108
Partnership and innovation PAPER 2 MULTIPLE CHOICE I PAPER 3 SHORT RESPONSE PAPER 4 MULTIPLE CHOICE II PAPER 1 WRITING TASK Queensland Core Skills Test Retrospective
Partnership and innovation
PA
PER
2
M
ULTIP
LE C
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IC
E I
PA
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3
SH
OR
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SE
PA
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4
M
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PA
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1
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Queensland Core Skills Test
Retrospective
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Inside Cover.fm April 3, 2008 10:38 am
Information regarding this publication may be obtained from the Testing and Analysis BranchPhone: (07) 3864 0299
This material is copyright. It may be copied freely for the use of schools in Queensland.It may not be reproduced for sale without express permission.
© The State of Queensland (Queensland Studies Authority) 2008
The 2007 Queensland Core Skills Test Retrospective
ISSN 1321–3938
Queensland Studies Authority295 Ann Street, Brisbane QldPO Box 307, Spring Hill Qld 4004
Phone: (07) 3864 0299Fax: (07) 3221 2553Email: [email protected]: www.qsa.qld.edu.au
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Foreword
The Retrospective is a yearly 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 threads or common curriculum elements that are within the curriculum experience of at least 95 per cent of 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, a Short Response paper and two Multiple Choice papers. Students experience a variety of stimulus material such as prose passages, poetry, graphs, tables, maps, mathematical and scientific data, cartoons, and reproductions of works of art.
The Retrospective is a definitive and descriptive report on the integration of the test specifications, the expectations of the testsetters, and the performance characteristics of the students. It also provides information on the relative worth of items on the test, data that allow the determination of student achievement on the test.
The Retrospective does not include copies of the testpapers. All schools receive copies of the testpapers during the administration of the QCS Test. Any individual or organisation requiring copies may buy these from the Queensland Studies Authority.
In addition to having value at school level, this publication should appeal to a wider audience. In fact, anyone interested in cross-curriculum testing is sure to find it informative.
Kim BannikoffDirector
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iii
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Retrospective 2007TOC.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
Contents
Multiple Choice (MC) I & II. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Short Response (SR) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Writing Task (WT) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Relative worth of each subtest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Appendixes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Appendix 1: The 49 Common Curriculum Elements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Appendix 2: Glossary of terms used in relation to the QCS Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
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1
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Multiple Choice.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
Multiple Choice (MC) I & II
Commentary
In 2007 the MC subtest consisted of 100 items divided evenly across two testpapers, with 12 units on MC 1 and 10 units on MC II. As in all previous MC subtests, a wide variety of common curriculum elements was assessed.
The table on pages 3–5 gives the name of each multiple choice unit in order on the MC subtest, the keyed response for each item, and the common curriculum elements tested in each unit. The table on page 6 gives average facilities for each unit (rounded to the nearest whole number), and the average facility for the MC subtest as a whole.
A broad spectrum of stimulus materials was included this year, including prose fiction (Scribe, Grandfather, Editor), poetry and lyrics (Red Right Hand), prose non-fiction texts (Silence, Immigrants, Punk and Irony, Cinematography, Dogwatching, Strachey, Business Ethics), cartoons (Da Vinci Code), tables (Caffeine, Aqua Puffs), graphs (Lead Emissions, Galaxy, Poll), and diagrams (Draughts, Sudoku, House Model, Tree-ring Dating, Tessellations). The subtest embraced a variety of areas, including physics (Tree-ring Dating), biology (Dogwatching), astronomy (Galaxy), chemistry (Cinematography), geography (Lead Emissions), politics and sociology (Poll, Immigrants), popular culture (Da Vinci Code, Punk and Irony, Draughts, Red Right Hand), history (Cinematography, Scribe, Strachey), architecture (House Model), music (Red Right Hand), geometry (Tessellations), arithmetic (Caffeine), logic (Sudoku), and ethics (Business Ethics, Grandfather).
This year the verbal items proved, overall, a little more challenging for students (average facility53 per cent) than did quantitative items (average facility 55 per cent). Students seemed to have some difficulty with the verbal units units Da Vinci Code, Immigrants, Scribe, Strachey, Grandfather and Editor. Most students seemed to handle the quantitative units Lead Emissions, Sudoku, Aqua Puffs and Galaxy well. The most challenging verbal unit on the subtest was Strachey and the most challenging quantitative unit was Tessellations; the easiest verbal unit (excluding the single-item Silence unit) was Dogwatching, while the easiest quantitative unit was based on the popular puzzle, Sudoku.
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Common Curriculum Elements and the MC format
Of the 49 CCEs, the following cannot be tested directly in MC format:
• Summarising/condensing written text• Compiling lists/statistics• Recording/noting data• Compiling results in a tabular form• Graphing• Setting out/presenting/arranging/displaying• Structuring/organising extended written text• Structuring/organising a mathematical argument• Explaining to others• Expounding a viewpoint• Creating/composing/devising• Observing systematically• Gesturing• Manipulating/operating/using equipment• Sketching/drawing.
These CCEs can be validly tested in Short Response (SR) format.
Some of these CCEs can be tested at “second order” level in MC format.
3
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Multiple Choice.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
Keyed responses and common curriculum elements tested within MC I & II
Unit Item Key Common Curriculum Elements
1 Da Vinci Code 1 D Interpreting the meaning of pictures and illustrations; comparing/contrasting2 D
2 Caffeine 3 A
calculating; reaching a conclusion which is necessarily true provided a given set of assumptions is true; interpreting the meaning of tables or diagrams or maps or graphs
4 A
5 B
6 B
7 C
8 D
3 Red Right Hand 9 C
analysing; empathising; reaching a conclusion which is consistent with a given set of assumptions; perceiving patterns; translating from one form to another; comparing/contrasting
10 D
11 C
12 B
13 C
14 D
15 A
4 Lead Emissions 16 C
interpreting the meaning of tables or diagrams or maps or graphs; estimating numerical magnitude; calculating; extrapolating
17 C
18 B
19 C
5 Silence 20 D summarising/condensing written text
6 Immigration 21 D
reaching a conclusion which is consistent with a given set of assumptions; analysing; summarising/condensing written text; interpreting the meaning of words or other symbols
22 A
23 B
24 A
7 Draughts 25 B
interpreting the meaning of tables or diagrams or maps or graphs; reaching a conclusion which is necessarily true provided a given set of assumptions is true; visualising; reaching a conclusion which is consistent with a given set of assumptions
26 A
27 A
28 C
29 B
30 D
8 Punk & Irony 31 A
interpreting the meaning of words or other symbols; using vocabulary appropriate to a context; judging/evaluating; analysing
32 C
33 B
34 B
9 Cinematography 35 Cgeneralising from information; reaching a conclusion which is consistent with a given set of assumptions
36 D
37 D
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10 Poll 38 Binterpreting the meaning of tables or diagrams or maps or graphs; judging/evaluating; reaching a conclusion which is consistent with a given set of assumptions
39 C
40 A
11 Scribe 41 D
analysing; interrelating ideas/themes/issues; empathising42 C
43 A
44 D
12 House Model 45 D
calculating; interpreting the meaning of tables or diagrams or maps or graphs; classifying; translating from one form to another
46 B
47 C
48 A
49 A
50 B
13 Sudoku 51 B
interpreting the meaning of tables or diagrams or maps or graphs; reaching a conclusion which is necessarily true provided a given set of assumptions is true; perceiving patterns
52 B
53 D
54 A
55 B
14 Dogwatching 56 B
interpreting the meaning of words or other symbols; analysing; hypothesising
57 A
58 D
59 C
60 D
15 Aqua Puffs 61 C
calculating62 C
63 B
64 B
16 Strachey 65 B
reaching a conclusion which is consistent with a given set of assumptions; using vocabulary appropriate to a context; analysing; comparing/contrasting
66 C
67 B
68 C
69 A
70 B
17 Tree-ring Dating 71 C
interpreting the meaning of tables or diagrams or maps or graphs; perceiving patterns; visualising; comparing/contrasting
72 B
73 A
74 B
75 D
76 A
77 D
Unit Item Key Common Curriculum Elements
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Note: The order of the CCEs tested for each unit does not reflect the order of the items, nor does it imply a cognitive hierarchy.
18 Grandfather 78 D
empathising; analysing79 A
80 D
19 Tessellations 81 C
perceiving patterns; visualising; classifying82 C
83 A
84 D
20 Editor 85 A
interpreting the meaning of words or other symbols; analysing; reaching a conclusion which is consistent with a given set of assumptions; analysing
86 A
87 C
88 A
89 D
90 D
21 Galaxy 91 B
calculating; interpreting the meaning of tables or diagrams or maps or graphs; perceiving patterns
92 C
93 B
94 C
95 D
22 Business Ethics 96 B
interpreting the meaning of words or other symbols; analysing; reaching a conclusion which is consistent with a given set of assumptions
97 D
98 A
99 A
100 C
Unit Item Key Common Curriculum Elements
6
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Average facilities of units (in increasing order)
Note: For an item, the facility (F) is the proportion of students who gave the correct response. For a unit, the average facility (AF) is the average of the facilities of all items in that unit.
Unit Short name AF (%)
1 Da Vinci Code 56
2 Caffeine 61
3 Red Right Hand 40
4 Lead Emissions 60
5 Silence 76
6 Immigrants 57
7 Draughts 50
8 Punk and Irony 44
9 Cinematography 60
10 Poll 44
11 Scribe 53
12 House Model 47
13 Sudoku 77
14 Dogwatching 64
15 Aqua Puffs 59
16 Strachey 33
17 Tree-ring Dating 57
18 Grandfather 49
19 Tessellations 40
20 Editor 52
21 Galaxy 58
22 Business Ethics 50
Average facility on subtest 54
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T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
Short Response (SR)
Commentary
This year’s SR subtest comprised 21 items across eight units. As students worked through each unit, they interacted with challenging stimulus material. Test developers paid careful attention to framing each item in a way that made it accessible to most students. The SR paper comprised units with stimulus material selected from fields as diverse as mathematics, technology, literature, geography, the arts (both creative and visual) and the social sciences.
This year’s paper was again varied in its content, covering a broad range of CCEs and was rich in practical content. The different tasks included devising a more efficient mobile phone keypad, interpreting a poster, understanding a contour map, creating Olympic pictograms, investigating the relationship between the number of steps shown on a pedometer and the distance walked, verifying data obtained from various sources, accounting for a travel writer’s epiphany amongst Saharan sand dunes, as well as considering the impact of climate change. These tasks seemed to interest students and impart knowledge at the same time as assessing student achievement.
Model responses and commentaries on students’ performance
What follows is an item-by-item discussion that includes model responses, graphs of the distributions of grades, commentaries on how students handled the tasks, and marking schemes. At times, references to specific student responses are included to exemplify observations. Model responses are those that demonstrate a high level of performance and would have been awarded the highest grade, A.
For some items, especially the more open-ended items, responses were extremely varied. For these it is not possible to provide an example of each of the many ways in which students responded. The detailed and item-specific marking schemes indicate the scope of acceptability of responses. 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 commentary are not designed to be read in isolation. They are but one element of the marking prescription. During the marking operation markers undergo rigorous training (immersion) in how to apply the marking schemes to student responses of one marking unit. The training involves careful consideration and application of the training material presented by immersers.
For organisational purposes during the marking operation, the testpaper units were grouped into five marking units. In 2007, Marking Unit 1 contained testpaper Units One and Five, Marking Unit 2 contained testpaper Units Two and Three, Marking Unit 4 contained testpaper Units Four and Six; Marking Units 7 and 8 contained testpaper Units Seven and Eight, respectively.
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T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
Unit One
ITEM 1
Model response
Commentary
This two-star item required students to explain what made a 1980s advertisement for the The Economist magazine clever. This required them to realise that the advertisement was in some way ironic or seemingly contradictory because of a statement made by a trainee who is older than would be expected. This item tested achievement in CCE 43 Analysing and CCE 48 Justifying.
To be awarded an A-grade, the response needed to do three things: attribute the statement to someone who does not seem to be as successful as would be expected, given their age; indicate that people would be (more) successful if they read The Economist; and expose (as opposed to identify the existence of) the seeming contradiction in the statement. An A-grade was awarded to 10.6 per cent of students.
Some students misinterpreted the intention of the advertisement, assuming that the management trainee worked for The Economist magazine. Some responses simply restated the stimulus, particularly that the magazine had an emphasis on international politics, business and finance. Some noted that the statement “I never read The Economist” was made by a 42-year old trainee, but many students did not make comment about there being anything unusual about being a trainee at the mature age of 42. Some responses focused on design aspects of the advertisement (such as background colour, text size), despite the cue stating that the response should refer to details of the advertisement’s written text.
Most B-grade responses attributed the statement to someone who does not seem to be as successful as would be expected, and indicated that people would be (more) successful if they read The Economist. Often, students identified that there was a seeming contradiction but had difficulty “exposing” it, failing to explain how it occurred. About 27 per cent of responses were awarded a B-grade.
If students were able to either attribute the statement to someone who does not seem to be as successful as would be expected OR indicate that people would be (more) successful if they read The Economist, the response was awarded a C-grade. Of the eight per cent of responses awarded a
The advertisement has a seemingly negative statement in a large font, but it’s what’s in the smaller font that makes it clever. The statement is made by someone who is still a trainee at the age of 42—someone who does not read The Economist. The implication is, therefore, that if he/she had read The Economist, he/she would have been more successful.
A B C D N O
100%
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C-grade, most attributed the statement to someone who would be expected to be more successful than a trainee at age 42, often by saying the person was “still” or “only” a trainee.
Approximately 17.5 per cent of responses were credited with alluding to one of the three aspects — seeming lack of success of the 42-year-old trainee, possible benefits from reading The Economist or seeming contradiction in the statement — and were awarded a D-grade.
Test developers were conscious of recent government initiatives that encourage mature-aged people to undertake training in a different field. However, the introduction to the item clearly states that the advertisement was from the 1980s.
10
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1.
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may b
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pre
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in
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fere
nt
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ot
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ly a
train
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ill
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noti
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th
at
the
per
son
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d
is a
tra
inee
at
age
42,
wh
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, in
th
e 1980s,
was
not
wh
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ld h
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ecte
d i
f so
meo
ne
was
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ul
in a
fie
ld i
n w
hic
h t
hey
had
bee
n w
ork
ing f
or
a
con
sid
erab
le l
ength
of
tim
e.
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trad
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on
’ m
ay b
e ex
pre
ssed
in
ter
ms
of
iron
y, s
arc
asm
, n
egati
ve
state
men
t, p
ara
dox,
or
sim
ilar.
11
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
Unit Two
ITEM 2
Model response
Commentary
The introduction to Unit Two describes Ava’s fitness regime and explains that she uses a pedometer that displays the number of steps she takes and can, after being programmed with her step length, convert the step numbers to distance travelled.
Item 2, a two-star closed item, required students to calculate the number of steps Ava will walk on Day 4 of her regime and to supply
an algebraic expression for the number of steps she would walk on Day d. This item tested achievement in CCE 16 Calculating with or without calculators and CCE 38 Generalising from information.
An A-grade response provided 5900 for Day 4 and 3500+800(d-1) or its algebraic equivalent for Day d and was awarded to slightly more than 32 per cent of students. A small percentage of students (about 4 per cent) were awarded a B-grade. The majority of these responses met the requirements of the first B-grade descriptor. That is, responses provided 5900 for Day 4 but gave a verbal outline such as “3500 plus 800 for each extra day she walked” to show understanding, rather than an algebraic expression.
Many students were able to correctly determine the number of steps for Day 4 but were not able to provide the correct algebraic expression for Day d, nor show understanding of the problem. This type of response was awarded a C-grade. A C-grade was also awarded if 6700 was given as the answer for Day 4 and the algebraic expression provided showed the student was counting the initial day when considering the additional steps taken instead of only the extra days i.e. 3500+800d. Including 6700 along with this expression would indicate a consistent pattern of thought. Almost 50 per cent of students were able to achieve a C-grade. Responses that gave numerical answers of 16 400 or 18 800 which students would have obtained using a cumulative total for the four days (not counting the initial day or counting the initial day respectively) were awarded a D-grade as were responses of either “6700” or “3500+800d”. It was unusual for a response to “show some understanding of the problem” alone but, if so, this type of response also received a D-grade. Slightly more than 10 per cent of students received a D-grade.
5900
3500 + 800 (d - 1)
A B C D N O
100%
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OR
OR
A
Th
e re
spo
nse
pro
vid
es
•5
90
0
AN
D
•3
50
0 +
80
0(d
-1).
B
Th
e re
spo
nse
pro
vid
es
•5900
AN
D
•an
exp
ress
ion
th
at
show
s
un
der
stan
din
g o
f th
e p
rob
lem
.
Th
e re
spo
nse
pro
vid
es
•a
nu
mer
ical
an
swer
su
pp
ort
ed b
y
work
ing t
hat
con
tain
s at
most
on
e
mec
han
ical
erro
r
AN
D
•3
500 +
800(d
-1).O
R
Note
s:
1.
Alg
ebra
ic e
xp
ress
ion
s eq
uiv
ale
nt
to 3
500 +
800(d
-1)
or
3500 +
800d
are
acc
epta
ble
in
th
eir
resp
ecti
ve
gra
des
.
2.
Alg
ebra
ic e
xp
ress
ion
s th
at
use
oth
er t
han
d a
re a
ccep
tab
le.
3.
Su
ch e
xp
ress
ion
s as
3500 +
800 +
800 +
… f
or
d-1
tim
es a
nd
3500 +
800d
-1 (
i.e.
exp
ress
ion
wh
ere
the
bra
cket
s h
ave
bee
n o
mit
ted
) w
ou
ld ‘
show
un
der
stan
din
g o
f th
e
pro
ble
m’.
Mod
el R
esp
on
se:
5900
3500
+80
0(d
-1)
D
Th
e re
spon
se p
rovid
es o
ne
of
•6
70
0
•1
6 4
00
•1
8 8
00
•3
50
0 +
80
0d
.
Th
e re
spon
se s
how
s so
me
un
der
stan
din
g o
f th
e p
rob
lem
.
OR
13
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
ITEM 3
Model response
Commentary
Item 3 was a straightforward one-star item that required students to calculate on what day Ava would reach her goal of walking at least 10 000 steps a day. This item tested achievement in CCE 16 Calculating with or without calculators.
To obtain an A-grade students had to provide Day 10 as the answer.Fifty-four per cent of students were able to calculate the correct day.
Many of these students used repeated additions of 800 to determine the correct day. Those students who were able to solve 10 000 = 3500+800(d - 1) to obtain their answer generally also realised that any fraction of a day over nine meant it would be the tenth day on which the goal of 10 000 steps would be reached, that is, the answer was ceilinged correctly.
To obtain a B-grade one error was permitted and most students given this grade made the error of solving algebraically based on the incorrect expression from Item 2. Nineteen per cent of students obtained a B-grade. If a ceiling error was also made the response was given a C-grade. Fourteen per cent of students were awarded a C-grade.
Note that for Items 2 and 3 it was not a requirement for working to be shown even though working space was provided. However most responses indicated the method used which was useful when lower grades were being awarded.
10
A B C N O
100%
14
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
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pte
mb
er
15
, 2
00
7 1
5:3
8 p
m(*
foo
ter
to r
em
ain
un
til fin
al p
rin
t*)
T:\
qcs\s
ri\s
ri2
00
7\P
ap
er\
sri5
98
\msch
em
es\0
2-0
03
-ms.f
m
UN
IT
TW
OIT
EM
3
PE
RF
OR
MA
NC
E D
OM
AIN
MA
RK
IN
G S
CH
EM
E
Mark
ing
Un
it 2
2 o
f 7
N
Res
pon
se i
s
un
inte
llig
ible
or
does
not
sati
sfy t
he
req
uir
emen
ts
for
an
y o
ther
gra
de.
O
No r
esp
on
se
has
bee
n m
ad
e
at
an
y t
ime.
16
Ca
lcu
lati
ng
wit
h o
r w
ith
ou
t ca
lcu
lato
rs
C
Th
e re
spon
se p
rovid
es 9
(or
9.1
25)
as
the
an
swer
.
Th
e re
spo
nse
pro
vid
es w
ork
ing
th
at
sho
ws
som
e
un
der
stan
din
g o
f th
e p
rob
lem
.
OR
A
Th
e re
spo
nse
pro
vid
es 1
0 a
s th
e a
nsw
er.
B
Th
e re
spon
se p
rovid
es a
nu
mer
ical
an
swer
sup
port
ed b
y w
ork
ing t
ha
t co
nta
ins
at
mo
st o
ne
erro
r.
Note
s:
1.
Typ
es o
f er
rors
in
clu
de:
tra
nsc
rip
tion
err
or,
day n
ot
giv
en i
n i
nte
ger
form
, co
nti
nu
ing t
o u
se a
n i
nco
rrec
t ex
pre
ssio
n f
rom
Ite
m 2
, ce
ilin
g o
r m
ech
an
ical
erro
rs.
Mod
el R
esp
on
se:
10
15
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
ITEM 4
Model response
Commentary
Item 4, a two-star item, required students to work out how many kilometres Larn really walked based on the reading of a pedometer programmed with Ava’s step length. Cues prompted students to present their method clearly and give their answer to one decimal place. CCE 37 Applying a progression of steps to achieve the required answer and CCE 32 Reaching a conclusion which is necessarily true provided a given set of assumptions is true were assessed.
To gain an A-grade the response needed to do two things: provide 8.2 (km) for the distance walked and clearly demonstrate that it had been arrived at by using a correct method with correct calculations. An A-grade was awarded to 36 per cent of students.
Students used various methods to determine the answer to this item. Some found the number of Ava’s steps in 7.2 km and then multiplied by Larn’s step length to find the distance travelled. This method required the students to do unit conversions which is where many students had problems. Converting units of measurement is one of the mathematical operations regarded as assumed knowledge for the QCS Test and, as such, should not have caused as many problems as it did. Students who used consistent but incorrect conversion factors would also obtain 8.2 km but were not awarded an A-grade.
Other methods included finding the number of steps Ava would have walked and multiplying this by the difference in step length between Ava and Larn (9 cm) to get the extra distance to add to 7.2 km to give Larn’s distance travelled. Students again needed to perform correct conversion of units to complete this method successfully.
The method of finding the ratio of step lengths and then multiplying by 7.2 km or using direct proportion required no conversion of units and therefore students who chose either of these methods avoided the possibility of making conversion errors. Ratio, proportion and converting units of measurement are mathematical skills needed in everyday life; they are also listed as knowledge
1.Number of steps walked by Larn = 7200 – 0.64
= 11250
Distance walked by Larn = 11250 x 0.73
= 8212.5
~ 8.2 km
.
