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Retrospective2012 Queensland Core Skills Test
ForewordThe 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 common curriculum elements that are within the curriculum experience of most senior students. The level of sophistication demanded by the test is appropriate for Year 12 students. It is a cross-curriculum test, which means that it does not test the content of specific subjects. Rather it tests the skills learnt from the combination of subjects in a balanced curriculum.
The QCS Test consists of four testpapers � a Writing Task, a Short Response testpaper and two Multiple Choice testpapers. 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 test constructors, 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.
Peter LuxtonActing Director
ISSN 1321-3938
© The State of Queensland (Queensland Studies Authority) 2013
Copyright protects this material. Copyright in the Core Skills Test is owned by the State of Queensland and/or the QueenslandStudies Authority. Copyright in some of the material included in the paper is owned by third parties.
Except as permitted by the Copyright Act 1968 (Cwlth), reproduction by any means (photocopying, electronic, mechanical,recording or otherwise), making available online, electronic transmission or other publication of this material is prohibited withoutprior written permission of the relevant copyright owner/s.
The Queensland Studies Authority requires to be recognised as the source of the Core Skills Test and requires that its materialremain unaltered.
Enquiries relating to copyright in this material, which is owned by the State of Queensland or the Queensland Studies Authority,should be addressed to:
Publishing UnitEmail: publishing@qsa.qld.edu.au
ContentsMultiple Choice (MC) I & II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
MC I & II 2012 summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
MC I commentary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
MC II commentary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Common Curriculum Elements (CCEs) and the MC format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Short Response (SR) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
SR 2012 summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Unit One . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Unit Two . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Unit Three . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Unit Four . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Unit Five . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Unit Six . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Unit Seven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Unit Eight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Writing Task (WT) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
WT 2012 Overall concept: Getting there . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Diagram of the testpaper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
WT commentary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Stimulus pieces: Visual, written or combination? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Choice of text type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Choice of genre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Criteria and standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Selected student responses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Relative worth of each subtest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Relative worth of parts of the QCS Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Deemed CCEs and QCS Test items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Balance of the QCS Test in terms of CCEs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Appendixes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Appendix 1: The 49 Common Curriculum Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Appendix 2: CCEs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Appendix 3: CCEs grouped by baskets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Appendix 4: Glossary of terms used in relation to the QCS Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Multiple Choice (MC) I & IICommentaryThe 2012 MC subtest consisted of two testpapers, each with 25 verbal and 25 quantitative items. For an item, the facility is the proportion of students who gave the correct response; it is expressed as a percentage. For the 2012 MC subtest, the average facility on verbal items was 53%, and on quantitative items it was 52%. MC I had an average facility of 51%, while MC II had 54%. The average facility on the subtest as a whole was 52.5%. On each testpaper there was a spread of facilities; on MC I they varied from 19% (item 17) to 84% (item 15), and on MC II from 29% (item 67) to 90% (item 75).
Within the verbal domain, stimulus materials included poems, extracts from novels, newspaper articles and letters to the editor, artworks, descriptions of scientific experiments, quotations, interviews and speeches. Within the quantitative domain, stimulus materials included diagrams, tables, charts, graphs and maps. Subjects covered included English language and literature, modern history, politics and sociology, ethics, law, psychology, art history, chemistry, physics, climatology, information theory, geography, social anthropology, health and medicine, economics, and both pure and applied mathematics.
The following table summarises data about the 21 units that made up the 2012 MC subtest. The main Common Curriculum Elements (CCEs) tested in each unit are listed. The order of the CCEs for each unit does not reflect the order of the items, nor does it imply a cognitive hierarchy. The baskets into which CCEs are grouped are shown in Appendix 2. For a unit, the average facility (AF) is the average of the facilities of all items in that unit.
MC I & II 2012 summary
Unit Item Key Basket F AF (%) Common Curriculum Elements
1 Who�s Who?(poem)
1 A 52
44
4 Interpreting the meaning of words or other symbols
33 Inferring48 Justifying
2 B 39
3 D 41
2 Maltese Cross(diagram, geometrical operations)
4 B 6450 16 Calculating with or without calculators
5 D 35
3 Witness Memory(prose nonfiction, psychology, legal studies)
6 A 77
64
4 Interpreting the meaning of words or other symbols
26 Explaining to others31 Interrelating ideas/themes/issues35 Extrapolating43 Analysing
7 C 74
8 D 49
9 A 62
10 C 56
11 D 55
12 A 78
4 Pyramid Dice(diagrams, probability)
13 A 75
57
16 Calculating with or without calculators19 Substituting in formulae45 Judging51 Identifying shapes in two and three
dimensions
14 B 65
15 A 84
16 A 43
17 B 19
5 Eiffel Tower(artworks)
18 B 52
635 Interpreting the meaning of pictures/
illustrations29 Comparing, contrasting
19 B 60
20 D 77
21 C 63
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6 CCN(table, chemistry)
22 D 62
54
4 Interpreting the meaning of words or other symbols
7 Translating from one form to another16 Calculating with or without calculators
23 C 49
24 B 52
7 Absolute Pitch(graph, physics)
25 A 40
45
6 Interpreting the meaning of tables or diagrams or maps or graphs
15 Graphing41 Hypothesising45 Judging33 Inferring
26 C 56
27 C 45
28 B 48
29 A 36
8 Climate Change(personal reflections, geography)
30 C 44
43
4 Interpreting the meaning of words or other symbols
10 Using vocabulary appropriate to a context11 Summarising/condensing written text43 Analysing
31 D 61
32 B 34
33 C 20
34 A 54
9 Flipping Cards(diagrams, rules, patterns)
35 D 46
49
7 Translating from one form to another16 Calculating with or without calculators43 Analysing32 Deducing
36 B 50
37 C 63
38 A 50
39 D 38
10 Genius(novel)
40 D 67
41
7 Translating from one form to another10 Using vocabulary appropriate to a context31 Interrelating ideas/themes/issues33 Inferring43 Analysing
41 C 24
42 B 31
43 C 60
44 C 31
45 B 31
11 Bubble Map(diagram, map, numerical operations)
46 D 83
52
6 Interpreting the meaning of tables or diagrams or maps or graphs
7 Translating from one form to another16 Calculating with or without calculators32 Deducing
47 D 36
48 A 46
49 B 37
50 A 57
12 Quotations(prose nonfiction)
51 B 52
63
4 Interpreting the meaning of words or other symbols
29 Comparing, contrasting43 Analysing45 Judging
52 A 49
53 A 72
54 C 77
13 Sociogram(diagrams, rules, logic)
55 C 87
71
6 Interpreting the meaning of tables or diagrams or maps or graphs
32 Deducing33 Inferring36 Applying strategies to trial and test ideas
and procedures
56 B 86
57 B 63
58 A 76
59 D 44
14 Probability(prose nonfiction, historiography)
60 A 73
58
7 Translating from one form to another10 Using vocabulary appropriate to a context33 Inferring43 Analysing
61 D 59
62 B 48
63 C 50
Unit Item Key Basket F AF (%) Common Curriculum Elements
| Retrospective 2012 QCS Test
15 Tasmanian Car Trips(diagrams, map, numerical operations)
64 C 54
46
6 Interpreting the meaning of tables or diagrams or maps or graphs
16 Calculating with or without calculators45 Judging
65 D 53
66 B 47
67 A 29
68 A 46
16 Old School(novel)
69 C 39
54
4 Interpreting the meaning of words or other symbols
28 Empathising29 Comparing, contrasting33 Inferring43 Analysing
70 B 61
71 B 53
72 A 51
73 C 49
74 D 70
17 Sundaram�s Sieve(table, number sequence, algebra)
75 B 90
62
35 Extrapolating36 Applying strategies to trial and test ideas
and procedures38 Generalising from information
76 B 60
77 A 71
78 C 51
79 D 36
18 Chinese Man(prose nonfiction, history, SOSE)
80 D 39
49
4 Interpreting the meaning of words or other symbols
28 Empathising33 Inferring44 Synthesising
81 D 33
82 D 61
83 A 61
19 Vietnam Eye Health(table, illustrations, numerical operations)
84 B 62
47
16 Calculating with or without calculators35 Extrapolating29 Comparing, contrasting37 Applying a progression of steps to achieve
the required answer
85 D 35
86 B 33
87 C 59
88 C 47
20 Forgotten Man(prose nonfiction, history, economics)
89 A 43
48
4 Interpreting the meaning of words or other symbols
26 Explaining to others28 Empathising29 Comparing, contrasting45 Judging
90 D 46
91 D 31
92 C 69
93 B 46
94 C 40
95 D 58
21 Cellular Automata(diagrams, rules, visual patterns)
96 C 36
437 Translating from one form to another
35 Extrapolating49 Perceiving patterns
97 A 46
98 D 48
99 A 35
100 C 52
Average facility on subtest 52.5
Unit Item Key Basket F AF (%) Common Curriculum Elements
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MC I commentaryIn this section, the main aims of each unit are briefly outlined. Two units (7 and 10) are singled out for detailed analysis.
