

part

I

�pr

ovid

es a

laci

ng d

iagr

am th

at sh

ows a

ll FI

FTEE

N o

f the

feat

ures

of t

he la

cing

m

etho

d

No

addi

tiona

l lac

e se

ctio

ns a

re sh

own.

OR

15* �

The

res

pons

e

for

part

II

�pr

ovid

es st

and-

alon

e in

stru

ctio

ns th

at

desc

ribe

all

TE

N th

e fea

ture

s of t

he la

cing

m

etho

d �

corr

ectly

use

s �re

peat

�� a

t lea

st o

nce

�us

es so

me

stru

ctur

e an

d la

ngua

ge

cons

iste

nt w

ith th

e in

stru

ctio

nsgi

ven

in p

art I

.� 10

*

A

15*

10*

The

res

pons

e

for

part

I

�pr

ovid

es a

laci

ng d

iagr

am

that

show

s all

FIFT

EE

N o

f th

e fe

atur

es o

f the

laci

ng

met

hod

�sh

ows n

o ad

ditio

nal l

ace

sect

ions

�

has n

o ad

ditio

nal a

nnot

atio

n on

the

diag

ram

.

for

part

II

�pr

ovid

es st

and-

alon

e in

stru

ctio

ns th

at d

escr

ibe

all

TE

N o

f the

feat

ures

of t

he

laci

ng m

etho

d �

corr

ectly

use

s �re

peat

�� a

t le

ast o

nce

�us

es st

ruct

ure

and

lang

uage

co

nsis

tent

with

the

inst

ruct

ions

giv

en in

par

t I.

No

addi

tiona

l ins

truc

tions

are

pr

ovid

ed.

B

The

res

pons

e

for

part

I

�pr

ovid

es a

laci

ng d

iagr

am

that

show

s TH

IRT

EE

N o

f th

e fe

atur

es o

f the

laci

ng

met

hod.

for

part

II

�pr

ovid

es st

and-

alon

e in

stru

ctio

ns th

at d

escr

ibe

SEV

EN

of t

he fe

atur

es o

f the

la

cing

met

hod

�co

rrec

tly u

ses �

repe

at �

� at

leas

t onc

e�

uses

som

e st

ruct

ure

and

lang

uage

con

sist

ent w

ith th

e in

stru

ctio

ns g

iven

in p

art I

.

13

7*

D

The

res

pons

e

for

part

I

�pr

ovid

es a

laci

ng d

iagr

am th

at

show

s NIN

E o

f the

feat

ures

of

the

laci

ng m

etho

d.

OR

9 �

The

res

pons

e

for

part

II

�pr

ovid

es in

stru

ctio

ns th

at

desc

ribe

FIV

E o

f the

feat

ures

of

the

laci

ng m

etho

d�

uses

som

e st

ruct

ure

and

lang

uage

con

sist

ent w

ith th

e in

stru

ctio

ns g

iven

in p

art I

. � 5*

E

The

res

pons

e

for

part

I

�pr

ovid

es a

laci

ng d

iagr

am

that

show

s SE

VE

N o

f the

fe

atur

es o

f the

laci

ng

met

hod.

The

res

pons

e

for

part

II

�pr

ovid

es in

stru

ctio

ns th

at

desc

ribe

FO

UR

of t

he

feat

ures

of t

he la

cing

m

etho

d.

The

res

pons

e

for

part

II

�pr

ovid

es la

cing

inst

ruct

ions

�us

es so

me

stru

ctur

e an

d la

ngua

ge c

onsi

sten

t with

the

inst

ruct

ions

giv

en in

par

t I.7 �

OR

� 4

OR



Mar

king

Sch

eme

Mar

king

Uni

t 4 3

of 6

UN

IT F

OU

RIT

EM 6

Not

es:

1.A

laci

ng d

iagr

am sh

ows v

isib

le la

ce se

ctio

ns a

s ful

l col

our

and/

or c

ontin

uous

line

s and

hid

den

lace

sect

ions

as f

aded

col

our

and/

or d

otte

d lin

es o

r si

mila

r.

2.T

he r

equi

red

feat

ures

of t

he la

cing

met

hod

in p

art I

are

:

a.5

visi

ble

sing

le la

ce h

oriz

onta

ls b

etw

een

the

bott

om fi

ve e

yele

t pai

rs

b.5

hidd

en si

ngle

lace

ver

tical

sect

ions

app

ropr

iate

ly p

lace

d

c.1

hidd

en la

ce se

ctio

n fr

om th

e bo

ttom

eye

let t

o th

e to

p ey

elet

on

side

A

d.2

lace

end

s one

from

eac

h to

p ey

elet

e.no

lace

show

n be

twee

n se

cond

bot

tom

and

thir

d bo

ttom

eye

lets

on

Side

B

f.no

lace

show

n be

twee

n se

cond

top

and

thir

d to

p ey

elet

s on

Side

B.

3.St

and-

alon

e in

stru

ctio

ns d

o no

t ref

er to

col

our

or a

ny a

dded

ann

otat

ions

.

4.T

he r

equi

red

feat

ures

of t

he la

cing

met

hod

in p

art I

I are

:

i.th

e la

ce h

as a

hor

izon

tal s

ectio

n be

twee

n th

e bo

ttom

eye

lets

ii.th

e la

ce c

omes

up

thro

ugh

the

botto

m e

yele

ts

iii.

the

lace

has

dia

gona

ls b

etw

een

the

bott

om tw

o ey

elet

pai

rs

iv.

the

diag

onal

from

lace

end

A is

on

top

of th

e di

agon

al fr

om la

ce e

nd B

v.th

e la

ce c

omes

up

thro

ugh

the

seco

nd b

otto

m e

yele

ts

vi.

the

lace

has

vis

ible

ver

tical

sect

ions

bet

wee

n th

e se

cond

and

thir

d bo

ttom

eye

lets

vii.

the

lace

goe

s dow

n th

roug

h th

e th

ird

bott

om e

yele

ts

viii.

the

lace

has

dia

gona

ls b

etw

een

the

top

two

eyel

ets

ix.

the

diag

onal

from

lace

end

A is

on

top

of th

e di

agon

al fr

om la

ce e

nd B

x.th

e la

ce c

omes

up

thro

ugh

the

top

eyel

ets.

5.�S

truc

ture

and

lang

uage

con

sist

ent w

ith th

e in

stru

ctio

ns g

iven

in p

art I

� use

s ste

ps a

nd te

rms

such

as �

thre

ad�,

�run

the

lace

�, �e

yele

t�, �

eyel

et fl

ap� a

nd �l

ace

end�

. Usi

ng a

noth

er w

ord

for

term

s m

odel

led

in th

e in

stru

ctio

ns in

par

t I w

ould

mea

n th

e re

spon

se a

t bes

t cou

ld h

ave

�som

e st

ruct

ure

and

lang

uage

con

sist

ent w

ith th

e in

stru

ctio

ns g

iven

in p

art I

�.

Mod

el R

espo

nse:

I. II.

Step

1. T

hrea

d la

ce e

nd A

up

thro

ugh

the

botto

m e

yele

t on

the

appr

opri

ate

side

and

lace

end

B u

p th

roug

h th

e bo

ttom

eye

let o

n th

e ot

her

side

.

Step

2. U

sing

lace

end

B r

un it

dia

gona

lly u

nder

neat

h th

e ey

elet

flap

. Thr

ead

it up

thro

ugh

next

av

aila

ble

eyel

et o

n th

e ot

her

side.

Step

3. R

epea

t ste

p 2

usin

g la

ce e

nd A

.

Step

4. U

sing

lace

end

B, r

un it

ver

tical

ly o

ver t

he ey

elet

flap

so th

at it

is v

isib

le. T

hrea

d it

dow

n th

roug

h th

e ve

ry n

ext e

yele

t.

Step

5. R

epea

t ste

p 4

usin

g la

ce e

nd A

.

Step

6. R

epea

t ste

ps 2

and

3.

Las

t Pag

e C

ount

Unit FiveThe item in this unit is based on the poem Follower.


Item 7

Commentary

Item 7 is a four-star item that tested achievement in CCEs 43 Analysing, 31 Interrelating … themes and 28 Empathising.

This item required students to explore the sentiments expressed by the given quotations and describe how those sentiments were conveyed throughout the poem. The introduction to this item informed students that the two quotations focused on relationships between adult children and their fathers. The cue directed students to support their response with specific references to the poem and to the quotations.

An A-grade response needed, for each of the two quotations, to identify a sentiment based on a relationship between a parent and their adult-child, support the sentiment with direct reference to the quotation and then use a non-literal interpretation to explain how the sentiment was communicated throughout the poem. The response had to be consistent with a reasonable reading of the poem and plausible interpretations of the quotations. No contradictory statements could be in the response.

Responses that referred to both quotations without using specific direct reference to support the sentiments, or that referred to the poem without quoting parts of the poem to explain how the sentiment was communicated, could not achieve the highest grade.

In items such as this, students need to ensure they go beyond the literal interpretation of the stimulus pieces. In this case, the focus needed to be on the relationship between a son and his father rather than the literal interpretation of the poem, which told of the father’s skill as a ploughman.

A B C D E N O

Item 7 1.6 9.5 44.2 21.7 11.6 4.4 7.0


DA B C N O

100%

E


36

Model response

Explore the sentiments expressed by the quotations and describe how these sentiments are conveyed throughout the poem.

..........................................................................................

..........................................................................................

..........................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

Support your response with specific references to the poem and to the quotations.

Quotation A is about the admiration a son has for his father. The son wants to be

like him, when he says, ‘I'm worried that I'm not’. This is explored in the poem in the

description of the father at work. ‘His shoulders globed like a full sail strung’ is

about the father’s physical and inner strength. He is ‘an expert’ not only at

ploughing but also as a Dad because he was a caring, gentle father who when the son

‘stumbled’ carried his son ‘on his back’. This is less about ploughing and more about their

relationship. It is clear as an adult the son still admires his father, wanting to have the

same strong character and life values as his Dad.

Quotation B refers to the bittersweet journey that begins with a father looking after a son

and ends with the son caring for his father. The son recalls how he was a ‘nuisance,

tripping, falling’. The poem highlights the devotion in the way the father dealt with his

son’s failings. This is described in Quote B as when ‘a father gives to his son’. In his old

age, the father has become the person ‘who keeps stumbling’ and the son is now left to

look after the once strong father he admired so much. The words ‘when a son gives to his

father, both cry’ create an overwhelming feeling of sadness and regret as the relationship

has completely reversed with the father depending on his grown-up son.


UN

IT F

IVE

ITEM

7

PER

FOR

MA

NC

E D

OM

AIN

Mar

king

Sch

eme

Mar

king

Uni

t 1 2

of 2

N

Res

pons

e is

un

inte

lligi

ble

or d

oes n

ot

satis

fy th

e re

quir

emen

ts

for

any

othe

r gr

ade. O

No

resp

onse

ha

s bee

n m

ade

at a

ny ti

me.

43A

naly

sing

31

Inte

rrel

atin

g �

them

es �

28E

mpa

this

ing

C

The

res

pons

e

for

ON

E q

uota

tion

�id

entif

ies a

sent

imen

t bas

ed o

n a

pare

nt a

nd a

dult-

child

re

latio

nshi

p�

supp

orts

this

sent

imen

t with

dir

ect

refe

renc

e to

the

quot

atio

n�

uses

, with

dir

ect r

efer

ence

to p

art o

f th

e po

em, a

non

-lite

ral

inte

rpre

tatio

n to

exp

lain

how

this

se

ntim

ent i

s com

mun

icat

ed w

ithin

th

e po

em�

is co

nsis

tent

with

a r

easo

nabl

e re

adin

g of

the p

oem

and

a p

laus

ible

in

terp

reta

tion

of th

is q

uota

tion.

OR

The

res

pons

e

for

each

of T

WO

quo

tatio

ns

�id

entif

ies a

sent

imen

t�

links

the

sent

imen

t to

the

poem

by

citin

g pa

rt o

f the

poe

m�

is co

nsis

tent

with

a r

easo

nabl

e re

adin

g of

the p

oem

and

a p

laus

ible

in

terp

reta

tion

of th

e qu

otat

ion.

A

The

res

pons

e

for

each

of T

WO

quo

tatio

ns

�id

entif

ies a

sent

imen

t bas

ed o

n a

pare

nt a

nd a

dult-

child

re

latio

nshi

p�

supp

orts

this

sent

imen

t with

di

rect

ref

eren

ce to

the

quot

atio

n�

uses

, with

dir

ect r

efer

ence

to

part

s of t

he p

oem

, a n

on-li

tera

l in

terp

reta

tion

to e

xpla

in h

ow

this

sent

imen

t is c

omm

unic

ated

w

ithin

the

poem

�is

con

sist

ent w

ith a

rea

sona

ble

read

ing

of th

e po

em a

nd a

pl

ausi

ble

inte

rpre

tatio

n of

the

quot

atio

n.

The

re a

re n

o co

ntra

dict

ory

stat

emen

ts in

the

resp

onse

.

B

The

res

pons

e

for

ON

E qu

otat

ion

�id

entif

ies a

sent

imen

t bas

ed o

n a

pare

nt a

nd a

dult-

child

re

latio

nshi

p�

supp

orts

this

sent

imen

t with

di

rect

ref

eren

ce to

the

quot

atio

n�

uses

, with

dir

ect r

efer

ence

to p

art

of th

e po

em, a

non

-lite

ral

inte

rpre

tatio

n to

exp

lain

how

this

se

ntim

ent i

s com

mun

icat

ed

with

in th

e po

em�

is co

nsis

tent

with

a r

easo

nabl

e re

adin

g of

the

poem

and

a

plau

sibl

e in

terp

reta

tion

of th

is

quot

atio

n.

AN

D

for

the

OTH

ER

quo

tatio

n,

�id

entif

ies a

sent

imen

t�

links

the s

entim

ent t

o th

e poe

m b

y ci

ting

part

of t

he p

oem

�is

cons

iste

nt w

ith a

rea

sona

ble

read

ing

of th

e po

em a

nd a

pl

ausi

ble

inte

rpre

tatio

n of

this

qu

otat

ion.

D

The

res

pons

e

for

each

of T

WO

quo

tatio

ns

�gi

ves a

n in

terp

reta

tion

of th

e qu

otat

ion

�re

late

s the

inte

rpre

tatio

n to

pa

rt o

f the

poe

m.

E

The

res

pons

e

for

ON

E q

uota

tion

�gi

ves a

n in

terp

reta

tion

of th

e qu

otat

ion

�re

late

s the

inte

rpre

tatio

n to

pa

rt o

f the

poe

m.

OR

The

res

pons

e id

entif

ies a

se

ntim

ent a

nd r

elat

es it

to p

art o

f th

e po

em.

Mod

el R

espo

nse:

Quo

tatio

n A

is a

bout

the

adm

irat

ion

a so

n ha

s for

his

fath

er. T

he so

n w

ants

to b

e lik

e hi

m,

whe

n he

says

, �I'

m w

orri

ed th

at I'

m n

ot�.

