All you need to know about the QCS Test 2017

Presented by Julie Weber ‐ HOD Senior School

What is the QCS Test?

• a common statewide test for Queensland Year 12 students (approx 30 000 students sit each year)

• an achievement test, not an intelligence test, nor an aptitude test 

• grounded in the Queensland senior curriculum 

• accessible to all Year 12 students regardless of individual differences in subject patterns.

What is its purpose?The QCS Test provides data for the calculation of:

• individual results on a five point scale   from A (highest) to E (lowest)

• group results to allow scaling of subject and overall achievements for calculating Overall Positions (OPs) which are independent of subjects studied or school attended

• group results for calculating Field Positions (FPs), up to five per student depending on subject choice.

Who sits the test?• All OP‐eligible students must sit for the         test.

• OP‐ineligible students may choose to sit for the test

• The QCS Test results of those students                                   not eligible for an OP will not contribute to group results for calculating OPs.

• Students who are absent for the Test without valid reasons and documented evidence will not be assigned OPs and FPs

.

What does the test TEST?The test examines the 49 

Common Curriculum Elements

CCEs

The test also assumes that candidates have basic levels of general knowledge and vocabulary and a Year 10 knowledge of mathematical operations.

What are the 49 CCEs?

• Curriculum elements common across a range of subjects

• Teachers teaching in the spirit of the syllabus using a suitable work program will be teaching the CCEs in class every day

• Each item in the QCS Test examines at least one CCE, as do your own class assessment items 

Preparing for the TEST?• The Common Curriculum Elements are generic 

skills that students work with across their subjects; therefore the real preparation for the test goes on all the time and in every subject. 

• The QSA also makes available a variety of test preparation resources, including Retrospectives and past testpapers. 

• Most schools provide some focused preparation for the test. 

• Those sitting the test should ensure that they have (and are able to use) all essential equipment; otherwise, they may not be able to respond to some items. 

When is the Test?The test in 2017 will be held over 2 days:

Tuesday        29 AugustWednesday   30 September

Where is the Test held?The test venue for 2017 will be Pathways Building 

Format cont..The results achieved for each of the 4 test papers are combined into one grade, ranging from A (the highest grade) to E (the lowest).

Those sitting the test are asked to respond to a variety of stimulus materials, such as prose passages, poetry, graphs, tables, maps, mathematical and scientific data, cartoons and artistic works.

What is the format of the TEST?

What are the 49 CCEs?

Recognising letters, words and other symbols Finding material in an indexed collection Recalling/remembering Interpreting the meaning of words or other symbols Interpreting the meaning of pictures/illustrations Interpreting the meaning of tables or diagrams or maps or graphs Translating from one form to another Using correct spelling, punctuation, grammar Using vocabulary appropriate to a context Summarising/condensing written text Compiling lists/statistics Recording/noting data Compiling results in a tabular form Graphing Calculating with or without calculator Estimating numerical magnitude Approximating a numerical value Substituting in formulae Setting out/presenting/arranging/displaying Structuring/organising extended written text Structuring/organising a mathematical argument Explaining to others Expounding a viewpoint Empathising Comparing, contrasting Classifying 

Interrelating ideas/themes/issues Reaching a conclusion which is necessarily true provided a given set of assumptions is true Reaching a conclusion which is consistent with a given set of assumptions Inserting an intermediate between members of a series Extrapolating Applying strategies to trial and test ideas and procedures Applying a progression of steps to achieve the required answer Generalising from information Hypothesising Criticising Analysing Synthesising Judging/evaluating Creating/composing/devising Justifying Perceiving patterns Visualising Identifying shapes in two and three dimensions Searching and locating items/information Observing systematically Gesturing Manipulating/operating/using equipment Sketching/drawing 

The 49 common curriculum elements of the Queensland senior curriculum: 

Paper 1 ‐Writing TaskIn this paper you have to write about600 words of continuous prose. Youare provided with a variety ofstimulus material (visual and written)grouped around a theme/issue/ topic/ concept.

You should focus on thetheme/issue/topic/concept, selectone or more pieces of stimulusmaterial for ideas and then write inany genre (form or style of writing)you like, other than poetry. Yourresponse can be an essay, a story, ascript, a letter, a report, or anythingelse that seems appropriate to yourfocus.

Writing Task – Stimulus Material

Writing Task – Stimulus MaterialInformation about task

Paper 2 – Multiple Choice I• Multiple Choice items are

presented as individual items or,more commonly, in batches basedon common stimulus material in avariety of forms.

• This material is drawn from manydisciplines. (history, art, maths etc)

• Rather than testing you on thecontent of these disciplines, MCitems test you on the CCEsembodied in the seniorcurriculum.

• You select the best of fouralternative responses for each itemand then blacken the appropriateoval on the response sheet.

Example – Multiple Choice

Answer – Multiple Choice

Paper 3 ‐ Short Response Short Response items also relate to stimulus material and cover many CCEs, but you have to provide the response. It may be a number, a mathematical or visual expression, a sentence, a paragraph, or a longer prose piece. For example, you might be asked to:♦ give a factual response♦ compare and contrast two subjects♦ demonstrate your best vocabulary♦ give a viewpoint and support your opinion.♦ substitute into an equation♦ perform a calculation♦ present data in a table♦ draw diagrams or graphs♦ prove a result.♦ construct an argument based on evidence♦ search for information in a passage♦ interpret part of a poem♦ compare two artistic expressions of a subject.