Unit 1 Who�s Who?
This short poem asks students to recognise Auden�s central theme, which is the veneer of fame.
Unit 2 Maltese Cross
This short unit asks students to make use of Pythagoras� theorem in analysing a geometrical diagram.
Unit 3 Witness Memory
This extract from a newspaper article deals with how witnesses to accidents and crimes remember the events, and what expectations are placed on them by the judicial system. The items test students� understanding of the different viewpoints presented in the extract.
Unit 4 Pyramid Dice
As a twist on the usual probability problems presented by cuboid dice, this unit uses pyramid dice of various heights. In most items, students use information given, and their basic knowledge of geometry, to make calculations. One of the more challenging aspects of this unit is understanding the probability of a pyramid die landing on its base.
Unit 5 Eiffel Tower
This unit revolves around three images of the Eiffel Tower in Paris: a painting and a drawing by French artist Robert Delaunay, and a contemporary photograph of the tower. Students are asked to compare the three renditions in terms of the artists� intentions, and in terms of specific graphic conventions such as form and tonality. The unit also asks students to evaluate alternative readings of one of the artworks.
Unit 6 CCN
This unit deals with a �shorthand� way of describing complex chemical substances used in the making of concrete. Students are asked to perceive the underlying patterns of the notation and to apply their understanding to the items.
Unit 7 Absolute Pitch
This unit is centred on an experiment carried out to examine whether people who reported having, or not having, absolute pitch (AP) actually did have it, and if so to what degree. Students are asked to familiarise themselves with the description of the experiment, to perceive its underlying assumptions, and to make sense of the results of the experiment as expressed in a graph. This proved to be one of the more challenging units on the subtest.
Item 25 asks students to evaluate the relative ease of recognising pure versus piano tones. They need to understand, first of all, that if recognising these two types of tone was equally as easy, then data points in the graph would be concentrated around a straight line extending from coordinates (0, 0) to (36, 36). In fact, the vast majority of data points sit well above this line, which indicates the relative ease of recognising piano tones.
Item 26 asks students to identify the symbol system used in the graph�s key, to relate that information to the lowest categories of AP on the graph, then to deduce two minimum scores � one for pure tones and one for piano tones � which together underline all AP scores. The graph shows that, in respect of piano tones, all AP scores are greater than 26, while in respect of pure tones, all AP scores are greater than 12. The option which comes closest to this is C. Option A ignores the data point at (12, 30). Option B takes account only of scores in the AP�1 category. Option D includes a proportion of non-AP data points.
Item 27 asks students to choose between one of four hypotheses that would account for the inclusion of pure tones in the experiment. The most plausible hypothesis (option C) is derived from the information presented in the stimulus material that piano tones have their own timbre; it is also a reasonable inference that most musicians chosen for this experiment had some familiarity with piano tones, given the popularity of the
| Retrospective 2012 QCS Test
piano. Thus one might expect timbre and familiarity to have influence on acoustic perception. Presenting the same tones as pure tones offers a check on this anticipated variability, by way of presenting a �level playing field� or �baseline� measure. Option A is incorrect because it assumes, without reasons based in the stimulus material, that musicians respond in the same way to pure tones. What is at issue here is the measure of correlation between acoustic perceptions of pure tones relative to piano tones. Option B is incorrect because it assumes without supporting data that scores derived from piano tones will always be greater than those derived from pure tones. Students who simply project an external piece of knowledge (which may well have some truth in it) onto the experimental data would have been attracted by option D. But this overlooks the obvious point that electronic music is not presented as a series of pure tones.
Item 28 requires students to classify given sets of scores. There are no hard-and-fast rules here; students need to evaluate the spatial relations of each of the four new data points against the known data points on the graph. Option A sits closer to scores classified as AP�4 than to any other score class. Options C and D are firmly ensconced within data points of the AP�1 class. Option B, though somewhat out on its own, is closest to the single data point classified as AP�3.
Item 29 asks students to identify and isolate a certain subset of data from the graph and then to re-present it in the form of another graph. This item therefore tests the CCE of Graphing, albeit at second order.
Unit 8 Climate Change
The topic of climate change incites a broad spectrum of views, often strongly opposed to each other. In this unit students are asked to understand and to compare the views of three individuals.
Unit 9 Flipping Cards
This unit uses an imaginary card game to test students� understanding of rules and procedures within a broader context of spatial pattern reasoning.
Unit 10 Genius
This extract, from the German writer Thomas Mann�s novel Death in Venice, offers an appreciation of the novel�s main character, Gustav Aschenbach. Mann�s robust yet rich prose style offers a significant challenge to students, and this is reflected in the fact that this unit was the most difficult unit on the subtest, with most of its items yielding facilities in the low thirties.
Item 40 asks students to find essential meaning in the lengthy and challenging first sentence. Option A is incorrect because the text does not say that Aschenbach�s writing appealed more to one group of people than to others. Options B and C pick up on incorrect readings of the opening words �remote � from�. The first sentence is not about Aschenbach as a person, but seeks to characterise the nature of his genius.
Item 41 was one of the most difficult items on the subtest, with 24% facility. Like item 40, it deals with the first sentence of the extract, but in a much more incisive fashion. Students need to understand that the narrator draws a distinction between the general public�s loyalty to Aschenbach as a writer, and the attitude of the connoisseurs: �sympathetic� (i.e. well-disposed toward his writing) and offering pertinent analyses, yet without a strong sense of personal attachment. Option A is wrong because there is no suggestion that the general public was less sympathetic to his writing than were the connoisseurs. Option B is wrong because the extract provides no information about subject matter or style except that these were distanced from the �banal� and the �eccentric�. Option D plays on the popular misconception that connoisseurs and critics are better able to understand complex writers.
To respond correctly to item 42 students need to analyse lines 3�5 of the extract and to understand that, had the young Aschenbach not been pushed to excel, he probably would not have done so of his own accord. Lines 10 and 11 further inform this assessment, with the knowledge that Aschenbach was not a robust child and therefore not well suited to the rigours of the writing profession. Students who presume that geniuses necessarily reveal their true colours at an early age will be attracted to Option A. Option C seems correct, but is ruled out by its assertion that the young Aschenbach was �wayward�. Option D is similar to option A, except that it focuses on character traits rather than specific verbal aptitude; it is wrong, for similar reasons to option A.