Thi

s is e

xplo

red

in th

e poe

m in

the d

escr

iptio

n of

th

e fa

ther

at w

ork.

�His

shou

lder

s glo

bed

like

a fu

ll sa

il st

rung

� is a

bout

the

fath

er�s

ph

ysic

al a

nd in

ner

stre

ngth

. He

is �a

n ex

pert

� not

onl

y at

plo

ughi

ng b

ut a

lso

as a

Dad

be

caus

e he

was

a ca

ring

, gen

tle fa

ther

who

whe

n th

e so

n �s

tum

bled

� car

ried

his

son

�on

his

back

�. T

his i

s les

s abo

ut p

loug

hing

and

mor

e ab

out t

heir

rel

atio

nshi

p. It

is c

lear

as a

n ad

ult t

he so

n st

ill a

dmir

es h

is fa

ther

, wan

ting

to h

ave

the

sam

e st

rong

cha

ract

er a

nd li

fe

valu

es a

s his

Dad

.

Quo

tatio

n B

ref

ers t

o th

e bi

tter

swee

t jou

rney

that

beg

ins w

ith a

fath

er lo

okin

g af

ter

a so

n an

d en

ds w

ith th

e so

n ca

ring

for

his f

athe

r. T

he so

n re

calls

how

he

was

a �n

uisa

nce,

tr

ippi

ng, f

allin

g�. T

he p

oem

hig

hlig

hts t

he d

evot

ion

in th

e w

ay th

e fa

ther

dea

lt w

ith h

is

son�

s fai

lings

. Thi

s is d

escr

ibed

in Q

uote

B a

s whe

n �a

fath

er g

ives

to h

is so

n�. I

n hi

s old

ag

e, th

e fa

ther

has

bec

ome

the

pers

on �w

ho k

eeps

stum

blin

g� a

nd th

e so

n is

now

left

to

look

aft

er th

e on

ce st

rong

fath

er h

e ad

mir

ed so

muc

h. T

he w

ords

�whe

n a

son

give

s to

his

fath

er, b

oth

cry�

cre

ate

an o

verw

helm

ing

feel

ing

of sa

dnes

s and

reg

ret a

s the

rel

atio

nshi

p ha

s com

plet

ely

reve

rsed

with

the

fath

er d

epen

ding

on

his g

row

n-up

son.

Not

es:

1.A

sent

imen

t is a

thou

ght o

r fe

elin

g in

tend

ed to

be

conv

eyed

by

wor

ds a

s dis

tingu

ishe

d fr

om th

e w

ords

th

emse

lves

.

2.To

mak

e �d

irec

t ref

eren

ce�,

a re

spon

se m

ust p

rovi

de a

wor

d or

wor

ds fr

om th

e qu

otat

ion/

poem

.

3.To

�cite

� mea

ns th

at a

res

pons

e in

dica

tes a

n ex

trac

t or

othe

r pa

rt o

f the

poe

m.

4.A

n in

terp

reta

tion

is th

e w

ay in

whi

ch th

e po

em a

nd/o

r qu

otat

ions

can

be

read

.

Las

t Pag

e C

ount


38

Unit SixThe items in this unit are based on a contour map of Antarctica and data from the station at Vostok.


Item 8

Commentary

Item 8 is a two-star item that tested achievement in CCEs 16 Calculating with or without calculators and 29 Comparing.

This item required students to consider temperatures recorded at Vostok, a Russian research station in Antarctica. A table showed the mean daily temperature for each month of the year as well as the average daily range between minimum and maximum temperatures for each month. In part I, students were required to state Vostok's warmest month and its coldest month. In part II, students had to estimate the average daily minimum and average daily maximum temperatures for the month of March.

An A-grade response needed to give, for part I, December as the warmest month and August as the coldest month and, for part II, –63.1 as the average daily minimum and –52.3 as the average daily maximum for March. The response could not include any incorrect working.

Some responses indicated little understanding of negative values and gave the lower number as the maximum temperature and the higher number as the minimum temperature.

In this item, values belonging to a month other than March were sometimes used in the response. Students should ensure that they select the correct information from a table.

Model response

A B C D E N O

Item 8 24.0 4.2 60.4 8.9 2.5

Item 9 7.7 13.3 19.0 32.8 21.4 5.8


A B C N O

100%

I. Based on the average mean temperatures listed in the table, state Vostok’s warmest month and its coldest month.

Warmest: .................................... Coldest: ....................................

II. Estimate the average daily minimum and the average daily maximum temperatures for the month of March.

....................................................................................................

....................................................................................................

Average daily minimum: .................. Average daily maximum: ..................

December

–63.1 –52.5

August

min –57 –

= – 63.1

10.62 max –57 +

= – 52.5

10.62


UN

IT S

IX

ITEM

8

PER

FOR

MA

NC

E D

OM

AIN

Mar

king

Sch

eme

Mar

king

Uni

t 4 4

of 6

N

Res

pons

e is

un

inte

lligi

ble

or d

oes n

ot

satis

fy th

e re

quir

emen

ts

for

any

othe

r gr

ade. O

No

resp

onse

ha

s bee

n m

ade

at a

ny ti

me.

16C

alcu

latin

g w

ith o

r w

ithou

t cal

cula

tors

29C

ompa

ring

C

The

res

pons

e pr

ovid

es

for

part

I

�w

arm

est m

onth

is D

ecem

ber

(-31

.8)

�co

ldes

t mon

th is

Aug

ust

OR

(-67

.9)

The

res

pons

e pr

ovid

es

for p

art I

I, al

low

ing

for a

t mos

t one

obs

erva

ble m

inor

erro

r an

d co

nseq

uent

ially

cor

rect

val

ues,

�an

ave

rage

dai

ly m

inim

um fo

r M

arch

�an

ave

rage

dai

ly m

axim

um fo

r M

arch

.

OR

The

res

pons

e pr

ovid

es

for

part

II

�-6

8.4o

as a

vera

ge d

aily

min

imum

for

Mar

ch�

-47.

2o as a

vera

ge d

aily

max

imum

for

Mar

ch.

A

The

res

pons

e pr

ovid

es

for

part

I

�w

arm

est m

onth

is D

ecem

ber

(-31

.8)

�co

ldes

t mon

th is

Aug

ust (

-67.

9)

for

part

II

�-6

3.1o

as a

vera

ge d

aily

min

imum

for

Mar

ch�

-52.

5o as a

vera

ge d

aily

max

imum

for

Mar

ch.

No

inco

rrec

t wor

king

is p

rovi

ded.

B

The

res

pons

e pr

ovid

es

for

part

I

�w

arm

est m

onth

is D

ecem

ber

(-31

.8)

�co

ldes

t mon

th is

Aug

ust (

-67.

9)

for p

art I

I, al

low

ing

for a

t mos

t one

obs

erva

ble m

inor

erro

r an

d co

nseq

uent

ially

cor

rect

val

ues,

�an

ave

rage

dai

ly m

inim

um fo

r M

arch

�an

ave

rage

dai

ly m

axim

um fo

r M

arch

.

OR

The

res

pons

e pr

ovid

es

for

part

I ei

ther

�w

arm

est m

onth

is D

ecem

ber

(-31

.8)

OR

�co

ldes

t mon

th is

Aug

ust (

-67.

9)

for

part

II

�-6

3.1o

as a

vera

ge d

aily

min

imum

for

Mar

ch�

-52.

5o as a

vera

ge d

aily

max

imum

for

Mar

ch.

No

inco

rrec

t wor

king

is p

rovi

ded.

Mod

el R

espo

nse:

I War

mes

t: D

ecem

ber

Col

dest

: Aug

ust

II Aver

age

daily

min

imum

: -63

.1 Av

erag

e da

ily m

axim

um: -

52.5

Not

es:

1.A

n ob

serv

able

min

or e

rror

is a

tran

scri

ptio

n er

ror,

tabl

e re

adin

g er

ror

or a

n in

corr

ect r

esul

t to

a co

rrec

tly st

ated

op

erat

ion.

2.U

sing

a p

ositi

ve a

vera

ge m

ean

tem

pera

ture

is a

seri

ous e

rror

, no

t an

obse

rvab

le m

inor

err

or.

3.O

mitt

ing

the

step

of d

ivid

ing

the

rang

e by

2 is

a se

riou

s er

ror,

not a

n ob

serv

able

min

or e

rror

.

Las

t Pag

e C

ount


40

Item 9

Commentary

Item 9 is a three-star item that tested achievement in CCEs 44 Synthesising, 37 Applying a progression of steps to achieve the required answer, 52 Searching and locating…information and 57 Manipulating/operating/using equipment.

This item comprised two parts. In part I, students were required to interpret a contour map to determine the altitude of various research stations. Some stations were located exactly on a contour line and so required a specific altitude, while others were located between contour lines and required a response within a 500 m range as modelled in the table. In part II, students were required to shade

areas to demonstrate the possible location for a new research station, taking into account restrictions for altitude and distance from supply stations, and then restrictions for the distance the new station could be located from emergency response stations.

The examples given in the table in part I served as a model for how to express both exact altitudes and a range of altitudes. The cue in part II instructed students to use pencil and show all lines pertinent to their decisions. They had to clearly indicate the different areas using a legend.

An A-grade response needed to contain five correct entries in the table in part I. In part II, the response needed to indicate, within allowable tolerances, a Davis-arc and shading in the area between the 3500 m contour line and the Davis-arc, a Mirny-arc and shading between the 3500 m contour line and the Mirny-arc. (A Davis-arc refers to an arc drawn on the map 30 mm away (as per the scale given on the map) from the middle of the X that indicates the Davis supply station. A Mirny-arc refers to an arc drawn 24 mm from the middle of the X that indicates the Mirny emergency-response station.) Arcs had to be drawn so they crossed or touched each relevant part of the 3500 m contour line. Different shading had to be used for the areas and a legend needed to be provided to clearly indicate the different areas.

For part II it was expected that a drawing compass would be used for the arcs to indicate a constant distance from a point. This would have been the most accurate and least time consuming method to use.

Students should make use of any modelling given in an item to assist with their responses. In part I, an exact altitude and a range of altitudes were given in the table as an indicator of how to respond. Giving an estimate of altitude rather than a range does not show understanding of contour lines. Students should remember to read instructions carefully and to follow all directions. In part II of this item, not indicating the significance of the different areas with a legend excluded a response from achieving the highest grade.

Model response

DA B C N O

100%

I. For each station listed below, determine the altitude at which the station is located or the altitudes between which the station is located according to the map in Figure 1. Complete the table below.

station altitude information

Kohnen 2500–3000 m

Belgrano II

South Pole

Vostok

Byrd

Concordia

McMurdo 0 m (at sea level)

0–500

2500–3000

3500

1500

3000–3500


II. On Figure 2, shade the area inside which the new research station could be located according to the altitude and supply-stations requirements. Next, indicate clearly, by further distinct shading, the area within which the new station could be located taking into account the emergency-response restriction.

Use pencil and show all lines pertinent to your decisions. Clearly indicate the different areas using a legend.

Figure 2

Legendsupply-stationrequirements

emergency-responserestriction

3000

3000

40004000

2500

2500

2000

2000

2000

2000

1000

1000

20002000

10001000

00 500500 10001000 20002000kilometreskilometres

Trans Antarctic MountainsIce shelfTrans Antarctic MountainsIce shelf500 metre contours

MawsonMawson

DavisDavis

CaseyCasey

MirnyMirny

ProgressProgress


42

UN

IT S

IXIT

EM 9

PER

FOR

MA

NC

E D

OM

AIN

Mar

king

Sch

eme

Mar

king

Uni

t 4 5

of 6

N

Res

pons

e is

un

inte

lligi

ble

or d

oes n

ot

satis

fy th

e re

quir

emen

ts

for

any

othe

r gr

ade. O

No

resp

onse

ha

s bee

n m

ade

at a

ny ti

me.

44Sy

nthe

sisi

ng

52Se

arch

ing

and

loca

ting

� in

form

atio

n

C

The

res

pons

e

for

part

I

�in

clud

es th

ree

corr

ect e

ntri

es

for

part

II, w

ithin

allo

wab

le to

lera

nces

, in

dica

tes o

ne o

f the

follo

win

g

�a

Dav

is-a

rc

OR

�a

Prog

ress

-arc

OR

�a

Mir

ny-a

rc.

OR

The

res

pons

e

for

part

II, w

ithin

allo

wab

le to

lera

nces

,

�in

dica

tes e

ither

�

a D

avis

-arc

O

R �

a Pr

ogre

ss-a

rc�

has s

hadi

ng in

the

area

bet

wee

n th

e 35

00m

con

tour

line

and

the

arc

draw

n�

indi

cate

s a M

irny

-arc

�ha

s sha

ding

in th

e ar

ea b

etw

een

the

3500

m c

onto

ur li

ne a

nd th

e M

irny

-arc

.

Eac

h ar

ea is

shad

ed d

iffer

ently

.

A

The

res

pons

e

for

part

I

�in

clud

es th

e fiv

e co

rrec

t ent

ries

for

part

II, w

ithin

allo

wab

le to

lera

nces

,

�in

dica

tes a

Dav

is-a

rc�

has s

hadi

ng in

the

area

bet

wee

n th

e 35

00m

con

tour

line

and

the

Dav

is-a

rc

�in

dica

tes a

Mir

ny-a

rc�

has s

hadi

ng in

the

area

bet

wee

n th

e 35

00m

con

tour

line

and

the

Mir

ny-a

rc.

A le

gend

mak

es c

lear

wha

t eac

h of

the

shad

ed a

reas

is r

efer

enci

ng.

Bel

gran

o II

Sout

h Po

le

Vost

ok

Byr

d

Con

cord

ia

0–500

2500–3000

3500

1500

3000–3500

B

The

res

pons

e

for

part

I

�in

clud

es fo

ur c

orre

ct e

ntri

es

for

part

II, w

ithin

allo

wab

le to

lera

nces

,

�in

dica

tes e

ither

�

a D

avis

-arc

O

R �

a Pr

ogre

ss-a

rc�

has s

hadi

ng in

the

area

bet

wee

n th

e 35

00m

con

tour

line

and

the

arc

draw

n�

indi

cate

s a M

irny

-arc

�ha

s sha

ding

in th

e ar

ea b

etw

een

the

3500

m c

onto

ur li

ne a

nd th

e M

irny

-arc

.

Eac

h ar

ea is

shad

ed d

iffer

ently

.

D

The

resp

onse

for

part

I

�in

clud

es th

ree

corr

ect e

ntri

es.

OR

The

resp

onse

for

part

II, w

ithin

allo

wab

le to

lera

nces

, in

dica

tes o

ne o

f the

follo

win

g

�a

Dav

is-a

rc

OR

�a

Prog

ress

-arc

OR

�a

Mir

ny-a

rc.