.
~
A B C N O
100%
D
16
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
that is assumed for the QCS Test. Students should ensure they know when and how to use these and other basic Year 10 mathematical calculation methods.
For a B-grade, it was essential that the answer obtained was reasonable (not less than Ava’s distance and not more than twice her distance walked) which meant students were required, even with an error, to have some idea of an estimate for the distance walked. Thirteen per cent of students received a B-grade.
If students did not provide the method they used (as directed in a cue) and simply gave 8.2 (km) as the distance walked, they were awarded a C-grade. If the response showed a correct method had been attempted and at most two errors had been made to obtain an answer they also received aC-grade. Fewer than 3 per cent of students were awarded a C-grade.
Almost six per cent of responses received a D-grade. For this grade, the response either provided 6.3 (km) showing the student had some understanding of the problem but had used the step lengths in the incorrect order, or provided 11 250 as the correct number of steps.
17
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
Se
pte
mb
er
15
, 2
00
7 1
5:3
8 p
m(*
foo
ter
to r
em
ain
un
til fin
al p
rin
t*)
T:\
qcs\s
ri\s
ri2
00
7\P
ap
er\
sri5
98
\msch
em
es\0
2-0
04
-ms.f
m
UN
IT
TW
OIT
EM
4
PE
RF
OR
MA
NC
E D
OM
AIN
MA
RK
IN
G S
CH
EM
E
Mark
ing
Un
it 2
3 o
f 7
N
Res
pon
se i
s
un
inte
llig
ible
or
does
not
sati
sfy t
he
req
uir
emen
ts
for
an
y o
ther
gra
de.
O
No r
esp
on
se
has
bee
n m
ad
e
at
an
y t
ime.
37
Ap
ply
ing
a p
rog
ress
ion
of
step
s to
ach
iev
e th
e re
qu
ired
an
swer
32
Rea
chin
g a
co
ncl
usi
on
wh
ich
is
nec
essa
rily
tru
e p
rov
ided
a g
iven
set
of
ass
um
pti
on
s is
tru
e
C
Th
e re
spo
nse
pro
vid
es a
n a
nsw
er f
or
the
dis
tan
ce w
alk
ed a
nd
dem
on
stra
tes
that
it r
esu
lts
from
•u
sin
g a
corr
ect
met
hod
•ca
lcu
lati
on
s w
ith
at
mo
st t
wo
err
ors
.
Th
e re
spon
se p
rovid
es 8
.2 (
km
) fo
r th
e
dis
tan
ce w
alk
ed.
OR
A
Th
e re
spo
nse
pro
vid
es 8
.2 (
km
) fo
r th
e
dis
tan
ce w
alk
ed a
nd
cle
arl
y
dem
on
stra
tes
that
it r
esu
lts
from
•u
sin
g a
corr
ect
met
hod
•co
rrect
ca
lcu
lati
on
s.
B
Th
e re
spon
se p
rovid
es a
rea
son
ab
le
an
swer
for
the
dis
tan
ce w
alk
ed a
nd
clea
rly d
emon
stra
tes
that
it r
esu
lts
from
•u
sin
g a
corr
ect
met
hod
•ca
lcu
lati
on
s w
ith
at
mo
st o
ne
erro
r.
No
tes:
1.
If n
o u
nit
s are
giv
en i
n t
he
fin
al
an
swer
, ass
um
e k
ilom
etre
s.
2.
A ‘
reaso
nab
le’
an
swer
sh
ow
s a d
ista
nce
– n
o l
ess
than
Ava’s
dis
tan
ce
– n
o m
ore
th
an
tw
ice
Ava’s
dis
tan
ce.
3.
Poss
ible
err
ors
mig
ht
incl
ud
e ari
thm
etic
err
ors
, ro
un
din
g b
efore
th
e la
st s
tep
, an
swer
not
giv
en
to o
ne
dec
imal p
lace
, an
swer
tru
nca
ted
or
rou
nd
ed t
o g
ive
the
inco
rrec
t
dig
it a
fter
th
e d
ecim
al
poin
t, t
ran
scri
pti
on
err
ors
or
usi
ng i
nco
rrec
t (b
ut
con
sist
ent)
con
ver
sion
fact
ors
.
D
Th
e re
spon
se c
learl
y p
rovid
es 1
1 2
50 f
or
the
nu
mb
er o
f st
eps
tak
en.
Th
e re
spon
se p
rovid
es 6
.3 (
km
) fo
r th
e
dis
tan
ce w
alk
ed.
OR
Mod
el R
esp
on
ses:
1.
2.
1.
Distance
walke
d=
x7.2
=8.2125
~8.2
km~
73 64
Num
berof
steps
walke
dby
Larn=72
00–0.64
=112
50
Distance
walke
dby
Larn
=112
50x0.73
=82
12.5
~8.2
km
. .
~
18
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
Unit Three
ITEM 5
Model response
Commentary
The introductory stimulus material for this unit describes the method of Multitap for text input on mobile phones. Using Multitap, a chosen key is tapped one or more times until the desired letter is displayed. It was explained that predictive texting would not be considered in this unit.
Item 5, a one-star closed item, required students to write the key strokes required to enter the message, “ring later”, using Multitap and then to calculate the average key strokes per character for this message. This item tested achievement in CCE 37 Applying a progression of steps to achieve the required answer, CCE 16 Calculating with or without calculators and CCE 7 Translating from one form to another.
An A-grade response provided 777 444 66 4 0 555 2 8 33 777 as the correct Multitap version of the required message and 2 as the average key strokes per character. Sixty-three per cent of students achieved an A-grade. In all, over 98 per cent of students were able to gain a creditable grade on this item which dealt with familiar, contemporary technology.
The most common mistake students made was omitting the 0-key which provided the space between the words. More seriously, a significant number of students also made the mistake of following the calculation of the average key strokes per character model given in the stimulus material too closely and used the values for the example message instead of the required message to find the average key strokes per character.
I.
II.
777 444 66 4 0 555 2 8 33 777
20 10 = 2÷
A B C D N O
100%
19
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ter
to r
em
ain
un
til fin
al p
rin
t*)
T:\
qcs\s
ri\s
ri2
00
7\P
ap
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sri4
63
\msch
em
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3-0
05
-ms.f
m
UN
IT
TH
RE
EIT
EM
5
PE
RF
OR
MA
NC
E D
OM
AIN
MA
RK
IN
G S
CH
EM
E
Mark
ing
Un
it 2
4 o
f 7
N
Res
pon
se i
s
un
inte
llig
ible
or
does
not
sati
sfy t
he
req
uir
emen
ts
for
an
y o
ther
gra
de.
O
No r
esp
on
se
has
bee
n m
ad
e
at
an
y t
ime.
37
Ap
ply
ing
a p
rog
ress
ion
of
step
s to
ach
iev
e th
e re
qu
ired
an
swer
16
Ca
lcu
lati
ng
wit
h o
r w
ith
ou
t ca
lcu
lato
rs7
Tra
nsl
ati
ng
fro
m o
ne
form
to
an
oth
er
C
Th
e re
spon
se p
rovid
es t
he
esse
nti
al
gro
up
ings
of
dig
its
in c
orr
ect
ord
er
wit
h a
t m
ost
tw
o m
ino
r er
rors
in
eit
her
•th
e M
ult
itap
ver
sion
of
the
req
uir
ed
mes
sage
OR
•th
e co
rres
pon
din
g c
alc
ula
tion
of
the
aver
age
key
str
ok
es p
er c
hara
cter
.
Th
e re
spon
se p
rovid
es t
he
esse
nti
al
gro
up
ings
of
dig
its
in c
orr
ect
ord
er
wit
h t
he
corr
ect
Mu
ltit
ap
ver
sion
of
the
req
uir
ed m
essa
ge.
OR
A
Th
e re
spon
se p
rovid
es t
he
esse
nti
al
gro
up
ings
of
dig
its
in c
orr
ect
ord
er
wit
h
•th
e co
rrec
t M
ult
itap
ver
sion
of
the
req
uir
ed m
essa
ge
AN
D
•2
as
the
aver
age
key
str
ok
es p
er
chara
cter
.
B
Th
e re
spon
se p
rovid
es t
he
esse
nti
al
gro
up
ings
of
dig
its
in c
orr
ect
ord
er
wit
h a
t m
ost
on
e m
inor
erro
r i
n e
ith
er
•th
e M
ult
itap
ver
sion
of
the
req
uir
ed
mes
sage
OR
•th
e co
rres
pon
din
g c
alc
ula
tio
n o
f th
e
aver
age
key
str
ok
es p
er c
hara
cter
.
D
Th
e re
spon
se s
how
s at
most
th
ree
erro
rs, m
ajo
r o
r m
ino
r, in
th
e M
ult
ita
p
ver
sion
of
the
req
uir
ed m
essa
ge.
Th
e re
spon
se s
how
s 2 a
s th
e aver
age
key
str
ok
es p
er c
hara
cter
.
OR
Note
s: 1.
Each
of
the
foll
ow
ing i
s a m
inor
erro
r:
–th
e 0
is
om
itte
d
–w
ith
in a
gro
up
of
dig
its
ther
e are
more
th
an
th
e co
rrec
t n
um
ber
of
those
dig
its
–w
ith
in a
gro
up
of
dig
its
ther
e is
at
least
on
e of
the
dig
its
bu
t fe
wer
th
an
the
corr
ect
nu
mb
er o
f th
ose
dig
its
–an
in
corr
ect
or
om
itte
d r
esu
lt t
o a
corr
ectl
y w
ritt
en q
uoti
ent
–a q
uoti
ent
wh
ere
eith
er t
he
nu
mer
ato
r or
den
om
inato
r is
at
most
on
e off
th
e n
um
ber
th
at
corr
esp
on
ds
to t
he
pro
vid
ed M
ult
itap
ver
sion
.
2.
Each
of
the
foll
ow
ing i
s a m
ajo
r er
ror:
–th
e in
clu
sion
of
a n
on
-ess
enti
al
gro
up
–th
e ex
clu
sion
of
an
ess
enti
al
gro
up
–an
ord
er e
rror.
Mod
el R
esp
on
se:
I.
II.
777
444
66
40
555
2833
777
2010
=2
÷
20
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
ITEM 6
Model response
Commentary
This three-star item provided the students with a column graph showing the frequencies of the letters of the alphabet per thousand letters of English text. From this information and using the layout of the keypad given, they were required to identify the key that would, on average, be pressed most often if Multitap was used. They also had to show the calculations used to arrive at the number of times the identified key would be pressed.
This item tested achievement in CCE 37 Applying a progression of steps to achieve the required answer, CCE 6 Interpreting the meaning of tables or diagrams or maps or graphs and CCE 16 Calculating with or without calculators.
Sixty-three per cent of students were able to identify the 7-key as the most used key and show the calculations needed to determine that it would be pressed 453 times and thus were awarded an A-grade.
Ninety-nine per cent of students felt able to attempt this item but common errors included using a method other than that nominated in the stimulus material to identify the 7-key. The error of listing the total presses for the 7-key (or even for each key) without showing calculations could have been avoided if the cue beside the response area had been heeded.
Credit was given to responses where any of the next three most-used keys (the 3-,4- and 6-keys) was identified. At times it could be seen that this occurred because students had made errors in calculations and thought they had selected the most used key. At other times it appeared the students may have felt it was too time consuming to check each key. Estimation is a useful tool in maths problems and by targeting keys that contained the most letters and those containing the higher frequency letters students could have saved themselves some time.
19 x 1 + 1 x 2 + 60 x 3 + 63 x 4 = 45319 + 2 + 180 + 252 = 453
7
453
A B C D N O
100%
21
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
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pte
mb
er
15
, 2
00
7 1
5:3
8 p
m(*
foo
ter
to r
em
ain
un
til fin
al p
rin
t*)
T:\
qcs\s
ri\s
ri2
00
7\P
ap
er\
sri4
63
\msch
em
es\0
3-0
06
-ms.f
m
UN
IT
TH
RE
EIT
EM
6
PE
RF
OR
MA
NC
E D
OM
AIN
MA
RK
IN
G S
CH
EM
E
Mark
ing
Un
it 2
5 o
f 7
N
Res
pon
se i
s
un
inte
llig
ible
or
does
not
sati
sfy t
he
req
uir
emen
ts
for
an
y o
ther
gra
de.
O
No r
esp
on
se
has
bee
n m
ad
e
at
an
y t
ime.
37
Ap
ply
ing
a p
rog
ress
ion
of
step
s to
ach
iev
e th
e re
qu
ired
an
swer
6In
terp
reti
ng
th
e m
ean
ing
of
… g
rap
hs
16
Ca
lcu
lati
ng
wit
h o
r w
ith
ou
t ca
lcu
lato
rs
C
Th
e re
spon
se s
how
s th
e 7-k
ey.
Th
e re
spon
se s
how
s
•on
e of
the
3-,
4-
or
6-k
ey
•co
rrec
t n
um
ber
of
pre
sses
for
the
nom
inate
d k
ey
OR
B
Th
e re
spon
se s
how
s
•th
e 7-k
ey
•453 p
ress
es.
Th
e re
spon
se s
how
s
•th
e 7-k
ey
•n
o f
ewer
th
an
383 p
ress
es
•ca
lcu
lati
on
s co
nta
inin
g a
t m
ost
on
e
ari
thm
etic
err
or.
Th
e re
spon
se s
how
s
•453 p
ress
es
•co
rrec
t ca
lcu
lati
on
s.
OR
OR
D
Th
e re
spo
nse
sh
ow
s o
ne
of
the
3-,
4-
or
6-k
ey.
Note
s:
1.
Corr
ect
nu
mb
er o
f p
ress
es f
or
the
3-k
ey i
s 363,
for
the
4-k
ey i
s 352,
for
the
6-k
ey i
s 383.
Mod
el R
esp
on
se:
19x1+1x2
+60
x3
+63
x4
=45
319
+2
+180
+25
2=45
3
7
453
A
Th
e re
spon
se s
how
s
•th
e 7-k
ey
•453 p
ress
es
•co
rrec
t ca
lcu
lati
on
s.
C
Th
e re
spon
se s
how
s th
e 7-k
ey.
Th
e re
spon
se s
how
s
•on
e of
the
3-,
4-
or
6-k
ey
•co
rrec
t n
um
ber
of
pre
sses
for
the
nom
inate
d k
ey.O
R
22
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
ITEM 7
Model response
Commentary
Item 7, a four-star item, required students to indicate a strategy for reassigning the letters a-z over the keys 2-9 that would reduce as much as possible the total number of presses per thousand letters of English text using a mobile phone keypad and the Multitap method of entering text. Maintaining alphabetical order was important and the students were to show their reassignment on the diagram provided in the response area. This item tested achievement in CCE 36
Applying strategies to trial and test ideas and procedures and CCE 46 Creating/composing/devising.
To gain an A-grade the response needed to provide a strategy that recognised the importance of placing the high frequency letters in the first or second positions on the keys and show a permissible reassignment (one that maintains alphabetical order and uses keys 2-9) that was one of the top twenty reassignments. It was encouraging to see that 25 per cent of students were awarded an A-grade.
For the lower grades the quality of the reassignment was assessed by the number of lower frequency letters (identified for this item as b, f, g, j, k, p, q, v, x, y, z) that were placed in the first position on the keys. Placing more than two of these letters in the first position on the keys was not credited as a strategy that would reduce, as much as possible, the number of presses.
I.1.
II.
A strategy would be to use the frequencies in Figure
3 to target high frequency letters and have them
placed in first or at most second position on any key.
Lower frequency letters should not be placed in first
position on a key.
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9
0 #
.........
.........
.........
......... .........
.........
.........
.........
ab cd
lm
tuvwxyz
hijk
rs
efg
nopq
A B C D N O
100%
E
23
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
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pte
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er
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, 2
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ter
to r
em
ain
un
til fin
al p
rin
t*)
T:\
qcs\s
ri\s
ri2
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ap
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sri4
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\msch
em
es\0
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-ms.f
m
UN
IT
TH
RE
EIT
EM
7
PE
RF
OR
MA
NC
E D
OM
AIN
MA
RK
IN
G S
CH
EM
E
Mark
ing
Un
it 2
6 o
f 7
N
Res
pon
se i
s
un
inte
llig
ible
or
does
not
sati
sfy t
he
req
uir
emen
ts
for
an
y o
ther
gra
de.
O
No r
esp
on
se
has
bee
n m
ad
e
at
an
y t
ime.
36
Ap
ply
ing
str
ate
gie
s to
tri
al
an
d t
est
idea
s a
nd
pro
ced
ure
s4
6C
rea
tin
g/c
om
po
sin
g/d
evis
ing
C
Th
e re
spon
se p
rovid
es
I.a r
elev
an
t ob
serv
ati
on
th
at
incl
ud
es n
o i
nco
rrec
t
sta
tem
ents A
ND
II.
a p
erm
issi
ble
rea
ssig
nm
ent
tha
t in
clu
des
at
mo
st t
hre
e
‘low
er f
req
uen
cy’
lett
ers
as
the
firs
t le
tter
on
a k
ey.
Th
e re
spon
se p
rovid
es
II.
a p
erm
issi
ble
rea
ssig
nm
ent
that
is f
rom
th
e to
p t
wen
ty.
OR
A
Th
e re
spon
se p
rovid
es
I.a v
iab
le s
trate
gy t
hat
•ex
pli
citl
y r
ecogn
ises
th
e
corr
ect
pla
cem
ent
of
the
hig
h-f
req
uen
cy l
ette
rs
•in
clu
des
no i
nco
rrec
t
state
men
ts o
r am
big
uit
ies
AN
D
II.
a p
erm
issi
ble
rea
ssig
nm
ent
that
is f
rom
th
e to
p t
wen
ty.
B
Th
e re
spon
se p
rovid
es
I.a v
iab
le s
trate
gy t
hat
•ex
pli
citl
y r
eco
gn
ises
th
e
corr
ect
pla
cem
ent
of
the
hig
h-f
req
uen
cy l
ette
rs
•in
clu
des
no i
nco
rrec
t
state
men
ts o
r am
big
uit
ies
AN
D
II.
a p
erm
issi
ble
rea
ssig
nm
ent
that
incl
ud
es a
t m
ost
tw
o
‘low
er f
req
uen
cy’
lett
ers
as
the
firs
t le
tter
on
a k
ey.
Th
e re
spon
se p
rovid
es
I.a r
elev
an
t ob
serv
ati
on
th
at
incl
ud
es n
o i
nco
rrec
t
sta
tem
ents A
ND
II.
a p
erm
issi
ble
rea
ssig
nm
ent
that
is f
rom
th
e to
p t
wen
ty.
OR
D
Th
e re
spo
nse
pro
vid
es
I.a r
ele
van
t ob
serv
ati
on
AN
D
II.
a r
eass
ign
men
t
•over
at
least
fiv
e k
eys
•th
at
ma
inta
ins
alp
ha
bet
ica
l
ord
er
•th
at
incl
ud
es a
t m
ost
th
ree
‘low
er f
req
uen
cy’
lett
ers
as
the
firs
t le
tter
on
a k
ey.
Th
e re
spo
nse
pro
vid
es
I.a
via
ble
str
ate
gy
th
at
•ex
pli
citl
y r
ecog
nis
es t
he
corr
ect
pla
cem
ent
of
the
hig
h-f
req
uen
cy l
ette
rs
•in
clu
des
no i
nco
rrec
t
state
men
ts o
r am
big
uit
ies.
Th
e re
spo
nse
pro
vid
es
II.
a p
erm
issi
ble
rea
ssig
nm
ent
tha
t in
clu
des
at
mo
st t
hre
e
‘low
er f
req
uen
cy’
lett
ers
as
the
firs
t le
tter
on
a k
ey.
OR
OR
E
Th
e re
spo
nse
pro
vid
es
I.a r
ele
van
t ob
serv
ati
on
.
Th
e re
spo
nse
pro
vid
es
II.
a r
eass
ign
men
t
•over
at
least
fiv
e k
eys
•th
at
ma
inta
ins
alp
ha
bet
ica
l
ord
er
•th
at
incl
ud
es a
t m
ost
th
ree
‘low
er f
req
uen
cy’
lett
ers
as
the
firs
t le
tter
on
a k
ey.
OR
24
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pte
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er
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, 2
00
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em
ain
un
til fin
al p
rin
t*)
T:\
qcs\s
ri\s
ri2
00
7\P
ap
er\
sri4
63
\msch
em
es\0
3-0
07
-ms.f
m
MA
RK
IN
G S
CH
EM
E
Mark
ing
Un
it 2
7 o
f 7
UN
IT
TH
RE
EIT
EM
7
Mod
el R
esp
on
ses:
I.
1.
I.
2.
II.
II.
Astr
ate
gy
would
be
touse
the
frequencie
sin
Fig
ure
3to
targ
ethig
hfr
equency
letters
and
have
them
pla
ced
infirs
tor
atm
ostsecond
positio
non
any
key.
Low
er
frequency
letters
should
notbe
pla
ced
infirs
tpositio
non
akey.
Try
toputle
tters
whic
hare
used
frequently
e.g
.‘e
’,‘t’,
‘a’a
sth
efirs
tle
tters
pre
ssed
and
the
letters
rare
lypre
ssed
e.g
.‘q
’,‘j’
,‘x
’as
the
third
or
fourt
hle
tters
11
22
33
44
55
66
77
88
99
00
##
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
ab
abc
dcd
efg
lmno
pq
tuvw
xyz
wxy
z
hijk
lm
rstu
v
efg
hijk
nopq
rs
No
tes:
1.
A p
erm
issi
ble
rea
ssig
nm
ent
is o
ne
wh
ich
main
tain
s alp
hab
etic
al
ord
er w
hil
e ass
ign
ing t
he
lett
ers
a–z
over
th
e k
eys
2–9.
2.
Rel
eva
nt
ob
serv
ati
on
s m
igh
t in
clu
de
inco
mp
lete
or
un
clea
r st
rate
gie
s o
r su
ch s
tate
men
ts a
s ca
lcu
lati
ng t
he
nu
mb
er o
f p
ress
es i
n v
ari
ou
s gro
up
s an
d t
hen
ch
oosi
ng t
he
op
tim
um
set
of
gro
up
ings.
3.