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Item 43 tests students� understanding of the strong visual metaphor in lines 7�9. The closed fist is intended to represent a tightly structured life, and a rigid work ethic. Most students understood this. Options A, B and D attracted students who misread the fist as a symbol of aggression or opposition rather than rigidity. There is no suggestion in the extract that Aschenbach was aggressive by nature, or in response to the pressures mounted upon him, or that he had an �us and them� mentality.
Item 44 tests students� understanding of the expression �called to�. Its use in this context is, in fact, quite subtle. It indicates a strong inner impulse toward a particular profession, sometimes involving a sense of struggle or self-examination. Mann emphasises that there are elements in Aschenbach�s character and temperament which pulled in opposing directions, the one drawing him into the world of writing (being �called to� it), the other causing him to struggle against that. A full answer to the question posed in this item must therefore encompass both the impulse, and the character traits that caused Aschenbach to struggle with it. Option A is incorrect because there is no suggestion in the extract that young Aschenbach was unaware of his writing talent. Option B is incorrect because it ignores the sense of struggle. Option D is incorrect because it assumes that Aschenbach possessed no significant talent as a writer.
The final item in this unit asks students to relate four comments about childhood to the picture of Aschenbach�s childhood sketched in the extract. In the extract, Mann focuses on Aschenbach�s childhood as the essential formative period that nurtured the seeds of his adult genius. Option B comes closest to conveying this sense of early childhood as the most important formative period. Option A comes less close, because the extract makes no claim that Aschenbach had been deprived of role models. Option C appears to be relevant, but actually bears little substantive relation to the extract. Option D is ruled out because the extract does not imply that the young Aschenbach was hard to manage.
Unit 11 Bubble Map
Bubble maps provide a useful way to display statistical information, often relating to geography and economics. The bubble map in this unit focuses on the production of natural gas and crude oil in various countries within the Asia�Pacific region. The task for students is to understand the underlying principles of the bubble symbols, and to apply that understanding to the items.
MC II commentaryIn this section, the main aims of each unit are briefly outlined. Two units (16 and 21) are singled out for detailed analysis.
Unit 12 Quotations
This unit offers four independent quotations, intended as a lead-in to the second MC testpaper. All the items were handled comfortably by students.
Unit 13 Sociogram
This unit uses the popular theme of reality television in exploring a sociogram, i.e. a diagram showing relationships between events. In this case, the �events� are the contestants, who have to provide the producer with a list of preferred partners for an upcoming task. Students need to make sense of the sociogram in terms of the information provided. Essentially, this unit tests students� ability to apply logic and spatial reasoning.
Unit 14 Probability
This is not a unit about mathematical probability, but probability as used in the context of writing history (historiography), i.e. weighing up the evidence and drawing reasonable inferences from it. One of the items (item 62) asks students to translate information given in verbal form into a graphical form.
Unit 15 Tasmanian Car Trips
The stimulus material for this unit was adapted from an old motoring guide to Tasmania. It shows four different ways to get from Somerset to Hobart, with linkages between the four routes at various points. Students are asked to make use of the information provided to calculate the lengths of routes, to choose between alternative routes, and to express a particular route in terms of a map.
| Retrospective 2012 QCS Test
Unit 16 Old School
The two passages in this unit were taken from the novel Old School by Tobias Wolff. The two passages are quite different in form. The first is essentially a dialogue between two schoolboys in the wake of a poetry prize adjudicated by the famous poet Robert Frost; the second is part of a speech delivered by Robert Frost at the school when presenting the prize for this competition.
Item 69 asks students what one of the schoolboys means when he says �it doesn�t matter what I know� (line 10). Without reading carefully around that line, it might be construed in different ways. From the boy�s �message in a bottle� analogy, we infer that what he means is that his own personal knowledge of the circumstances, and of the winning poem�s author, are irrelevant because the adjudicator (Frost) did not have access to any such knowledge; all he had was the poem itself. The boy�s general point is, therefore, that other people are entitled to reach whatever conclusions they may about the poem�s merits (option C). Option A is incorrect because the boy�s statement in line 10 is not so much about his own opinion as about the fact that other people have different but equally valid opinions. Option B is incorrect because we know from line 4 that the boy does have an opinion, even if he thinks it is only one among many. Option D is incorrect because it suggests that the opinions of readers are less important than the intentions of the poet; in fact, the boy indicates that the opposite is true.
Item 70 asks students to evaluate the tonality of Purcell�s words in lines 15�20, paying particular attention to word choice and sentence construction and to what has been deliberately emphasised by italics. Option A is clearly wrong, because there is nothing doubtful about the way Purcell expresses himself. In like manner, option C is wrong because Purcell�s comments are hardly cautious; this is an emotional blurt, and as such contains little analysis. �Flippant� (option D) is incorrect because Purcell intends his comments to be taken seriously (which is why he says to his companion, �Go ahead, laugh!�). Of the options presented, option B comes closest to describing Purcell�s tone.
Item 71 asks students to construe Purcell�s comment, �When I see a rhyme in a poem, I know I�m being lied to�. For Purcell, rhyme applies an artificial and misleading sense of order to the disorder of normal human experience. Thus option B is the best of the four options. Option A is incorrect because it makes rhyme schemes the culprit in forcing poets to choose words that distort their intended meanings. Whereas for Purcell, rhyme is a choice that poets make; responsibility rests, therefore, with the poets. Option C is incorrect because Purcell�s comments are not pitched directly at the poetic or aesthetic merits of rhyme. Option D is incorrect because there is no intimation in Purcell�s comments that poets are driven by the expectations of their readership.
The clue to answering item 72 is in lines 4�6. For Frost, rhyme is an element of poetic form, and in these lines Frost directly associates poetic form with honouring his deceased friend. Since for Frost �spontaneity� implies an absence or loosening of form, spontaneity does dishonour or disrespect. Option B is incorrect because creativity is irrelevant to Frost�s comments. Option C reflects the viewpoint of Purcell rather than Frost; it is incorrect because from the tenor of Frost�s comments we can reasonably infer that poetic form ensures an honest embodiment of thoughts and feelings; for him, �spontaneity� is thus a mark not only of disrespect but also of dishonesty. Option D is incorrect because, for Frost, to be spontaneous in poetry is not necessarily to pretend, it is to be dishonourable.
With item 73, the students must recognise that, for Frost, it is important that one preserve the feelings one has for a fellow human by embodying those feelings in poetic form (option C). That is a continuous and unending process. In fact, to keep commemorating those feelings is an important aspect of honouring the fellowship. Option A attracted those students who read into the text a pop psychology idea about achieving �closure� that is alien to Frost�s way of thinking. Option B is wrong because it is not war that is of primary concern for Frost, but rather the issue of conserving significant feeling irrespective of context. Option D is wrong for the same reason: it is not so much about anything the object of the poem did, or their circumstances, but how the poet feels about the object of the poem, i.e. it is about the affective relationship, which endures in poetic form.