37A

pply

ing

a pr

ogre

ssio

n of

step

s to

achi

eve

the

requ

ired

ans

wer

57M

anip

ulat

ing/

oper

atin

g/us

ing

equi

pmen

t


Mar

king

Sch

eme

UN

IT S

IXIT

EM 9

Mar

king

Uni

t 4 6

of 6

Mod

el R

espo

nse:

Legend

supply-station

requirements

emergency-response

restriction

300030003000

4000

4000

4000

250025002500 2000

20002000

200020002000

100010001000

200020002000

1000

1000

1000

0050

050

010

0010

0020

0020

00 kilo

met

res

kilo

met

res

Tran

s A

ntar

ctic

Mou

ntai

nsIc

e sh

elf

Tran

s A

ntar

ctic

Mou

ntai

nsIc

e sh

elf

500

met

re c

onto

urs

Maw

son

Maw

son

Dav

isD

avis

Cas

eyC

asey

Mirn

yM

irny

Mirn

y

Prog

ress

Prog

ress

Prog

ress

stat

ion

altit

ude

info

rmat

ion

Koh

nen

2500

–300

0 m

Bel

gran

o II

Sout

h Po

le

Vost

ok

Byr

d

Con

cord

ia

McM

urdo

0 m

(at s

ea le

vel)

0–500

2500–3000

3500

1500

3000–3500

I.II

.

Las

t Pag

e C

ount


44

Unit SevenThe items in this unit are based on an extract from a novel.


Item 10

Commentary

Item 10 is a three-star item that tested achievement in CCEs 26 Explaining to others, 48 Justifying and 43 Analysing.

This item required students to use evidence from the extract to make clear how an atmosphere of eeriness and unease was created. The cue directed students to deal with the contribution of each paragraph.

An A-grade response needed to include evidence from each paragraph and explain how each piece of evidence contributed to the establishment of the atmosphere.

Restating stimulus material — indicating that the evidence provided led to a feeling of eeriness and unease — does not contribute to the quality of a response. In this item the response needed to make clear how the atmosphere was created.

Students should read the stem and cues carefully so that all aspects of the task are addressed.

Model response

A B C D E N O

Item 10 16.8 18.5 33.3 18.9 8.1 4.5

Item 11 1.8 9.0 34.3 29.0 10.7 2.6 12.5


DA B C N O

100%

E

An atmosphere of eeriness and unease develops over the course of the extract. Using evidence from the extract, make clear how that atmosphere is created.

........................................................................................

........................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

Be sure to deal with the contribution of each paragraph.

In the first paragraph, the fact that the key turns with a noise of ‘long

disuse’ suggests that the castle is not often visited and so could be an

unsafe place for the narrator. In the second paragraph, the ‘quivering

shadows’ that are thrown from the lamp add to the atmosphere, since ‘quivering’ is usually

associated with being scared or trembling. In the third paragraph, the old man does not

move to physically greet the main character after beckoning him in, but instead ‘[stands]

like a statue, as though his gesture of welcome [has] fixed him into stone’. This implies that

gestures of goodwill are entirely unnatural for the old man, which might further suggest

that he could be some sort of villain who may wish the narrator harm.


UN

IT S

EVEN

ITEM

10

PER

FOR

MA

NC

E D

OM

AIN

Mar

king

Sch

eme

Mar

king

Uni

t 7 1

of 3

N

Res

pons

e is

un

inte

lligi

ble

or d

oes n

ot

satis

fy th

e re

quir

emen

ts

for

any

othe

r gr

ade. O

No

resp

onse

ha

s bee

n m

ade

at a

ny ti

me.

26E

xpla

inin

g to

oth

ers

48Ju

stify

ing

43A

naly

sing

C

The

res

pons

e

�in

clud

es a

rele

vant

pie

ce o

f evi

denc

e fro

m

two

para

grap

hs�

expl

ains

how

one

of t

hese

pie

ces o

f ev

iden

ce co

ntri

bute

s to

the e

stab

lishm

ent

of th

e at

mos

pher

e �

sugg

ests

a re

latio

nshi

p be

twee

n th

e oth

er

piec

e of

evi

denc

e an

d th

e at

mos

pher

e.

OR

The

res

pons

e

�in

clud

es a

rele

vant

pie

ce o

f evi

denc

e fro

m

each

of t

he th

ree

para

grap

hs�

sugg

ests

a r

elat

ions

hip

betw

een

each

pi

ece

of e

vide

nce

and

the

atm

osph

ere.

A

The

res

pons

e

�in

clud

es a

rele

vant

pie

ce o

f evi

denc

e fro

m

each

of t

he th

ree

para

grap

hs

�ex

plai

ns h

ow e

ach

piec

e of

evi

denc

e co

ntri

bute

s to

the

esta

blis

hmen

t of t

he

atm

osph

ere.

The

res

pons

e is

not

inco

nsis

tent

with

a

reas

onab

le r

eadi

ng o

f the

ext

ract

.

B

The

res

pons

e

�in

clud

es a

rele

vant

pie

ce o

f evi

denc

e fro

m

each

of t

he th

ree

para

grap

hs�

expl

ains

how

eac

h of

two

of th

ese

piec

es

of e

vide

nce

cont

ribu

tes t

o th

e es

tabl

ishm

ent o

f the

atm

osph

ere

�su

gges

ts a

rela

tions

hip

betw

een

the o

ther

pi

ece

of e

vide

nce

and

the

atm

osph

ere.

The

res

pons

e is

not i

ncon

siste

nt w

ith a

re

ason

able

rea

ding

of t

he e

xtra

ct.

D

The

res

pons

e

�ex

plai

ns h

ow a

rele

vant

pie

ce o

f evi

denc

e co

ntri

bute

s to

the

esta

blis

hmen

t of t

he

atm

osph

ere.

OR

The

res

pons

e

�in

clud

es a

rele

vant

pie

ce o

f evi

denc

e fro

m

two

para

grap

hs�

sugg

ests

a r

elat

ions

hip

betw

een

each

pi

ece

of e

vide

nce

and

the

atm

osph

ere.

Not

es:

1.T

he a

tmos

pher

e is

one

of e

erin

ess a

nd u

neas

e �

as s

tate

d in

the

item

.

2.T

he a

tmos

pher

e is

con

side

red

to b

e �f

elt�

onl

y by

the

mai

n ch

arac

ter

(the

nar

rato

r) a

nd/o

r th

e re

ader

. Exp

lana

tions

whi

ch su

gges

t tha

t the

old

man

feel

s a se

nse

of e

erin

ess/

unea

se a

re n

ot c

onsi

sten

t with

a

reas

onab

le r

eadi

ng o

f the

ext

ract

.

3.R

espo

nses

do

not n

eed

to m

ake

spec

ific

men

tion

of th

e at

mos

pher

e, i.

e. e

erin

ess a

nd u

neas

e, fo

r ev

ery

piec

e of

evi

denc

e.

4.A

pie

ce o

f evi

denc

e ca

n be

giv

en a

s a q

uote

or,

if th

e re

fere

nce

is c

lear

and

una

mbi

guou

s, th

roug

h ci

ting

line

num

ber/

s or

by p

arap

hras

ing.

Mod

el R

espo

nse:

In th

e fir

st p

arag

raph

, the

fact

that

the

key

turn

s with

a n

oise

of �

long

dis

use�

sugg

ests

that

the

cast

le is

not

oft

en v

isite

d an

d so

cou

ld b

e an

uns

afe

plac

e fo

r th

e na

rrat

or. I

n th

e se

cond

par

agra

ph, t

he �q

uive

ring

sh

adow

s� th

at a

re th

row

n fr

om th

e la

mp

add

to th

e at

mos

pher

e, si

nce

�qui

veri

ng� i

s usu

ally

ass

ocia

ted

with

bei

ng sc

ared

or

trem

blin

g. In

the

thir

d pa

ragr

aph,

the

old

man

doe

s not

mov

e to

phy

sica

lly g

reet

the

mai

n ch

arac

ter

afte

r be

ckon

ing

him

in, b

ut in

stea

d �[

stan

ds] l

ike

a st

atue

, as t

houg

h hi

s ges

ture

of w

elco

me

[has

] fix

ed h

im in

to st

one�

. Thi

s im

plie

s tha

t ges

ture

s of g

oodw

ill a

re e

ntir

ely

unna

tura

l for

the

old

man

, whi

ch m

ight

furt

her

sugg

est t

hat h

e co

uld

be so

me

sort

of v

illai

n w

ho m

ay w

ish

the

narr

ator

har

m.

Last

Pag

e C

ount


46

Item 11

Commentary

Item 11 is a four-star item that tested achievement in CCEs 21 Structuring … extended written text, 50 Visualising, 10 Using vocabulary appropriate to a context and 28 Empathising.

This item required students to continue on from the extract, writing a paragraph giving specific details of the courtyard and of the old man. The paragraph had to be in keeping with the style, atmosphere and characters of the extract. The cue directed students to use vocabulary to effect and not to use direct speech or introduce any new characters.

An A-grade response needed to provide a well-crafted paragraph that followed on from the extract; contributed effective description of the courtyard surrounds that was contextually relevant and conceivable; enhanced the portrayal of the old man in a manner consistent with the extract; evoked an atmosphere of eeriness or unease; was written in first person and past tense and used vocabulary to effect. The setting had to be at night and in the nineteenth century. The paragraph could contain no new characters or direct speech. Only minor lapses in the use of grammar, punctuation and spelling were acceptable.

Generally, responses provided a narrative including details that allowed a reader to visualise the setting and the old man. Some responses cited neglected gardens, disconcerting sounds and shadows in the courtyard. The old man quite commonly had a limp and his facial expressions (or lack thereof) created suspense, fear or trepidation. Some responses however, provided a description of only one of the courtyard or the old man. Such responses could not be awarded an A- or B-grade.

Students should remember that stems and cues provide important directions. In this item, a descriptive text of an indoor space would not be consistent with the instruction in the stem to set the narrative in a courtyard. The cue, which gave clear instructions not to use direct speech, was sometimes disregarded, which made responses containing direct speech ineligible for an A-grade.

DA B C N O

100%

E


Model response

Continue on from the extract by composing your version of the next paragraph. The paragraph should focus on the narrator’s observations of his surroundings and of the old man from the time the narrator goes through the great door to just before they both enter the main building. The paragraph should be in keeping with the style, atmosphere and characters of the extract.

......................................................................................

......................................................................................

......................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

Use vocabulary to effect.

Do not use direct speech or introduce any new characters.

Cautiously, I looked around while the old man stared at me expectantly.

Under his scrutinising stare, not a single word came to my lips. His hands

twitched by his sides, then suddenly he seemed to remember himself, and

gave a smile that did not reach to his eyes, before beckoning me to follow him. The great grey

walls of the courtyard rose up like sleepy lions around me — I felt trapped. The old man’s

heavy footfalls were the only sounds that punctuated the oppressive stale air. Time seemed

to inch by slowly between these big grey walls, and I was mesmerised by the man’s swishing

black coat moving in slow motion. I smelt the mustiness of it all — no one, I’m certain no-one

had been here for quite some time. The tension was palpable - I had to drive my legs forward

consciously until we — a strange pair — arrived at two wooden doors, larger than the first,

standing guard. What was within?


48

UN

IT S

EVEN

ITEM

11

PER

FOR

MA

NC

E D

OM

AIN

Mar

king

Sch

eme

Mar

king

Uni

t 7 2

of 3

N

Res

pons

e is

uni

ntel

ligib

le

or d

oes n

ot sa

tisfy

the

requ

irem

ents

for a

ny o

ther

gr

ade.

O

No r

espo

nse h

as b

een

mad

e at

any

tim

e.

21St

ruct

urin

g �

ext

ende

d w

ritt

en te

xt50

Vis

ualis

ing

10U

sing

voc

abul

ary

appr

opri

ate

to a

con

text

28E

mpa

this

ing

C

The

res

pons

e

�co

ntri

bute

s fea

sibl

e de

scri

ptio

ns o

f the

su

rrou

nds

�ad

ds to

the

port

raya

l of t

he o

ld m

an�

conv

eys s

ome

sens

e of

eer

ines

s/un

ease

�ad

here

s to

thre

e of

the

four

par

amet

ers

�is

wri

tten

in fi

rst p

erso

n an

d/or

in p

ast t

ense

.

In th

e m

ain,

any

laps

es in

the

use

of g

ram

mar

, pu

nctu

atio

n or

spel

ling

do n

ot d

etra

ct fr

om th

e re

adab

ility

of t

he r

espo

nse.

OR

The

res

pons

e

�fo

llow

s on

from

the

extr

act

EIT

HE

R

�co

ntri

bute

s eff

ectiv

e de

scri

ptio

n of

the

cour

tyar

d su

rrou

nds t

hat i

s con

text

ually

re

leva

nt a

nd c

once

ivab

le

OR �

enha

nces

the

port

raya

l of t

he o

ld m

an in

a

man

ner

cons

iste

nt w

ith th

e ex

trac

t�

evok

es a

n at

mos

pher

e of

eer

ines

s/un

ease

�ad

here

s to

thre

e of

the

four

par

amet

ers

�is

wri

tten

in fi

rst p

erso

n an

d in

pas

t ten

se.

In th

e m

ain,

any

laps

es in

the

use

of g

ram

mar

, pu

nctu

atio

n or

spel

ling

do n

ot d

etra

ct fr

om th

e re

adab

ility

of t

he r

espo

nse.

A

The

res

pons

e

�pr

ovid

es a

wel

l-cra

fted

pa

ragr

aph

that

follo

ws o

n fr

om

the

extr

act

�co

ntri

bute

s eff

ectiv

e de

scri

ptio

n of

the

cour

tyar

d su

rrou

nds t

hat

is c

onte

xtua

lly r

elev

ant a

nd

conc

eiva

ble

�en

hanc

es th

e por

tray

al o

f the

old

m

an in

a m

anne

r con

sist

ent w

ith

the

extr

act

�ev

okes

an

atm

osph

ere

of

eeri

ness

/une

ase

�ad

here

s to

all f

our

para

met

ers

�is

wri

tten

in fi

rst p

erso

n an

d in

pa

st te

nse

�us

es v

ocab

ular

y to

effe

ct.

Any

min

or la

pses

in th

e us

e of

gr

amm

ar, p

unct

uatio

n or

spel

ling

do n

ot d

etra

ct fr

om th

e rea

dabi

lity

of th

e re

spon

se.

B

The

res

pons

e

�fo

llow

s on

from

the

extr

act

�co

ntri

bute

s des

crip

tion

of th

e co

urty

ard

surr

ound

s tha

t is c

onte

xtua

lly r

elev

ant a

nd

conc

eiva

ble

�ad

ds to

the

port

raya

l of t

he o

ld m

an in

a m

anne

r co

nsis

tent

with

the

extr

act

�ev

okes

an

atm

osph

ere

of e

erin

ess/

unea

se�

adhe

res t

o al

l fou

r pa

ram

eter

s�

is w

ritt

en in

firs

t per

son

and

in p

ast t

ense

.