In a
per
mis
sib
le r
eass
ign
men
t:
– i
f m
issi
ng l
ette
rs a
re f
rom
wit
hin
th
e le
tter
s on
a k
ey,
mark
th
e re
spon
se a
s th
ou
gh
th
e le
tter
s are
th
ere
an
d t
hen
ap
ply
a o
ne-
gra
de
pen
alt
y f
or
each
let
ter
om
itte
d
– i
f m
issi
ng l
ette
rs c
ou
ld b
e fr
om
eit
her
th
e la
st p
osi
tion
on
a k
ey o
r th
e fi
rst
posi
tion
on
th
e fo
llow
ing k
ey,
mark
th
e re
spon
se a
s th
ou
gh
th
e le
tter
s fi
ll t
he
last
posi
tion
an
d t
hen
ap
ply
a o
ne-
gra
de
pen
alt
y f
or
each
let
ter
om
itte
d
– i
f ex
tra l
ette
rs h
ave
bee
n p
lace
d i
n t
he
resp
on
se,
ign
ore
th
e ex
tra l
ette
rs, m
ark
th
e re
spon
se a
nd
th
en a
pp
ly a
on
e-gra
de
pen
alt
y f
or
each
ex
tra
let
ter.
4.
For
the
pu
rpose
of
this
mark
ing s
chem
e th
e ‘l
ow
er f
req
uen
cy’
lett
ers
are
b, f,
g, j,
k,
p, q
, v,
x,
y, z
.
5.
For
the
pu
rpose
of
this
mark
ing s
ch
eme
the
top
tw
enty
rea
ssig
nm
ents
are
th
ose
sh
ow
n o
n t
he
nex
t p
age.
Last
Page
Cou
nt
25
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
12
3
45
6
78
9
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
12
3
45
6
78
9
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
12
3
45
6
78
9
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
12
3
45
6
78
9
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
12
3
45
6
78
9
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
12
3
45
6
78
9
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
12
3
45
6
78
9
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
12
3
45
6
78
9
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
12
3
45
6
78
9
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
12
3
45
6
78
9
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
12
3
45
6
78
9
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
12
3
45
6
78
9
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
12
3
45
6
78
9
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
12
3
45
6
78
9
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
12
3
45
6
78
9
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
12
3
45
6
78
9
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
12
3
45
6
78
9
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
12
3
45
6
78
9
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
12
3
45
6
78
9
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
12
3
45
6
78
9
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
.........
top
tw
en
ty r
ea
ssig
nm
en
ts‘lo
we
r fr
eq
ue
ncy’
lett
ers
b f g j k p q v x y z
ab
cd
wxyz
lm tuv
efg
no
pq
hijk rs
ab
cd
vw
xyz
lm tu
efg
no
pq
hijk rs
ab
cd
yz
lm
tuvw
x
efg
no
pq
hijk rs
ab
cd
wxyz
lmn
tuv
efg
op
qh
ijk rs
ab
cd
tuvw
xyz
lm rs
efg n
hijk
op
q
ab
cd
xyz
lm
tuvw
efg
no
pq
hijk rs
ab
cd
uvw
xyz
lm t
efg
no
pq
hijk rs
ab
cd
tuvw
xyz
ijk rs
efg lm
h
no
pq
ab
cd
wxyz
lm stu
v
efg
no
pq
hijk r
ab
cd
vw
xyz
lmn
tu
efg
op
qh
ijk rs
ab
c
tuvw
xyz
hij
rs
d
klm
efg
no
pq
ab
c
tuvw
xyz
hijk rs
d
lmn
efg
op
q
ab
c
tuvw
xyz
hijk rs
d lme
fg
no
pq
ab
c
vw
xyz
lm tu
de
fg
no
pq
hijk rs
ab
c
wxyz
lm tuv
de
fg
no
pq
hijk rs
ab
cd
wxyz
klm tuv
efg
no
pq
hij
rs
ab
tuvw
xyz
hijk rs
cd
lme
fg
no
pq
ab
tuvw
xyz
hijk rs
cd
lmn
efg
op
q
ab
tuvw
xyz
hij
rs
cd
klm
efg
no
pq
a
tuvw
xyz
hijk rs
bcd
lme
fg
no
pq
26
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
Unit Four
ITEM 8
Model response
Commentary
In Unit Four, students were given a poster, by Luba Lukova, entitled Peace along with her statement that “the relationship between war and peace is one of the greatest contradictions of our lives”. Students were told that several interpretations of the poster can be made and that one interpretation is: “To maintain peace, we have to be prepared to defend it.”
Items 8 and 9 related to interpretations of the poster. In responding to both these items students were required to formulate an argument, making reference to the poster’s features, which related war to peace. Unfortunately, a significant number of students presented arguments which made no reference to the poster.
Item 8, a two-star item, tested achievement in CCE 48 Justifying, CCE 43 Analysing and CCE 26 Explaining to others. In this item students were required to present a well-supported argument for the interpretation that “to maintain peace, we have to be prepared to defend it.”
Central to this item was the given interpretation. In A- and B-grade responses, students incorporated key concepts of preparedness, maintaining peace and defending peace in presenting their argument and upheld the idea that war supports peace. A-grade responses were able to draw out relationships between features in supporting the given interpretation of the poster, while B-grade responses provided support for the given interpretation by stating a relationship between features. Typical B-grade responses included a statement such as “without the small images of war weapons, there would be no dove and therefore no peace”. Thirty per cent of students achieved either an A- or a B-grade.
C- and D-grade responses gave some support for the given interpretation. Responses affirmed the general idea that war supports peace rather than recognising the key concepts in the given interpretation. Generally students gave some support for the given interpretation by stating that “in order to have peace (the dove) we need to defend it with war (weapons)”. Such comments were re-statements of the given interpretation. Thirty per cent of students achieved a C-grade.
The symbols of war are arranged so that the image of a dove (the symbol of peace) is easily recognisable. This means that the only way to ‘maintain’ this image (and, by association, peace) is to keep the symbol of war in the image. Because the soldiers, artillery etc. that are shown are related to defence organisations, the implication is that they are there to protect the image (the peace) of which they are part.
A B C D N O
100%
27
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
D-grade responses, awarded to 35 per cent of students, either merely referred to features of the poster or gave some support to the given interpretation without reference to the poster. Typically these responses stated that war supports peace in some way.
Responses based on arguments against the given interpretation were not creditable as they overrode the stem. Over 95 per cent of students were awarded a creditable grade.
28
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t*)
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5-0
08
-ms.f
m
UN
IT
FO
UR
IT
EM
8
PE
RF
OR
MA
NC
E D
OM
AIN
MA
RK
IN
G S
CH
EM
E
Mark
ing
Un
it 4
1 o
f 4
N
Res
pon
se i
s
un
inte
llig
ible
or
does
not
sati
sfy t
he
req
uir
emen
ts
for
an
y o
ther
gra
de.
O
No
res
po
nse
ha
s b
een
mad
e
at
an
y t
ime.
48
Ju
stif
yin
g4
3A
na
lysi
ng
26
Ex
pla
inin
g t
o o
ther
s
C
Th
e re
spo
nse
ref
ers
to f
eatu
res
of
the
post
er a
nd
giv
es s
om
e su
pp
ort
for
the
giv
en i
nte
rpre
tati
on
.
B
Th
e re
spon
se r
efer
s to
fea
ture
s of
the
post
er i
n s
up
port
ing
an
arg
um
ent
for
the
giv
en i
nte
rpre
tati
on
.
D
Th
e re
spon
se r
efer
s to
fea
ture
s of
the
post
er.
Th
e re
spon
se g
ives
som
e su
pp
ort
for
the
giv
en i
nte
rpre
tati
on
.
OR
A
Th
e re
spon
se d
raw
s ou
t re
lati
on
ship
s
from
th
e fe
atu
res
of
the
post
er i
n
sup
port
ing a
n a
rgu
men
t fo
r th
e giv
en
inte
rpre
tati
on
.
Mo
del
Res
po
nse
:
Th
e sy
mb
ols
of
war
are
arr
an
ged
so t
hat
the
image
of
a d
ove
(th
e sy
mb
ol
of
pea
ce)
is e
asi
ly r
ecogn
isab
le.
Th
is m
ean
s th
at
the
on
ly w
ay t
o ‘
main
tain
’ th
is i
mage
(an
d,
by a
ssoci
ati
on
, p
eace
) is
to k
eep
th
e sy
mb
ol
of
war
in t
he
image.
Bec
au
se t
he
sold
iers
, art
ille
ry e
tc. th
at
are
sh
ow
n a
re r
elate
d t
o d
efen
ce o
rgan
isati
on
s, t
he
imp
lica
tion
is t
hat
they
are
th
ere
to p
rote
ct t
he
image
(th
e p
eace
) of
wh
ich
th
ey a
re p
art
.
Note
s:
1.
Dra
ws
ou
t: d
escr
ibes
a r
ela
tion
ship
bet
wee
n p
art
s an
d w
hole
th
at
goes
bey
on
d t
he
ob
vio
us
(e.g
. n
ot
just
talk
ing a
bou
t a d
ove
mad
e fr
om
wea
pon
s of
war)
.
2.
To
su
pp
ort
an
arg
um
ent:
th
at
the
can
did
ate
mak
es t
he
lin
ks
from
rel
ati
on
ship
s d
escr
ibed
in
su
pp
ort
ing a
n a
rgu
men
t fo
r th
e re
ad
er.
3.
Arg
um
ents
th
at
over
rid
e th
e st
em b
y s
ayin
g t
hat
war
does
NO
T s
up
port
pea
ce a
re n
ot
cred
ita
ble
.
29
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
ITEM 9
Model response
Commentary
Item 9, a three-star item, required students to study the poster and propose a clearly different interpretation (CCE 31 Interrelating ideas/themes/issues) and present a well-supported argument for this different interpretation (CCE 48 Justifying and CCE 26 Explaining to others). A “clearly different” interpretation was one which was not based on the core concept of the given interpretation; that is it did not relate to preparedness, maintaining or defending peace.
There were five creditable grades for this item and for all grades, students had to propose a different interpretation.
A-grade responses proposed a different interpretation, and, by drawing out the relationships from the features of the poster, fashioned an argument for their different interpretation. Their explanation showed how features of the poster supported this argument. Just over 7 per cent of students were awarded an A-grade.
B-grade responses provided support for the different interpretation by stating a relationship between features, typically including an observation such as “the image of the dove is fragmented, so war does break peace apart”. Twenty-five per cent of students achieved a B-grade.
To achieve an A-or B-grade, the new interpretation had to be valid; it had to relate to both war and peace. Where an interpretation related to only war or peace, the response could be awarded no higher than a C-grade. If students provided an argument that was very similar to the one they gave in Item 8, a penalty of one grade was applied.
Occasionally a student proposed an interpretation that, by itself, did not seem feasible or was not clear in its meaning. In many of these instances, the student’s intended meaning would be revealed later in the response.
At the C-grade level, responses gave some support for a different interpretation. Many responses named or described the features of the poster and then presented a statement that was a rewording of their proposed interpretation. Other students referred to or named features of the poster and then wrote generally on war and/or peace, providing an argument that was not directly developed by referring to features of the poster. A third type of C-grade response referred to features of the poster, provided a sentence that could be seen to relate to their interpretation but
Peace is an illusion—there is really only warSeen from a distance, the poster looks like a white dove, a symbol of peace. But close up, there is no peace—the image is made up of many images of war. We may think we have peace in a country, looking at it from a distance, that ‘peace’ is made up of a myriad of little fights and wars, and really, only the war exists.
A B C D N O
100%
E
30
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
also provided an argument that had little relevance to their new interpretation. Twenty-nine per cent of students gained a C-grade.
Many responses proposed a recognisably different interpretation but then developed an argument without any reference to the poster. These students could achieve no higher than a D-grade. Students who merely provided a different interpretation, or whose argument was irrelevant or unintelligible, received an E-grade. Approximately 35 per cent of students achieved either a D- orE-grade.
Some students referred only to inter-personal conflict or violence, ignoring Lukova’s quote that the poster was about the relationship between war and peace. This very small percentage of responses (1.5 per cent) gained no credit.
31
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
Se
pte
mb
er
17
, 2
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7 0
9:5
7 a
m(*
foo
ter
to r
em
ain
un
til fin
al p
rin
t*)
T:\
qcs\s
ri\s
ri2
00
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ap
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sri4
90
\msch
em
es\0
5-0
09
-ms.f
m
UN
IT
FO
UR
IT
EM
9
PE
RF
OR
MA
NC
E D
OM
AIN
MA
RK
IN
G S
CH
EM
E
Mark
ing
Un
it 4
2 o
f 4
N
Res
pon
se i
s
un
inte
llig
ible
or
does
not
sati
sfy t
he
req
uir
emen
ts
for
an
y o
ther
gra
de.
O
No r
esp
on
se
has
bee
n m
ad
e
at
an
y t
ime.
31
Inte
rrel
ati
ng
id
eas/
them
es/i
ssu
es4
8J
ust
ify
ing
2
6E
xp
lain
ing
to
oth
ers
C
Th
e re
spon
se r
efer
s to
fea
ture
s
of
the
post
er a
nd
giv
es s
om
e
sup
port
for
a d
iffe
ren
t
inte
rpre
tati
on
.
B
Th
e re
spo
nse
•giv
es a
n i
nte
rpre
tati
on
th
at
is d
iffe
ren
t fr
om
th
e on
e
giv
en
•re
fers
to f
eatu
res
of
the
post
er i
n s
up
port
ing a
n
arg
um
ent
for
the
dif
fere
nt
inte
rpre
tati
on
.
D
Th
e re
spon
se g
ives
som
e
sup
port
for
a d
iffe
ren
t
inte
rpre
tati
on
.
E
Th
e re
spon
se g
ives
a d
iffe
ren
t
inte
rpre
tati
on
.
A
Th
e re
spon
se
•giv
es a
n i
nte
rpre
tati
on
th
at
is d
iffe
ren
t fr
om
th
e on
e
giv
en
•d
raw
s ou
t re
lati
on
ship
s
fro
m t
he
fea
ture
s of
the
post
er
in s
up
porti
ng a
n
arg
um
ent
for
a d
iffe
ren
t
inte
rpre
tati
on
.
Mod
el R
esp
on
se:
Pea
ce i
s a
n i
llu
sio
n—
ther
e is
rea
lly
on
ly w
ar
See
n f
rom
a d
ista
nce
, th
e p
ost
er look
s li
ke
a w
hit
e d
ove,
a s
ym
bol of
pea
ce. B
ut
close
up
, th
ere
is n
o p
eace
—th
e im
age
is m
ad
e u
p o
f m
an
y im
ages
of
war.
We
may t
hin
k
we
have
pea
ce i
n a
cou
ntr
y, l
ook
ing a
t it
fro
m a
dis
tan
ce, b
ut
reall
y, t
hat
‘pea
ce’
is m
ad
e u
p o
f a m
yri
ad
of
litt
le f
igh
ts a
nd
wa
rs,
an
d r
eall
y, o
nly
th
e w
ar
exis
ts.
Note
s:
1.
If s
tud
ents
pre
sen
t an
arg
um
ent
ver
y s
imil
ar
to t
he
on
e th
ey g
ave
in I
tem
8, m
ark
acc
ord
ing t
o t
he
mark
ing s
chem
e th
en a
pp
ly o
ne-
gra
de
pen
alt
y.
2.
Fo
r a
n i
nte
rpre
tati
on
to
be
va
lid
, it
mu
st r
ela
te t
o W
AR
an
d P
EA
CE
. If
a r
esp
on
se r
efer
s on
ly t
o W
AR
or
PE
AC
E n
o m
ore
th
an
a C
-gra
de
can
be
aw
ard
ed.
3.
Dra
ws
ou
t: d
escr
ibes
a r
elati
on
ship
bet
wee
n p
art
s an
d w
hole
th
at
goes
bey
on
d t
he
ob
vio
us
(e.g
. n
ot
just
talk
ing a
bou
t a b
ird
mad
e fr
om
bom
bs)
.
4.
To s
up
port
an
arg
um
ent:
th
at
the
can
did
ate
mak
es t
he
lin
ks
from
rel
ati
on
ship
s d
escr
ibed
to s
up
port
th
e arg
um
ent
for
the
read
er.
32
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
Unit Five
Unit Five provided stimulus material which consisted of pictograms representing water sports from five different Olympic Games: 1968, 1972, 1980, 1996, 2000. This stimulus applied to five items – Items 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14. Students seemed to find this unit attractive and accessible. There were high rates of creditable grades and low omission rates on all items.
ITEM 10
Model response
Commentary
Item 10, a two-star item, required students to suggest three ways in which using pictograms at Olympic Games venues may be useful. This item tested CCE 31 Interrelating ideas/themes/issues, CCE 5 Interpreting the meaning of pictures/illustrations and CCE 33 Inferring.
Approximately 98 per cent of responses earned a creditable grade. Grades awarded for this item depended on the number of useful
ways identified, and whether these were major credible or minor credible ways.
Major credible ways relate to primary purposes of having pictograms and included being able to
• communicate without words
• easily identify/recognise the event/location, e.g. at the venue or on maps
• direct people to events
• reduce the need to employ guides
• unify the whole venue.
Minor credible ways relate to secondary purposes or “spin offs” and included
• being an attractive, eye-catching way of presenting information/providing interest at the venue
• providing a snapshot of what the sport is about
• providing an opportunity to promote a cultural icon (e.g. Australia/boomerang)
• providing logos for advertising/promotions/marketing/merchandising.
1. Direct people to specific events.
2. Communicate in many languages without words.
3. Provide signage so that events can be easily identified.
A B C D N O
100%
E
33
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
Major credible reasons were coded M, and minor credible reasons m, at the bottom of the marking scheme columns, as an aid for markers. Three major credible ways were required for an A-grade, which was awarded to about 3 per cent of responses. The B-grade, which was awarded to about40 per cent of responses required the listing of two major credible ways. For a C-grade to be awarded, two credible ways in which pictograms may be useful — one major, one minor — had to be provided. Just over a quarter of responses were awarded a C-grade.
The D-grade was awarded when students either provided one major credible way or two minor credible ways in which pictograms may be useful. About 26 per cent of responses were awarded this grade. When only one minor credible way was provided, an E-grade was awarded, and approximately 2 per cent of responses were awarded an E-grade.
In this item, students often provided the same one credible way two or more times, using different wording. For example, when students stated that pictograms would be useful for people who did not speak the local language, and also stated that pictograms would assist people who were unable to read, they were restating that pictograms enable communication without words. Among the non-credible ways that students suggested were: pictograms would be more useful for deaf or disabled people; pictograms could be interpreted more quickly than words; pictograms could be seen from further away; or pictograms were cheaper to produce than signs with words.
34
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pte
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er
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rin
t*)
T:\
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ri\s
ri2
00
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ap
er\
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54
\ma
rkin
g s
ch
em
e\0
5-0
10
-ms.f
m
UN
IT
FIV
EIT
EM
10
PE
RF
OR
MA
NC
E D
OM
AIN
MA
RK
IN
G S
CH
EM
E
Mark
ing
Un
it 1
2 o
f 6
N
Res
pon
se i
s
un
inte
llig
ible
or
does
not
sati
sfy t
he
req
uir
emen
ts
for
an
y o
ther
gra
de.
O
No r
esp
on
se
has
bee
n m
ad
e
at
an
y t
ime.
31
Inte
rrel
ati
ng
id
eas/
them
es/i
ssu
es5
Inte
rpre
tin
g t
he
mea
nin
g o
f p
ictu
res/
illu
stra
tio
ns
33
Infe
rrin
g
C
Th
e re
spo
nse
pro
vid
es t
wo
dif
fere
nt
cred
ible
ways
in
wh
ich
pic
togra
ms
may b
e
use
ful,
on
e of
wh
ich
is
a m
ajo
r
reaso
n,
the
oth
er m
inor.
M m
A
Th
e re
spo
nse
pro
vid
es t
hre
e
dif
fere
nt
majo
r cr
edib
le w
ays
in w
hic
h p
icto
gra
ms
may b
e
use
ful.
M M
M
B
Th
e re
spo
nse
pro
vid
es t
wo
dif
fere
nt
majo
r cr
edib
le w
ays
in w
hic
h p
icto
gra
ms
may b
e
use
ful.
M M
D
Th
e re
spo
nse
pro
vid
es o
ne
ma
jor
cred
ible
wa
y i
n w
hic
h
pic
tog
ram
s m
ay
be
use
ful.
Th
e re
spo
nse
pro
vid
es t
wo
dif
fere
nt
min
or
cred
ible
ways
in w
hic
h p
icto
gra
ms
may b
e
use
ful.
Mm
m
OR
E
Th
e re
spo
nse
pro
vid
es o
ne
min
or
cred
ible
way i
n w
hic
h
pic
togra
ms
may b
e u
sefu
l.
m
Note
s: 1.
Cre
dib
le w
ays
in w
hic
h p
icto
gra
ms
may b
e u
sefu
l ca
n b
e d
escr
ibed
as
bei
ng e
ith
er m
ajo
r or
min
or.
Ma
jor
cred
ible
wa
ys
incl
ud
e b
ein
g a
ble
to
:
•co
mm
un
icate
wit
hou
t w
ord
s
•ea
sily
id
enti
fy/r
ecogn
ise
the
even
t/lo
cati
on
, e.
g.
at
the
ven
ue
or
on
map
s
•d
irec
t p
eop
le t
o e
ven
ts
•re
du
ce t
he
nee
d t
o e
mp
loy g
uid
es
•u
nif
y t
he
wh
ole
ven
ue.
2.
Min
or
cred
ible
ways
incl
ud
e sp
in-o
ffs
such
as:
•b
ein
g a
n a
ttra
ctiv
e, e
ye-
catc
hin
g w
ay
of
pre
sen
tin
g i
nfo
rma
tio
n/p
rovid
ing
in
tere
st a
t th
e v
enu
e
•p
rovid
ing a
sn
ap
shot
of
wh
at
the
sport
is
ab
ou
t
•p
rovid
ing a
n o
pp
ort
un
ity t
o p
rom
ote
a c
ult
ura
l ic
on
(e.
g. A
ust
rali
a/b
oom
eran
g)
•p
rovid
ing l
ogos
for
ad
ver
tisi
ng/p
rom
oti
on
s/m
ark
etin
g/m
erch
an
dis
ing.
3.
You
ng c
hil
dre
n,
illi
tera
te p
eop
le,
fore
ign
-lan
gu
age
spea
kin
g a
nd
oth
er g
rou
ps
wh
o c
an
not
read
/sp
eak
th
e la
ngu
age
of
the
host
cou
ntr
y a
re t
o b
e re
gard
ed a
s th
e sa
me
‘gro
up
’, c
oll
ecti
vel
y, t
hose
wh
o w
ou
ld n
ot
be
ab
le t
o r
ead
sig
ns
in w
ritt
en t
ext.
4.