Item 74 asks students to compare Purcell�s and Frost�s attitudes to form in poetry. Option D offers the best representation of their respective positions. Option A is incorrect because, for Frost, form makes experience neither easier nor harder to bear; it simply transmits the experience as faithfully as possible; also, for Purcell
Queensland Studies Authority | 7
8
it is form that is difficult to bear because it tries to subvert the reality of human experience. Option B is wrong because, for Purcell, poets who make use of form (for example, rhyme) are dishonest for doing so; for Frost, form has wide application, beyond the militaristic. Option C is wrong because, for Frost, poetic form is not just about epic stories, it is relevant to all human experience; Purcell would, however, tend to agree with the notion that form brings confusion to the writing process, to the extent that form obscures an honest account of real experience.
Unit 17 Sundaram�s Sieve
This unit is essentially about recognising number sequences and patterns, involving both extrapolation and generalisation (in the guise of finding general algebraic expressions for certain patterns).
Unit 18 Chinese Man
Chinese Man recounts an interview between a travel writer and a young man he met in China. The text deals with the young man�s thoughts and feelings about recent social changes in his country. As well as comprehending various aspects of the text, students are asked to assess the feelings and attitudes of the young Chinese man.
Unit 19 Vietnam Eye Health
This unit presents students with an opportunity to perform fairly straightforward arithmetic operations on statistical data relating to the work of the Fred Hollows Foundation in Vietnam. These operations include calculating percentages, extrapolating from the data, and problem-solving using the given data.
Unit 20 Forgotten Man
There are two short extracts in this unit. Both deal with what Americans call the �forgotten man�, but each author has a different understanding of the term. Students are asked to understand the meaning of the term for each author, to analyse their respective arguments and to assess the tonalities of the two extracts.
Unit 21 Cellular Automata
The final unit on the MC subtest was also the quantitative unit students found most difficult. This unit asks students to understand rules expressed both verbally and diagrammatically, and to apply those rules to specific diagrams called �cellular automata�. A challenge for students is to translate successfully from verbal to diagrammatic modes and the reverse.
In item 96 students are given part of a cellular automaton and are asked to derive the verbal rule from which it is generated. The best way to do this item is to take each option in succession and, by choosing one or two shaded cells, determine whether or not it applies. In this instance, only option C satisfies the rule.
In item 97, students progress from the rule to the cellular automaton generated from that rule. Here, however, the rule is expressed diagrammatically. For each option, one searches for examples of permutations that are not represented in the rule. Non-representation invalidates the option. The cells at either end of each automaton cannot be used to invalidate the option, because the rows continue in either direction. In option B, there is no unshaded cell which meets the requirement of having three unshaded cells above it. In option C, there are instances where an unshaded cell has two shaded and one unshaded cell above it, a permutation not permitted under the rule. In option D, the same problem arises.
Item 98 is similar to item 96, except that options for the derived rule are expressed diagrammatically. Again, one peruses the permutations within each option to see which cannot be found in the given cellular automaton. In option A, only the middle permutation is found. In option B, only the left option is found. In option C, only the left and middle options are found. In the keyed response (option D), all three permutations are found.
Item 99 is similar to item 97, and is solved using a similar method.
Item 100 asks students to recognise a patterned relationship between the row number and the number of shaded cells in that row. From that recognition one can form a general relation. That relation may be expressed as follows: for row n, where n > 1 and n is an odd number, the number of shaded cells in row n = (n + 1). So, in row 37 there must be 38 shaded cells (option C).
| Retrospective 2012 QCS Test
Common Curriculum Elements (CCEs) and the MC formatOf the 49 CCEs, the following cannot be tested directly in MC format, though a few � such as graphing, summarising and manipulating equipment � may be tested at �second order� (i.e. indirectly):� 11 Summarising/condensing written text
� 12 Compiling lists/statistics
� 13 Recording/noting data
� 14 Compiling results in a tabular form
� 15 Graphing
� 20 Setting out/presenting/arranging/displaying
� 21 Structuring/organising extended written text
� 22 Structuring/organising a mathematical argument
� 26 Explaining to others
� 27 Expounding a viewpoint
� 46 Creating/composing/devising
� 53 Observing systematically
� 55 Gesturing
� 57 Manipulating/operating/using equipment
� 60 Sketching/drawing.
These CCEs can be validly tested in Short Response (SR) format.
Queensland Studies Authority | 9
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Short Response (SR)CommentaryThis year�s SR subtest comprised 17 items across eight units. As students worked through each unit, they interacted with challenging and engaging stimulus material. Test developers paid careful attention to framing each item in a way that made it accessible to most students. The SR testpaper comprised units with stimulus material selected from fields as diverse as the visual arts, mathematics, science, media, history, the political and social sciences and literature.
This year�s paper was varied in its content, covering a broad range of CCEs. The different tasks included using and interpreting a nomogram (type of graph), applying various mathematical formulae, composing proofs, drawing particular jigsaw pieces, completing a table, recognising and crafting �spin�, investigating properties of car tyres, assessing according to given criteria, analysing prose and poetry pieces and explaining using examples.
Model responses and commentaries on student performanceWhat follows is an item-by-item discussion that includes model responses and marking schemes, tables and graphs of the distributions of grades, and commentaries that discuss how students handled the tasks noting some common observed errors and that give suggestions that might be useful. At times, references to specific student responses are included to exemplify observations. As much as possible, model responses are actual student responses. Model responses are those that demonstrate a high level of performance and would have been awarded the highest grade.
For some items, especially the more open-ended items, responses were extremely varied. For these it is not possible to provide examples of the many ways in which students responded. The detailed, item-specific marking schemes indicate the scope of acceptable responses for different grades. Even for the more closed items the marking schemes demonstrate that different ways of perceiving �the solution� were able to gain credit.
Marking schemesThe marking schemes used during the marking operation and included in this section of the Retrospective are not designed to be read in isolation. They are but one element of the marking prescription. During the marking operation markers undergo rigorous training in how to apply the marking schemes to student responses of one marking unit. The training involves careful consideration and application of the material presented by immersers.
Since all short-response items are double marked, this means that a student�s response booklet was marked by at least 10 different independent markers � more, if any response/s required referee marking.
For organisational purposes during the marking operation, the testpaper units were grouped into five marking units. In 2012, Marking Unit 1 contained testpaper units One and Six, Marking Unit 2 contained testpaper units Two and Five, Marking Unit 3 contained testpaper units Three and Four, Marking Unit 7 contained testpaper unit Seven and Marking Unit 8 contained testpaper unit Eight.
| Retrospective 2012 QCS Test
SR 2012 summary
Note: CCEs specific to an item are listed on the item�s marking scheme.The baskets into which CCEs are grouped are shown in Appendix 2.
Unit Item Basket Common Curriculum Elements by unit
OneMy Dog
1 29 Comparing, contrasting43 Analysing
TwoFlights
2 2 Finding material in an indexed collection16 Calculating with or without calculators22 Structuring/organising a mathematical argument26 Explaining to others36 Applying strategies to trial and test ideas and procedures
3
ThreeJigsaw
4 13 Recording/noting data16 Calculating with or without calculators44 Synthesising51 Identifying shapes in two and three dimensions60 Sketching/drawing
5
FourSpin
6 4 Interpreting the meaning of words �7 Translating from one form to another
10 Using vocabulary appropriate to a context28 Empathising43 Analysing
7
FiveTyres
8 6 Interpreting the meaning of � graphs7 Translating from one form to another
16 Calculating with or without calculators43 Analysing48 Justifying
9
SixKelly
10 26 Explaining to others30 Classifying31 Interrelating ideas/themes/issues43 Analysing45 Evaluating48 Justifying
11
SevenPirates
12 6 Interpreting the meaning of � diagrams �7 Translating from one form to another
16 Calculating with or without calculators26 Explaining to others43 Analysing52 Searching and locating � information57 Manipulating/operating/using equipment
13
14
EightSmartphone
15 4 Interpreting the meaning of words �
28 Empathising29 Comparing, contrasting31 Interrelating ideas/themes/issues33 Reaching a conclusion which is consistent with a given set of
assumptions45 Judging46 Creating/composing/devising
16
17
Queensland Studies Authority | 11
12
Unit One
The item of this unit is based on a website�s observations about naïve art and a reproduction of a painting titled �My Dog�.