In th

e m

ain,

any

laps

es in

the

use

of g

ram

mar

, pu

nctu

atio

n or

spel

ling

do n

ot d

etra

ct fr

om th

e re

adab

ility

of t

he r

espo

nse.

OR

The

res

pons

e

�pr

ovid

es a

wel

l-cra

fted

para

grap

h th

at fo

llow

s on

from

the

extr

act

�co

ntri

bute

s eff

ectiv

e des

crip

tion

of th

e cou

rtya

rd

surr

ound

s tha

t is c

onte

xtua

lly r

elev

ant a

nd

conc

eiva

ble

�ad

ds to

the

port

raya

l of t

he o

ld m

an in

a m

anne

r co

nsis

tent

with

the

extr

act

�ev

okes

an

atm

osph

ere

of e

erin

ess/

unea

se�

adhe

res t

o th

e fir

st th

ree

of th

e fo

ur p

aram

eter

s�

is w

ritt

en in

firs

t per

son

and

in p

ast t

ense

�us

es v

ocab

ular

y to

eff

ect.

In th

e m

ain,

any

min

or la

pses

in th

e us

e of

gr

amm

ar, p

unct

uatio

n or

spel

ling

do n

ot d

etra

ct

from

the

read

abili

ty o

f the

res

pons

e.

D

The

res

pons

e

EIT

HE

R

�co

ntri

bute

s fea

sibl

e de

scri

ptio

n of

the

surr

ound

s

OR �

adds

to th

e por

tray

al o

f the

ol

d m

an

�al

lude

s to

an a

tmos

pher

e of

ee

rine

ss/u

neas

e�

is w

ritt

en in

firs

t per

son

and/

or in

pas

t ten

se.

E

The

res

pons

e co

ntri

bute

s id

eas a

bout

EIT

HE

R

�th

e su

rrou

nds

OR �

the

old

man

OR �

an a

tmos

pher

e of

ee

rine

ss/u

neas

e

that

mes

h w

ith th

e st

ory.

Not

e:1.

The

four

par

amet

ers a

re:

�ni

ght t

ime

�se

t in

the

19th

cen

tury

�no

new

cha

ract

ers

�no

dir

ect s

peec

h.


Mar

king

Sch

eme

Mar

king

Uni

t 7 3

of 3

UN

IT S

EVEN

ITEM

11

Not

es:

1.Se

e pa

ge 1

.

2.T

he c

ourt

yard

is th

e ar

ea b

etw

een

the

grea

t doo

r an

d th

e en

try

to th

e m

ain

build

ing

(as i

ndic

ated

in th

e ite

m).

a. A

res

pons

e th

at is

set i

n a

room

giv

es a

des

crip

tion

of �s

urro

unds

� not

�cou

rtya

rd su

rrou

nds�

.b.

A r

espo

nse

in w

hich

the

narr

ator

and

the

old

man

ent

er th

e co

urty

ard

via

an a

nter

oom

/ves

tibul

e is

elig

ible

for

all g

rade

s.c.

A r

espo

nse

that

des

crib

es a

roo

m th

roug

h w

hich

the

narr

ator

and

the

old

man

wal

k, b

ut th

en su

bseq

uent

ly d

escr

ibes

the

cour

tyar

d, is

elig

ible

for

any

grad

e ot

her

than

A-g

rade

.d.

A r

espo

nse

that

has

the

narr

ator

des

crib

ing

the

cour

tyar

d he

goe

s thr

ough

, the

n go

ing

insi

de th

e m

ain

build

ing,

is e

ligib

le fo

r an

y gr

ade

othe

r th

an A

-gra

de.

Mod

el R

espo

nses

:1.

Cau

tious

ly, I

look

ed a

roun

d w

hile

the

old

man

star

ed a

t me

expe

ctan

tly. U

nder

his

scru

tinisi

ng st

are,

not

a si

ngle

wor

d ca

me

to m

y lip

s. H

is h

ands

twitc

hed

by h

is si

des,

then

sudd

enly

he

seem

ed to

rem

embe

r hi

mse

lf, a

nd g

ave

a sm

ile th

at d

id n

ot

reac

h to

his

eyes

, bef

ore

beck

onin

g m

e to

follo

w h

im. T

he g

reat

gre

y w

alls

of t

he c

ourt

yard

ros

e up

like

slee

py li

ons a

roun

d m

e �

I fe

lt tr

appe

d. T

he o

ld m

an�s

hea

vy fo

otfa

lls w

ere

the

only

soun

ds th

at p

unct

uate

d th

e op

pres

sive

stal

e ai

r. Ti

me

seem

ed to

inch

by

slow

ly b

etw

een

thes

e bi

g gr

ey w

alls,

and

I w

as m

esm

eris

ed b

y th

e m

an�s

swis

hing

bla

ck c

oat m

ovin

g in

sl

ow m

otio

n. I

smel

t the

mus

tines

s of i

t all

� n

o on

e, I�

m c

erta

in n

o-on

e ha

d be

en h

ere

for

quite

som

e tim

e. T

he te

nsio

n w

as

palp

able

- I h

ad to

dri

ve m

y le

gs fo

rwar

d co

nsci

ousl

y un

til w

e �

a st

rang

e pa

ir �

arr

ived

at t

wo

woo

den

door

s, la

rger

than

th

e fir

st, s

tand

ing

guar

d. W

hat w

as w

ithin

?

2.T

he g

reat

doo

r cl

osed

beh

ind

me,

with

a sq

ueak

of t

he h

inge

s the

n a

clan

g as

the

door

rea

ched

the

fram

e. I

follo

wed

in h

is

foot

step

s, co

mfo

rted

onl

y by

the

light

that

flic

kere

d in

his

han

d. I

notic

ed h

e ha

d a

limp,

all

his f

ragi

le b

ones

thud

ding

to th

e le

ft si

de a

s his

rig

ht h

eld

stro

ng. T

he c

ourt

yard

wal

ls �

bat

tere

d an

d br

uise

d �

wer

e cr

acke

d an

d w

ere

hung

with

unk

empt

vi

nes c

reat

ing

a di

spla

y of

gre

y an

d gr

een.

No-

one

tend

ed th

is u

nlov

ed g

arde

n. A

s we

wal

ked

acro

ss th

e gr

ass i

t cru

nche

d be

neat

h us

, lik

e dr

y bo

nes c

rack

ing.

In th

e di

stan

ce w

as a

onc

e ta

ll an

d liv

ely

build

ing,

now

dro

opin

g an

d fr

agile

. Our

pat

h le

d us

to it

; the

cra

cks i

n th

e w

all g

row

ing

larg

er a

s we

appr

oach

ed th

e en

tran

ce.

Las

t Pag

e C

ount


50

Unit EightThe items in this unit are based on information about farming wheat.


Item 12

Commentary

Item 12 is a three-star item that tested achievement in CCEs 17 Estimating numerical magnitude, 16 Calculating with or without calculators and 20 Setting out/presenting/arranging/displaying.

This item required students to estimate the number of wheat plants that could theoretically grow in one hectare of a field based on given data about row spacing and seed planting rate. The cue directed students to show all steps and to label steps to indicate what was being calculated.

An A-grade response needed to provide 800000 as the number of wheat plants. The response needed to show evidence that consistent units were correctly used and valid operations were correctly executed. A clear indication of what was being calculated had to be provided. Incorrect working or invalid operations could not be used to obtain the number of wheat plants.

Some responses showed that converting units successfully was a difficult part of this item, e.g. 1 metre was often converted to 1000 centimetres instead of 100 centimetres. Another misuse of units occurred when attempts were made to combine length and area units, e.g. multiplying 14.2 seeds per metre by 10000 square metres. The cue to provide labels to indicate what was being calculated was generally well followed.

Students should remember to convert units so that consistent units are used when completing operations. They should attend to all cues, as these are given to assist with producing a well-organised response.

Model response

A B C D E N O

Item 12 35.9 11.7 10.5 20.9 14.0 7.0

Item 13 14.1 8.0 22.9 9.9 10.5 15.8 18.7

Item 14 31.9 3.7 13.0 10.9 21.6 18.9


DA B C N O

100%

Estimate, to the nearest 100 000 plants, the number of wheat plants that theoretically could grow in each hectare of the field if the seeds were planted as described.

........................................................................................

........................................................................................

........................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

Show all steps.

Label steps to indicate what is being calculated. Number of rows in one hectare = = 571.4 or approximately 571 rows 10 000

17.5-----------------

Number of plants in each row in a hectare = 14.2 x 100 = 1420

Width of one hectare = 100 x 100 = 10 000 cm

Total number of plants in one hectare = 571 x 1420 = 810 820

Theoretically, 800 000 plants could grow in one hectare.


UN

IT E

IGH

TIT

EM 1

2

PER

FOR

MA

NC

E D

OM

AIN

Mar

king

Sch

eme

Mar

king

Uni

t 2 2

of 5

N

Res

pons

e is

un

inte

lligi

ble

or d

oes n

ot

satis

fy th

e re

quir

emen

ts

for

any

othe

r gr

ade. O

No

resp

onse

ha

s bee

n m

ade

at a

ny ti

me.

17E

stim

atin

g nu

mer

ical

mag

nitu

de16

Cal

cula

ting

with

or

with

out c

alcu

lato

rs20

Sett

ing

out/p

rese

ntin

g/ar

rang

ing/

disp

layi

ng C

The

res

pons

e sh

ows

�th

e us

e of

a v

alid

ope

ratio

n to

find

a

num

ber

of r

ows

�ev

iden

ce o

f one

oth

er v

alid

ope

ratio

n us

ing

the

num

ber

of se

eds p

er m

etre

.

A

The

res

pons

e

�pr

ovid

es 8

00 00

0 as

the

estim

ate

of

num

ber

of p

lant

s�

show

s evi

denc

e of

cor

rect

ly u

sing

co

nsis

tent

uni

ts

�sh

ows c

orre

ctly

exec

uted

val

id o

pera

tions

�cl

earl

y in

dica

tes w

hat i

s bei

ng c

alcu

late

d.

No

inco

rrec

t wor

king

or

inva

lid o

pera

tions

ar

e us

ed to

obt

ain

the

num

ber

of p

lant

s.

B

The

res

pons

e, a

llow

ing

for

at m

ost o

ne

obse

rvab

le m

inor

err

or a

nd

cons

eque

ntia

lly c

orre

ct v

alue

s,

�pr

ovid

es a

rea

sona

ble

num

ber

of p

lant

s �

show

s evi

denc

e of

usi

ng c

onsi

sten

t uni

ts

�sh

ows n

eces

sary

, val

id o

pera

tions

.

No

inva

lid o

pera

tions

are

use

d to

obt

ain

the

num

ber

of p

lant

s.

D

The

res

pons

e sh

ows o

ne o

f

�th

e us

e of

a v

alid

ope

ratio

n us

ing

the

num

ber

of se

eds p

er m

etre

O

R �

the

use

of a

val

id o

pera

tion

usin

g th

e di

stan

ce b

etw

een

the

row

s.

Not

es:

1.�S

eeds

� and

�pla

nts�

are

inte

rcha

ngea

ble

in th

is it

em.

2.A

val

id o

pera

tion

is o

ne th

at w

ould

be

part

of a

solu

tion

if ex

ecut

ed c

orre

ctly

.

3.Pr

ovid

ing

a ro

unde

d nu

mbe

r of

pla

nts i

s a r

equi

rem

ent f

or th

e A

-gra

de o

nly.

4.A

rea

sona

ble

num

ber

is o

ne th

at c

ould

be

sens

ibly

rou

nded

to th

e ne

ares

t 100

000,

e.

g. if

the

resu

lt w

as 2

50 th

is w

ould

not

be

cons

ider

ed a

reas

onab

le n

umbe

r. A

val

ue

less

than

50 0

00 is

not

con

side

red

to b

e a

reas

onab

le n

umbe

r.

5.A

n ob

serv

able

min

or e

rror

is a

n in

corr

ect r

esul

t to

a co

rrec

tly st

ated

ope

ratio

n or

a

tran

scri

ptio

n er

ror.

6.A

con

vers

ion

erro

r or

the

omis

sion

of a

ny n

eces

sary

con

vers

ion/

s, is

a se

riou

s err

or,

not a

n ob

serv

able

min

or e

rror

.

Mod

el R

espo

nse:

(le

ngth

-bas

ed m

etho

d)N

umbe

r of

pla

nts i

n ea

ch r

ow in

a h

ecta

re =

Wid

th o

f one

hec

tare

=

Num

ber

of r

ows i

n on

e he

ctar

e =

= 5

71.4

or

appr

oxim

atel

y 57

1 ro

ws

Tota

l num

ber

of p

lant

s in

one

hect

are

=

The

oret

ical

ly, 8

00 00

0 pl

ants

cou

ld g

row

in o

ne h

ecta

re.

Mod

el R

espo

nse:

(a

rea-

base

d m

etho

d)

Num

ber

of r

ows i

n 1

met

re w

idth

=

= 5

.714

Num

ber

of se

eds p

lant

ed in

1 m

etre

of r

ow =

14.

2

Num

ber

of se

eds p

lant

ed in

1 m

2 =

Tota

l are

a is

1 h

ecta

re =

10 0

00 m

2

Num

ber

of se

eds p

lant

ed in

1 h

ecta

re =

=

811 3

88

800

000

seed

s cou

ld b

e pl

ante

d.

14.2

100

1420

=

100m

100

1000

0cm

=

1000

0 17

.5----

--------

------ 57

114

20

810

820

=

10.

175

--------

-----

5.71

414

.2

81.1

388

=

81.1

388

1000

0

Las

t Pag

e C

ount


52

Item 13

Commentary

Item 13 is a four-star item that tested achievement in CCEs 32 Reaching a conclusion which is necessarily true provided a given set of assumptions is true, 37 Applying a progression of steps to achieve the required answer and 16 Calculating with or without calculators.

This item required students to determine how much seed, to the nearest kilogram, would have to be purchased to ensure that the desired number of productive wheat plants in each hectare would be achieved. The cue directed students to show all steps and to label steps to indicate what was being calculated.

An A-grade response needed to provide 58 or 59 as the number of kilograms of seed to be purchased per hectare. The response needed to clearly indicate what was being calculated in each step of a method that correctly used all six data pieces given in the stimulus material. Incorrect working or invalid operations could not be used to obtain the amount of seed.

Many responses indicated that correctly working with two percentages was the most difficult part of this item. Incorrect ways of using the 90% germination rate and the 70% production rate from germinated seed were evident in responses. 70% of 90% of a value is equivalent to 63% of the value.

The direction in the cue to provide labels to indicate what was being calculated was well followed, which was encouraging to see, as cues are intended to aid students in responding in the best way possible. In this item there were six data pieces that had to be used to provide the correct response, and by labelling each operation students were better able to manage their progress to the solution.