No c
red
it i
s to
be
giv
en t
o e
lem
ents
of
resp
on
ses
that
refe
r to
ben
efit
s to
vis
uall
y i
mp
air
ed, d
eaf,
mu
te o
r d
isab
led
peo
ple
in
gen
era
l.Mo
del
Res
po
nse
:
1.
Dir
ect
peo
ple
to s
pec
ific
even
ts.
2.
Com
mu
nic
ate
in
man
y l
an
gu
ages
wit
hou
t w
ord
s.
3.
Pro
vid
e si
gn
ag
e so
th
at
even
ts c
an
be
easi
ly i
den
tifi
ed.
35
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
ITEM 11
Model response
Commentary
This one-star item required students to respond to the question “What sets the 1968 pictogram designs apart from those in other years?” This item tests achievement in CCE 5 Interpreting the meaning of pictures/illustrations and CCE 29 Comparing, contrasting. Most students attempted this item and seemed to find it accessible. More than 96 per cent of responses were awarded a creditable grade.
The characteristics unique to the 1968 set of pictograms are:
• a focus on the equipment used (that is, the component that moves)
• the body of the player is not included
• different/several colours are used
• multiple lines used for waves.
The focus on equipment could be expressed in a variety of ways. Sometimes students mentioned that only “objects” or “icons” were included, but without elaboration, such as mentioning that the objects or icons were associated with the sports, such statements were not credited.
In being credited for the third of these characteristics, it was not necessary for a response to cite the colours, just note that different colours were used.
No credit was given for commenting that a water polo pictogram is included as the sets of pictograms were examples only and not necessarily complete.
Responses awarded an A-grade (33 per cent of responses) included three of the four characteristics, a B-grade (43 per cent of responses), two characteristics, and a C-grade (20 per cent of responses), one of the characteristics. Students found this item very accessible.
• There were prominent repeated waves
• The player’s body/torso was absent
• Several different colours were used.
A B C N O
100%
36
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T:\
qcs\s
ri\s
ri2
00
7\P
ap
er\
sri
15
4\m
ark
ing
sch
em
e\0
5-0
11
-ms.f
m
UN
IT
FIV
EIT
EM
11
PE
RF
OR
MA
NC
E D
OM
AIN
MA
RK
IN
G S
CH
EM
E
Mark
ing
Un
it 1
3 o
f 6
N
Res
pon
se i
s
un
inte
llig
ible
or
does
not
sati
sfy t
he
req
uir
emen
ts
for
an
y o
ther
gra
de.
O
No r
esp
on
se
has
bee
n m
ad
e
at
an
y t
ime.
5In
terp
reti
ng
th
e m
ean
ing
of
pic
ture
s/il
lust
rati
on
s2
9C
om
pa
rin
g,
con
tra
stin
g
C
Th
e re
spon
se p
rovid
es o
ne
of
the
foll
ow
ing:
•a f
ocu
s on
th
e eq
uip
men
t u
sed
/com
pon
ent
that
mo
ves
•th
e b
od
y o
f th
e p
layer
is
no
t in
clu
ded
•d
iffe
ren
t/se
ver
al
colo
urs
are
use
d
•m
ult
iple
lin
es u
sed
for
waves
.
A
Th
e re
spo
nse
pro
vid
es t
hre
e o
f th
e fo
llow
ing
:
•a f
ocu
s on
th
e eq
uip
men
t u
sed
/com
pon
ent
that
mo
ves
•th
e b
od
y o
f th
e p
layer
is
not
incl
ud
ed
•d
iffe
ren
t/se
ver
al
colo
urs
are
use
d
•m
ult
iple
lin
es u
sed
for
waves
.
B
Th
e re
spo
nse
pro
vid
es t
wo o
f th
e fo
llo
win
g:
•a f
ocu
s on
th
e eq
uip
men
t u
sed
/com
pon
ent
that
mo
ves
•th
e b
od
y o
f th
e p
layer
is
not
incl
ud
ed
•d
iffe
ren
t/se
ver
al
colo
urs
are
use
d
•m
ult
iple
lin
es u
sed
for
waves
.
Note
s:
1.
Eq
uip
men
t/co
mp
on
ents
th
at
move
incl
ud
e th
e b
all
, arm
, sa
ils,
oars
, p
ad
dle
.
2.
Th
e ‘b
od
y’
of
the
pla
yer
not
bei
ng i
ncl
ud
ed m
ean
s th
at
ther
e is
no r
epre
sen
tati
on
mad
e of
a p
layer
’s t
ors
o o
r co
mp
lete
bod
y.
3.
Set
s p
rovid
e ex
am
ple
s on
ly. N
o c
red
it f
or
com
men
tin
g t
hat
a w
ate
r p
olo
pic
togra
m i
s in
clu
ded
.
Mod
el R
esp
on
se:
•T
her
e w
ere
pro
min
ent
rep
eate
d w
aves
•T
he
pla
yer
’s b
od
y/t
ors
o w
as
ab
sen
t
•S
ever
al
dif
fere
nt
colo
urs
wer
e u
sed
.
37
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
ITEM 12
Model response
Commentary
In this two-star item, students were asked to contrast the styles of images in the 1972 and 1996 sample pictogram sets. A cue told students to give three clear differences, and a table with two columns, three rows and headings of 1972 and 1996 was provided to allow students to clearly show contrasts. This item tests achievement in CCE 29 Comparing, contrasting and CCE 5 Interpreting the meaning of pictures/illustrations.
The grade awarded depended upon the number of features correctly contrasted. Credible contrasts included
• Abstract/realistic shapes
• Angular/rounded bodies
• Broken/whole bodies
• Absence/presence of water line
• Different coloured (blue/black) shapes.
The marking scheme allowed for other credible contrasts to be accepted, but few were identified.
For an A-grade, the response required three features to be contrasted, with no incorrect statements included. Just over a quarter of responses were awarded an A-grade. A B-grade response (about 42% of responses) included two contrasted features, while only one contrasted feature was required for a C-grade (about 20 per cent of responses).
A D-grade was reserved for responses in which students identified two contrasts in what was termed an “incorrect pairing” of sets or pictograms. An incorrect pairing was eligible for credit when either the two sets of pictograms contrasted were clearly identifiable as being one of 1972/1996 and one of 1968/1980/2000 OR pictograms of individual 1972 and 1996 water sports were contrasted.
1972 1996
abstract style realistic/photo form
body in (3) parts body in 1 part
angular bodies rounded bodies
A B C D N O
100%
38
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
Approximately 5 per cent of responses were awarded a D-grade.
Sometimes students placed 1972 features in the 1996 column and vice versa. In this case, responses were graded as if the entries were in the correct columns and a one-grade penalty was applied.
No credit was given if contrasted features were repeated using different wording, and there was also no credit if students mentioned absence/presence of a water polo pictogram, number of competitors or direction of movement. This is because the item required contrast of “styles” of pictograms rather than individual characteristics. Responses which included statements such as“not curved/curved” or “unrealistic/realistic” did not provide sufficient information to expose the contrast in style, and did not attract credit.
39
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
Se
pte
mb
er
15
, 2
00
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5:2
8 p
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foo
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to r
em
ain
un
til fin
al p
rin
t*)
T:\
qcs\s
ri\s
ri2
00
7\P
ap
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sri1
54
\ma
rkin
g s
ch
em
e\0
5-0
12
-ms.f
m
UN
IT
FIV
EIT
EM
12
PE
RF
OR
MA
NC
E D
OM
AIN
MA
RK
IN
G S
CH
EM
E
Mark
ing
Un
it 1
4 o
f 6
N
Res
pon
se i
s
un
inte
llig
ible
or
does
not
sati
sfy t
he
req
uir
emen
ts
for
an
y o
ther
gra
de.
O
No r
esp
on
se
has
bee
n m
ad
e
at
an
y t
ime.
29
Co
mp
ari
ng
, co
ntr
ast
ing
5In
terp
reti
ng
th
e m
ean
ing
of
pic
ture
s/il
lust
rati
on
s
C
Th
e re
spon
se c
on
trast
s on
e fe
atu
re
fro
m
•a
bst
ract
/rea
list
ic s
hap
es
•an
gu
lar/
rou
nd
ed b
od
ies
•‘b
rok
en’/
wh
ole
bod
ies
•ab
sen
ce/p
rese
nce
of
wa
ter
lin
e
•d
iffe
ren
t co
lou
red
(b
lue/
bla
ck)
shap
es
•o
ther
cred
ible
co
ntr
ast
.
A
Th
e re
spon
se c
on
trast
s th
ree
featu
res
fro
m
•a
bst
ract
/rea
list
ic s
hap
es
•an
gu
lar/
rou
nd
ed b
od
ies
•‘b
rok
en’/
wh
ole
bod
ies
•ab
sen
ce/p
rese
nce
of
wate
r li
ne
•d
iffe
ren
t co
lou
red
(b
lue/
bla
ck)
shap
es
•oth
er c
red
ible
con
trast
.
No i
nco
rrec
t st
ate
men
t is
in
clu
ded
.
B
Th
e re
spon
se c
on
trast
s tw
o f
eatu
res
fro
m
•a
bst
ract
/rea
list
ic s
ha
pes
•an
gu
lar/
rou
nd
ed b
od
ies
•‘b
rok
en’/
wh
ole
bod
ies
•a
bse
nce
/pre
sen
ce o
f w
ate
r li
ne
•d
iffe
ren
t co
lou
red
(b
lue/
bla
ck)
sha
pes
•oth
er c
red
ible
con
tra
st.
D
Th
e re
spon
se i
den
tifi
es a
t le
ast
tw
o
con
trast
s in
an
in
corr
ect
pair
ing o
f se
ts
or
pic
togra
ms.
Mod
el R
esp
on
se:
1972
1996
ab
str
act
sty
lere
alis
tic/p
ho
to f
orm
bo
dy in (
3)
part
sb
od
y in 1
part
an
gu
lar
bod
ies
rou
nde
d b
od
ies
Note
s:
1.
Don
’t a
ccep
t co
ntr
ast
by i
nfe
ren
ce—
that
is, if
on
e ce
ll i
s fi
lled
in a
nd
not
the
oth
er i
n t
hat
row
; d
o n
ot
acc
ept
con
trast
s
thro
ugh
cel
ls i
n d
iffe
ren
t ro
ws.
2.
Do n
ot
cred
it r
epea
ts.
3.
No c
red
it f
or
•n
o w
ate
r p
olo
pic
togra
m
•n
um
ber
of
com
pet
itors
sh
ow
n
•d
irec
tio
n o
f m
ov
emen
t.
4.
An
in
corr
ect
pa
irin
g e
lig
ible
to
gain
cre
dit
occ
urs
wh
en e
ith
er
•th
e tw
o s
ets
of
pic
tog
ram
s co
ntr
ast
ed a
re c
lea
rly
iden
tifi
ab
le a
s b
ein
g o
ne
of
1972 o
r 1996 a
nd
on
e of
1968,
19
80 o
r 2
000
, o
r
•p
icto
gra
ms
of
ind
ivid
ual
1972 a
nd
1996 w
ate
r sp
ort
s are
con
trast
ed.
5.
Wh
en t
he
two c
olu
mn
s are
rev
erse
d (
1972 e
ntr
ies
in t
he
1996
colu
mn
an
d v
ice
ver
sa)
gra
de
the
resp
on
se a
s if
th
e en
trie
s
wer
e in
th
e co
rrect
colu
mn
s an
d t
hen
ap
ply
a o
ne-
gra
de
pen
alt
y.
40
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
ITEM 13
Model response
Commentary
Item 13, a two-star item, required students to create a water polo pictogram in the style of other water sports shown for the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games. The cue reminded students to keep to style and indicated where they needed to draw the pictogram. The four other pictograms from the Moscow Olympics set were reproduced in the response area as a guide for students in keeping to the style of this particular set of pictograms. This item tests
achievement in CCE 60 Sketching/drawing, CCE 49 Perceiving patterns and CCE 1 Recognising letters, words and other symbols.
A list of nine features, required for the proposed pictogram to ‘fit’ with the rest of the set, and to clearly show the sport being represented as water polo, was identified. The grade awarded depended on the number of these features incorporated in the proposed pictogram. The features are:
• black background and white components only
• water surface in the lower half of pictogram connects left and right sides
• one person/figure in two parts: head and body
• figure is merged with the wave/water
• no internal lines in the figure
• corners are rounded
• a (rough) right angle in the figure
• ball shown in white (may be connected to the hand, but must not have any details)
• image drawn wholly in the frame, body displays similar proportions to other bodies in the set, and an appropriate portion of the frame is used.
The pictogram could include other relevant elements such as a water polo goal and remain eligible for a creditable grade.
All nine features were required to award an A-grade, which was awarded to about 12 per cent of responses. A B-grade (eight features) was awarded to about 30 per cent of responses, a C-grade
A B C D N O
100%
E
41
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
(seven features) to about 27 per cent of responses, a D-grade (six features) to about 17 per cent per cent of responses and an E-grade (four features) to about 10 per cent of responses.
Students generally responded well to this item. The most common errors or omissions related to the figure not being merged with the wave/water, the background not being shaded, no right angle present in the representation of the figure and the ball drawn showing details or patterning rather than being plain white.
42
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pte
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er
15
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foo
ter
to r
em
ain
un
til fin
al p
rin
t*)
T:\
qcs\s
ri\s
ri2
00
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ap
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sri1
54
\ma
rkin
g s
ch
em
e\0
5-0
13
-ms.f
m
UN
IT
FIV
EIT
EM
13
PE
RF
OR
MA
NC
E D
OM
AIN
MA
RK
IN
G S
CH
EM
E
Mark
ing
Un
it 1
5 o
f 6
N
Res
pon
se i
s
un
inte
llig
ible
or
does
not
sati
sfy t
he
req
uir
emen
ts
for
an
y o
ther
gra
de.
O
No r
esp
on
se
has
bee
n m
ad
e
at
an
y t
ime.
60
Sk
etch
ing
/dra
win
g4
9P
erce
ivin
g p
att
ern
s1
Rec
og
nis
ing
… s
ym
bo
ls
C
Th
e p
rop
ose
d p
icto
gra
m h
as
inco
rpo
rate
d s
even
of
the
fea
ture
s.
A
Th
e p
rop
ose
d p
icto
gra
m h
as
inco
rpora
ted
all
nin
e fe
atu
res,
an
d is
com
pa
tib
le w
ith
th
e re
st
of
the
set.
B
Th
e p
rop
ose
d p
icto
gra
m h
as
inco
rpo
rate
d e
igh
t o
f th
e
fea
ture
s.
D
Th
e p
rop
ose
d p
icto
gra
m h
as
inco
rpo
rate
d s
ix o
f th
e
featu
res.
E
Th
e p
rop
ose
d p
icto
gra
m h
as
inco
rpo
rate
d f
ou
r of
the
featu
res.
Note
s:
1.
Th
e n
ine
featu
res
are
:
•b
lack
back
gro
un
d a
nd
wh
ite
com
pon
ents
on
ly (
gre
y/l
ead
pen
cil
all
ow
ed i
nst
ead
of
bla
ck)
•w
ate
r su
rface
in
low
er h
alf
of
pic
togra
m c
on
nec
ts l
eft
an
d r
igh
t si
des
•o
ne
per
son
/fig
ure
in
tw
o p
art
s: h
ead
an
d b
od
y
•fi
gu
re i
s m
erg
ed w
ith
th
e w
av
e/w
ate
r
•n
o i
nte
rnal
lin
es i
n t
he
figu
re
•co
rner
s are
rou
nd
ed
•th
ere
is a
(ro
ugh
) ri
gh
t an
gle
in
th
e fi
gu
re
•b
all
to b
e sh
ow
n w
hit
e; m
ay b
e co
nn
ecte
d t
o ‘
han
d’;
mu
st n
ot
have
an
y d
etail
s
•im
age
is d
raw
n w
holl
y i
n t
he
fram
e, b
od
y d
isp
lays
sim
ilar
pro
port
ion
s to
oth
er b
od
ies
in t
he
set,
an
d
an
ap
pro
pri
ate
port
ion
of
the
fram
e is
use
d.
2.
Th
e p
rop
ose
d p
icto
gra
m m
ay i
ncl
ud
e oth
er r
elev
an
t el
emen
ts,
such
as
a w
ate
r p
olo
goal,
an
d r
emain
elig
ible
for
the
aw
ard
of
an
y c
red
itab
le g
rad
e.
Mod
el R
esp
on
se:
43
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
ITEM 14
Model response
Commentary
This was a two-star item, presented in two parts. The introduction asked students to suppose that Surfboard Riding had been included as an event at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. A general overview of what a pictogram for Surfboard Riding would be like – white elements on a blue background, set in a roughly square-shaped frame – is given. This item tests CCE 60 Sketching/drawing and CCE 46 Creating/composing/devising.
Part I of the item, required students to state factors which would govern the design of the white elements of such a pictogram. Cues indicated that students should consider inclusions, exclusions and shapes, and gave permission to use point form in this part of their response. In Part II, they were required to complete a rough pencil sketch of the possible white elements suitable for the pictogram. Cues prompted students to provide only the elements that would appear in white and not to do anything about shading a blue background; however there was no penalty if students did shade the blue background.
The grade awarded depended on the factors students listed in part I as governing the design of the pictogram, and whether the pictogram drawn in part II included the governing factors. Drawing the pictogram allowed students to demonstrate their understanding of the four governing factors. The four factors were:
• boomerang/s
• a body/person/human
• a wave/water
• a surfboard.
I. The factors that would govern the design of the
pictogram are: the body is formed of
boomerang(s), the head is separate, there is a
wave and there is a surfboard.
II.
A B C N O
100%
D E
44
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
For an A-grade to be awarded, part I needed to make reference to all four factors and the proposed pictogram in part II needed to include all four factors. Additionally, for an A- or B-grade (only) to be awarded, the boomerang/s drawn in part II needed to represent some body parts, the body drawn needed to be in parts and the wave/water needed to consist of one or two simple curved lines. (Large or pointed style waves were not acceptable for an A- or B-grade, and quite a few students included a huge dominating wave in their proposed pictograms.) These features were necessary for the pictogram to be compatible with the others in the Sydney 2000 set. A B-grade was awarded if students made reference to boomerang(s) and one other factor in part I, and drew a pictogram in part II which included all factors including the additional requirements mentioned. Approximately 12 per cent of responses were awarded an A-grade and about 13 per cent of responses were awarded a B-grade.
About 54 per cent of responses gained a C-grade, which was most-commonly awarded when reference was made to any two of the factors in part I and the pictogram drawn in part II included any three of the factors. Other ways in which a response could be awarded a C-grade included listing the four factors in part I or drawing a pictogram in part II which demonstrated the four factors.
For an A-, B- or C-grade to be awarded, pictograms could not include any extraneous images. Extraneous images included those not directly related to the essence of surfboard riding, such as suns, sails, buckets and spades, shellfish, kites etc. A few students misinterpreted the concept of surfboard riding and included drawings of bike riding, skateboard riding, horse riding, wind surfing or kite surfing. In such cases, some elements were regarded as extraneous images and markers were instructed to look for other elements in the pictogram to credit towards a D- or E-grade.
For an element to be regarded as a boomerang, the drawing needed to include an obvious “bend”. Sometimes students made reference to “bananas” instead of boomerangs in part I. This was credited as if boomerang(s) had been referred to.
Many students mentioned particular body parts in part I, including arms, head, legs etc. This was credited as referring to a “body”.
A D-grade (about 17 per cent of responses) was awarded if reference was made to any one of the factors in part I and a pictogram drawn in part II included any two of the factors. Other ways a response could be awarded a D-grade included listing three of the four factors in part I or drawing a pictogram in part II which demonstrated three of the four factors.
An E-grade (about 2 per cent of responses) was awarded if reference was made to any two of the factors, or if a pictogram drawn in part II included any two of the factors.
45
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
Se
pte
mb
er
15
, 2
00
7 1
5:2
8 p
m(*
foo
ter
to r
em
ain
un
til fin
al p
rin
t*)
T:\
qcs\s
ri\s
ri2
00
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ap
er\
sri1
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\ma
rkin
g s
ch
em
e\0
5-0
14
-ms.f
m
UN
IT
FIV
EIT
EM
14
PE
RF
OR
MA
NC
E D
OM
AIN
MA
RK
IN
G S
CH
EM
E
Mark
ing
Un
it 1
6 o
f 6
N
Res
pon
se i
s
un
inte
llig
ible
or
does
not
sati
sfy t
he
req
uir
emen
ts
for
an
y o
ther
gra
de.
O
No r
esp
on
se
has
bee
n m
ad
e
at
an
y t
ime.
60
sk
etch
ing
/dra
win
g4
6C
rea
tin
g/c
om
po
sin
g/d
evis
ing
C
Th
e re
spo
nse
in
clu
des
•re
fere
nce
to
an
y t
wo
of
the
fact
ors
•a
pic
tog
ram
th
at
dem
on
stra
tes
thre
e o
f th
e
fact
ors
an
d i
ncl
ud
es n
o
extr
an
eou
s im
ages
.
Th
e re
spon
se i
ncl
ud
es a
lis
t of
the
fou
r fa
cto
rs.
Th
e re
spo
nse
in
clu
des
a
pic
tog
ram
th
at
dem
on
stra
tes
the
fou
r fa
ctors
an
d i
ncl
ud
es
no e
xtr
an
eou
s im
ages
.
OR
OR
A
Th
e re
spon
se i
ncl
ud
es
•re
fere
nce
to t
he
fou
r fa
cto
rs
that
wou
ld g
over
n t
he
des
ign
of
the
wh
ite
elem
ents
,
nam
ely,
–b
oo
mer
an
gs
–a b
od
y
–a w
ave/
wate
r
–a s
urf
board
•a
pic
tog
ram
th
at
dem
on
stra
tes
the
fou
r
fact
ors
, in
clu
des
no
extr
an
eou
s im
ages
an
d i
s
com
pati
ble
wit
h t
he
rest
of
the
set.
B
Th
e re
spo
nse
in
clu
des
•re
fere
nce
to
bo
om
era
ng
/s
an
d a
ny o
ne
of
the
oth
er
thre
e fa
cto
rs
•a
pic
tog
ram
th
at
dem
on
stra
tes
the
fou
r
fact
ors
, in
clu
des
no
extr
an
eou
s im
ages
an
d i
s
com
pati
ble
wit
h t
he
rest
of
the
set.
D
Th
e re
spo
nse
in
clu
des
•re
fere
nce
to o
ne
of
the
fact
ors
•a
pic
tog
ram
th
at
dem
on
stra
tes
two o
f th
e
fact
ors
.
Th
e re
spon
se i
ncl
ud
es a
lis
t of
thre
e of
the
fact
ors
.