The following table shows the percentage of responses awarded the various grades for the item in this unit.
Item 1
Model response
CommentaryItem 1 is a two-star item that tested achievement in CCEs 29 Comparing, contrasting and 43 Analysing.
This item required students to comment on the extent to which it can be claimed that the painting �My Dog� conforms to a given description of naïve art. The cue directed students to refer to specific features of the painting.
There were eight characteristics of naïve art described in the stimulus material. It is possible to find features of the painting which support it as naïve art. It is also possible to argue against it being naïve art based on a number of features. A table with some examples was provided as a guide for markers (see the marking scheme).
A B C D E N O
Item 1 3.5 66.4 20.9 7.2 2.1
A shaded box indicates that the grade was not available for that item.
Comment on the extent to which it can be claimed that ‘My Dog’ conforms to the website
description of naïve art.
..........................................................................................
..........................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
Refer to specific
features of the
painting.
The painting has a cartoon-like appearance as the figures in the painting
(dog and person) are blocky and lack depth so there is a non-scientific
perspective. The use of solid colours such as black (dog), red and blue (background),
yellow (body) and pink (faces) match with the saturated colours and simple approach as
described by the website. The painter of My Dog is unknown so I can’t tell whether he/she
is popular, nor do I know if he/she has any art training. So I can’t be definite about it being
naïve art. There are features that strongly support it but ‘My Dog’ does not completely
comply with everything in the website description.
A B C N O
100%
| Retrospective 2012 QCS Test
An A-grade response needed to articulate clearly the extent to which the painting conforms to the given description of naïve art, to show that a breadth of given characteristics had been considered, to identify specific features of the painting that support it as being naïve art and to describe an impediment to the painting being considered naïve art.
Many responses identified a number of features of the painting and clearly linked them to the characteristics of naïve art as described in the stimulus. However, only a few responses recognised that there was any impediment to this particular painting being considered naïve art. Of note was the number of responses which made references to the painting and the given description but neglected to comment on the extent to which the painting conformed to the given description of naïve art.
It was noted that, occasionally, responses to verbal items only provided a rewrite of the stimulus. Restating the stimulus gains no credit, so students will not be using their time wisely if they simply rewrite the stimulus.
Queensland Studies Authority | 13
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UN
IT O
NE
ITEM
1
PER
FOR
MA
NC
E D
OM
AIN
Mar
king
Sch
eme
Mar
king
Uni
t 1 1
of 5
N
Res
pons
e is
un
inte
lligi
ble
or d
oes n
ot
satis
fy th
e re
quir
emen
ts
for
any
othe
r gr
ade.
O
No
resp
onse
ha
s bee
n m
ade
at a
ny ti
me.
29C
ompa
ring
, con
tras
ting
43A
naly
sing
C
The
res
pons
e id
entif
ies a
giv
en c
hara
cter
istic
and
lin
ks it
to a
feat
ure
of th
e pa
intin
g th
at su
ppor
ts it
be
ing
naïv
e ar
t.
The
res
pons
e is
bas
ed o
n th
e gi
ven
desc
ript
ion
and
give
s a re
ason
why
the
pain
ting
is n
ot o
r m
ight
not
be
naïv
e ar
t.
OR
A
The
res
pons
e is
bas
ed o
n th
e gi
ven
desc
ript
ion
and
�cl
earl
y ar
ticul
ates
the
exte
nt to
whi
ch th
e pa
intin
g co
nfor
ms t
o th
is d
escr
iptio
n of
naï
ve a
rt�
show
s tha
t the
bre
adth
of g
iven
cha
ract
eris
tics o
f na
ïve
art h
ave
been
con
side
red
�id
entif
ies s
peci
fic fe
atur
es o
f the
pai
ntin
g th
at
supp
ort i
t bei
ng n
aïve
art
�de
scri
bes a
n im
pedi
men
t to
the
pain
ting
bein
g na
ïve
art.
B
The
res
pons
e is
bas
ed o
n th
e gi
ven
desc
ript
ion
and
�ou
tline
s the
ext
ent t
o w
hich
the
pain
ting
conf
orm
s to
this
des
crip
tion
of n
aïve
art
�id
entif
ies s
peci
fic fe
atur
es o
f the
pai
ntin
g th
at
supp
ort i
t bei
ng n
aïve
art
�re
cogn
ises
an
impe
dim
ent t
o th
e pa
intin
g be
ing
naïv
e ar
t.
The
res
pons
e is
bas
ed o
n th
e gi
ven
desc
ript
ion
and
�cl
aim
s tha
t the
pai
ntin
g is
naï
ve a
rt�
iden
tifie
s spe
cific
feat
ures
of t
he p
aint
ing
that
su
ppor
t it a
s naï
ve a
rt.
The
res
pons
e is
bas
ed o
n th
e gi
ven
desc
ript
ion
and
�cl
aim
s tha
t the
pai
ntin
g is
(mos
t lik
ely)
not
naï
ve a
rt�
give
s rea
sons
why
the
pain
ting
is n
ot n
aïve
art
.
OR
OR
Mod
el R
espo
nses
:1.
The
pai
ntin
g ha
s a c
arto
on-li
ke a
ppea
ranc
e as
the
figur
es in
the
pain
ting
(dog
and
per
son)
are
blo
cky
and
lack
dep
th so
ther
e is
a n
on-s
cien
tific
per
spec
tive.
The
use
of s
olid
col
ours
such
as b
lack
(dog
), re
d an
d bl
ue (b
ackg
roun
d), y
ello
w (b
ody)
and
pin
k (f
aces
) mat
ch w
ith th
e sa
tura
ted
colo
urs a
nd si
mpl
e ap
proa
ch a
s des
crib
ed b
y th
e w
ebsi
te. T
he p
aint
er o
f My
Dog
is u
nkno
wn
so I
can�
t tel
l whe
ther
he/
she
is p
opul
ar,
nor
do I
know
if h
e/sh
e ha
s any
art
trai
ning
. So
I can
�t b
e de
finite
abo
ut it
bei
ng n
aïve
art
. The
re a
re fe
atur
es th
at st
rong
ly su
ppor
t it b
ut �M
y D
og� d
oes n
ot c
ompl
etel
y co
mpl
y w
ith e
very
thin
g in
the
web
site
de
scri
ptio
n.
2. �M
y D
og� i
s sim
ple
as it
show
s res
tric
ted
shad
es o
f col
our
mos
tly a
pplie
d w
ith a
bas
ic d
abbi
ng te
chni
que.
No
shad
ows o
r sh
adin
g ar
e ev
iden
t. T
he d
og, p
erso
n an
d pa
rt o
f the
bac
kgro
und
are
esse
ntia
lly so
lid
bloc
ks o
f col
our
and
so a
re sa
tura
ted.