Example ‐ Short Response Item 

Answer‐ Short Response Item The trademark of the International Wool Secretariat is included in the introduction toensure that you know what is meant by ‘logo’ or ‘trademark’. This item has only one star, soit should not prove difficult. The number of lines provided in the response area indicatesthat you need write only a short response. The item asks you to state why this logo isappropriate (to a TV news network), and the cue advises you to refer to specific features. Ifyou see the logo as an eye, you might respond:

The eye suggests that the news network is awake andalert to current events and is therefore appropriate.

Even if you omit ‘and is therefore appropriate’, this is a perfectly good response because weexpect a news network to be ‘awake’ and ‘alert’. Alternatively, you might choose to includethe network’s audience in your discussion:

The logo is appropriate because television news seeswhat is going on in the world and people watch the news.

This response makes no direct reference to an eye, but words like ‘sees’ and ‘watch’ wouldindicate that you believe that the logo represents an eye. You do not have the option ofsaying that the logo is inappropriate, because the item does not ask you to judge itsappropriateness. The item is merely testing your ability to interpret the meaning of anillustration. Also keep in mind that you receive no extra credit for responding at great lengthto an item that requires, at most, a response of one or two sentences and you may findyourself short of time later in the test session.

The question is asking you to interpret the illustration. Like literary passages, illustrations can mean different things to different people, so we have to be flexible in our marking of units like this. The important thing is to see the skiing figures in context, to get at the artist’s intentions. It will not be enough simply to think of what skiing means to you.Part I asks you to ‘demonstrate your best vocabulary’, which means we are afterwords that suggest something beyond the most mundane description. For example, ‘expertise’ can suggest style as well as competence. ‘Exhilaration’ connotes a sense of excitement as well as speed.

Paper 4 ‐Multiple Choice II• There are 50MC items on 

each multiple choice paper. • Many CCEs are tested in 

this paper. • To be well prepared, ensure 

you know how to interpret verbal texts, graphs, tables, diagrams, illustrations and maps. 

• Make sure you know the meanings of these CCEs and can use them

How are the papers marked?

• Each WT script is marked by at least three people who are experienced in marking

• The MC response sheets are marked electronically. You receive one mark for each correct response, zero for items you do not attempt, zero for incorrect responses, and zero when you give more than one response for an item.

• The SR paper is also marked by specially trained markers Your responses are marked twice, and if there are discrepancies they will be marked a third time, by a referee marker

What happens to your results?

Your WT, MC and SR results are combinedto give you one of five grades, fromA (highest) to E (lowest). This grade isrecorded on your SEP together with yourlevels of achievement in Authority andAuthority‐registered areas of learning, andresults in recorded areas of learning.

What happens to your results cont..

The distribution of grades is not pre‐determined but is based on studentachievement of standards on specifiedcriteria.

It is theoretically possible for all students to receive an A provided they fulfil the specified criteria for an A on the QCS Test.

Before the test:You can prepare for the QCS Test. You should:♦ know what is being tested (the 49 CCEs)♦ know which CCEs are found in each of the subjects you are studying

♦ be aware of what knowledge is assumed in the test (see p. 66)

♦ understand the key terms that are used in the test items

♦ know the test procedures in advance♦ refine your test‐taking strategies♦ sit a sample test♦ prepare yourself mentally and physically for the test days.

Special Provisions

The QSA may make special provisions available for the QCS Test. 

For example, people with recognised disabilities that might seriously affect their achievement on the test may apply to have the test conditions varied, or to be exempted from sitting the test.

Special Provisions ‐ Grounds for Application• Attention deficit hyperactivity 

disorder (ADHD)*• Autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) • Colour blindness^ • Cultural or religious obligation^ • Diabetes+• Epilepsy • Hearing impairment • Illegible handwriting^• Illness+ • Inability to sit test at own school^ • Intellectual impairment^• Medication side effects • Neurological impairment 

• Non–English‐speaking background (NESB)* 

• Physical impairment • Pregnancy‐related conditions+• Psychological or emotional 

impairment • Scotopic sensitivity • Selection to represent Queensland 

or Australia in cultural or sporting event** 

• Specific learning difficulties (SPLD)* • Speech language impairment (SLI)* • Vision impairment • Other:

Applications close  May – Conditions apply                   See Ms Weber for details!

Semester 2 Program

• Introduction to short response and writing tasks in Access lessons on a Monday

• Two day practice test Week 8 Thursday and Friday

• Guest speaker Matt Rigby on Visual Literacy

FURTHER INFORMATION

www.qcaa.qld.edu.au

Contact: Julie Weber ‐ HOD Senior SchoolingOr Rose Harris ‐ Guidance Officer

Finally : Points to ponder 

Some people succeed because they are destined to.

Most people succeed because they are determined to.

The people who accomplish the most do so not because they never run into problems, but because they believe there is a solution