Model response

DA B C N O

100%

E

Calculate the amount of seed that must be purchased for each hectare of the fields that will be under wheat so the desired number of productive wheat plants will be achieved. Give the amount of seed to be purchased to the nearest kilogram.

........................................................................................

........................................................................................

........................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

Show all steps.

Label steps to indicate what is being calculated.

Number of seeds for 18 productive plants per metre of row is =

= 28.57 or 29

seeds to be purchased 550 x 100 x 29 = 1595 000

weight of seeds is = 59.07

Amount of seed needed is 59 kg.

180.9 x 0.7

1595 00027 000


UN

IT E

IGH

TIT

EM 1

3

PER

FOR

MA

NC

E D

OM

AIN

Mar

king

Sch

eme

Mar

king

Uni

t 2 3

of 5

N

Res

pons

e is

un

inte

lligi

ble

or d

oes n

ot

satis

fy th

e re

quir

emen

ts

for

any

othe

r gr

ade. O

No

resp

onse

ha

s bee

n m

ade

at a

ny ti

me.

32R

each

ing

a co

nclu

sion

whi

ch is

nec

essa

rily

true

pro

vide

d a

give

n se

t of a

ssum

ptio

ns is

true

37A

pply

ing

a pr

ogre

ssio

n of

step

s to

achi

eve

the

requ

ired

ans

wer

16C

alcu

latin

g w

ith o

r w

ithou

t cal

cula

tors

C

The

res

pons

e sh

ows e

vide

nce

that

FO

UR

of t

he d

ata

piec

es

have

bee

n us

ed m

eani

ngfu

lly.

A

The

res

pons

e

�pr

ovid

es a

met

hod

whi

ch

dete

rmin

es 5

8 or 5

9 as t

he am

ount

of

seed

to b

e pu

rcha

sed

per

ha�

corr

ectly

use

s AL

L o

f the

dat

a pi

eces

�cl

earl

y in

dica

tes w

hat i

s bei

ng

calc

ulat

ed.

No

inco

rrec

t inf

orm

atio

n or

w

orki

ng is

use

d to

obt

ain

the

amou

nt o

f see

d to

be

purc

hase

d.

B

The

res

pons

e, a

llow

ing

for

at m

ost

one

obse

rvab

le m

inor

err

or a

nd

cons

eque

ntia

lly c

orre

ct v

alue

s,

�pr

ovid

es a

met

hod

whi

ch

dete

rmin

es th

e kg

of s

eed

to b

e pu

rcha

sed

per

ha

�co

rrec

tly u

ses F

IVE

of t

he d

ata

piec

es.

D

The

resp

onse

show

s evi

denc

e th

at T

HR

EE o

f the

dat

a pi

eces

ha

ve b

een

used

mea

ning

fully

.

E

The

res

pons

e sh

ows e

vide

nce

that

TW

O o

f the

dat

a pi

eces

hav

e be

en u

sed

mea

ning

fully

.

Not

es:

1.T

he d

ata

piec

es a

re:

�90

% (p

erce

ntag

e of

seed

s tha

t will

ger

min

ate)

�70

% (p

erce

ntag

e of

ger

min

ated

seed

s tha

t will

bec

ome

prod

uctiv

e)

�18

(num

ber

of p

rodu

ctiv

e w

heat

pla

nts r

equi

red)

�55

0 (n

umbe

r of

row

s)

�10

0 (w

idth

of f

ield

)

�27

000

(see

ds p

er k

g)

2.A

n ob

serv

able

min

or e

rror

is a

n in

corr

ect r

esul

t to

a co

rrec

tly st

ated

ope

ratio

n or

a

tran

scri

ptio

n er

ror.

3.A

dat

a pi

ece

is u

sed

mea

ning

fully

, if w

here

it is

use

d is

abl

e to

form

par

t of a

com

plet

e so

lutio

n if

corr

ectly

exe

cute

d.

Mod

el R

espo

nses

:

1.N

umbe

r of

seed

s for

18

prod

uctiv

e pl

ants

per

met

re o

f row

is

= 2

8.57

or

29

seed

s to

be p

urch

ased

wei

ght o

f see

ds is

Am

ount

of s

eed

need

ed is

59

kg.

2.m

= 1

800

plan

ts p

er r

ow

row

s = 9

90 00

0 pr

oduc

tive

whe

at p

lant

s per

hec

tare

1 kg

= 2

7 000

seed

s

90%

ger

min

ate

= =

24 30

0 se

eds g

erm

inat

e pe

r kg

70%

to b

ecom

e pr

oduc

tive

plan

ts =

=

17 01

0 pr

oduc

tive

seed

s per

kg

For

990 0

00 p

rodu

ctiv

e se

eds

ther

efor

e ne

ed to

pur

chas

e 58

kg

of se

eds.

180.

90.

7----

--------

---------

550

100

2915

9500

0=

1595

000

2700

0

--------

--------

------

59

.07

=

1810

0

1800

550

0.9

2700

0

0.7

2430

0

990

000

17 0

10

--------

--------

----

58.2

=

Las

t Pag

e C

ount


54

Item 14

Commentary

Item 14 is a three-star item that tested achievement in CCEs 19 Substitution into formulae, 16 Calculating with or without calculators, 45 Judging and 32 Deducing.

This item required students to discuss whether a large conical pile of wheat, 7.75 metres high, contains enough grain to supply a flour mill with 1500000 kg of wheat, given that wheat grain weighs 800 kg per cubic metre. Students needed to justify their conclusion. The cue directed students to show all steps and to clearly state their conclusion.

An A-grade response needed to show correct determination of value/s to compare the amount stored in the wheat pile with the amount needed by the mill and give the correct conclusion. The response also had to show that the relationship between the height and the radius of the pile was attended to correctly and that substitution into the volume formula was correctly executed.

Some responses provided an incorrect calculation to determine the radius of the pile. The ratio of height to radius was given as 0.5, therefore the height had to be doubled to find the value for the radius. Responses that compared weights of the pile and mill requirement needed only to determine the weight of the pile from the volume. However other responses compared attributes such as the volume of the pile and so had to determine both that and the volume required by the mill.

Students should be aware that if a mathematical formula is provided in an item its use is likely to be part of the response. Using consistent units correctly is an important skill. In this item, for example, attempts were made to provide the conclusion by comparing a volume with a weight rather than by comparing values having the same units — value in kilograms can only be meaningfully compared with a corresponding value in kilograms.

Model response

DA B C N O

100%

Discuss whether the farm business will have enough wheat grain from their last harvest tobe able to supply the amount required by the flour mill. Their conical pile is 7.75 metres high and wheat grain weighs 800 kg/m3. Justify your conclusion.

........................................................................................

........................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

Show all steps.

Clearly state your conclusion.

r =

v =

=

Weight =

So r = = 15.5

= 1949.8 m3

1949.8 x 800 = 1 559 840 kg

Yes they have.

h0.5π r2 h

3π x 15.52 x 7.75

3

7.750.5


UN

IT E

IGH

TIT

EM 1

4

PER

FOR

MA

NC

E D

OM

AIN

Mar

king

Sch

eme

Mar

king

Uni

t 2 4

of 5

N

Res

pons

e is

un

inte

lligi

ble

or d

oes n

ot

satis

fy th

e re

quir

emen

ts

for

any

othe

r gr

ade. O

No

resp

onse

ha

s bee

n m

ade

at a

ny ti

me.

19Su

bstit

utin

g in

form

ulae

45Ju

dgin

g

16C

alcu

latin

g w

ith o

r w

ithou

t cal

cula

tors

32D

educ

ing

C

The

res

pons

e

�sh

ows e

vide

nce

of u

sing

the

h an

d r

rela

tions

hip

�sh

ows c

orre

ct su

bstit

utio

n in

to th

e vo

lum

e fo

rmul

a�

dete

rmin

es r

equi

red

valu

e/s f

or a

cr

edita

ble

com

pari

son

�pr

ovid

es a

con

clus

ion

cons

iste

nt w

ith th

e ca

lcul

ated

val

ue/s

. OR

The

res

pons

e

�pr

ovid

es T

WO

val

id st

eps c

orre

ctly

m

anag

ed.

A

The

res

pons

e

�sh

ows e

vide

nce

of th

e h

and

r rel

atio

nshi

p at

tend

ed to

cor

rect

ly�

show

s cor

rect

subs

titut

ion

into

the

volu

me

form

ula

�co

rrec

tly d

eter

min

es re

quir

ed v

alue

/s fo

r a

cred

itabl

e co

mpa

riso

n�

give

s the

cor

rect

con

clus

ion.

No

inco

rrec

t wor

king

or

inva

lid o

pera

tions

ar

e us

ed to

arr

ive

at th

e co

nclu

sion

.

B

The

res

pons

e, a

llow

ing

for

at m

ost o

ne

obse

rvab

le m

inor

err

or a

nd

cons

eque

ntia

lly c

orre

ct v

alue

s,

�sh

ows e

vide

nce o

f the

h a

nd r

rela

tions

hip

atte

nded

to c

orre

ctly

�sh

ows c

orre

ct su

bstit

utio

n in

to th

e vo

lum

e fo

rmul

a�

dete

rmin

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Writing Task (WT)This section describes the 2017 Writing Task testpaper and discusses the writing that students produced in response. The comments are based on an analysis of a statistically significant random sample of student responses to the testpaper. Copyright restrictions do not allow the testpaper to be reproduced in this document.

The Writing Task complements the other three subtests of the QCS Test by testing a student’s ability to produce a piece of continuous English prose in response to the testpaper. The testpaper provides an overall concept or theme and a number of written and visual stimulus pieces that are related to the overall concept. Each stimulus piece evokes a different aspect of the concept and is intended to assist the student by providing ideas for a response to the testpaper. The student response needs to demonstrate a clear connection to the overall concept, and also, to one or more of the stimulus pieces.

Responses to the testpaper are to be about 600 words in length and students may write in any form or style except poetry. A breakdown is provided of student responses according to the stimulus pieces used for ideas and the genres represented in the responses.

Each response is marked by three independent markers. Depending on which of the three marksheets a marker has randomly selected, each marker assigns either four criteria-based standards, or three criteria-based standards and a judgment about the criterion of Length. Different combinations of judgments are required of the three primary markers. Markers consider the contribution to the holistic worth of the response of each of the criteria they are considering. On the marksheet, they record each of their judgments as a standard (from 1 to 6) with a qualifier (+,0,–) and, if required, they indicate a judgment about the length of the response. Referee marking occurs if necessary.

The most successful responses to the Writing Task are those that demonstrate higher achievement in the criteria identified in the marking guide. These are: Central idea (CI); Vocabulary (V); Responsiveness (R); Grammar, punctuation, spelling (GPS); Structuring & sequencing (SS); and Length (L). The marking guide is provided on page 66 to indicate the criteria and standards that are used to grade the responses.

Finally, a selection of student responses has been included to exemplify successful writing as defined by the task criteria.

WT 2017 Overall concept: What lastsThe overall concept linking the 14 separate stimulus pieces on the 2017 Writing Task testpaper is what lasts. Markers needed to be alert to possible interpretations of this concept as they made judgments on the criterion of Responsiveness.

Students were able to take the overall concept as referring to something that has endured or is likely to endure over time, or perhaps, something that is likely to remain after other things have disappeared. This could be something that withstands difficulties. It could be an action or an activity that persists against all odds. It could be a belief, an attitude or a memory that perhaps continues to influence present-day actions or behaviours. It could be something that we can predict will continue long into the future. Words associated with the concept that come to mind include: permanent, abiding, deep-rooted, durable, surviving, stable, reliable, traditional, eternal, immortal. Of course, some students took as their position the idea of what does not last.

Whatever the interpretation of what lasts, this concept provided scope for a range of responses in a variety of text types: expository, imaginative, persuasive and reflective. Students wrote discussions or arguments about things that may be significant over a period of time. They responded in true or fictional accounts and reports, in short stories, and in reflections on experiences or events, either fictional or actual. This overall concept provided a starting point for responses that focused on physical elements or that tapped into more intangible aspects of the human condition.



Diagram of the testpaperThe testpaper includes 14 separate pieces of stimulus material relating to the overall concept.

Stimulus pieces The following diagram shows the percentage of students who indicated (by ticks on the diagram on the front cover of their response book) that they selected ideas from a particular stimulus piece (or pieces) as a starting point or resource for their writing. In reality, most students used more than one stimulus piece in developing the response, thus opening up a greater variety of possibilities for their writing. For this reason, the percentages shown in this diagram add up to more than 100%.

Indication of stimulus pieces as starting point or resource

Commentary on stimulus piecesStudents were required to compose a response that demonstrated a clear connection to the overall concept and to one or more of the stimulus pieces discussed here.

The following commentary is based to some extent on the assumption that students used only one of the stimulus pieces as a starting point or source of ideas for their responses to the overall concept of the testpaper. The reality is that many drew ideas from two or more stimulus pieces.

1 Photograph

This stimulus piece makes the point that a photograph can freeze and record a moment in time, allowing the viewer to contemplate something that may not have been seen at the time, or that may never happen again. In their responses, students focused on the importance of a photographic record in keeping alive the memories of personal experiences or family members and friends whom they have loved. Many wrote first person accounts and reflections, either fictional or true.

2 Invention

This stimulus piece comments on the significance of inventions that are ‘of lasting importance’ and examples of these were listed. Initially it would appear that students were being encouraged to consider and discuss the benefits of inventions. However, the addition of gunpowder to the list, together with the image of a fighter plane, was a reminder that not all the outcomes of a clever invention may be benign. Responses were mostly expository or persuasive. Students discussed the lasting effects of notable inventions and how they may affect our lives in the future. Many focused on the urgent need for us to make responsible choices as we adapt to a world in which the existence of some inventions will no longer be a science fiction flight of fancy. Some made connections between the ideas in this piece and stimulus piece 14.

3 Reality

The view of the future expressed in this stimulus piece suggests that future records of the past may change in nature and increase in quantity. We have already gone well beyond a reliance on oral histories and printed records of what has gone before. Ahead of us lies the possibility of keeping electronic records of what people write, say and think. The suggestion that we may be able to preserve the knowledge and opinions of those who are long gone prompted expositions, reflections and imaginative responses. Some students made links with stimulus pieces 6 or 7.

4 Friends

The focus on friendship in this stimulus piece reminds us of the need to hold on to our friends. It prompted reflections on friendships made and friendships lost, why some last longer than others, and what we can do to make them last. Some students discussed the nature of friendship in expositions or reflections. Some wrote about childhood friendships, others projected themselves into the future, giving accounts of imagined past events and adventures with friends. Some combined the ideas in this piece with ideas from stimulus pieces 1, 7, or 12.

5 Dreams

The extract from Langston Hughes’ short poem, ‘Dreams’, affirms the importance of having dreams for the future. It warns us that we cannot live without our dreams and we must not lose sight of them. If we do, the life we want to lead ‘cannot fly’. This stimulus piece was used mostly in combination with others, and it prompted expository, persuasive and reflective responses. Some students took a broad view, focusing on the ways in which the future of our society may be shaped by the dreams of many. Some were of the opinion that on their own, dreams are not enough; the hardheaded reality may be that careful planning, hard work and a modicum of luck all play a part in what happens.