Th
e re
spon
se i
ncl
ud
es a
pic
tog
ram
th
at
dem
on
stra
tes
thre
e of
the
fact
ors
.
OR
OR
E
Th
e re
spon
se i
ncl
ud
es
refe
ren
ce t
o t
wo o
f th
e fa
ctors
.
Th
e re
spon
se i
ncl
ud
es a
pic
tog
ram
th
at
dem
on
stra
tes
two o
f th
e fa
ctors
.
OR
Note
s:.
1.
Th
e fo
ur
fact
ors
th
at
gover
n t
he
des
ign
rel
ate
to t
he
incl
usi
on
of
•b
oo
mer
an
g/s
(re
pre
sen
t so
me
body
part
s)
•a b
od
y (
in p
art
s)
•a w
ave/
wate
r (o
ne
or
two
sim
ple
cu
rved
lin
es)
•a s
urf
board
.
2.
Qu
ali
fica
tion
s in
pare
nth
eses
in
Note
1 a
pp
ly t
o p
icto
gra
ms
in r
esp
on
ses
that
are
aw
ard
ed a
n A
- or
B-g
rad
e.
3.
Wh
ere
a r
esp
on
se r
efe
rs t
o b
an
an
a-s
hap
ed b
od
y p
art
s ra
ther
th
an
boom
eran
g-s
hap
ed b
od
y p
art
s, a
ccep
t as
if t
he
refe
ren
ce
was
to b
oom
eran
gs.
4.
Res
tate
men
t of
stim
ulu
s m
ate
rial—
such
as
nee
din
g w
hit
e el
emen
ts, or
havin
g a
blu
e b
ack
gro
un
d—
att
ract
s n
o c
red
it,
no
pen
alt
y.
5.
A b
lue
ba
ckgro
un
d a
dd
ed i
n p
art
II
gain
s n
o c
red
it, n
o p
enalt
y.
6.
If t
he
‘wh
ite’
ele
men
ts a
re d
raw
n i
n s
om
eth
ing
oth
er t
ha
n p
enci
l, g
rad
e th
e re
spon
se a
s if
th
e el
emen
ts w
ere
dra
wn
in
pen
cil.
Mod
el R
esp
on
se:
I.T
he
fact
ors
th
at
wou
ld g
over
n t
he
des
ign
of
the
pic
tog
ram
are
: th
e b
od
y i
s fo
rmed
of
boom
eran
g(s
), t
he
hea
d i
s se
para
te, th
ere
is a
wave
an
d t
her
e is
a s
urf
board
.
II.
Last
Page
Cou
nt
46
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
Unit Six
ITEM 15
Model response
Commentary
The introduction to Unit Six gave a verse of “The Children’s Hour”, a poem written by Henry Longfellow in 1859.
Item 15 presented, out of order, three other consecutive stanzas from this poem and instructed students to indicate the relative order of these stanzas within the poem, outlining the evidence they used to determine their order. A note below the stanzas indicated that Alice,
Allegra and Edith who are mentioned in the poem are Longfellow’s daughters. In this two-star item students were tested on CCE 31 Interrelating ideas/themes/issues, CCE 4 Interpreting the meaning of words or other symbols, and CCE 43 Analysing.
Students who achieved an A-grade gave the correct order of the stanzas (2, 3, 1) and provided specific evidence from the stanzas to establish the relative positions of all three stanzas. This could be done by pointing out a feature of the stanza that alone established its relative position, or by fixing the relative order of two stanzas through interrelating features of those stanzas. Responses that established the relative position of two stanzas were awarded a B-grade.
Most students used a sequence of events to establish the relative order of stanzas or, in the case of the first stanza, acknowledged that the girls were introduced by name in the first stanza and thereafter were referred to as “they”. Twenty-eight per cent of students achieved either anA- or B-grade.
.............................................
.............................................
.............................................
.............................................
.............................................
Stanza labelled 1 names the people being referred to in the other
two stanzas as ‘they’, and therefore should be in first position.
Stanza 2 indicates that a plot is being conjured up and stanza
labelled 3 is the fulfilment of this plan to take him by surprise and
�
�
� surround him.
A B C D N O
100%
47
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
Most students attempted this item and a high proportion of these students gained some credit. Many recognised the correct order of the stanzas but were unable to provide specific evidence for the relative position of all three stanzas.
Students who supported the correct order with only general references to the stanzas achieved a C-grade. Forty-five per cent of students were awarded a C-grade.
D-grade responses either gave the correct relative order of the three stanzas, without intelligible support, or provided a reference that supported the correct relative position of two stanzas. A D-grade was awarded to 17 per cent of students.
48
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
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pte
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, 2
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un
til fin
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t*)
T:\
qcs\s
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em
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UN
IT
SIX
IT
EM
15
PE
RF
OR
MA
NC
E D
OM
AIN
MA
RK
IN
G S
CH
EM
E
Mark
ing
Un
it 4
3 o
f 4
N
Res
pon
se i
s
un
inte
llig
ible
or
does
not
sati
sfy t
he
req
uir
emen
ts
for
an
y o
ther
gra
de.
O
No r
esp
on
se
has
bee
n m
ad
e
at
an
y t
ime.
31
Inte
rrel
ati
ng
id
eas/
them
es/i
ssu
es4
Inte
rpre
tin
g t
he
mea
nin
g o
f w
ord
s …
43
An
aly
sin
g
C
Th
e co
rrec
t ord
er o
f th
e th
ree
stan
zas
is g
iven
.
Sp
ecif
ic e
vid
ence
is
pro
vid
ed t
o
esta
bli
sh t
he
corr
ect re
lati
ve
posi
tion
of
on
e of
the
stan
zas.
Th
e co
rrec
t ord
er o
f th
e th
ree
stan
zas
is g
iven
.
Ref
eren
ces
sup
port
th
e co
rrec
t re
lati
ve
posi
tion
s of
two s
tan
zas.
OR
A
Th
e co
rrec
t o
rder
of
the
thre
e st
an
zas
is g
iven
.
Sp
ecif
ic e
vid
ence
is
pro
vid
ed t
o
esta
bli
sh t
he
corr
ect
rela
tive
posi
tion
s
of
all
th
ree
stan
zas.
B
Th
e co
rrec
t o
rder
of
the
thre
e st
an
zas
is g
iven
.
Sp
eci
fic
evid
ence
is
pro
vid
ed
to
esta
bli
sh t
he
corr
ect
rela
tive
po
siti
on
s
of
two
sta
nza
s.
D
Th
e co
rrec
t o
rder
of
the
thre
e st
an
zas
is g
iven
.
A r
efer
ence
su
pp
ort
s th
e co
rrec
t
rela
tive
posi
tion
of
on
e of
the
stan
zas.
OR
Mod
el R
esp
on
se:
.............................................
.............................................
.............................................
.............................................
.............................................
Sta
nza
labe
lled
1na
mes
the
peop
lebe
ing
refe
rred
toin
the
othe
r
two
sta
nza
sa
s‘t
hey’
,and
ther
efor
esho
uld
bein
firs
tpo
sit
ion.
Sta
nza
2in
dic
ate
sth
at
apl
otis
bein
gco
njur
edup
and
sta
nza
labe
lled
3is
the
fulf
ilmen
tof
this
pla
nto
take
him
bysur
pris
ea
nd
� � �sur
roun
dhi
m.
Note
s:
1.
Th
e co
rrec
t ord
er o
f st
an
zas
is 2
, 3,
1.
2.
‘Sp
ecif
ic e
vid
ence
’: e
xp
lici
t fe
atu
res
of
a s
tan
za a
re
iden
tifi
ed a
nd
use
d t
o e
stab
lish
its
rel
ati
ve
posi
tion
—
the
read
er d
oes
not
have
to s
up
ply
th
e li
nk
s.
3.
Corr
ect
rela
tive
posi
tion
s m
ay b
e d
escr
ibed
vari
ou
sly:
e.g.
seq
uen
tiall
y, b
efore
/aft
er, fi
rst/
mid
dle
/
last
.
4.
Corr
ect
rela
tive
posi
tion
in
th
e te
xt
over
rid
es w
ron
gly
lab
elle
d b
oxes
.
49
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
ITEM 16
Model response
Commentary
Item 16 introduced another poetic stanza which was set in somebody’s study. Students were asked to decide whether this new stanza formed a part of the poem “The Children’s Hour”. The new stanza is in fact from the poem “If Thou Wert By My Side” by Reginald Heber, but even if this had been known to students, simply stating this fact would not have contributed to a creditable response.
This three-star item was reasonably challenging and tested CCE 29 Comparing, contrasting, CCE 48 Justifying and CCE 26 Explaining to others.
Students were asked to decide whether this new stanza belonged to the poem “The Children’s Hour” and to give three reasons for their decision. In order to achieve A- B- or C-grades, students had to give reasons why the new stanza was not from the Longfellow poem.
A-grade responses gave three explicit reasons for a ‘no’ response, referring to both the stanza and the poem. To be explicit, responses made the differences clear by identifying features from the poem, the stanza or both. A typical explicit reason was “the poem rhymes ABCB not ABAB as in the stanza”. An A-grade was awarded to 15 percent of responses.
B-grade responses either provided two explicit reasons, or one explicit reason and two references. A typical, creditable reference was “different rhyme”. References to irrelevant differences, such as the number of commas, were not creditable.
C-grade responses provided either one explicit reason or three creditable references to show that the new stanza was not from “The Children’s Hour”. Twenty-five percent of students achieved a C-grade.
Two different types of responses were awarded a D-grade. One type of response provided one creditable reference to a difference between the poem and the stanza. The other type of D-grade response provided an explicit reason to support the view that the stanza did belong to “The Children’s Hour”. If an explicit, plausible reason for this decision was given, e.g. “both are written in the first person” or “the poem and the stanza are set in a study”, the response was awarded a D-grade. Twenty per cent of responses achieved a D-grade.
Yes No
• The ‘Children’s Hour’ does not speak of missing anyone.
• The children are not depicted as meek.
• The stanza refers only to one person, not to his children.
A B C D N O
100%
50
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pte
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17
, 2
00
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rin
t*)
T:\
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UN
IT
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16
PE
RF
OR
MA
NC
E D
OM
AIN
MA
RK
IN
G S
CH
EM
E
Mark
ing
Un
it 4
4 o
f 4
N
Res
pon
se i
s
un
inte
llig
ible
or
does
not
sati
sfy t
he
req
uir
emen
ts
for
an
y o
ther
gra
de.
O
No r
esp
on
se
has
bee
n m
ad
e
at
an
y t
ime.
29
Co
mp
ari
ng
, co
ntr
ast
ing
48
Ju
stif
yin
g26
Ex
pla
inin
g t
o o
ther
s
C
Th
e re
spon
se i
nd
icate
s th
at
the
stan
za
is n
ot
part
of
the
poem
.
On
e ex
pli
cit
dif
fere
nce
is
pro
vid
ed.
Th
e re
spon
se i
nd
icate
s th
at
the
stan
za
is n
ot
part
of
the
poem
.
Ref
eren
ce i
s m
ad
e to
tw
o d
iffe
ren
ces
bet
wee
n t
he
stan
za a
nd
th
e p
oem
.
OR
A
Th
e re
spon
se i
nd
icate
s th
at
the
stan
za
is n
ot
part
of
the
poem
.
Th
ree
exp
lici
t d
iffe
ren
ces
are
pro
vid
ed.
B
Th
e re
spon
se i
nd
icate
s th
at
the
stan
za
is n
ot
part
of
the
poem
.
Tw
o e
xp
lici
t d
iffe
ren
ces
are
pro
vid
ed.
Th
e re
spon
se i
nd
icate
s th
at
the
stan
za
is n
ot
part
of
the
poem
.
On
e ex
pli
cit
dif
fere
nce
is
pro
vid
ed a
nd
refe
ren
ce i
s m
ad
e to
tw
o o
ther
dif
fere
nce
s b
etw
een
th
e st
an
za a
nd
th
e
po
em.
OR
Mod
el R
esp
on
se:
Yes
No
•T
he
‘Ch
ild
ren
’s H
ou
r’
does
not
spea
k o
f m
issi
ng a
nyon
e.
•T
he
chil
dre
n a
re n
ot
dep
icte
d a
s m
eek
.
•T
he
stan
za r
efer
s on
ly t
o o
ne
per
son
, n
ot
to h
is c
hil
dre
n.
D
Th
e re
spo
nse
in
dic
ate
s th
at
the
sta
nza
is n
ot
pa
rt o
f th
e p
oem
.
Ref
eren
ce i
s m
ad
e to
on
e d
iffe
ren
ce
bet
wee
n t
he
stan
za a
nd
th
e p
oem
.
Th
e re
spo
nse
in
dic
ate
s th
at
the
sta
nza
is p
art
of
the
poem
.
On
e ex
pli
cit
sim
ilari
ty i
s p
rovid
ed.
OR
Last
Page
Cou
nt
51
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
Unit Seven
ITEM 17
Model response
Commentary
This unit consists of three items each of which addresses different aspects of the contemporary issue of climate change. In Item 17, a reasonably straightforward three-star item, students were given a contour map of a small hypothetical island on which to record their response. The introductory stimulus material provided data which predicted a 7 metre rise in sea levels as a possible consequence of the melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Students were required to
translate this data onto the map by shading areas which would definitely be flooded and those which would definitely not be flooded. Achievement in CCE 6 Interpreting the meaning of tables or diagrams or maps or graphs and CCE 7 Translating from one form to another was tested in this item.
Nineteen per cent of responses were awarded an A-grade. In such responses, students were able to show they understood that on a contour map with contour lines representing 5 metre rises it is not possible to determine where the 7 metre level would be. Hence they shaded all land (including the
lagoon
N
555
5
101010
15
coral reefHeight in metresabove mean sea level5
flooded
not flooded
A B C D N O
100%
52
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
isle) below the 5 metre line red and only the land above the 10 and 15 metre lines yellow. They were required to provide an appropriate legend if they used other than the requested red and yellow colours. If they chose to shade the uncertain-to-be-flooded area, that is, the land between the 5 and 10 metre lines another colour, this too had to be indicated in the legend.
The B-grade was awarded when students made an error either with the shading of the small isle or the hummock but showed understanding of the contour line meanings, with the rest of the map shaded correctly. Just under 10 per cent of students were given a B-grade.
C- and D-grades made up 65 per cent of the grades awarded on this item and this was due mainly to students either trying to estimate where 7 metres might be and shading accordingly or shading all parts of the island, indicating that there was no area of uncertainty.
53
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
Septe
mber
16,
2007 1
4:0
0 p
m(*
foote
r to
rem
ain
until final pri
nt*
)T:\qcs\s
ri\s
ri2007\P
aper\
sri
15
3\M
ark
ing s
chem
es\0
7-0
17-m
s.fm
UN
IT
SE
VE
NIT
EM
17
PE
RF
OR
MA
NC
E D
OM
AIN
MA
RK
IN
G S
CH
EM
E
Mark
ing
Un
it 7
1 o
f 5
N
Res
pon
se i
s
un
inte
llig
ible
or
does
not
sati
sfy t
he
req
uir
emen
ts
for
an
y o
ther
gra
de.
O
No r
esp
on
se
has
bee
n m
ad
e
at
an
y t
ime.
6In
terp
reti
ng
th
e m
ean
ing
of
… m
ap
s …
7T
ran
sla
tin
g f
rom
on
e fo
rm t
o a
no
ther
C
Ign
ori
ng t
he
trea
tmen
t of
the
hu
mm
ock
, th
e re
spon
se p
rovid
es a
map
such
th
at
on
th
e m
ain
lan
d
•la
nd
fro
m t
he
coast
up
to t
he
5m
con
tou
r li
ne
is s
had
ed r
ed
•so
me
lan
d a
bo
ve
all
th
e 5m
co
nto
ur
lin
es i
s sh
ad
ed r
ed i
n a
n a
ttem
pt
to
pre
dic
t a
7m
co
nto
ur
lin
e
•o
nly
th
e la
nd
in
sid
e th
e 10m
con
tou
r
lin
e is
sh
ad
ed y
ello
w
•a
ny a
lter
na
tiv
e sh
ad
ing i
s co
rrec
tly
ind
ica
ted
AN
D
•th
e is
le a
t th
e m
ou
th o
f th
e la
goon
is
sha
ded
red
.
Th
e re
spon
se p
rovid
es a
map
su
ch t
hat
on
th
e m
ain
lan
d
•la
nd
fro
m t
he
coast
up
to t
he
5m
con
tou
r li
ne
is s
had
ed r
ed
•o
nly
th
e la
nd
in
sid
e th
e 10m
con
tou
r
lin
e is
sh
ad
ed y
ello
w
•th
e is
le a
t th
e m
ou
th o
f th
e la
goon
is
un
sha
ded
•th
e h
um
mo
ck i
s sh
ad
ed r
ed
•a
ny a
lter
na
tiv
e sh
ad
ing i
s co
rrec
tly
ind
icate
d.
OR
A
Th
e re
spon
se p
rovid
es a
map
su
ch t
hat
on
th
e m
ain
lan
d
•on
ly t
he
lan
d f
rom
th
e co
ast
up
to t
he
5m
con
tou
r li
ne
is s
had
ed r
ed
•on
ly t
he
lan
d i
nsi
de
the
10m
con
tou
r
lin
e is
sh
ad
ed y
ello
w
•an
y a
lter
nati
ve
or
extr
a s
had
ing i
s
corr
ectl
y i
nd
ica
ted
AN
D
•th
e is
le a
t th
e m
ou
th o
f th
e la
goon
is
shad
ed r
ed.
B
Th
e re
spon
se p
rovid
es a
map
su
ch t
hat
on
th
e m
ain
lan
d
•la
nd
fro
m t
he
coast
up
to
th
e 5m
con
tou
r li
ne
is s
had
ed r
ed
•o
nly
th
e la
nd
in
sid
e th
e 1
0m
co
nto
ur
lin
e is
sh
ad
ed y
ello
w
•a
ny a
ltern
ati
ve
shad
ing i
s co
rre
ctl
y
ind
icate
d
AN
D
•th
e is
le a
t th
e m
ou
th o
f th
e la
go
on
is
shad
ed r
ed
or
•th
e h
um
mock
is
un
shad
ed.
D
Ign
ori
ng t
he
trea
tmen
t of
the
hu
mm
ock
, th
e re
spo
nse
pro
vid
es a
map
such
th
at
on
th
e m
ain
lan
d
•la
nd
fro
m t
he
coast
up
to
a c
erta
in
hei
gh
t is
sh
ad
ed o
ne c
olo
ur
•a
nd
th
en a
ll t
he
lan
d i
nsi
de t
he
‘coast
al’
colo
ur
is s
had
ed a
dif
fere
nt
colo
ur.
Ign
ori
ng t
he
trea
tmen
t of
the
hu
mm
ock
an
d t
he
isle
, th
e re
spon
se
pro
vid
es a
map
su
ch t
hat
lan
d f
rom
th
e
coast
up
to, an
d n
o f
urt
her
th
an
th
e 5m
con
tou
r li
ne
is s
had
ed o
ne
colo
ur.
Th
e re
spo
nse
pro
vid
es a
map
su
ch t
ha
t
on
ly t
he
lan
d i
nsi
de
the
10m
con
tou
r
lin
e is
sh
ad
ed o
ne
colo
ur.
OR
OR
54
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Se
pte
mb
er
16
, 2
00
7 1
4:0
0 p
m(*
foo
ter
to r
em
ain
un
til fin
al p
rin
t*)
T:\
qcs\s
ri\s
ri2
00
7\P
ap
er\
sri1
53
\Ma
rkin
g s
ch
em
es\0
7-0
17
-ms.f
m
MA
RK
IN
G S
CH
EM
E
Mark
ing
Un
it 7
2 o
f 5
UN
IT
SE
VE
NIT
EM
17
Mod
el R
esp
on
se:
lago
on
N
55
5
5
10
10
10
15
co
ralre
ef
He
igh
tin
me
tre
sa
bo
ve
me
an
se
ale
ve
l5
flo
od
ed
no
tflo
od
ed
No
tes:
1.
Wh
ere
the
colo
urs
use
d a
re r
ed a
nd
yel
low
, as
ind
icate
d i
n t
he
stem
, th
e le
gen
d d
oes
not
nee
d t
o b
e fi
lled
in
.
2.
A o
ne-
gra
de
pen
alt
y a
pp
lies
if
alt
ern
ati
ve
shad
ing
is
emp
loy
ed b
ut
not
ind
icate
d o
r is
in
corr
ectl
y i
nd
icate
d —
wh
ere
it i
s a g
rad
e re
qu
irem
ent.
3.
Th
ere
is n
o p
enalt
y i
f an
y o
f th
e se
a h
as
bee
n s
had
ed t
o i
nd
icate
flo
od
ing.
4.
Th
ere
is n
o c
red
it i
f a r
esp
on
se p
rovid
es a
map
su
ch t
hat
on
e co
lou
r s
had
es t
he
main
lan
d.
55
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
ITEM 18
Model response
Commentary
Item 18 was a challenging five-star item which required students to structure a series of mathematical calculations and arguments to check on the reasonableness of the given estimate of 335 258 000 square kilometres as the total area of the earth’s oceans. In Part I of this item students were required to visualise a rise in global sea levels which would result from the complete melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet (GIS) and, using a model to account for this, employ some or all
of a given data set in their calculations. They were then asked to compare their results with the information given about the area of the oceans to form a conclusion. Part II required a critical assessment of the data and methods used in Part I. The CCEs tested in this complex item were CCE 22 Structuring/organising a mathematical argument, CCE 37 Applying a progression of steps to achieve the required answer, CCE 16 Calculating with or without calculators), CCE 42 Criticising and CCE 50 Visualising.
Considering that this was a five-star item with a mathematical focus, it was encouraging to note that 60 per cent of students were able to gain some credit. Most students were able to progress through some of the important steps which were fundamental to Part I of the item. Commonly, this involved calculating the volume of ice which is contained in the GIS, correctly converting this quantity to a volume of water using the 0.917 conversion factor and then dividing this volume by the suggested rise (7 m or 0.007 km) to obtain an estimate for the area of the oceans. Many students found the different units difficult to manipulate and errors were often evident in converting these. Other common errors included a lack of proficiency with the scientific notation output of calculator displays, place value when dealing with large numbers and the simple algebraic manipulation of variables.
Successful students used a number of insightful and creative methods to check the validity of the given data. Most used the given information to estimate the total area of the ocean. Others compared the volume of water trapped in the GIS with the water required to raise the ocean by7 metres, using the 335 258 000 square kilometres as the area of the oceans. Successful completion
I.