The
re is
no
scie
ntifi
c pe
rspe
ctiv
e as
the
dog
and
pers
on a
re tw
o-di
men
sion
al, f
lat a
nd w
ithou
t dep
th. �
My
Dog
� doe
s not
show
stro
ng p
atte
rn a
s sha
pes a
ren�
t rep
eate
d to
fo
rm a
pat
tern
. As t
he p
erso
n ha
s no
hand
s, fin
gers
, fee
t or
toes
, som
e de
tail
is la
ckin
g. I
belie
ve th
e pa
intin
g is
a g
ood
but n
ot a
per
fect
exa
mpl
e of
naï
ve a
rt.
| Retrospective 2012 QCS Test
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Mar
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Sch
eme
Mar
king
Uni
t 1 2
of 5
UN
IT O
NE
ITEM
1N
ote:
The
cha
ract
eris
tics (
obse
rvat
ions
) of n
aïve
art
iden
tifie
d in
the
extr
act,
spec
ific
feat
ures
and
impe
dim
ents
/rea
sons
are
giv
en in
the
tabl
e be
low
.
char
acte
rist
ic a
s per
ex
trac
tm
ay r
elat
e to
pa
intin
g vi
aso
me
exam
ples
of s
peci
fic fe
atur
es th
at m
ight
be
offe
red
in su
ppor
t of �
My
Dog
is/c
ould
be
naïv
e ar
t�
som
e ex
ampl
es o
f im
pedi
men
ts/r
easo
ns th
at m
ight
be
offe
red
in su
ppor
t of �
My
Dog
is n
ot/m
ay n
ot b
e na
ïve
art�
1.si
mpl
e ap
proa
ch�
tech
niqu
e�
cont
ent/e
lem
ents
�re
peat
ed d
abs o
f bru
sh, n
o va
riety
�sm
all n
umbe
r of s
impl
e sh
apes
, no sh
adow
�th
e use
of b
rush
dab
s sho
ws s
ophi
stic
atio
n as
they
hig
hlig
ht an
d ad
d de
tail,
for e
xam
ple,
the
whi
te d
abs o
n do
g�s e
ars a
nd ta
il
2.st
rong
use
of p
atte
rn�
geom
etry
/sha
pes
�bl
ocky
bod
ies a
nd ro
und
face
s�
does
not
show
the
sam
e el
emen
t(s) r
epea
ted
to fo
rm g
eom
etric
pa
ttern
3.str
ong
use
of d
etai
l�
natu
re o
f ele
men
ts�
faci
al fe
atur
es in
clud
ing
eyes
and
nos
e sh
own
�la
cks d
etai
l as n
o ha
ir, h
ands
/fing
ers f
eet/t
oes i
n pa
intin
g
4.sa
tura
ted
colo
ur�
natu
re o
f ele
men
ts�
key
elem
ents
such
as b
ody
and
back
grou
nd sh
ape
are
bloc
ks o
f sol
id c
olou
r�
dabs
of w
hite
on
dog�
s ear
s and
tail
and
thro
ugho
ut p
arts
of
back
grou
nd b
reak
up
the
solid
col
ours
5.(r
efre
shin
g) c
hild
like
visi
on�
cont
ent/e
lem
ents
�th
e us
e of
few
col
ours
, bas
ic sh
apes
�
it is
com
plex
as t
he d
abbi
ng te
chni
que
and
care
ful a
pplic
atio
n of
whi
te a
ppea
rs to
be
an a
dult
view
rath
er th
an c
hild
like
view
6.no
n-sc
ient
ific
pers
pect
ive
�de
pth
of fi
eld
�di
men
sion
ality
�el
emen
ts a
re 2
D w
ith n
o sh
adow
, no
vani
shin
g po
int
�si
ze o
f per
son
to d
og an
d re
lativ
e pro
porti
ons o
f hea
d, b
ody
and
appe
ndag
es sh
ow so
me
know
ledg
e of
per
spec
tive
7.(h
ones
t por
tray
al o
f) im
agin
ary
scen
es�
cont
ent/e
lem
ents
�th
e bo
dile
ss fa
ce c
ould
be
the
man
in th
e m
oon,
whi
ch
sugg
ests
the
scen
e is
imag
inar
y�
you
can�
t tel
l whe
ther
dog
, per
son
and
moo
n ar
e th
e ar
tist�s
im
agin
atio
n or
a re
al sc
ene
8.se
lf-ta
ught
, am
ateu
r ....
po
pula
r art
ist w
ho la
ck o
r re
ject
form
al a
rt tr
aini
ng
�te
chni
que
�si
gnat
ure
�th
ere
is n
o si
gnat
ure
so I
don�
t kno
w w
ho th
e ar
tist i
s and
w
heth
er h
e/sh
e is
pop
ular
, als
o I c
an�t
tell
if he
/she
has
any
art
train
ing
Las
t Pag
e C
ount
Queensland Studies Authority | 15
16
Unit Two
The items of this unit concern a youth club and the attempts to provide safe flights for their members in light aircraft.
The following table shows the percentage of responses awarded the various grades for the items in this unit.
Item 2
Model response
A B C D E N O
Item 2 76.4 8 14.4 0.8 0.2 0.2
Item 3 3.5 2.2 57.4 12 9.7 10.6 4.6
A shaded box indicates that the grade was not available for that item.
I. Twelve out of the 16 members quickly organise themselves into three groups and submit
their names. Air-safety regulations require that pilots ensure flights are not overloaded.
After checking it was found that only one of the three groups was ‘safe’ to fly.
For the groups given below enter the weights of each member and find the total
weight (wt) of the group. Circle safe or unsafe beside the group to indicate whether or
not that group can be carried without the flight being overloaded.
Shian Rhys Tolya Georg
Group 1
total wtsafe unsafe
Brenda Jedda Vesna Karl
Group 2
total wtsafe unsafe
Mai Wayan Axel Cooper
Group 3
total wtsafe unsafe
46 48 37 35 166
39 40 33 44 156
48 49 39 47 183
| Retrospective 2012 QCS Test
CommentaryItem 2 is a three-star item that tested achievement in CCEs 36 Applying strategies to trial and test ideas and procedures, 2 Finding material in an indexed collection and 16 Calculating with or without calculators.
This item required students to consider how a youth club could best transport small groups of members in light aircraft. For safety reasons there were weight restrictions on the flights. The stimulus material provided a list of club members and their weights. In Part I of the item students were given three groupings of club members and asked to determine the total weight of each group. They were then
asked to determine whether or not each group exceeded the maximum passenger load for safe flying. It was made known that two of the three given groupings were unsafe to fly. In Part II, students were asked to replace one club member with another individual and create a new group that was safe to fly thus resulting in two safe groups. They were also asked to show that this new group was safe to fly.
An A-grade response needed to correctly complete the three rows of empty cells in Part I and in Part II to specify a safe group and provide data showing why this group is considered safe.
Many students managed to complete both Part I and Part II correctly but a particular failing was omitting to show, as requested, why the new group would be safe. Students should not assume that data required to �show� a particular aspect can or will be inferred when a judgment of the response is being made.
Students should practise checking for simple careless errors such as translating weights from the table to the response area and mis-keying on a calculator as these detract from the response and will always make it impossible for the response to gain the highest grade.
II. Replace one person in one of the unsafe groups so that there will now be two safe groups.
Write the names of the members of this new group in the spaces below and show why this
group would now be safe.
........................................................................................................
........................................................................................................
........................................................................................................
All members can be considered when deciding on the change.
Shian Axel Tolya Georg
46 + 39 + 37 + 35 = 157
A B C N O
100%
D
Queensland Studies Authority | 17
18
UN
IT T
WO
ITEM
2
PER
FOR
MA
NC
E D
OM
AIN
Mar
king
Sch
eme
Mar
king
Uni
t 2 1
of 7
N
Res
pons
e is
un
inte
lligi
ble
or d
oes n
ot
satis
fy th
e re
quir
emen
ts
for
any
othe
r gr
ade.