60

6 Writing

The image of the wedge-shaped cuneiform script carved in stone is accompanied by advice about the importance of writing in sharing experiences, ideas and culture with others if we are to have any lasting influence on what happens in the world. The ideas in this piece were often used in combination with ideas from other stimulus pieces, for example, 3, 8 or 13. Students mostly wrote expository or persuasive responses. Some discussed the importance of writing at a personal level. Others analysed reasons for writing for people in other places, now or in the future: to provide information; to share opinions; to discover meaning; to change something in the world; to provide entertainment.

7 Activity

The written text of this stimulus piece begins by pointing out the lasting benefits to be gained from being involved in a sport. However, it also suggests that there are other activities equally capable of providing the benefits of ‘passionate participation’. Although responses were mostly expository or persuasive, there were also reflective pieces and imaginative narratives that explored the ideas of the stimulus piece.

8 Story

This stimulus piece provides the starting point for students to write expository or persuasive responses in which they might discuss the importance to humans of stories and storytelling. It lists a range of possible mediums for storytelling. Some students took a historical approach, providing a chronology of the kinds of stories that have been told and written through the ages. They pointed out how stories from times past have lasted through the ages and have helped shape the stories of later times, in content or in style. They affirmed the continuing significance of stories in our societies, past, present and future.

9 Mathematics

The comment made in this stimulus piece focuses first on the importance of mathematics in applying a knowledge of number, space and time to scientific and technological problems and then on the significance of one’s early learning about things which, at the time, may have seemed mundane. Students who chose to respond to this piece were likely to combine its ideas with ideas from stimulus pieces 6, 10 or 11.

10 Tomorrow

The written statement in this stimulus piece can be applied broadly to society. However, the visual image suggests a more personal application. The piece allowed students with an interest in history to discuss the power of the past to influence the future. Some students speculated on the possible effects in the future of events of our own time. Others took a more personal view and commented on how much we are affected by incidents and influences in our early lives.

11 1788

The written text of this stimulus piece refers to the arrival of the First Fleet that brought convicts to New South Wales, the place that was to be a penal colony for Britain. Responses to this stimulus piece offered widely divergent views. Some writers were of the opinion that the arrival in 1788 represented an irresponsible and destructive invasion of a country that had a rich history and a unique culture. Others were of the opinion that the events of that time signified the beginning of a proud and influential nation. Most responses were expository or persuasive. Some students wrote fictional narratives about the effects of those events on individuals who were there, the original inhabitants of the country whose lives were changed irrevocably, the prisoners who had been cast out of the country of their birth or those who had been sent with them to this faraway land.

12 Childhood

This stimulus piece gave students the opportunity to write about early experiences that have the potential to create memories that may last a lifetime. It deals with the physical senses of smell, touch and sound and the


power of memory. Students responded in personal reflections or in imaginative pieces. Some developed their responses by using this stimulus piece with stimulus piece 10 for ideas that would provide the starting point for expositions that dealt with the lasting power of childhood experience.

13 Beliefs

While the beliefs we hold may seem permanent and irrefutable to an individual or a society, many do change over time. In their responses some students considered some of the huge changes that have taken place over the centuries in our own society and in other cultures. Some examined the possible reasons for beliefs that once seemed unassailable. Some speculated on the reasons for beliefs and attitudes we now hold or on whether some of these will or won’t change in the future.

14 Unintended consequences

This stimulus piece presented an image of discarded plastic bottles and a comment about the destruction of the environment that we cause, often unwittingly, in our increasingly throwaway society. The issue of dealing with plastic that lasts too long is just one example of the dilemmas we face. Most students who responded to this suggested, in expositions or persuasive responses, that if we do not act more responsibly, the risk of causing lasting and perhaps irreversible damage to our world is grave.

Stimulus pieces: Visual, written or combination?Students have the option of responding to the visual images, the written texts, or a combination of both. This year, approximately 37% of students responded to both the visual and written material in the stimulus pieces. An additional 60% responded only to the written text in stimulus pieces and 3% responded to only the visual images. Stimulus pieces for the Writing Task are selected to maximise appeal for a wide cross-section of the Year 12 population. The material chosen is designed to engage students and to prompt ideas for their writing. When considering a stimulus piece (or pieces) and what to write, students should remember that, by the time they reach Year 12, they have a wealth of personal and subject-based knowledge and experience that they can draw upon.

When students use ideas from the written stimulus pieces, there is a danger that they may directly quote large portions of text. This will affect markers’ judgments of Length (words from the stimulus pieces are not counted) and the Central idea (if the ideas being presented are not the student’s own). Direct quoting can also detract from a response when the language style of the quoted material differs from the student’s style, or when quotations are used out of context or incorrectly (affecting Structuring & sequencing, Vocabulary, and Grammar, punctuation, spelling).

Choice of text typeStudent responses to the testpaper may be categorised, according to their purpose, into four major text types: expository, imaginative, persuasive and reflective.

In 2017, the most popular text type for students was the expository response, with 40% of students writing in this form. This was closely followed by imaginative pieces, written by 25% of students. Persuasive responses accounted for 18% of scripts and 17% of responses were reflective.

When determining which text type to use, students need to consider the ultimate purpose of their writing. Do they want to convey information (expository)? Do they wish to entertain their audience (imaginative)? Is it their intent to convince their audience of a particular viewpoint (persuasive)? Would they like to recall, contemplate or share experiences (reflective)? Understanding this can help students to plan effectively and give focus to their writing.



Choice of genreWithin the broader categories of text type, students may write in whatever genre they wish, with the exception of poetry. This allows them to draw on their knowledge and strengths, and to match their ideas from the stimulus with a suitable style of response. They need to decide which genre will enable them to demonstrate their best writing. They should keep in mind that some genres, e.g. the speech and the essay, can have a variety of purposes such as exposition or persuasion. Also, when they choose a genre, they need to be sure they can control its conventions. A short story, for example, should cover a short span of time; a media article should have short paragraphs.

As shown in the diagram here, in 2017, the most popular genre was the essay, followed by the short story. Personal recounts, reflections and speeches were the next most popular. It is worth noting that, while genre conventions are not assessed specifically (although they may affect Structuring and sequencing), students should aim to make use of, and indeed exploit, these conventions for effect. Students should be encouraged to discover in which genres they write most confidently and competently. This should allow them to produce their best writing.

Essay

The definition of the essay is vague, as it is a genre required in many school subjects. Perhaps the simplest definition is that it is a piece of writing that usually expresses the author’s personal point of view. It will usually be expository or persuasive.

The essay was a popular choice. This is perhaps because essay writing lends itself to a range of different topics, is a writing style that students use across the majority of subject areas, and has elements that are similar to several other genres. The most successful of these responses were very clearly focused on purpose and audience and developed a clear thesis. Essays that were well written followed a clear structure, consisting of: an introduction (including a thesis statement); a body of writing (containing development and explanation of main points); and a concluding paragraph (presenting a summary).

Short story

The short story was one of the most popular genres and, not surprisingly, stories covered a wide variety of topics. The most successful were those that drew on students’ own knowledge and experiences and demonstrated effective language choices such as varied sentence length and use of description (including metaphor and personification). Also, successful stories tended to be written with a goal in mind from the outset — that is, there was an effective establishment and development of ideas, a clear resolution and a compelling conclusion. Students should be wary of some strategies that are likely to have a negative impact on achievement. An example is the story that ends with the narrator waking to find it was all a dream or one that is written in the first person with the narrator dying at the end. This is significant to the criteria of Central idea and Structuring & sequencing. Many such stories indicate a lack of planning and, consequently, a lack of direction. Other common problems can be inconsistencies and inaccuracies in using tense and narrative perspective.

critique 1%journal 1%

letter 2%

drama script 1%

report 1%

media article 5%

essay 39%

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speech 13%

short story 22%

Popularity of genre: total sample

Speech

Speeches were mostly either informative or persuasive. Having a clear understanding of the purpose and audience of the speech is crucial for success. This means creating a context that establishes the speaker’s credentials and the audience’s potential interest. Students need to ensure that their topic is suitable for this genre; that is, it should be a topic that is not contrived and that would interest the intended audience.

Personal recount or reflection

Students may elect to write about themselves. They may produce a response that recounts or reviews a personal experience or a piece that reflects on their lives or their ideas. This genre is reminiscent of some blog entries. The popularity of this genre is not surprising.

Media article

This genre includes texts such as feature articles, editorials and journal articles. Usually expository in nature, media articles require students to have a reasonable knowledge of their topic. Therefore, students should carefully consider their own background knowledge and expertise when selecting this approach to respond to their chosen stimulus piece/s. They should also consider the conventions of the genre. For example, feature articles usually have shorter paragraphs than essays.

Drama script

Drama scripts made up only a small percentage of the responses. Students who write in this form need knowledge of the specific conventions of the genre, and need to be able to use them to effect.

Journal

Journal writing included texts such as a diary entry and were usually reflective in style. This genre is often difficult for students, because writing ‘as themselves’ may limit opportunities for selecting and demonstrating a wide or discriminating vocabulary. Also, they tend to lose focus in this kind of writing, which can affect the criteria of Central idea and Structuring & sequencing. If students do choose to write a diary, the entries should not be short, as the result can be a rather disjointed response. Paragraphs are still essential.

Letter

Letters may provide challenges in the criteria of Vocabulary and in Structuring & sequencing. To be successful, students should ensure that the purpose, and consequently, the content of the letter will be substantive enough to justify the choice of genre and to meet length requirements.

Report

A small percentage of students chose to write a report. Many of these were scientific, suggesting that students were aware of the genre best suited to their knowledge and experience. The genre conventions of a report should be used. Reports should make use of features such as subheadings as well as sections including, for example, objectives, conclusions and recommendations, to add to the authenticity of the writing and, consequently, to the authority of the writer. It would not be a good idea to write up a scientific experiment with just a list of materials and procedures. Rather, the writing should focus on a discussion of the findings.

Critique

Students who wrote in this genre chose to write reviews of stories in books or films that have had an impact on their lives.


64

Achievement in specific criteria

In discussing specific criteria, reference is made to selected student responses that begin on page 69.

Central idea

When assessing this criterion, a marker is essentially asking what the response is about. That is, what is the student writing about and how well has the student deliberately and clearly developed this idea to reach an intended conclusion? The most successful responses will demonstrate direction — whether explicit or implicit — and resolution. Responses suffer in the criterion of Central idea when there is uneven development of the idea or when there are several, perhaps vague, ideas. A lack of resolution often results from lack of direction and consequently, this has a negative impact on success in this criterion.

Vocabulary

Success in Vocabulary is determined by word choices: words that have been selected deliberately for effect and that precisely fit their location within the text. While students should aim to demonstrate a knowledge and range of vocabulary, their discrimination in the selection and use of words is crucial. Incorrect or inappropriate word choice, lack of variety, and language that gets in the way of meaning will all influence a student’s success in this criterion. Sometimes, something as simple as using the wrong preposition can destroy meaning.

Trying too hard to use complex vocabulary can detract from a response. Many believe that ‘the bigger the word, the better’. However, this is not the case. It is never a good idea to sacrifice meaning for style. Making use of language devices such as metaphor and personification, as well as using ‘technical’ language suited to the context, proved to be very effective for many students. Less effective was the often jarring use of exaggeration and hyperbole, tautology and sweeping generalisations. Maintaining an awareness of the purpose and audience of the writing is essential for success in this criterion.

Responsiveness

The piece of writing that a student produces must clearly be a response to the testpaper on the day. It must show a connection to both the overall concept and the stimulus piece/s. Therefore, of all the criteria, Responsiveness is weighted most heavily. Achievement will suffer where the connection is weak, or where the student responds either to the concept or to the stimulus pieces, but not to both. Responses that achieve well in this criterion will exhibit a strong and sustained connection to both. It is important to be aware that simply repeating the concept, ‘what lasts’, several times is not demonstrating the criterion of Responsiveness. Evidence also suggests that responding to too many stimulus pieces reduces a student’s likelihood of achieving well in this criterion. This is because a piece of this kind is likely to make only passing or glancing reference to the concept or the stimulus pieces.

Students may benefit from a different approach in their planning. Rather than looking at the testpaper and asking, ‘What can I write about?’, it may be better to ask, ‘What do I know a lot about that I can relate to something on this testpaper?’

Grammar, punctuation, spelling

Within this criterion, grammar is considered to be more important than punctuation, which in turn, is more important than spelling. This is because each one of these can affect meaning more than the next. To achieve a high standard, students must consistently demonstrate precise and effective use of grammar, punctuation and spelling, with few errors. This includes exploiting the conventions of writing for specific purposes and effects. Student achievement in this criterion will be affected by the degree to which errors detract from meaning. Proofreading is vital.

Some of the most frequent problems were:• inconsistencies with tense• errors in antecedent agreement (particularly with singular, plural and indefinite pronouns)


• omission or incorrect use of punctuation, e.g. failing to end questions with question marks or using apostrophes incorrectly

• incorrect choice of words that sound the same, e.g. there/their/they’re, to/too/two, whose/who’s, your/you’re

• incorrect use of ‘could of’ and ‘would of’ in place of ‘could have’ and ‘would have’.

Structuring & sequencing

This criterion requires markers to consider the architecture of the piece, that is, the way in which the ideas in the response are arranged. To be successful, the writing must demonstrate controlled structuring and deliberate sequencing of ideas. The writing needs to be fluent, logical and flexible. Achievement is hampered where there are obvious weaknesses, such as gaps in logic, poor paragraphing or randomness in the arrangement of ideas.

Some of the problems with Structuring & sequencing arise when students do not clearly establish the context of their writing and, consequently, the development of ideas is less sequential. Also, poor editing can have a negative impact, particularly when students include information that is superfluous to the purpose, thereby weakening the response. In short stories, this often results from including too much unnecessary description. Of course, what students can do to develop a well-structured response is to plan a clear strategy that is suited to their individual writing abilities.

Students should consider their choice of genre when thinking about the structure and sequence of their writing. They should decide whether their genre choice will allow them to develop an idea in a clear sequence. For example, writing a 600-word grocery list would be a very bad idea. Students need to consider and discuss what genres or forms will allow them to develop and demonstrate their best writing.

Length

This subtest requires students to produce a piece of continuous prose, approximately 600 words in length. Penalties are applied for too short, far too short, too long and far too long responses. While each criterion is considered and assessed independently, Length has the potential to have an impact on achievement in other criteria as well. In terms of overall performance, scripts that are far too short are the most likely to be among the lower achieving responses.