Vol ice =
= km3 (= 2 720 000 km3)
Vol water =
= km3 (= 2 494 240 km3)
SA oceans =
= (= 356 320 000 km2)
Conclusion: 335 258 000 square kilometres is a reasonable
estimate of the total area of the earth’s oceans as it only
differs from the given value by about 6%.
1.7 106 1.6
2.72 106
2.72 106 0.917
2.49424 106
2.49424 106 0.007
3.5632 108
II. The shape of the Greenland Ice
Sheet is assumed to be able to be
treated as a prism.
The water from the melted ice is
assumed to be spread uniformly
across the earth’s oceans.
It has to be assumed the accuracy
and reliability of the data are
acceptable.
These assumptions will influence the
results by introducing generalisation
errors into the calculations.
A B C D E N O
100%
56
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
of any of these methods could be awarded an A-grade if they were accompanied by an appropriate comparative statement, as well as two identified assumptions and an influence of one of these assumptions.
For a B-grade the marking scheme allowed for one minor error such as not supplying a suitable conclusion or a calculation error and either omitting the influence of one assumption or only supplying one assumption and its influence. Nine per cent of students were awarded either an A- or B-grade.
To receive a C-grade a response needed to show progression through meaningful operations to achieve a result (allowing for at most one incorrect data selection and at most one calculation error) and give a conclusion or at least one assumption.
Forty-three percent of students received a D- or E-grade. These grades did not require a final result to be achieved. Students should be encouraged to submit a response with some substance, even though they are aware that they may not have been able to complete the task. Credit can be gained for meaningful attempts at problem solving.
57
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
Septe
mber
16,
2007 1
4:0
0 p
m(*
foote
r to
rem
ain
until final pri
nt*
)T:\qcs\s
ri\s
ri2007\P
aper\
sri
15
3\M
ark
ing s
chem
es\0
7-0
18-m
s.fm
UN
IT
SE
VE
NIT
EM
18
PE
RF
OR
MA
NC
E D
OM
AIN
MA
RK
IN
G S
CH
EM
E
Mark
ing
Un
it 7
3 o
f 5
N
Res
pon
se i
s
un
inte
llig
ible
or
does
not
sati
sfy t
he
req
uir
emen
ts
for
an
y o
ther
gra
de.
O
No r
esp
on
se
has
bee
n m
ad
e
at
an
y t
ime.
22
Str
uct
uri
ng
/org
an
isin
g a
ma
them
ati
cal
arg
um
ent
37
Ap
ply
ing
a p
rog
ress
ion
of
step
s to
ach
iev
e th
e re
qu
ired
an
swer
42
Cri
tici
sin
g5
0V
isu
ali
sin
g1
6C
alc
ula
tin
g w
ith
or
wit
ho
ut
calc
ula
tors
1
7E
stim
ati
ng
nu
mer
ica
l m
ag
nit
ud
e
C
Th
e re
spon
se
•a
llo
ws
the
reco
gn
itio
n o
f
pro
gre
ss t
hro
ug
h e
ssen
tial,
mea
nin
gfu
l op
erati
on
s w
ith
at
most
on
e in
corr
ect
data
sele
ctio
n
•ach
ieves
a r
esu
lt b
ase
d o
n
calc
ula
tion
s w
hic
h c
on
tain
at
most
on
e er
ror
AN
D
•in
clu
des
a s
uit
ab
le
con
clu
sio
n
or
•o
utl
ines
at
lea
st o
ne
rele
va
nt
ass
um
pti
on
.
A
Th
e re
spon
se
•p
rogre
sses
th
rou
gh
ess
enti
al
op
erati
on
s
•u
ses
corr
ect
data
fro
m t
he
stim
ulu
s p
rovid
ed
•ach
ieves
a c
orr
ect
resu
lt
•in
clu
des
a s
uit
ab
le
con
clu
sion
•o
utl
ines
at le
ast
tw
o r
elev
an
t
ass
um
pti
on
s an
d c
om
men
ts
on
th
e in
flu
ence
of
at
least
on
e of
thes
e ass
um
pti
on
s.
B
Th
e re
spo
nse
•p
rog
ress
es th
rou
gh
ess
enti
al
op
erati
on
s all
ow
ing f
or
at
mo
st o
ne
op
era
tio
n t
o b
e
infe
rred
•u
ses
corr
ect
data
fro
m t
he
stim
ulu
s p
rovid
ed
AN
D
•ach
ieves
a c
orr
ect
resu
lt
or
•a
chie
ves
a r
esu
lt b
ase
d o
n
calc
ula
tio
ns
wh
ich
co
nta
in
at
most
on
e er
ror
•in
clu
des
a s
uit
ab
le
con
clu
sion
AN
D
•o
utl
ines
at le
ast
tw
o r
elev
an
t
ass
um
pti
on
s
or
•o
utl
ines
at
lea
st o
ne
rele
van
t
ass
um
pti
on
an
d c
om
men
ts
on
its
in
flu
ence
.
D
Th
e re
spon
se
•all
ow
s th
e re
cogn
itio
n o
f at
least
tw
o m
ean
ingfu
l
op
erati
on
s
•ou
tlin
es a
t le
ast
on
e re
levan
t
ass
um
pti
on
.
E
Th
e re
spo
nse
all
ow
s th
e
reco
gn
itio
n o
f at
least
on
e
mea
nin
gfu
l op
erati
on
.
Th
e re
spon
se o
utl
ines
at
least
two r
elev
an
t ass
um
pti
on
s.
Th
e re
spon
se o
utl
ines
at
least
on
e re
lev
an
t a
ssu
mp
tio
n a
nd
com
men
ts o
n i
ts i
nfl
uen
ce.
OR
OR
58
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
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pte
mb
er
16
, 2
00
7 1
4:0
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foo
ter
to r
em
ain
un
til fin
al p
rin
t*)
T:\
qcs\s
ri\s
ri2
00
7\P
ap
er\
sri1
53
\Ma
rkin
g s
ch
em
es\0
7-0
18
-ms.f
m
MA
RK
IN
G S
CH
EM
E
Mark
ing
Un
it 7
4 o
f 5
UN
IT
SE
VE
NIT
EM
18
Note
s:
1.
A s
uit
ab
le c
on
clu
sio
n w
ill
mak
e a
com
para
tiv
e st
ate
men
t.
2.
Typ
es o
f er
rors
may i
ncl
ud
e
•a t
ran
scri
pti
on
err
or
•an
ari
thm
etic
err
or
•an
err
or
rela
tin
g t
o c
on
ver
tin
g u
nit
s —
if
an
in
corr
ect
fact
or
is u
sed
con
sist
entl
y, r
egard
th
is a
s on
ly o
ne
erro
r.
3.
A m
ean
ingfu
l op
erati
on
may b
e p
rovid
ed i
n v
ari
ou
s in
stan
ces
wh
ere
the
inte
nt
of
the
op
erati
on
is
reco
gn
isab
le. A
n e
xam
ple
wou
ld b
e w
hen
th
e v
olu
me
of
ice
is ‘
fou
nd
’
by
mu
ltip
lyin
g t
he
are
a o
f th
e G
reen
lan
d I
ce S
hee
t b
y t
hre
e ra
ther
th
an
th
e a
ver
ag
e d
epth
.
4.
For
the
pu
rpose
of
this
un
it, tr
eat
inst
an
ces
of
refe
ren
ce t
o t
he
Pola
r Ic
e C
ap
(s)
mel
tin
g i
n t
he
sam
e w
ay a
s re
fere
nce
s to
th
e m
elti
ng o
f oth
er i
ce b
od
ies
such
as
gla
cier
s
or
An
tarc
tic
ice.
5.
Exam
ple
s of
alt
ern
ati
ve
calc
ula
tion
s ap
pea
r b
elow
bu
t oth
er c
orr
ect
calc
ula
tion
s m
ay b
e u
sed
in
res
pon
ses:
Vo
l ic
e=
1 7
00
000
x 1
.6V
ol
ice
= 1
70
0 0
00
x 1
.6
= 2
72
0 0
00
km
3=
2 7
20
000
km
3
Vo
l w
ate
r=
2 7
20
000
x 0
.91
7V
ol
wa
ter
= 2
72
0 0
00
x 0
.91
7
= 2
49
4 2
40
km
3=
2 4
94
240
km
3
Extr
a w
ate
r=
335 2
58 0
00 x
0.0
07
Extr
a h
eigh
t=
2 4
94 2
40 ÷
335 2
58 0
00
= 2
34
6 8
06
km
3=
0.0
07
43
9..
. k
m
Co
mp
are
s 2
49
4 2
40
km
3 a
nd
2 3
46
80
6 k
m3
Co
mp
are
s 7.4
39
... m
ris
e w
ith
th
e giv
en 7
m
Mod
el R
esp
on
se:
I.
Vo
l ic
e=
=
km
3(=
2 7
20 0
00 k
m3)
Vol
wate
r=
=
km
3(=
2 4
94
24
0 k
m3)
SA
oce
an
s=
=
(=
356 3
20 0
00 k
m2)
Con
clu
sion
:335 2
58 0
00 s
qu
are
kil
om
etre
s is
a r
easo
nab
le
esti
mate
of
the
tota
l are
a o
f th
e ea
rth
’s o
cean
s as
it o
nly
dif
fers
fro
m t
he
giv
en v
alu
e b
y a
bou
t 6%
.
1.7
106
1.6
2.72
106
2.72
106
0.91
7
2.49
424
106
2.49
424
106
0.00
7
3.56
3210
8
II.
Th
e sh
ap
e of
the
Gre
enla
nd
Ice
Sh
eet
is a
ssu
med
to b
e ab
le t
o b
e
trea
ted
as
a p
rism
.
Th
e w
ate
r fr
om
th
e m
elt
ed
ice
is
ass
um
ed t
o b
e sp
read
un
iform
ly
acr
oss
th
e ea
rth
’s o
cea
ns.
It h
as
to b
e ass
um
ed t
he
acc
ura
cy
an
d r
elia
bil
ity
of
the
da
ta i
s
acc
epta
ble
.
Th
ese
ass
um
pti
on
s w
ill in
flu
en
ce t
he
resu
lts
by i
ntr
od
uci
ng
err
ors
in
to
the
calc
ula
tio
ns.
59
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
ITEM 19
Model response
Commentary
The final item in this unit covered a number of CCEs, namely CCE 41 Hypothesising, CCE 3 Recalling/remembering, CCE 33 Reaching a conclusion which is consistent with a given set of assumptions, CCE 42 Criticising and CCE 44 Synthesising. The stimulus material suggested to students that climate change is a multifaceted and complex subject. They were asked to provide events or actions which might impact on the prediction of a 7 metre rise in sea levels as a result of the
disappearance of the GIS.
Markers were told to fully credit events or actions which, with little or no elucidation, may well directly affect climate change and therefore impact on the rise in sea levels caused by the melting of the GIS. Examples of such events or actions include: actions to limit greenhouse gas emissions; replacing coal burning power stations with nuclear power stations; replanting large areas of the world’s forests. To achieve an A-grade students had to provide at least two of these types of events or actions. Just under 3 per cent of students were able to do this.
Many students were not able to offer an event or action as required but proposed one or two related issues, such as “greenhouse gasses”. If an event or action related to climate change could be inferred from an issue e.g. “decreasing or increasing the concentration of greenhouse gasses might affect the 7 metre prediction”, then this part of a response may contribute to a B-, C- or D-grade. Over 40 per cent of students received one of these three grades. Other examples of issues of this type included: air pollution, greenhouse effect, environmental movements. Some students provided responses which could not, even with substantial elaboration, be linked to climate change on a global scale and these received no credit. Representative examples of this type of response included tsunamis, floods, local earthquakes, atomic bombs and cyclones.
The most common creditable grade in this item was the C-grade. The majority of these responses identified the impact of the melting of other large areas of ice such as Antarctica on the predicted rise of the ocean. Students often had considerable difficulty in identifying another relevant event or action so could not be awarded a B-grade.
Around 40 per cent of students were awarded an N-grade for this item. Many of these merely identified societal effects of climate change such as “displaced islanders”, “a crash in seaside property values” or “coastal flooding” and did not address the question of what would affect the prediction of the 7 metre rise in sea levels. Many responses also tended to argue, in a circular fashion, that climate change was a cause or consequence of climate change.
Other ice such as glaciers and parts of Antarctica would probably melt as well if the GIS melts and this extra meltwater would cause the oceans to rise by more than 7m. If we act now on reducing whatever is causing climate change such as carbon emissions then the 7m rise may be an exaggeration.
A B C D N O
100%
60
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pte
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4:0
0 p
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to r
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ain
un
til fin
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qcs\s
ri\s
ri2
00
7\P
ap
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3\M
ark
ing
sch
em
es\0
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-ms.f
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UN
IT
SE
VE
NIT
EM
19
PE
RF
OR
MA
NC
E D
OM
AIN
MA
RK
IN
G S
CH
EM
E
Mark
ing
Un
it 7
5 o
f 5
N
Res
pon
se i
s
un
inte
llig
ible
or
does
not
sati
sfy t
he
req
uir
emen
ts
for
an
y o
ther
gra
de.
O
No r
esp
on
se
has
bee
n m
ad
e
at
an
y t
ime.
41
Hy
po
thes
isin
g3
3In
ferr
ing
4
4S
yn
thes
isin
g
3R
eca
llin
g/r
emem
ber
ing
42
Cri
tici
sin
g
C
Th
e re
spon
se p
rovid
es a
t le
ast
on
e
pla
usi
ble
even
t or
act
ion
.
An
aw
are
rea
der
cou
ld —
wit
h
min
imal el
ab
ora
tion
— a
ccep
t th
at o
ne
of
thes
e co
uld
in
flu
ence
or
be
a
con
seq
uen
ce o
f cl
imate
ch
an
ge
an
d
thu
s h
av
e a
n i
mp
act
on
th
e p
red
icti
on
.
Th
e re
spo
nse
refe
rs t
o a
t le
ast
tw
o
dif
fere
nt
issu
es.
An
aw
are
rea
der
cou
ld i
nfe
r th
at
two
of
thes
e co
uld
in
flu
ence
or
be
a
con
seq
uen
ce o
f cl
imate
ch
an
ge
an
d
thu
s h
av
e a
n i
mp
act
on
th
e p
red
icti
on
.
OR
A
Th
e re
spo
nse
pro
vid
es a
t le
ast
tw
o
dif
fere
nt,
pla
usi
ble
ev
ents
or
act
ion
s.
An
aw
are
rea
der
cou
ld —
wit
h
min
ima
l ela
bo
rati
on
— a
ccep
t th
at tw
o
of
thes
e co
uld
in
flu
en
ce o
r b
e a
con
seq
uen
ce o
f cl
imate
ch
an
ge
an
d
thu
s h
av
e a
n i
mp
act
on
th
e p
red
icti
on
.
B
Th
e re
spon
se
•p
rov
ides
at
least
on
e p
lau
sib
le e
ven
t
or
act
ion
.
An
aw
are
rea
der
cou
ld —
wit
h
min
imal
elab
ora
tion
— a
ccep
t th
at
on
e o
f th
ese
cou
ld i
nfl
uen
ce o
r b
e a
con
seq
uen
ce o
f cl
imate
ch
an
ge
an
d
thu
s h
ave
an
im
pact
on
th
e
pre
dic
tion
.
•re
fers
to o
ne
oth
er d
iffe
ren
t is
sue.
An
aw
are
rea
der
cou
ld i
nfe
r th
at
it
cou
ld i
nfl
uen
ce o
r b
e a c
on
seq
uen
ce
of
clim
ate
ch
an
ge
an
d t
hu
s h
av
e a
n
imp
act
on
th
e p
red
icti
on
.
D
Th
e re
spon
se r
efer
s to
on
e is
sue.
An
aw
are
rea
der
cou
ld i
nfe
r th
at
it
cou
ld i
nfl
uen
ce o
r b
e a c
on
seq
uen
ce o
f
clim
ate
ch
an
ge
an
d t
hu
s h
ave
an
imp
act
on
th
e p
red
icti
on
.
Note
s:
1.
For
the
pu
rpose
of
this
un
it,
an
aw
are
rea
der
is
tak
en t
o b
e a r
easo
nab
ly i
nfo
rmed
mem
ber
of
the
gen
eral
pu
bli
c.
2.
For
the
pu
rpose
of
this
un
it,
acc
ept
the
word
s, ‘
clim
ate
ch
an
ge’
an
d ‘
glo
bal
wa
rmin
g’
as
inte
rch
an
gea
ble
.
3.
For
the
pu
rpose
of
this
un
it,
trea
t in
stan
ces
of
refe
ren
ce t
o t
he
Pola
r Ic
e C
ap
(s)
mel
tin
g i
n t
he
sam
e w
ay a
s re
fere
nce
s to
th
e m
elti
ng o
f oth
er i
ce b
od
ies
such
as
gla
cier
s or
An
tarc
tic
ice.
Mod
el R
esp
on
se:
Oth
er i
ce s
uch
as
gla
cier
s an
d p
art
s of
An
tarc
tica
wou
ld p
rob
ab
ly m
elt
as
well
if
the
GIS
mel
ts a
nd
th
is e
xtr
a m
eltw
ate
r w
ou
ld c
au
se t
he
oce
an
s to
ris
e b
y m
ore
th
an
7m
.
If w
e act
now
on
red
uci
ng w
hate
ver
is
cau
sin
gcl
imate
ch
an
ge
such
as
carb
on
em
issi
on
s th
en t
he
7m
ris
e m
ay b
e an
exagger
ati
on
.
Last
Page
Cou
nt
61
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
Unit Eight
ITEM 20
Model responses
Commentary
Item 20, a four-star item, required students to study an extract from The Lost Kingdoms of Africa by Jeffrey Tayler. The extract is very descriptive and provided students with plenty of choice for their responses. They were asked to identify examples of visual, auditory or kinaesthetic imagery and correctly classify them. The item asked candidates to explain how the examples they selected contributed to the effectiveness of the writing.
The CCEs tested were CCE 30 Classifying and CCE 43 Analysing.
Slightly over 7 per cent of responses were awarded an A-grade.To achieve this grade students were required to: use the “Type of Imagery” line to identify which of visual, auditory or kinaesthetic
1 Visual: ‘Their bare brown arms and hennaed hands extended from their gowns and caught the moon’s argentine glow.’ Tayler uses colour frequently in this extract to recreate for the reader what he was seeing and to enhance the visual images so that they become more vivid and memorable. In this sentence, the brown, red and silver seem to be mixing to form an exotic scene.
Kinaesthetic: ‘...two barefoot boys leaped up, dancing into the half circle and brandishing silver swords, their robes flailing, arms raised, feet kicking.’ The author was struck by the passion of the dance and he is able to convey it in this quotation. Words such as ‘leaped’, ‘dancing’, ‘flailing’, ‘raised’ and ‘kicking’ imply there is a great deal of energy and intensity in the evening’s activities. The reader is drawn into the intensity through these words and gains an insight into the passion experienced.
2 Auditory: ‘Ibrahim’s wife began striking her drum, another woman shook a tambourine, and the girls launched into spitfire clapping...’ This quotation conveys the build up of excitement and anticipation which contributes to the effectiveness of the writing. By introducing each sound one by one, Tayler conveys the build up of noise that explodes finally at the end with the girls clapping.
Kinaesthetic: ‘Then two barefoot boys leaped up, dancing into the half-circle and brandishing silver swords, their robes flailing, arms raised, feet kicking.’ In this description, strong verbs are used to emphasise the actions, and a sense of frantic movement is evoked through words such as ‘brandishing’ and ‘flailing’.
A B C D E N O
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62
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Short Response.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
imagery they had chosen to investigate; use the “Example” line to provide a direct quotation from the extract as an example; and, on the lines provided, explain how aspects from the example enhanced the effectiveness of the writing.
The locations of these response elements proved problematic, so, to address this, notes were added to the marking scheme to accommodate the many ways that students responded to this demand. In this way, students were credited without being unduly penalised for locating their responses inappropriately. Students should be encouraged to follow instructions in the use of the response area so that their response can be unambiguously understood and given the credit it is due. Approximately 25 per cent of students received an A- or B-grade.
Students responded well to this item, demonstrating that they understood the text and what was expected in responding to the item. Over 85 per cent of responses received a creditable grade. As is evidenced by the marking scheme, one of the important distinctions between highly creditable responses and less creditable responses was the quality of the explanation. Good responses were specific and clear about how the imagery contributed to the effectiveness of the writing. Responses of lesser quality were vague, clumsy and more generalised in their analysis.
63
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Septe
mber
16,
2007 1
0:0
9 a
m(*
foote
r to
rem
ain
until final pri
nt*
)T:\qcs\s
ri\s
ri2007\P
aper\
sri
15
7\M
ark
ing s
chem
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20-m
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UN
IT
EIG
HT
IT
EM
20
PE
RF
OR
MA
NC
E D
OM
AIN
MA
RK
IN
G S
CH
EM
E
Mark
ing
Un
it 8
1 o
f 3
N
Res
pon
se i
s
un
inte
llig
ible
or
does
not
sati
sfy t
he
req
uir
emen
ts
for
an
y o
ther
gra
de.
O
No r
esp
on
se
has
bee
n m
ad
e
at
an
y t
ime.
30
Cla
ssif
yin
g43
An
aly
sin
g
C
Th
e re
spo
nse
pro
vid
es t
wo
corr
ectl
y i
den
tifi
ed e
xam
ple
s.
For
each
exa
mp
le, th
e
resp
on
se p
rov
ides
ap
pro
pri
ate
, g
ener
al
an
aly
sis
of
how
th
e im
ager
y c
rea
tes
an
effe
ct i
n t
he
wri
tin
g.
Th
e re
spon
se p
rovid
es o
ne
corr
ectl
y i
den
tifi
ed e
xam
ple
.
For
this
ex
am
ple
, th
e re
spo
nse
pro
vid
es s
pec
ific
an
aly
sis
of
how
th
e im
ager
y e
nh
an
ces
the
effe
ctiv
enes
s of
the
wri
tin
g.
OR
A
Th
e re
spon
se p
rovid
es t
wo
corr
ectl
y i
den
tifi
ed e
xam
ple
s.
Fo
r ea
ch e
xam
ple
, th
e
resp
on
se p
rovid
es s
pec
ific
an
aly
sis
of
how
th
e im
ager
y
enh
an
ces
the
effe
ctiv
enes
s o
f
the
wri
tin
g.
B
Th
e re
spo
nse
pro
vid
es t
wo
corr
ectl
y i
den
tifi
ed e
xam
ple
s.