O
No
resp
onse
ha
s bee
n m
ade
at a
ny ti
me.
36A
pply
ing
stra
tegi
es to
tria
l and
test
idea
s and
pro
cedu
res
2Fi
ndin
g m
ater
ial i
n an
inde
xed
colle
ctio
n 16
Cal
cula
ting
with
or
with
out c
alcu
lato
rs
C
The
res
pons
e ha
s
for
I
�th
e th
ree
row
s cor
rect
ly c
ompl
eted
.
The
res
pons
e ha
s
for
I
�tw
o ro
ws c
orre
ctly
com
plet
ed
and
for
II
�an
acc
epta
ble
safe
gro
up.
OR
A
The
res
pons
e ha
s
for
I
�th
e th
ree
row
s cor
rect
ly c
ompl
eted
and
for
II
�a
spec
ified
safe
gro
up
�da
ta sh
owin
g w
hy th
is g
roup
is sa
fe.
No
inco
rrec
t inf
orm
atio
n is
use
d.
46
39
48 S A S
A R D
T T T
G G G
157
159
159
48
40
49
37
33
39
35
44
47
166
156
183
s
u u
B
The
res
pons
e ha
s
for
I
�th
e th
ree
row
s cor
rect
ly c
ompl
eted
and
for
II
�a
spec
ified
safe
gro
up.
The
res
pons
e ha
s
for
I
�tw
o ro
ws c
orre
ctly
com
plet
ed
and
for
II
�an
acc
epta
ble
safe
gro
up
�da
ta sh
owin
g w
hy th
is g
roup
is sa
fe.
The
res
pons
e ha
s
for
I
�th
e th
ree
row
s num
eric
ally
cor
rect
and
for
II
�a
spec
ified
safe
gro
up
�da
ta sh
owin
g w
hy th
is g
roup
is sa
fe.
No
inco
rrec
t inf
orm
atio
n is
used
.
OR
OR
D
The
res
pons
e ha
s
for
I
�tw
o ro
ws n
umer
ical
ly c
orre
ct.
Not
es:
1.C
orre
ct sp
ellin
g is
not
a r
equi
rem
ent a
s lon
g as
the
nam
es a
re id
entif
iabl
e.
2.A
row
is �c
orre
ctly
com
plet
ed� i
f it h
as a
ll of
the
follo
win
g:�
the
corr
ect w
eigh
ts a
ligne
d w
ith th
e re
leva
nt m
embe
rs
� c
orre
ct to
tal w
eigh
t for
the
grou
p �
the
corr
ect i
ndic
atio
n of
safe
or
unsa
fe fo
r th
e gr
oup.
3.A
�spe
cifie
d sa
fe g
roup
� is e
ither
the
orig
inal
Gro
up 1
with
� A
xel r
epla
cing
Shi
an to
giv
e �
Axe
l, R
hys,
Toly
a, G
eorg
(tot
al w
eigh
t of 1
59) o
r �
Axe
l rep
laci
ng R
hys t
o gi
ve �
Shi
an, A
xel,
Toly
a, G
eorg
(tot
al w
eigh
t of 1
57) o
r �
Dea
n re
plac
ing
Rhy
s to
give
� S
hian
, Dea
n, T
olya
, Geo
rg (t
otal
wei
ght o
f 159
).
4.A
n �a
ccep
tabl
e sa
fe g
roup
� is f
orm
ed b
y re
plac
ing
one
(and
onl
y on
e) p
erso
n in
one
of t
he g
roup
s fro
m P
art I
that
w
as in
dica
ted
as u
nsaf
e so
that
ther
e ar
e no
w tw
o sa
fe g
roup
s. A
n ac
cept
able
safe
gro
up is
con
sequ
entia
lly c
orre
ct if
it is
form
ed c
orre
ctly
bas
ed o
n (in
corr
ect)
info
rmat
ion
the
stud
ent p
rese
nted
in P
art I
.If
in P
art I
the
erro
r th
at w
as m
ade
mak
es it
impo
ssib
le to
form
a sa
fe g
roup
in P
art I
I by
repl
acin
g on
e (a
nd o
nly
one)
per
son
no c
redi
t can
be
give
n fo
r st
atin
g th
at it
is im
poss
ible
to fo
rm a
safe
gro
up.
5.A
row
is �n
umer
ical
ly c
orre
ct� i
f it h
as b
oth:
� th
e co
rrec
t wei
ghts
alig
ned
with
the
rele
vant
mem
ber
� c
orre
ct to
tal w
eigh
t for
that
gro
up.
| Retrospective 2012 QCS Test
Mar
king
Sch
eme
UN
IT T
WO
ITEM
2
Mar
king
Uni
t 2 2
of 7
Mod
el R
espo
nse:
I. II.
Shia
nR
hys
Toly
aG
eorg
Gro
up
1
tota
l w
tsa
feunsa
fe
Bre
nda
Jedda
Ves
na
Kar
l
Gro
up
2
tota
l w
tsa
feunsa
fe
Mai
Way
anA
xel
Cooper
Gro
up
3
tota
l w
tsa
feunsa
fe
46
48
37
35
166
39
40
33
44
156
48
49
39
47
183
Shian
Axel
Tolya
Georg
4639
3735
157
=+
++
Queensland Studies Authority | 19
20
Item 3
Model response
CommentaryItem 3 is a four-star item that tested achievement in the CCEs 22 Structuring/organising a mathematical argument, 16 Calculating with or without calculators and 26 Explaining to others.
This item required students to prove, using two clearly different methods that it was impossible to schedule just four flights so none was overloaded and all 16 members could be given a flight. Each method needed to depend on a different concept and not be simply another way of explaining the same concept. The cue asked students to include any calculations used in their proofs.
Prove, using two clearly different methods that it is impossible to schedule just four flights so
none is overloaded and all of the 16 members get a flight. Each method must depend on a
different concept and not be simply another way of explaining the same concept.
.............................................................................................
.............................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
Include any
calculations
used in your
proofs.
Name wt
Axel 39
Brenda 39
Cooper 47
Dean 41
Georg 35
Jedda 40
Karl 44
Lyra 61
Mai 48
Nimeri 50
Rhys 48
Shian 46
Tolya 37
Vesna 33
Wayan 49
Zoe 55
The list of names
and weights is
shown again here
for convenience.
Four flights that can carry a maximum of 160 kg would
be able to shift a maximum of 4 x 160 = 640 kg. This is
under the total weight of the 16 members (712 kg) that have to
fly so, therefore, it is impossible with the current arrangements
and weights.
Lyra is the heaviest person and weighs 61 kg, so on her flight there
would be = 99 kg left for 3 others to make up. The three lightest
people weigh 33 + 35 + 37 = 105 kg and if they go on Lyra’s flight
the combined weight will be 61 + 105 = 166 kg. As 166 kg is
more than 160kg, the group is too heavy. Therefore it is impossible
for Lyra to be part of a safe group as any other three members will
make the total weight even heavier. So, it is impossible for just 4
flights to be arranged with these members.
A B C N O
100%
D E
| Retrospective 2012 QCS Test
An A-grade response needed to provide two clearly different methods of proof. Each method needed to show correct calculations or data and contain an explicitly stated comparison (to complete the proof).