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Selected student responsesThe responses that follow were selected from those that met the standards for successful writing as defined by the criteria and standards for judging student responses. These responses appear in their original handwritten form. They may contain some errors in expression but, for the sake of authenticity, they have been published as they were written. They may also include some factual inaccuracies; however, it is important to note that accuracy of subject matter is not one of the criteria by which the responses are judged.

With respect to handwriting, students should be aware that legibility is important. Markers will make a committed attempt to read poor handwriting but they cannot ignore errors due to missing letters or indecipherable writing. In schools, teachers may become familiar with a student’s handwriting and sometimes may be able to guess at meaning or spelling. Markers of these responses cannot do this.

The selection of the examples here does not indicate a preference for any particular form of writing; nor are the sentiments expressed in these responses endorsed by the QCAA.

Before publication, the QCAA attempted to establish, but cannot guarantee, the originality of the writing in the responses.

Response 1

The Precarious Path of Progress responds initially to stimulus piece 2, and begins with the stark warning, ‘We have gone too far’. This is a persuasive response, the writer pointing out that, despite the obvious benefits of many of our inventions, some of them have the potential to destroy us and we are behaving irresponsibly.

The central idea is clearly established: that much of what we call progress, far from improving our lives, has been destructive and dangerous. The development is deliberate and focused, with references to current threats of nuclear warfare, the damage being done to the environment as a result of human behaviour, and the fact that, despite massive developments in agriculture and food security, millions of people around the world are starving. Following each of the points established is a warning that we must change our behaviour. The writer then concedes that ‘not all progress has been negative’, citing examples of ‘progressive inventions’. The resolution of the central idea sums up the argument, that what makes progress good or bad depends upon human choices. The concluding paragraph makes a final and effective plea for responsible decision-making so that our lasting legacy will be a positive one.

Response 2

Collateral Damage, is an imaginative response to stimulus piece 2. Two young men, prepared to do their duty for their country, and eager for the challenges ahead, have signed up to fight in the First World War. Harry believes that, as long as he is with his friend Edward, he will be safe. In the trenches, they suffer the misery of cold and rain but they are together still. They are sent over the top, to face the enemy first-hand. Harry is overcome by terror as he confronts the hail of bullets that replaces the endless patter of the rain. Edward, who tries to pull him to safety, is suddenly and horribly shot down. Harry’s grief is terrible and made even more dreadful by the realisation that, for humanity, this kind of violence will last forever and that, for him, the image of his friend in death will also last forever.

The vocabulary is imaginative, controlled and very effective, demonstrating the use of words selected for their effect. They contribute to a writing style that is somewhat dense but never intrusive as it emulates the style of some of the writing of that era. Examples of effective images are the rain being described as ‘the slithering snake that sapped morale’ and later the men as ‘a colony of ants’, connecting with the idea that they are powerless pawns of their superiors. Other examples of words and phrases used in the right places are ‘thick, relentless, pervasive’ rain, ‘snapping him out of his bleak reverie’, ‘the foggy tendrils of sleep clouded his mind’, ‘gleaming barbed wire’, the bullets ‘furiously ploughing into the soft mud’, and a corpse that was ‘swathed in the colours of the enemy’. The discriminating selection and placement of vocabulary throughout this response is a clear example of a student using the right words in the right places.


68

Response 3

Generations, a simple story, is an imaginative response to stimulus piece 1. On the morning of their grandfather’s funeral, Pip and Leo are bored and so, leaving their grieving parents downstairs, they climb up to the attic. They reflect on how little is left to remind them of their grandfather and they hope to find something interesting in their exploration of a place usually forbidden to them. The search is fruitless until Leo comes upon a photograph of their grandfather as a young man and they see how much Leo resembles him. This leads them, and Pip especially, to the realisation that as long as the photograph exists and Leo lives, their grandfather will be remembered and that Leo, in his turn, will be remembered.

The response provides a clear example of strong and sustained connectedness, both to the overall concept and to the stimulus material of the testpaper. It deals with the idea that a photograph provides an image of a fleeting but significant moment that can last as a record long into the future. The writer has woven this idea through the piece in a way that demonstrates sensitivity to nuances of meaning. The photograph becomes not just a temporary reminder of the grandfather but also a means of preserving his memory for generations to come, especially now that the children see Leo’s resemblance to him. Preparation for this is slow and gentle, through suggestions such as Leo’s ‘curly black hair’, the grandfather’s ‘dark curls’ and Pip’s sudden recognition of the ‘familiar twinkle in his eye’. There is no one alive any more who remembers what their grandfather looked like as a young man, but because of the photograph and Leo’s similarity to him, they know that his memory will last.

Response 4

A Global Legacy, an exposition that is a response to stimulus pieces 13 and 14, is a thoughtful discussion about the nature of the legacy that this generation will leave for the future. It establishes that the wellbeing of the environment is crucial to the continued survival of our species and comments that we are now dealing with the legacy left to us by previous generations. It offers hope in that we live in an enlightened era and so have the knowledge and resources available to deal with the issue. The writer tells us that we can act now or not at all. As the title suggests, we can choose the legacy we will leave for others. The final question leaves us in no doubt about the decision that we face.

The response is easy to read, clear and fluent. It consistently demonstrates a command of the conventions of writing. The fluid sentence structures give variety and depth to the writing and the grammar is accurate and precise, demonstrating a sound knowledge of the rules and how to apply them correctly. Errors are minor, e.g. ‘rising’, P2, para 2, line 22. A range of punctuation contributes to the success of the writing, with semicolons, colons, commas and apostrophes used correctly and at times, flexibly, e.g. P1, para 1, lines 18-23. Many words that can be difficult are spelled correctly, e.g. ‘heightened’, ‘environmental’, ‘recommendations’, exponentially’, ‘initiatives’, ‘perpetuated’.

Response 5

Interminable Tales uses stimulus piece 8 as its starting point for a discussion of the importance and endurance of stories past and present. The writer tells us that stories allow us to share and build on earlier understandings and that many old stories told again and again provide the foundation for those that come later. Connections are made with stories of more recent times. We are urged to respect and enjoy the richness of human storytelling and are assured that ours too will last into the future, ‘for as long as we still need stories’.

The response has a clear structure and simple, logical sequencing. The introduction of this exposition establishes the thesis: that storytelling is one of the greatest achievements of humans and continues to be important. Each paragraph that follows gives examples, in chronological order, from the epic poems and plays of the ancient Greeks and the works of the Romans, to novels of the last century. In each case, the writer emphasises the endurance of storytelling. The concluding paragraph brings the examples together with the final advice to respect, enjoy and continue this ‘unbroken continuum’. The simple structure is one of the strengths of this response.


Response 1


70

72

Response 2


74

Response 3


76

78

Response 4


80

Response 5


82

84

Relative worth of each subtest

Relative worth of parts of the QCS Test

Worth SR paper

Paper Worth Comment

1 WT 68 Two grades on each of the five substantive criteria, plus two judgments on Length

2 MC I 50 50 items of equal worth

3 SR 62 14 items with up to five grades each

4 MC II 50 50 items of equal worth

Total 230

UnitItem

number

Grade awarded and CodeWorth

A B C D E N O

One 1 5 3 2 2.5

Two 2 8 7 5 4 4.0

Three3 9 7 5 3 4.5

4 13 11 9 6 4 6.5

Four5 9 7 5 3 4.5

6 11 9 6 4 3 5.5

Five 7 12 10 8 5 3 6.0

Six8 4 3 2 2.0

9 8 7 5 3 4.0

Seven10 9 8 6 4 4.5

11 12 10 8 6 3 6.0

Eight

12 7 5 3 2 3.5

13 10 9 7 5 3 5.0

14 7 6 4 2 3.5

A2

A2----

62=


Deemed CCEs and QCS Test itemsTables showing CCEs tested within the MC and SR subtests are presented earlier in this document. One or more CCEs appear next to each item (or unit). What does this mean?

The QCS Test assesses students in terms of the common elements of the Queensland senior curriculum: analysing and synthesising, evaluating, comparing, interrelating ideas, graphing, estimating, compiling statistics, and so on. There is not, however, a simplistic match of CCEs and individual items in the QCS Test — there is not exactly one item for each CCE or exactly one CCE for each item. Some CCEs are obviously widely present — interpreting words and symbols, analysing and interpreting the meaning of diagrams, justifying. Other CCEs, such as graphing, may be absent from all but one or two specific items.

The CCE given for an item is not, therefore, a claim that this is the only skill required to complete this item successfully. Nor is it a claim that the CCE should be understood as meaning only the skills apparently required by the item. There may even seem to be ways of completing the item successfully that do not appear to involve the given CCE/s.

Listing CCEs against items provides information about how the test constructors view each item in the context of the particular QCS Test.

Balance of the QCS Test in terms of CCEsListing CCEs against items may suggest that the balance of a particular QCS Test or a series of QCS Tests can be assessed by tallying the number of times each CCE is listed.

It is wrong to expect such a tally to show an equal number of items for each of the 49 CCEs because they are not, and were not developed to be, either equal or equivalent, or in any other sense, interchangeable.

A reasonable assessment of the balance of the QCS Test will take into account that:• the 49 CCEs are not equal• no CCE is trivial• some CCEs are more substantial than others• no single CCE fails to occur in the Queensland senior curriculum• some CCEs are diffused generally across a wide range of items (and are therefore not listed frequently)• some CCEs can only be tested through particular kinds of items that require a substantial proportion of

the total test item (and therefore these CCEs will not occur very often).


86

Appendixes

Appendix 1: The 49 Common Curriculum Elements

Descriptors and Notes

Note: The numbering system given for the testable Common Curriculum Elements is that used within the QCS Test Unit. Readers should not be perturbed to find that, while the list is in numerical order, there are numbers missing. All 49 elements appear in the list.

1 Recognising letters, words and other symbols

2 Finding material in an indexed collection:

Note: Examples of an indexed collection are — a dictionary, an encyclopaedia, a library catalogue, a road map, an art catalogue, an instruction booklet, a share register, a classified advertisement column.

3 Recalling/remembering:

Note: Consult Test Specifications Section 2.3 to establish what might reasonably be regarded as assumed knowledge, i.e. ‘an elementary level of general knowledge, and a knowledge of vocabulary and mathematical operations at a level of sophistication consistent with a sound general Year 10 education … basic arithmetic operations involved in calculation, also include fundamental mathematical concepts such as simple algebra, percentage, ratio, area, angle and power of ten notation.’




7 Translating from one form to another:

Expressing information in a different form

Note: Translation could involve the following forms:verbal information (in English)algebraic symbolsgraphsmathematical material given in wordssymbolic codes (e.g. Morse code, other number systems)picturesdiagramsmaps.

9 Using correct spelling, punctuation, grammar

10 Using vocabulary appropriate to a context

11 Summarising/condensing written text:

Presenting essential ideas and information in fewer words and in a logical sequence

Note: Simply listing the main points in note form is not acceptable, nor is ‘lifting’ verbatim from the given passage.

12 Compiling lists/statistics:

Systematically collecting and counting numerical facts or data

13 Recording/noting data:

Identifying relevant information and then accurately and methodically writing it down in one or more predetermined categories

Note: Examples of predetermined categories are — female/male; odd/even; mass/acceleration.


14 Compiling results in a tabular form:

Devising appropriate headings and presenting information using rows and/or columns

15 Graphing:

Note: Students will be required to construct graphs as well as to interpret them (see CCE 6).

16 Calculating with or without calculators

17 Estimating numerical magnitude:

Employing a rational process (such as applying an algorithm, or comparing by experience with known quantities or numbers) to arrive at a quantity or number that is sufficiently accurate to be useful for a given purpose

18 Approximating a numerical value:

Employing a rational process (such as measuring or rounding) to arrive at a quantity or number that is accurate to a specified degree

19 Substituting in formulae

20 Setting out/presenting/arranging/displaying

21 Structuring/organising extended written text

22 Structuring/organising a mathematical argument:

Generating and sequencing the steps that can lead to a required solution to a given mathematical task

26 Explaining to others:

Presenting a meaning with clarity, precision, completeness, and with due regard to the order of statements in the explanation

27 Expounding a viewpoint:

Presenting a clear convincing argument for a definite and detailed opinion

28 Empathising:

Appreciating the views, emotions and reactions of others by identifying with the personalities or characteristics of other people in given situations

29 Comparing, contrasting:

Comparing: displaying recognition of similarities and differences and recognising the significance of these similarities and differences

Contrasting: displaying recognition of differences by deliberate juxtaposition of contrary elements

30 Classifying:

Systematically distributing information/data into categories that may be either presented to, or created by, the student

31 Interrelating ideas/themes/issues

32 Reaching a conclusion which is necessarily true provided a given set of assumptions is true:

Deducing

33 Reaching a conclusion which is consistent with a given set of assumptions:

Inferring

34 Inserting an intermediate between members of a series:

Interpolating

35 Extrapolating:

Logically extending trends or tendencies beyond the information/data given


88


37 Applying a progression of steps to achieve the required answer:

Making use of an algorithm (that is already known by students or that is given to students) to proceed to the answer

38 Generalising from information:

Establishing by inference or induction the essential characteristics of known information or a result

41 Hypothesising:

Formulating a plausible supposition to account for known facts or observed occurrences

The supposition is often the subject of a validation process.

42 Criticising:

Appraising logical consistency and/or rationally scrutinising for authenticity/merit

Note: also critiquing — critically reviewing

43 Analysing:

Dissecting to ascertain and examine constituent parts and/or their relationships

44 Synthesising:

Assembling constituent parts into a coherent, unique and/or complex entity

The term ‘entity’ includes a system, theory, communication, plan, set of operations.

45 Judging/evaluating:

Judging: applying both procedural and deliberative operations to make a determination

Procedural operations are those that determine the relevance and admissibility of evidence, whilst deliberative operations involve making a decision based on the evidence.

Evaluating: assigning merit according to criteria

46 Creating/composing/devising

48 Justifying:

Providing sound reasons or evidence to support a statement

Soundness requires that the reasoning is logical and, where appropriate, that the premises are likely to be true.

49 Perceiving patterns:

Recognising and identifying designs, trends and meaningful relationships within text

50 Visualising:

Note: Examples of aspects of this element that might be tested include:visualising spatial concepts (e.g. rotation in space) visualising abstractions in concrete form (e.g. kinetic theory — the movement of molecules) visualising a notion of a physical appearance from a detailed verbal description.


52 Searching and locating items/information:

Note: This element as it occurs in syllabuses usually refers to field work. As these conditions are plainly impossible to reproduce under QCS Test conditions, testing can only be performed at a ‘second order’ level.

In the sense of looking for things in different places, ‘searching and locating items/information’ may be taken to include quoting, i.e. repeating words given in an extract in the stimulus material.


53 Observing systematically:

Note: This element as it occurs in syllabuses usually refers to laboratory situations. As these conditions are plainly impossible to reproduce under QCS Test conditions, testing can only be performed at a ‘second order’ level.