For
on
e ex
am
ple
, th
e re
spon
se
pro
vid
es s
pec
ific
an
aly
sis
of
how
th
e im
ager
y e
nh
an
ces
the
effe
ctiv
enes
s of
the
wri
tin
g.
For
the
oth
er c
orr
ectl
y
iden
tifi
ed e
xam
ple
, th
e
resp
on
se p
rov
ides
ap
pro
pri
ate
, gen
eral
an
aly
sis
of
how
th
e im
ager
y c
reate
s an
effe
ct i
n t
he
wri
tin
g.
D
Th
e re
spo
nse
pro
vid
es o
ne
corr
ectl
y i
den
tifi
ed e
xam
ple
.
For
this
ex
am
ple
, th
e re
spo
nse
pro
vid
es a
pp
rop
riate
, gen
eral
an
aly
sis
of
how
th
e im
ager
y
crea
tes
an
eff
ect
in t
he
wri
tin
g.
Th
e re
spo
nse
pro
vid
es t
wo
corr
ectl
y i
den
tifi
ed e
xam
ple
s.
OR
E
Th
e re
spo
nse
pro
vid
es o
ne
corr
ectl
y i
den
tifi
ed e
xam
ple
.
Note
s:
1.
If t
he
‘Typ
e of
imager
y’
lin
e is
bla
nk
, lo
ok
for
clea
r ev
iden
ce i
n t
he
‘Exp
lan
ati
on
’ se
ctio
n w
hic
h i
nd
icate
s w
het
her
th
e st
ud
ent
is r
eferr
ing t
o e
ith
er v
isu
al,
au
dit
ory
or
kin
aes
thet
ic i
mager
y.
2.
If t
he
‘Exam
ple
’ li
nes
are
lef
t b
lan
k,
look
for
qu
ota
tion
s or
oth
er c
lear
refe
ren
ces
from
th
e te
xt,
in
th
e ‘E
xp
lan
ati
on
’ se
ctio
n.
3.
If w
ord
s oth
er t
han
‘vis
ual’
, ‘a
ud
itory
’ or
‘kin
aes
thet
ic’
are
men
tion
ed a
s th
e ‘T
yp
e of
imager
y’,
all
ow
word
s w
hic
h i
nd
icate
vis
ual,
au
dit
ory
or
kin
aes
thet
ic i
mager
y.
For
exam
ple
, ‘s
igh
t’, ‘s
ou
nd
’, ‘
movem
ent’
, or
oth
er s
yn
on
ym
s fo
r ‘v
isu
al’
, ‘a
ud
itory
’ or
‘kin
aes
thet
ic’
are
acc
epta
ble
.
4.
If t
he
resp
on
se p
rovid
es o
ther
word
s on
th
e ‘T
yp
e of
imager
y’
lin
e su
ch a
s m
ore
th
an
on
e ty
pe
of
imager
y (
e.g. au
dit
ory
an
d v
isu
al)
or
word
s u
nre
late
d t
o t
yp
es o
f
imager
y (
e.g.
‘des
crip
tive
lan
gu
age’
, ‘m
eta
ph
or’
or
‘royal
chiv
alr
y’)
, ig
nore
wh
at
is w
ritt
en.
Tre
at
the
lin
e as
bla
nk
(N
ote
1).
Ap
ply
th
e m
ark
ing s
chem
e to
th
e en
tire
resp
on
se. T
hen
, ap
ply
a o
ne-
gra
de
pen
alt
y.
64
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pte
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foo
ter
to r
em
ain
un
til fin
al p
rin
t*)
T:\
qcs\s
ri\s
ri2
00
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ap
er\
sri1
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\Ma
rkin
g s
ch
em
es\0
8-0
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-ms.f
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MA
RK
IN
G S
CH
EM
E
Mark
ing
Un
it 8
2 o
f 3
UN
IT
EIG
HT
IT
EM
20
Mod
el R
esp
on
ses:
1.
Vis
ual:
‘T
hei
r b
are
bro
wn
arm
s an
d h
enn
aed
han
ds
exte
nd
ed f
rom
th
eir
gow
ns
an
d c
au
gh
t th
e m
oon
’s a
rgen
tin
e glo
w.’
Ta
yle
r u
ses
colo
ur
freq
uen
tly i
n t
his
ex
tra
ct t
o r
ecre
ate
fo
r th
e re
ad
er w
ha
t h
e w
as
seei
ng a
nd
to e
nh
an
ce t
he
vis
ual
images
so t
hat
they
bec
om
e m
ore
viv
id a
nd
mem
ora
ble
. In
th
is s
ente
nce
, th
e b
row
n,
red
an
d s
ilv
er s
eem
to b
e m
ixin
g t
o f
orm
an
exoti
c sc
ene.
Kin
aes
thet
ic:
‘...tw
o b
are
foot
boys
leap
ed u
p, d
an
cin
g i
nto
th
e h
alf
cir
cle
an
d b
ran
dis
hin
g s
ilver
sw
ord
s, t
hei
r ro
bes
fla
ilin
g, a
rms
rais
ed, fe
et k
ick
ing
.’ T
he
au
tho
r w
as
stru
ck b
y t
he
pass
ion
of
the
dan
ce a
nd
he
is a
ble
to c
on
vey
it
in t
his
qu
ota
tion
. W
ord
s su
ch a
s ‘l
eap
ed’,
‘d
an
cin
g’,
‘fl
ail
ing’,
‘ra
ised
’ a
nd
‘k
ick
ing’
imp
ly t
her
e is
a g
reat
dea
l of
ener
gy a
nd
in
ten
sity
in
th
e ev
enin
g’s
act
ivit
ies.
Th
e re
ad
er i
s d
raw
n i
nto
th
e in
ten
sity
th
rou
gh
th
ese
word
s an
d g
ain
s a
n i
nsi
gh
t in
to t
he
pass
ion
exp
erie
nce
d.
2.
Au
dit
ory
: ‘I
bra
him
’s w
ife
beg
an
str
ikin
g h
er d
rum
, an
oth
er w
om
an
sh
ook
a t
am
bori
ne,
an
d t
he
gir
ls l
au
nch
ed i
nto
sp
itfi
re c
lap
pin
g...’
Th
is q
uota
tion
con
vey
s th
e b
uil
d u
p o
f ex
cite
men
t an
d a
nti
cip
ati
on
wh
ich
con
trib
ute
s to
th
e ef
fect
iven
ess
of
the
wri
tin
g. B
y i
ntr
od
uci
ng e
ach
sou
nd
on
e b
y o
ne,
Tayle
r
con
vey
s th
e b
uil
d u
p o
f n
ois
e th
at
exp
lod
es f
inall
y a
t th
e en
d w
ith
th
e gir
ls c
lap
pin
g.
Kin
aes
thet
ic:
‘Th
en t
wo b
are
foot
boys
leap
ed u
p,
dan
cin
g i
nto
th
e h
alf
-cir
cle
an
d b
ran
dis
hin
g s
ilver
sw
ord
s, t
hei
r ro
bes
fla
ilin
g,
arm
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ITEM 21
Model response
Commentary
Item 21, a four-star item, required students to account for Jeffrey Tayler’s reaction to the celebrations of the Tuareg. In doing so, students were required to justify their account with specific details from the extract.
The CCEs tested were CCE 48 Justifying, CCE 43 Analysing, CCE 41 Hypothesising and CCE 28 Empathising.
To be awarded an A-grade, responses needed to outline the significance of the evening to the author and to describe the impact of the event on the author. Some creditable descriptions of the impact include: mesmerised, enraptured, enthralled, excited, elated, ‘blown away’. Students needed to convincingly justify these statements by referring to details from the extract that included direct quotations and/or specific words or phrases. Five per cent of students were awarded an A-grade but over 30 per cent received a B-grade where such justification was not required. These responses attempted to analyse, or simply provided information that related to the author’s descriptions.
The majority of responses successfully outlined something of significance to the author, or described an impact which showed the extract was well understood. Responses that only recounted the events of the evening were not awarded a creditable grade.
Ten per cent of students left the item blank. This item required a sizeable response and it was the final item in the testbook.
The author is ‘enraptured’ and ‘mesmerized’ (lines 33 & 34) by the scene: the costumes (‘robes flailing’ and ‘phantomlike black figures’), the ‘spitfire’ clapping, the music and the singing (‘melodic verse’). Ultimately the scene makes him reflect on his own life and the realisation that it lacks this degree of passion and intensity. He learns a significant and life-changing lesson from the Tuareg: whatever the circumstances, life is a precious gift that should be appreciated and savoured to the fullest. The Tuareg’s capacity to celebrate life so completely indicates to Tayler that they believe in ‘carpe diem’ (‘seize the day’). This is his epiphany.
A B C D N O
100%
A B C D N O
100%
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Septe
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Last
Page
Cou
nt
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Writing Task (WT)
The Writing Task complements the other subtests by testing students’ abilities to produce about 600 words of continuous English prose in response to written and visual stimulus material on a testpaper. Each piece of stimulus material evokes a different aspect of a single concept. Students are free to respond to as many pieces as they wish in their response and may respond in any form or style other than poetry.
This section describes the Writing Task testpaper and comments on the writing that students produced in response to it. The comments are based on an analysis of a statistically significant sample of students’ scripts. The criteria and standards guide used by markers to grade scripts is included, along with graphs showing the distribution of grades awarded in each of the five substantive criteria. Finally, a selection of scripts has been included to exemplify successful writing as defined by the task criteria.
CommentaryThe topic of the testpaper was Essence. The concept of essence prompted students to consider what is at the heart of many aspects of their lives and of the world around them. The stimulus items covered diverse areas and allowed students to explore ideas and issues from the everyday to the more esoteric. At first glance, many students may have perceived an overtly scientific flavour to the testpaper: the glass equipment from the science laboratory (including the condenser in the foreground) was a unifying motif suggesting the ways essences are distilled to their purest levels in the laboratory. However, visual images of self, family, the environment and the world in general, as well as the accompanying written texts, provided a much broader framework for exploring the theme.
Essence might be revealed through an exploration of the inherent qualities of people, places, things and ideas. There was also a clear invitation to students to explore imaginary worlds suggested by some of the visual images and some of the written texts. In contrast, some of the images and texts belonged to the very concrete world of scientific endeavour.
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The testpaper included 12 separate pieces of stimulus material relating to Essence. This is shown diagrammatically below.
Diagram of the testpaper
Each of the 12 graphics was accompanied by a written text. The graphic and written text were linked by a representation or connotation or by provision of a context that would generate interest and a response (e.g. the birth certificate represented the process of naming; the monowheel connoted the exotic and the bizarre; the family photo with the words of Marcel Proust in piece 12 provided a context for a story).
The stimulus piece most frequently chosen for response was 3 (Frog and tadpole). Twenty-nine per cent of students in the sample group responded to this piece on its own. Fifty-two per cent of students in the sample group responded to it in combination with one or two other pieces. It was commonly associated with piece 6 (Birth certificate) and piece 8 (Einstein).
Description of stimulus pieces
1. Bono cartoon
The written text of this stimulus piece suggests that it is the art of the cartoonist to distil the essence of the day’s events, which may be of political, human, environmental or social interest, and present that essence simply and effectively enough for readers to get a laugh and to become more aware of the events. The cartoon represents the rock star, Bono, who has used his celebrity status to play a key role in influencing national leaders to act on important international humanitarian concerns.
Only four per cent of students in the sample group chose this stimulus piece. Their responses ranged from a narrative on the life of a cartoonist, to a discussion of ethical choices posed by cartooning, to expositions on the techniques of cartooning. Some described the current group of Australian political figures and how to go about cartooning them. These scripts achieved well, largely because they responded to the concept of essence effectively. The text extract in the stimulus piece provided a guide to the essence of cartooning, which students used in their writing. It was likely that the high level of responsiveness resulted from the piece being chosen by students who had an interest in cartooning or drawing. This enabled them to write about things that they knew and develop ideas that interested them. One particularly interesting script analysed the popularity of The Simpsons and accounted for its long lasting success.
1
2
3
4 6 75 8
9 10 11 12
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2. Cate Blanchett
Three still photos of Cate Blanchett in different film roles provide a connection to the movie maker's statement. The quotation argues that, regardless of the role, an actor has an essence of being which is their own and that this can be captured on film. This provided the opportunity for a response that agreed or disagreed with the statement. Students were able to respond to the questions, “Is an actor only ever just acting?” and “Is film always no more than make-believe rather than also being able to ‘capture’ souls?”
Six per cent of students in the sample group chose this stimulus piece. Some described the plots of films, both imagined and real. One student reviewed an imaginary film while others took actual films such as Lord of the Rings and examined the essence of their success. Particular actors were analysed in several of their film roles, for example Sir Ian McKellen (Gandalf in Lord of the Rings) and Johnny Depp. Some students examined the qualities they brought to the screen and analysed whether they were always the same regardless of the role they were playing. Their discussions were effectively linked to essence, using the challenge of the question posed in the extract.
3. Frog and tadpole
This image presents as an example of the idea that “Change is the essence of life”.
The written text expresses a positive approach to change. It suggests that change involves risk, but that the risk can be worthwhile. This can be considered in an allegorical way or in a biological way, with an emphasis on the process of metamorphosis. The open-ended nature of the quotation required effective planning of the response to ensure continuity and the development of a central idea. Responses developed from students’ personal reflections and philosophies on life tended to suffer from repetition or from a confused sequencing of ideas. In many cases, providing examples of experiences would have prevented the descent into repetition. This piece was chosen by 52 per cent of the sampled students and the responses were noticeably weaker in responsiveness and central idea than responses to other stimulus items. The resolution of the central idea was generally managed ineffectively in responses where personal reflection about life-changing events in an individual’s experience was important. For the reader, the problem in these was that little evidence was given to support generalisations.
A significant proportion of the sample group used the image of the tadpole and frog as their stimulus. In general, when this was done, both the central idea and the responsiveness of the responses were more effectively developed. Several students explained the stages of growth of a frog. It was clear from these examples that the students were writing from personal knowledge. Few students dealt with the idea of a metamorphosis or used a scientific approach in any way, preferring instead to tell a story. The more effective responses were from students who wrote biographies of well-known public identities (Cathy Freeman, Martin Luther King, Lleyton Hewitt, etc.) and so were able to draw examples of their own home-spun philosophies of life from the lives of these people. One student wrote a narrative about his own life that presented the difficulty of choosing between a future in sport or a future on the stage. Some other effective responses told of the experience of migration to Australia and developed interesting connections with the concept of essence. Some students wrote about struggles with dyslexia, pregnancy or abortion. They were able to develop the philosophical discussions that arose from the stimulus with examples from their own experience.
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4. Wallpaper cat
This piece appealed to cat lovers and owners. It provides an opportunity to write more deeply about appearance and the conflict with the truth or the essence of things. The cat could represent any free spirit camouflaged by its surroundings and not confined by those expectations. The wallpaper provides an opportunity to include the matter of design and appearance. Seven per cent of the students sampled chose this stimulus and they generally wrote well. Some simply described cats and their behaviours. Others considered cats as a species: where they live, how they live and why they make good companions. Some complex themes were developed on the topics of designer babies and plastic surgery as being corruptions of the essence of human life. Some scripts discussed speciation in animals and genetic modification as interfering with the essence of life.
5. Literary classics
The three books illustrated in this piece represent literature in a broader sense. The written text invites an exploration of the essence of good literature. This is a topical matter in schools and is the subject of many recent commentaries in the media and academia. The balance of emotion and intellect could be used as the point of debate. More simply, an exposition on what makes a book good literature or worth reading could make a worthwhile response.
The matter for debate in this stimulus piece was clear and students responded well. A small group, six per cent of students in the sample, responded to this piece. Some excellent writing was presented in their responses. The students appeared to have read widely themselves and were able to show this in their discussions. The interweaving of thought arising from their ideas about literature, emotion and intellect, combined with the theme of essence and supported by specific examples from their own reading, invariably produced writing that was responsive, structured, deliberate and focused.
6. Birth certificate
This stimulus piece provides an opportunity for students to write about themselves and, in particular, about their names. A name registered as a legal identity gave students the opportunity to reflect on themselves, their family history, adoption, marriage or tradition. As a consequence, many linked this piece (chosen by 19 per cent of the sample group) with piece 3 (Frog and tadpole) or piece 8 (Einstein).
The responses that approached the topic by developing the idea that “My name is my essence”, tended to be weak in structure and sequencing and in central idea, as the initial idea was often not sustained. Planning is essential for an open-ended topic such as this one to ensure that the central idea has sufficient material for development. Some of the effective responses considered the derivation of the students’ own names and linked them to characters from the past (Joan of Arc, Martin Luther King Jnr, etc.). This allowed those individuals’ histories to be invoked. Other successful developments of the idea involved expositions on identity fraud and how police investigate and recommend protection from this crime. These responses explored the feeling of loss of identity and control in an individual’s life that corresponds to theft of the essence of existence. Brand loyalty in advertising and the role of advertising in manipulating the essence of a product were also analysed and linked to the surrendering of our own essence to loyalty to an image of a product. Stories of adoption allowed students to explore their own histories and answer the question, “Who am I really?”
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7. Perfume
This stimulus piece provides a direct link to the theme of essence. Perfumes could be identified with celebrities and fashion or could be considered as the result of a scientific process. The graphic provides colour, shape and process to support the written text.
Of the sample of students who responded to this stimulus item, 10 per cent produced expositions on scent being the essence of attraction between the sexes. The theme of blending was used figuratively in some scripts as a way of describing processes in our society, with some students pointing out that our success in blending race, gender, religion and language was the essence of a peaceful world. In one script, a new fuel discovery resulting from the blending of many elements leads to the new essence of motor sport. In general, students who produced these responses had a clear central idea and maintained a creditable attempt at being responsive through their attention to detail.
8. Einstein
The figure of Einstein was identified correctly by only a few of the sample students, and few chose to respond to the figure or to the items of chemical glassware depicted.
However, nearly 20 per cent of stimulus selections included this piece because of the text which was commonly linked to piece 3 (Frog and tadpole). In many cases though, this did not result in effective responses in terms of central idea or structure and sequencing. The idea of change dominated but expositions on the human mind or the writer's mind generally produced vague statements, repetitiveness and confused logic. Generally, students did not deal effectively with such broad ideas. Responsiveness and central idea were noticeably weaker in the scripts of the students who chose this piece.
Students from the sample who wrote effectively in response to this piece chose topics that developed an experience or knowledge from their own lives. Examples included the challenges of euthanasia or the struggle of a close relative with dementia or a narrative that dealt with the decision to turn off life support for a grandparent. A piece of scientific writing considered genetically modified foods as the product of scientific thought and showed our lives could be improved by applying the essence of our minds to a problem. A personal narrative described the death and funeral of an uncle who had also been a professor of philosophy.
9. Monowheel
The graphic shows a wheeled vehicle reduced to its essence — the wheel itself. Students who are attracted to the exotic may have found this image appealing. The written text evokes images of the bizarre. The combination of this piece with other pieces provided students in the sample group with opportunities to connect and interweave imaginative ideas.
Approximately five per cent of students in the sample group chose to respond to this stimulus item. Responses were effective in developing a central idea but tended to be weak in responsiveness. Few students chose this item by itself but rather, used it in combination with several other pieces, such as piece 4 (Wallpaper cat), which allowed for an extra dimension to the examples provided in the writing.
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10. Indigenous dancers
This stimulus piece provides opportunities to respond to aspects of Indigenous culture. It is also possible to connect the two aspects to the world of alchemy and legend. The smoke rising in the flask above the dancers hints at the creation of a new form. Only five per cent of the sample selected this stimulus piece for response. However, expositions on the loss of our natural environment were effectively handled and probably drew on classroom studies in various subjects. Students included the element of Indigenous respect for the land in these environmental expositions, contrasting this with the preoccupations of the modern world.
11. Monkey
The monkey in the beaker is suggestive of the treatment meted out to laboratory animals and of cruelty to animals in general. It raises questions about the essence of humanity. This stimulus piece elicited expository responses on cruelty to animals and human indifference. Twelve per cent of the students sampled wrote on this theme. One student was critical of circuses and another argued for the acceptance of the similarities amongst all animals. Two interesting responses were expository articles discussing world poverty and slavery as examples of human indifference. Another student linked the Holocaust, atomic weapons and political tyranny to an indifference to human life that illustrated “the essence of inhumanity”.
12. Wedding photo
This photo from the generation of the students’ grandparents provides comparisons in style, expressions and attitudes with the students’ own lives. While the accompanying written text is complex, it is also rich in ideas for the careful reader. It allows many students to give voice to their feelings and to their memories of older relatives or people they have known. This may be the reason why the 12 per cent of the sampled students who wrote on this stimulus generally did so effectively. Many told stories, in particular, of their grandmothers, who were important influences on them. In some cases, these reflections were stimulated by thoughts of their grandmothers’ belongings. A number of students wrote about their childhood on Aboriginal missions and the debt they felt they owed to their grandmothers. These relationships were important to their identity and the essence of who they were now.
Student performance
The word “essence” may not be an everyday word for year 12 students. However, careful reading of the visual images and the accompanying texts on the testpaper revealed many nuances in the concept and students were able to respond to these.
To be awarded a high grade, students must perform well in aspects of writing that are defined by the criteria and standards guide. An effective script must have a unifying central idea; its vocabulary or word choices must fit the intended meanings; it must show responsiveness to the testpaper in terms of both the stimulus piece(s) and the concept; its mechanical aspects (grammar, punctuation and spelling) must be correct and effective in conveying meaning; the structure and sequencing of its component parts must be planned and deliberate. Markers also take note of whether a script has conformed to the length prescription. The ability to write to a specific length is part of the skill of organising and writing prose.
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In general, students’ weakest results were in responsiveness and central idea respectively. Their better results were in vocabulary and in grammar, punctuation and spelling. This remained true irrespective of the stimulus piece(s) chosen.
Central idea
When evaluating the central idea, markers ask, “What is this script about?” The criteria to apply are clarity, deliberateness and well-focused development. Some students confused central idea with responsiveness. Central idea is an important criterion, as the analysis of the sample scripts showed students who achieved well overall achieved well in central idea. Students who performed poorly generally had poorer results in central idea also.
Planning is important to achieve the development of the central idea. Students’ stories and expositions on the stimulus pieces 1, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12 maintained the central idea more than those on pieces 3, 6 and 8. A possible explanation may be that in the former pieces the stimulus text contained more clues to build ideas upon and that these topics were therefore more specific. In choosing a broad idea such as piece 3 (Frog and tadpole), “Change is the essence of life”, or piece 8 (Einstein), “The energy of the mind is the essence of life”, many students seemed to lose their way in terms of central idea.