55 Gesturing:

Identifying, describing, interpreting or responding to visual representations of a bodily or facial movement or expression, that indicates an idea, mood or emotion

Note: This element as it occurs in syllabuses refers to acting and other forms of movement. It is possible to test only the interpretation of movement and expression. It is understood that there are cultural variations relating to the meanings of particular gestures.

57 Manipulating/operating/using equipment:

Displaying competence in choosing and using an implement (in actual or representational form) to perform a given task effectively

60 Sketching/drawing:

Sketching: executing a drawing or painting in simple form, giving essential features but not necessarily with detail or accuracy

Drawing: depicting an object, idea or system pictorially, such as in a clearly defined diagram or flowchart.

Note: Sketching/drawing does not include the representation of numerical data as required in CCE 14 and CCE 15.



Appendix 2: CCEs


2 Finding material in an indexed collection

3 Recalling/remembering




7 Translating from one form to another



11 Summarising/condensing written text

12 Compiling lists/statistics

13 Recording/noting data

14 Compiling results in a tabular form

15 Graphing


17 Estimating numerical magnitude

18 Approximating a numerical value




22 Structuring/organising a mathematical argument

26 Explaining to others

27 Expounding a viewpoint

28 Empathising

29 Comparing, contrasting

30 Classifying


32 Reaching a conclusion which is necessarily true provided a given set of assumptions is true

33 Reaching a conclusion which is consistent with a given set of assumptions


35 Extrapolating



38 Generalising from information

41 Hypothesising

42 Criticising

43 Analysing

44 Synthesising

45 Judging/evaluating


48 Justifying

49 Perceiving patterns

50 Visualising


52 Searching and locating items/information

53 Observing systematically

55 Gesturing

57 Manipulating/operating/using equipment

60 Sketching/drawing


Appendix 3: CCEs grouped by baskets Comprehend and collect


2 Finding material in an indexed collection

3 Recalling/remembering




7 Translating from one form to another

12 Compiling lists/statistics

13 Recording/noting data

28 Empathising


52 Searching and locating items/information

53 Observing systematically

55 Gesturing

57 Manipulating/operating/using equipment

Structure and sequence


22 Structuring/organising a mathematical argument

29 Comparing, contrasting

30 Classifying



38 Generalising from information

49 Perceiving patterns

50 Visualising

Analyse, assess and conclude

32 Reaching a conclusion which is necessarily true provided a given set of assumptions is true

33 Reaching a conclusion which is consistent with a given set of assumptions


35 Extrapolating

41 Hypothesising

42 Criticising

43 Analysing

44 Synthesising

45 Judging/evaluating

48 Justifying

Create and present



11 Summarising/condensing written text

14 Compiling results in a tabular form

15 Graphing


26 Explaining to others

27 Expounding a viewpoint


60 Sketching/drawing

Apply techniques and procedures


17 Estimating numerical magnitude

18 Approximating a numerical value



92

Appendix 4: Glossary of terms used in relation to the QCS Testacceptable minimum standards: the description of a marking process whereby markers are required to use their assessment skills to interpret a student response and match it to a standard in each performance domain being tested by the item. Predetermined trade-offs are already incorporated. Markers then award a grade for that performance domain for that item.

adjacent grades: on a short response marking scheme, a pair of available grades in direct proximity, e.g. A and B, D and E, N and O (see grade)

assumed knowledge: the benchmark of students’ required learning in terms of QCS testing; taken to be the possession of both an elementary level of general knowledge and a knowledge of vocabulary and mathematical operations at a level of sophistication consistent with that of a student with a sound general Year 10 education

batched items: a group of items which relate to the same stimulus material

built-in trade-off: a property of a marking scheme that ensures that the performance domains contribute to the grade in a manner reflective of their hierarchical position in that item

calibration: a routine process aimed at controlling reliability loss by removing irregularities in a marker’s judgment ‘gauge’ before that marker is free to ‘gauge standards’, i.e. to mark

check marking: a process involving scrutiny by marking supervisors (WT), immersers (SR) and unit managers (SR) of grades awarded by markers

closed response item: a short response item which involves the student in the production of an answer and requires the marker to assess the accuracy of the response. This type of item usually produces a definite number of response types.

common curriculum element (CCE): one of the 49 generic skills that are common to at least two subjects in the Queensland senior curriculum, testable in the current format of the QCS Test, and within the learning opportunities of a high proportion of students

creditable response: a response (to a short response item) that is awarded one of the available grades, A to E, and thus attracts credit

criterion (also called basket): macroskill. The QCS Test measures achievement in five criteria, each of which is symbolised by a letter of the Greek alphabet:

The 49 common curriculum elements can be distributed among these five criteria, each criterion representing a set of related CCEs.

cue: an instruction attached to a short response item, situated next to the space provided for the student response. The cue gives students a clear idea of what is required of them, sometimes providing essential further information on how to respond.

curriculum element: identifiable coherent activity specified by a syllabus as relevant to the pursuit of the aims and objectives of that syllabus

denotation: descriptor and/or notes related to a CCE, which represent the meaning of that CCE for the purpose of the QCS Test. Denotations are circulated to the appropriate audiences.

descriptor: see standard descriptor

comprehend and collect

structure and sequence

analyse, assess and conclude

create and present

apply techniques and procedures.


desirable feature: item-specific characteristic of a student’s short response that demonstrates achievement and therefore contributes to the determination of attainment in a particular performance domain

dimension: one of nine defined characteristics of a test item. Each item can be classified in terms of each of these nine dimensions. This classification is used for assessing range and balance in the test.

discrepant marker: a marker whose marking differences (compared with other markers) are either not acceptably small or not apparently random

dissonant markings: binders whose items have been given significantly different marks by different markers

essential equipment: ‘tools of the trade’ listed in the Student Information Bulletin and in Directions on the cover of the testpaper, and which the student must provide in order to complete the test, namely:• pens (black ink)• pencil (for drawing and sketching, but not for writing)• protractor• drawing compass• eraser• coloured pencils• ruler• calculator with spare batteries.

exemplar: example of a response included in the marking scheme as an indication to markers of the acceptable standard for the award of an A-grade

flyer: a written mechanism by which unit managers and immersers can communicate to markers any decisions regarding the treatment of scripts made after marking has commenced

footnote: additional information provided at the end of the relevant piece of stimulus material, with reference to the stimulus material via a superscript. It may take various forms such as a commentary on word usage or sourcing of an extract.

gloss: definition of a term that students are not expected to know. When substantive vocabulary of a high level of sophistication, whose meaning cannot be determined from the context is used, a meaning or explanation is provided at the end of the relevant passage. Reference to the passage is made via a superscript.

grade (response grade): a measure of performance on a short response item on the basis of a student’s response. Grades are consecutive letters, with A denoting the grade pertaining to the highest performance level. The number of grades may vary from item to item. The lowest available grade identifies the threshold for creditable performance.

hierarchy: a ranking of the performance domains of an item, indicating their relative contributions to the award of the grades

immerser (SR): a person who trains markers to apply the prescribed marking schemes and standards for each item; conducts check marking and refocusing sessions as determined by quality control; supports markers with advice on marking; and maintains the standards of the marking

immersion: instruction to acquaint markers with details and subtleties of the marking schemes for the items in an allocated unit, discussion of common response types and marking of real student responses

immersion notes: unit-specific script prepared by immersers for use in training markers

immersion session: a set period of time when immersers train markers in the marking scheme and provide them with guided assistance in practice marking. Verbal instructions which form part of the marking prescription may be given at this time.

incline of difficulty: the sequencing of units within a testpaper in such a way that units tend to become progressively more difficult towards the end of the testpaper

introduction: a block of text at the beginning of a unit that, when necessary, gives a reference for the stimulus material and items to follow


94

item: comprises the stem, cue and response area

item-specific: pertaining to a particular item. Usually, item-specific documents contain information that can only pertain to one of the items on a particular subtest.

item writer: a person who writes and develops items for inclusion in the itembank. Test specifications are heeded in the writing of items.

key term: one of a list of verbs used in the stems of short response items as commands or task setters, and for which clear definitions are appropriately circulated to students and markers for the purposes of the QCS Test. The key terms include the following:

line numbers: numbers situated in the left-hand margin of some passages of stimulus material to help students locate details mentioned in associated items

marker training: a process which occurs during the days immediately preceding the marking proper, and consists of a pretraining/administration session and an immersion session in an allocated marking unit, together with preliminary marking and feedback sessions

marking history: a collection of marking schemes for all items in the unit in which a marker is trained to mark, together with the marker manual. Running rules and flyers are sometimes added to the folio during the course of the marking operation.

marking grid: an item-specific sheet, accompanying the marking scheme, designed to assist markers’ decision making when the application of descriptors is particularly complex. The use of such grids may be either compulsory or non-compulsory.

marking pool: the total group of markers selected from the register of markers to be involved in the marking operation for a given year

marking scheme: the item-specific criteria and standards schema from which markers can determine grades; the marking scheme may not include all of the instructions to the markers. Most marking schemes are presented as a table in which the cells of each column give the descriptors of standards for the grade shown in that column’s heading.

marking supervisor (WT): a person who trains markers to apply the prescribed criteria and standards; conducts check marking and refocusing sessions as determined by quality control; supports markers with advice on marking; and maintains the standards of marking.

marking unit: a collection of items that is to be marked using a single marksheet. An individual marking unit may include items from more than one test unit. The items of an individual test unit may be spread over more than one marking unit.

marksheet: a pre-printed sheet markers use to record information about marking

mathematical operations: at the level of QCS testing, the basic operations involved in calculation (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division), as well as fundamental mathematical concepts such as simple algebra, percentage, ratio, area, angle, and power of ten notation

account for draw (cf. sketch) illustrate/exemplify show (calculations)

approximate estimate indicate sketch (cf. draw)

argue evaluate justify state

comment on explain list substitute in

compare expound outline (in words) suggest

contrast express present summarise

derive extrapolate prove transcribe

describe find rank verify

determine generalise refer

discuss identify quote



miniature SR paper: an A3 sheet containing abbreviated versions of the items in the testbook. Students may retain this at the conclusion of the test.

model response: an example of a response that demonstrates the highest level of performance and would invariably be awarded the highest grade

monitoring (marker monitoring): comparison of markers (many pairings) to identify responses to be re-marked, markers who require refocusing, and aspects of marking schemes which need attention during calibration

non-contributory: term applied to the grade given to a short response item when a response is unintelligible or does not satisfy the requirements for any other grade (N), or when the item is omitted (O)

notes: a note on a marking scheme that clarifies features of the item; defines, qualifies or explains terms used in the descriptors; and gives additional information about the treatment of particular types of response

omit: label given to that category of response to a test item where the student fails to provide a response, i.e. the student makes no apparent attempt to respond to the task set and leaves the response space completely blank

open-ended response item: a short response item that involves the student in generative thinking and requires the marker to assess the quality of the response. No exhaustive list of desirable features can be identified a priori to describe a given response type.

optional equipment: ‘tools of the trade’ (other than essential equipment) normally used in a course of study, which students may choose to provide for the test, e.g.• set square• correction fluid• sharpener.

pathological response: one of the 2% or less of different or unpredictable responses not covered directly by the descriptors in the marking scheme, and discovered after marking commences

performance domain/s: common curriculum element/s tested by a particular item. For items that are associated with more than one CCE, the influence of each CCE is clearly evident in the marking scheme.

practice effect: an increase in marking speed as the marker gains experience in reading student responses and grading them with the marking scheme

practice set: booklet of authentic student responses given to markers within an immersion session to reinforce learning

preliminary marking: mandatory initial session of actual marking conducted under normal conditions with grades to stand. Preliminary marking usually occurs immediately after immersion and before the feedback session.

primary marking: the totality of the first two independent markings of all items on the testpaper

The number of marker judgments in the primary marking is , where N = number of students,

n = number of items on the testpaper, and pi = number of performance domains for the i th item.

refocusing: a one-on-one counselling session between an immerser and a marker who is experiencing problems with his/her marking, as identified by quality-control procedures

referee marking: an independent third marking of a student response, which occurs when two independent markers disagree to an extent that is regarded as significant for that item

registered marker: a marker who has successfully completed a recruitment session

reliability: the degree to which measurements are consistent, dependable or repeatable; i.e. the degree to which they are free of errors

reliability of grades: the degree to which there is marker agreement as to the grade awarded (although some grades are truly borderline)

n

�=i 1

2N pi

96

response: the student’s work on an item as communicated to the marker. In writing, drawing, calculating and so on in the case of a short response item. By blackening a circle corresponding to the selected response option in the case of a multiple choice item.

response alternative: one of four options from which students choose the best response for a multiple choice item. Students record their responses on a mark-sensitive sheet which is computer scanned for scoring.

response area: the space provided in the short response testbook where students give their response. It may be a ruled area or grid or a designated space in which to write, draw, complete a diagram, fill in a table, or other task.

richness: a property of a test item whereby the item can provide more than the usual single piece of information about student achievement. In the case of a rich short response item, markers are required to award a grade in more than one, usually two, performance domains.

running rules: decisions made by unit managers and immersers after the marking has commenced to supplement the application of marking schemes

sample response: authentic student response used for the purposes of training

second guessing: anticipating the grade selected by other markers by considering ‘What will other markers do?’ rather than by applying the marking scheme

standard: a reference point for describing the quality of student responses in performance domains (see marking scheme)

standard descriptor: a statement or list of statements that succinctly conveys the standard or features required in a response to be awarded that grade in a particular performance domain

star-value: a rating for a short response item relative to other items on the short response paper, in terms of worth/effort, from [*] lowest to [*****] highest. The star-value is printed beside the item number.

stem: that part of the item that indicates the task set or the question to be answered

stimulus material: verbal, numerical, pictorial, tabular, or graphical material that sets the context for the item/s to follow with the aim of promoting students’ responses

testbook (testpaper): the booklet provided to a student for the SR subtest; the cover carries directions to students; the booklet contains items arranged within units. The booklet also contains spare pages (in case the student needs extra response space, or decides to rewrite a response after cancelling the initial attempt) and a fold-out section inside the back cover containing the item and star-value distribution.

training: see marker training

unit: a part of a test consisting of stimulus material and associated items, and often an introduction

unit manager (SR): a person who trains the immersers of a particular unit so that they can train the markers with due regard to the construct of the test. Unit managers direct, assist and monitor the performance of immersers; provide clarification of marking schemes when required; and assist with check marking, referee marking and other quality-control procedures.

validity: the extent to which an assessment instrument measures what it is claimed to measure

validity of grades: the extent to which the item and marking scheme measure achievement in the designated CCE/s

verbal instructions: information given to markers by immersers to acquaint them with the details and subtleties of marking schemes, and with common response types gleaned from a sample of student responses


Queensland Curriculum & Assessment AuthorityPO Box 307, Spring Hill QLD 4004 AustraliaLevel 7, 154 Melbourne Street, South BrisbaneT + 61 7 3864 0299

www.qcaa.qld.edu.au

queensland core skills test: retrospective 2017...2 | retrospective 2017 qcs test mc i & ii 2017...

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