Vocabulary
Vocabulary is the use of words that are appropriate to their location and create an effect in the response. Plain words can achieve a controlled and discriminating effect. Often, students who achieved well did so using plain words and without “overwriting”. A surfeit of adjectives, adverbs and complex nouns does not guarantee clear meaning or an effective response to the criterion.
It is more appropriate to choose simple words for effect than to use complex vocabulary in an unwieldy manner and interfere with the meaning that is being conveyed through the central idea or responsiveness.
Responsiveness
This criterion refers to responsiveness to the concept and to the stimulus pieces on the testpaper on the day. The written and visual materials provide for the diversity of interest and viewpoints of students from a range of backgrounds throughout the state. For this testpaper, the concept requiring a response is Essence, which is the important quality of a thing. A script that is effective in responsiveness would “do something” with the stimulus materials. Glancing references to the testpaper result in lower grades for this criterion.
Students who performed well overall tended to perform strongly in responsiveness. Most students seemed aware of the requirement to respond to both the stimulus and the concept. Nevertheless, in many scripts about piece 3 (Frog and tadpole), change was the dominant concept. Essence may have been mentioned in the final sentence but was not woven into the script logically or intricately. This could have been done more carefully by providing evidence or examples of how change was the essence of the topic. Similar problems were evident with piece 8 (Einstein). Evidence for “the energy of the mind is the essence of life” was not presented and the concept became simply “the
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mind”. Simply repeating the word “essence” (in some cases, even as many as 26 times) also does not necessarily achieve responsiveness.
Some scripts developed very individual approaches to being responsive; for example, one student wrote a scientific explanation on the distillation of perfume in piece 7 (Perfume) by answering an examination paper in chemistry. The answers were linked to develop the central idea and to respond to the concept.
Grammar, punctuation and spelling
This can be considered the micro-level of organisation, the inside of sentences and words. It represents a hierarchy, with grammar judged to be the most crucial to meaning. Punctuation and then spelling follow in importance. There is no substitute for practising and maintaining vigilance in using language. As well as having a knowledge of correct usage, students need to develop effective strategies for revising and editing their writing.
One key weakness in some student scripts was the tendency to write in long and rambling sentences. This can be corrected by a more careful use of the full stop. Sentence fragments (where no verb is used) also present difficulties to the reader. In these cases, the full stop has been used too often. In general, it is true that shorter sentences are easier to understand. This technique may reduce flexibility and variety of sentence structure but the first priority is to be understood, so students need to be able to revise their work and apply full stops wisely.
Another part of the process of creating sentences is ensuring that participles are not left “dangling”. To neglect this can severely jeopardise meaning making and can create humour where none is intended.
Structure and sequencing
This is the macro-level of order in writing. Ideas are sequenced by logic or time or space to achieve a planned effect. Even when a clear central idea is present, the arrangement or development of the content may still be disorganised and meaning not clearly conveyed unless the arrangement of ideas is carefully sequenced.
This criterion often separates effective writing from weaker writing. The structure of paragraphs is related to the sequencing of ideas and the linkages between them.
Students must organise their ideas into a logical structure so that their ideas progress in a coherent way through the response. For example, a narrative should have a believable and logical sequence so that the reader can follow the storyline. An expository response should have a clear thesis statement followed by evidence. The requirements of various genres help students to organise their ideas. A focus on planning should assist them to improve in this criterion.
Length
Students are required to write approximately 600 words of continuous English prose and must write in the range of 500 to 750 words to avoid a penalty. The majority of students in the sample group were able to write within these limits.
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Prose forms
Each year, the testpaper gives students writing suggestions such as an argument, a literary exposition, the text of a speech, a persuasive text, a feature article, a procedural text, an interview, a scientific report, a personal reflection or a monologue. The list is intended to stimulate, not prescribe. Any form, except poetry, can be used. It is recommended that students write in a style with which they are comfortable to demonstrate how well they can write.
In 2007, narrative and expository forms each represented roughly 30 per cent of the scripts sampled. Personal reflections, articles, speeches and arguments each accounted for roughly10 per cent. Diaries, letters and play scripts made up less than three per cent each. Some students combined genres in their responses.
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Criteria and standards schema for marking
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pm
ent
of
a c
entr
al id
ea
(exp
licit o
r im
plic
it).
Fo
r a 1
+
the
wri
tin
g d
em
on
str
ate
s a
use
of
word
s e
xactly fitte
d to their lo
cation
an
d e
ffe
ct in
th
e r
esp
on
se
(th
e r
igh
t
word
s in t
he r
ight
pla
ces).
Fo
r a
1 +
the
writin
g s
ho
ws s
en
sitiv
itie
s t
o
nu
an
ce
s o
f th
e c
on
ce
pt
an
d
stim
ulu
s m
ate
ria
l o
n t
he
te
stp
ap
er.
Fo
r a 1
+
the
wri
tin
g c
on
sis
ten
tly
de
mo
nstr
ate
s a
co
mm
an
d o
f: t
he
prin
cip
al co
nve
ntio
ns o
f th
e w
ritt
en
lan
gu
ag
e, a
s e
vid
en
ce
d b
y m
aste
ry
of
rule
s r
ela
ted
to
su
bje
ct/
ve
rb
ag
ree
me
nt,
part
icip
le u
se
,
an
tece
de
nt
ag
ree
me
nt,
pro
no
un
ch
oic
e,
ten
se
etc
.; c
orr
ect
punctu
ation
; corr
ect
spelli
ng.
Fo
r a
1 +
the
writin
g d
em
on
str
ate
s a
pla
nn
ed
str
uctu
ring o
f exte
nded w
ritten t
ext
an
d d
elib
era
te s
equencin
g o
f id
ea
s
an
d im
age
s for
effect.
ab
ou
t ri
gh
t
500–7
50 w
ord
s
too
lo
ng
750–1
000 w
ord
s
too
sh
ort
400–5
00 w
ord
s
far
too
lo
ng
> 1
00
0 w
ord
s
far
too
sh
ort
< 4
00
wo
rds
ide
ntifiable
for
inte
nded
audie
nce;
dir
ectio
n a
nd
re
so
lutio
n r
eve
ale
d1
co
ntr
olle
d (
imagin
ative,
dis
cri
min
atin
g)
1
str
ong (
imm
edia
te o
r subtle)
and
su
sta
ine
d c
on
ne
cte
dn
ess t
o t
he
con
cept
and s
tim
ulu
s m
ate
rial o
n
the
te
stp
ap
er
1p
recis
e a
nd
effe
ctive
use
of
the
conven
tions
1
flu
en
t (t
ransiti
on, flo
w, contin
uity
, lin
kages)
flexib
le (
variatio
n in
arr
angem
ent of id
eas
in p
hra
ses, sente
nces, para
gra
phs)
log
ical and/o
r in
tric
ate
weavin
g o
f th
ought
22
22
identifiable
idea;
uneve
n
deve
lopm
en
t3
ap
pro
pria
te3
a c
red
itab
le c
onnection t
o t
he
co
nce
pt
an
d s
tim
ulu
s m
ate
ria
l3
lapse
s in
usa
ge
in
tru
de
bu
t d
o n
ot
de
tra
ct
fro
m m
ea
nin
g3
we
akn
esse
s in
str
uctu
rin
g a
nd
se
qu
en
cin
g e
vid
en
t
identifiab
le idea,
poorl
y d
evelo
ped;
or
no
t re
ad
ily id
en
tifia
ble
bu
t so
me
de
ve
lop
me
nt
evid
en
t
4in
ap
pro
pria
te t
o t
he
exte
nt
tha
t it
inte
rfe
res w
ith
me
an
ing
at
tim
es
4
a c
red
ita
ble
co
nn
ectio
n to
eith
er
the
co
nce
pt
or
stim
ulu
s m
ate
ria
l;
or
a w
ea
k c
on
ne
ctio
n to
th
e c
on
ce
pt
an
d s
tim
ulu
s m
ate
ria
l
4la
pse
s in
usa
ge
ob
tru
de
an
d d
etr
act
fro
m m
ea
nin
g4
we
akn
esse
s in
str
uctu
rin
g a
nd
se
qu
en
cin
g d
etr
act
55
55
not
ide
ntifiable
6lim
ite
d6
no r
ela
tionship
betw
een w
riting a
nd
the
co
nce
pt
or
stim
ulu
s m
ate
ria
l6
ine
pt
6in
cohe
rent
Gra
din
g a
scri
pt
•R
ea
d t
he
scri
pt
as a
wh
ole
.
•T
hin
k a
bo
ut
the w
ort
h o
f th
e s
crip
t h
olis
tica
lly.
•M
ake
a ju
dg
men
t a
bo
ut
the
co
ntr
ibu
tio
n m
ad
e b
y e
ach
cri
teri
on
yo
u a
re
co
nsid
eri
ng
(C
I, V
, R
, G
PS
, S
S)
to t
he
ho
listic w
ort
h o
f th
e s
cri
pt.
•A
ssig
n a
gra
de
an
d a
qu
alif
ier
to r
eco
rd e
ach
ju
dg
me
nt.
•M
ake
a d
ecis
ion
ab
ou
t th
e le
ng
th o
f th
e s
cri
pt
an
d r
eco
rd it
(wh
en
re
qu
ire
d).
Wri
tin
g T
ask
Cri
teri
a a
nd
Sta
nd
ard
s:
Mark
ing
Gu
ide
77
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Cen
tral
Idea
Tota
l raw
sco
re fo
r cr
iterio
n
Proportion of scripts
05
1015
2025
3035
0.000.050.100.150.20
Voc
abul
ary
Tota
l raw
sco
re fo
r cr
iterio
n
Proportion of scripts
05
1015
2025
3035
0.000.050.100.150.20
Res
pons
iven
ess
Tota
l raw
sco
re fo
r cr
iterio
n
Proportion of scripts
05
1015
2025
3035
0.000.050.100.150.20
Gra
mm
ar, P
unct
uatio
n, S
pelli
ng
Tota
l raw
sco
re fo
r cr
iterio
n
Proportion of scripts
05
1015
2025
3035
0.000.050.100.150.20
Str
uctu
re a
nd S
eque
ncin
g
Tota
l raw
sco
re fo
r cr
iterio
n
Proportion of scripts
05
1015
2025
3035
0.000.050.100.150.20
Dis
trib
utio
n of
raw
gra
des
in e
ach
crit
erio
n
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T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Writing Task.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
Selected student responses
The following responses to the 2007 Writing Task subtest were selected from those scripts that met the standards for successful writing as defined by the criteria and standards for marking the Writing Task.
These complete scripts appear in their original handwritten form. They may contain errors in grammar, punctuation and spelling as well as factual inaccuracies but they have been published as they were written for the sake of authenticity.
The QSA has not expressed a preference for any particular form of writing by its selection of these examples, nor are the sentiments expressed in them necessarily endorsed by the QSA. Before publication the QSA attempted to establish, but cannot guarantee, the originality of the writing in these scripts.
Response 1
This responds to stimulus piece 7 (Perfume). It comments on the penchant of female celebrities to become perfume designers and reveals that The Curse of the Perfume destroys the lives of these foolish people as a punishment for refusing to be content with what they have already achieved. The script takes the form of a feature article for a magazine or newspaper and includes an interview with a celebrity who explains the curse and how to avoid it. The script provides an example of simple vocabulary used with discrimination and the writer has used the features of the genre effectively, providing a succinct introduction, a question answered by the celebrity and a concluding word of advice to others of her kind.
Response 2
I think, therefore I am … I think is strongly responsive to the overall concept of Essence and to stimulus piece 8 (Einstein). The writer draws on the philosophy of Descartes. This central idea is developed effectively, first by dismissing the suggestion that our essence could be our bodies because the body is used to perform the actions decided by the mind, and then by pointing out that minds can suffer any number of injuries and even be “lost”, yet people so afflicted will still be themselves. The writer concludes that we will probably continue the search, and hope for an answer to the question of our essence forever but may have to leave it to the philosophers.
Response 3
Cogito Ergo Sum clearly responds to stimulus piece 8 (Einstein) and focuses on the same philosophical statement as Response 2. The writer gives a carefully sequenced account of a stage performance by a young woman, made up and dressed in white, who presents a dramatic monologue in which she reflects on the essence of her existence. At each stage of her discussion, she unconsciously wipes off more and more of her stark white make-up, becoming more and more animated as she does so and finally becoming fully alive when she reaches her conclusion. The central idea is well developed, the generic features of the dramatic monologue and the recount are well handled, and the responsiveness is strong and well sustained.
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Response 4
Stimulus piece 6 (Birth certificate) provides the starting point for Our Names and Our Essences, a very personal discussion about the importance of our names. The thesis is that our names should, and inexplicably do, reflect our essence, despite the irony that our parents do not even know us when they select them. Although no firm reason for this is offered, the writer states and uses a range of evidence to develop the central idea effectively, and provides a well-crafted and engaging exposition.
80
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Response 1
81
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82
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83
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Writing Task.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
Response 2
84
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85
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Writing Task.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
86
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Writing Task.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
Response 3
87
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88
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89
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Response 4
90
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91
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92
T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\QCS and CCE's.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
Relative worth of each subtest
Relative worth of parts of the QCS Test
Paper Worth Comment
1 WT 68 Two grades on each of the five substantive criteria plus 2 judgements on length
2 MC I 50 50 items of equal worth
3 SR 67 21 items with up to five grades each
4 MC II 50 50 items of equal worth
Total 235
nWorth SR paper
Unit Item number
Grade awarded and Code Worth
A B C D E N O
1 The Economist 1 5 4 3 1 2.5
2 Pedometer 2 5 4 3 1 2.5
3 3 2 1 1.5
4 6 4 3 2 3
3 Texting 5 4 3 2 1 2
6 7 5 3 1 3.5
7 9 7 5 3 1 4.5
4 Peace 8 5 4 3 1 2.5
9 8 6 4 2 1 4
5 Olympics 10 6 4 3 2 1 3
11 3 2 1 1.5
12 5 4 3 1 2.5
13 5 4 3 2 1 2.5
14 5 4 3 2 1 2.5
6 Children’s Hour 15 5 4 3 1 2.5
16 7 6 4 2 3.5
7 Greenland 17 7 5 3 1 3.5
18 12 10 7 4 2 6
19 7 6 4 2 3.5
8 Tuareg 20 10 8 5 3 1 5
21 10 7 5 2 5
A2
Σ A2----⎝ ⎠⎛ ⎞ 67=
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T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\QCS and CCE's.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
Deemed CCEs and QCS Test items
Tables showing CCEs tested within the MC and SR subtests are presented earlier in this document. There appears next to each item (or unit) one or more CCEs. What does this mean?
The QCS Test assesses students in terms of the common elements of the Queensland senior curriculum: reading and writing, analysing and synthesising, evaluating and arguing rationally, graphing, estimating, compiling statistics, and so on. There is not, however, a simplistic match of CCEs and individual items in the QCS Test: exactly one item for each CCE or exactly one CCE for each item. By their nature, some CCEs are obviously widely present — reading, interpreting words and symbols, analysing; others such as graphing may be obviously 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).
The listing of CCEs against items provides information about how the test constructors view each item in the context of the particular QCS Test in which it occurs.
Balance of the QCS Test in terms of CCEs
The listing of CCEs against items may suggest that the balance of a particular QCS Test or a series of QCS Tests can be assessed by a tally of 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 which require a substantial proportion of the total test item (and hence these CCEs will not occur very often).
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AppendixesAppendix 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 Testing Unit.Readers should not be perturbed to find that, while the list is in numerical order, there are numbers missing. All 49elements appear in the list.
1 Recognising letters, words and other symbols
2 Finding material in an indexed collection:
Note: Examples of an indexed collection: 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.”
4 Interpreting the meaning of words or other symbols
5 Interpreting the meaning of pictures/illustrations
6 Interpreting the meaning of tables or diagrams or maps or graphs
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.
95
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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 which may be either presented to, or created by, the student.
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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.
36 Applying strategies to trial and test ideas and procedures
37 Applying a progression of steps to achieve the required answer:
Making use of an algorithm (which is already known by students or which 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.
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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.
51 Identifying shapes in two and three dimensions
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 simply a drawing or painting, 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.
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T:\qcs\retrospective\retro2007\Glossary of terms.fm March 31, 2008 2:20 pm
Appendix 2: Glossary of terms used in relation to the QCS Test
acceptable minimum standards: the description of a marking process whereby markers are required to use their assessmentskills 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 andO (see grade)
assumed knowledge: the benchmark of students’ required learning in terms of QCS testing; taken to be the possession of both anelementary level of general knowledge and a knowledge of vocabulary and mathematical operations at a level of sophisticationconsistent 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 amanner 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’ beforethat 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 gradesawarded by markers
closed response item: a short response item which involves the student in the production of an answer and requires the markerto 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 Queenslandsenior curriculum, testable in the current format of the QCS Test, and within the learning opportunities of a high proportion ofstudents
creditable response: a response (to a short response item) which is awarded one of the available grades, A to E, and which thusattracts credit
criterion (also called basket): macroskill. The QCS Test measures achievement in five criteria, each of which is symbolised by aletter of the Greek alphabet:
The 49 common curriculum elements can be distributed amongst these five criteria, each criterion representing a set of relatedCCEs.
cue: an instruction attached to a short response item, situated next to the space provided for the student response. The cuegives 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 ofthat syllabus
denotation: descriptor and/or notes related to a CCE, which represent the meaning of that CCE for the purpose of the QCSTest. Denotations are circulated to the appropriate audiences.
descriptor: see standard descriptor
desirable feature: item-specific characteristic of a student’s short response that demonstrates achievement and thereforecontributes 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 ninedimensions. 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 notapparently random
dissonant markings: binders whose items have been given significantly different marks by different markers
α comprehend and collectβ structure and sequenceθ analyse, assess and concludeπ create and presentφ apply techniques and procedures.
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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, viz.
• pens (black ink)• pencil (for drawing, sketching, etc. 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 theaward of an A-grade
flyer: a written mechanism by which unit managers and immersers can communicate to markers any decisions regarding thetreatment 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 stimulusmaterial via a superscript. It may take the form of a commentary on word usage, sourcing of an extract etc.
gloss: definition of a term that students are not expected to know. Substantive vocabulary of a high level of sophistication whosemeaning cannot be determined from the context is provided at the end of the relevant passage, with reference to the passagevia a superscript.
grade (response grade): a measure of performance on a short response item on the basis of a student’s response. Grades areconsecutive letters, with A denoting the grade pertaining to the highest performance level. The number of grades may varyfrom 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): immersers train markers to apply the prescribed marking schemes and standards for each item; conduct checkmarking and refocusing sessions as determined by quality control; support markers with advice on marking; maintain thestandards 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 guidedassistance 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 moredifficult 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 itemsto follow
item: comprises the stem, cue and response area
item-specific: pertaining to a particular item; usually, item-specific documents contain information which can only pertain to oneof 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 writingof items.
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key term: one of a list of verbs used in the stems of short response items as commands or task setters, and for which cleardefinitions are appropriately circulated to students and markers for the purposes of the QCS Test. The key terms include thefollowing:
account for draw (cf. sketch) illustrate/exemplify show (calculations)approximate estimate indicate sketch (cf. draw)argue evaluate justify statecomment on explain list substitute incompare expound outline (in words) suggestcontrast express present summarisederive extrapolate prove transcribedescribe find rank verifydetermine generalise referdiscuss identify quote
line numbers: numbers situated in the left-hand margin of some passages of stimulus material to help students locate detailsmentioned in associated items
marker training: a process which occurs during the days immediately preceding the marking proper, and consists of a pretraining/administration session, 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 themarker 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 theapplication 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 agiven year
marking scheme: the item-specific criteria and standards schema from which markers can determine grades; the markingscheme may not include all of the instructions to the markers. Most marking schemes are presented as a table in which the cellsof each column give the descriptors of standards for the grade shown in that column’s heading.
marking supervisor (WT): marking supervisors train markers to apply the prescribed criteria and standards; conduct checkmarking and refocusing sessions as determined by quality control; support markers with advice on marking; maintain thestandards of marking.
marking unit: a collection of items that is to be marked using a single marksheet. An individual marking unit may include itemsfrom 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
miniature SR paper: an A3 sheet containing abbreviated versions of the items in the testbook. Students may retain this at theconclusion of the test.
model response: an example of a response that demonstrates the highest level of performance and which would invariably beawarded the highest grade
monitoring (marker monitoring): comparison of markers (many pairings) to identify responses to be re-marked, markers whorequire 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 satisfythe 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;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; that is, the studentmakes no apparent attempt to respond to the task set and leaves the response space completely blank
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open-ended response item: a short response item which involves the student in generative thinking and requires the marker toassess the quality of the response. No exhaustive list of desirable features can be identified a priori to describe a given responsetype.
optional equipment: ‘tools of the trade’ (other than essential equipment) normally used in a course of study, which students maychoose to provide for the test, e.g.
• set square• correction fluid• template• sharpener.
pathological response: one of the 2 per cent or less of different or unpredictable responses not covered directly by thedescriptors in the marking scheme, and discovered after marking commences
performance domain(s): common curriculum element(s) tested by a particular item. For items which are associated with morethan 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 withthe 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 ith item.
refocusing: a one-on-one counselling session between an immerser and a marker who is experiencing problems with his/hermarking, as identified by quality-control procedures
referee marking: an independent third marking of a student response which occurs when two independent markers disagree toan extent which 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; that is, the degree to which they arefree of errors
reliability of grades: the degree to which there is marker agreement as to the grade awarded (although some grades are trulyborderline)
response: the student’s work on an item as communicated to the marker. In writing, drawing, calculating and so on in the case ofa short response item. By blackening a circle corresponding to the selected response option in the case of a multiple choiceitem.
response alternative: one of four options from which students choose the best response for a multiple choice item. Studentsrecord 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 orgrid, a designated space in which to write, draw, complete a diagram, fill in a table, etc.
richness: a property of a test item whereby the item can provide more than the usual single piece of information about studentachievement. 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 applicationof 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 byapplying the marking scheme
standard: a reference point for describing the quality of student responses in performance domains (see marking scheme)
2N pii 1=
n∑
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standard descriptor: a statement or list of statements that succinctly conveys the standard or features required in a response tobe 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 which 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 withthe aim of promoting students’ responses
testbook (testpaper): the booklet provided to a student for the SR subtest; the cover carries directions to students; the bookletcontains items arranged within units. The booklet also contains spare pages (in case the student needs extra response space, ordecides to rewrite a response after cancelling the initial attempt) and a fold-out section inside the back cover containing theitem 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 tothe construct of the test. Unit managers direct, assist and monitor the performance of immersers; provide clarification ofmarking schemes when required; 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 markingschemes, and with common response types gleaned from a sample of student responses