One method of proof relied on the concept of the total weight of the group. Students could find the total weight of the group and then could compare it with the safety restrictions. There were a number of ways that this method was presented. Students found the total weight of the club members (712 kg) and then the average weight per flight (178 kg) and compared that with the maximum safe weight per flight of 160 kg. They could also find the total weight of passengers to be moved (712 kg) and compare that with the total maximum safe weight of 640 kg (4 x 160). Another way that students used the total weight in a proof was to find the average weight per passenger to be moved (44.5 kg) and then compare it with the maximum safe average weight per person of 40 kg (160/4). Finally some students found the number of planes it would take to shift all members safely (4.45) and compared this figure with the number of available scheduled flights (4).
A second method of proof depended on the strategic placement of the heaviest passenger with the lightest passengers. It examined whether the heaviest passenger (Lyra at 61 kg) could be included on a safe flight. The total of her weight and the weights of the three lightest passengers (Vesna at 33 kg, Georg at 35 kg and Tolya at 37 kg) was shown to be greater than the maximum safe weight. This meant that Lyra could never be accommodated on a safe flight, hence it was impossible to schedule the flights for these 16 members.
A common error was that students presented two different ways of explaining the same concept instead of two different methods of proof. The total weight method was the most usual method to be used twice. Failure to make an explicit comparison was also common. If using the total weight method, responses needed a statement such as: �As the total weight is 712 kg and the total weight that can be moved safely is 640 kg, it is impossible to schedule the flights�. A proof requires an explicit concluding statement. Implied comparisons such as: �As the total weight of the group is 712 kg, not all passengers can be moved� rely on the reason for this being inferred.
Students should become adept at giving clear explanations that do not assume particular knowledge on the part of a reader. To determine if sufficient explanation has been given, students should consider how well a person who is not familiar with the problem would understand their response. The response should make sense and be complete (contain explicit references to data or information given in the question).
Queensland Studies Authority | 21
22
UN
IT T
WO
ITEM
3
PER
FOR
MA
NC
E D
OM
AIN
Mar
king
Sch
eme
Mar
king
Uni
t 2 3
of 7
N
Res
pons
e is
un
inte
lligi
ble
or d
oes n
ot
satis
fy th
e re
quir
emen
ts
for
any
othe
r gr
ade.
O
No
resp
onse
ha
s bee
n m
ade
at a
ny ti
me.
22St
ruct
urin
g/or
gani
sing
a m
athe
mat
ical
arg
umen
t
16C
alcu
latin
g w
ith o
r w
ithou
t cal
cula
tors
26
Exp
lain
ing
to o
ther
s
C
The
res
pons
e pr
ovid
es O
NE
m
etho
d of
pro
of.
The
met
hod
has
�co
rrec
t cal
cula
tions
or
data
�an
impl
ied
com
pari
son.
The
res
pons
e pr
ovid
es T
WO
cl
earl
y di
ffer
ent m
etho
ds o
f pr
oof.
Eac
h m
etho
d ha
s
�ca
lcul
atio
ns o
r da
ta
allo
win
g fo
r at
mos
t one
m
echa
nica
l err
or�
an im
plie
d co
mpa
riso
n.
OR
A
The
res
pons
e pr
ovid
es T
WO
cl
earl
y di
ffer
ent m
etho
ds o
f pr
oof.
Eac
h m
etho
d ha
s
�co
rrec
t cal
cula
tions
or
data
�an
exp
licitl
y st
ated
co
mpa
riso
n.
No
inco
rrec
t sta
tem
ent/s
form
pa
rt o
f the
res
pons
e.
B
The
res
pons
e pr
ovid
es T
WO
cl
earl
y di
ffer
ent m
etho
ds o
f pr
oof.
One
met
hod
has
�co
rrec
t cal
cula
tions
or
data
�an
impl
ied
com
pari
son
and
the
othe
r m
etho
d ha
s
�ca
lcul
atio
ns o
r da
ta
allo
win
g fo
r at
mos
t one
m
echa
nica
l err
or�
an im
plie
d co
mpa
riso
n.
D
The
res
pons
e co
ntai
ns
calc
ulat
ions
and
dat
a w
hich
w
ould
supp
ort a
met
hod
of
proo
f.
The
cal
cula
tions
or
data
may
co
ntai
n at
mos
t one
m
echa
nica
l err
or.
The
res
pons
e re
fers
to
com
bini
ng th
e hea
vies
t per
son
and
the t
hree
ligh
test
peo
ple t
o fo
rm a
n �u
nsaf
e� g
roup
.
OR
E
The
res
pons
e re
fers
to a
pa
rtic
ular
set o
f fou
r gr
oups
w
ith a
t lea
st o
ne g
roup
show
n as
�uns
afe�
.
The
res
pons
e re
fers
to
com
bini
ng h
eavy
peo
ple
with
lig
ht p
eopl
e w
ith a
t lea
st o
ne
grou
p sh
own
as �u
nsaf
e�.
OR
Mod
el R
espo
nse:
Four
flig
hts t
hat c
an c
arry
a m
axim
um o
f 160
kg
wou
ld b
e ab
le to
sh
ift a
max
imum
of 4
x 1
60 =
640
kg.
Thi
s is u
nder
the
tota
l wei
ght
of th
e 16
mem
bers
(712
kg)
that
hav
e to
fly
so, t
here
fore
, it i
s im
poss
ible
with
the
curr
ent a
rran
gem
ents
and
wei
ghts
.
Lyra
is th
e he
avie
st p
erso
n an
d w
eigh
s 61
kg, s
o on
her
flig
ht th
ere
wou
ld b
e =
99 k
g le
ft fo
r 3
othe
rs to
mak
e up
. The
thre
e lig
htes
t peo
ple
wei
gh 3
3 +
35 +
37
= 10
5 kg
and
if th
ey g
o on
Lyr
a�s
fligh
t the
com
bine
d w
eigh
t will
be
61 +
105
= 1
66 k
g. A
s 166
kg
is
mor
e th
an 1
60kg
, the
gro
up is
too
heav
y. T
here
fore
it is
impo
ssib
le
for
Lyra
to b
e pa
rt o
f a sa
fe g
roup
as a
ny o
ther
thre
e m
embe
rs w
ill
mak
e th
e to
tal w
eigh
t eve
n he
avie
r. So
, it i
s im
poss
ible
for
just
4
fligh
ts to
be
arra
nged
with
thes
e m
embe
rs.
160
61–
Not
es:
1.W
hat h
as to
be
prov
ed is
that
it is
not
pos
sibl
e fo
r al
l 16
mem
bers
to b
e sc
hedu
led
on ju
st fo
ur fl
ight
s so
that
no
fligh
t is o
verl
oade
d.
2.T
he m
etho
ds a
re �c
lear
ly d
iffer
ent�
if th
ey d
o no
t dep
end
on th
e sa
me
conc
ept.
Con
cept
s are
tota
l wei
ght a
nd st
rate
gic
plac
emen
t.
3.�C
orre
ct c
alcu
latio
ns o
r da
ta� s
how
the
righ
t val
ues u
sed
in th
e ri
ght o
pera
tions
exe
cute
d co
rrec
tly o
r re
fer
to th
e co
rrec
t res
ult w
ith
anno
tatio
n de
scri
bing
wha
t tha
t res
ult i
s e.g
. tot
al w
t = 7
12, a
vera
ge w
t of m
embe
r of
one
flig
ht =
40
or u
se c
orre
ct v
alue
s giv
en in
the
stim
ulus
, e.g
. 160
, 4 fo
r m
embe
rs p
er fl
ight
or
for
num
ber
of fl
ight
s.
4.A
n ex
plic
it co
mpa
riso
n w
ill r
efer
to th
e nu
mbe
r or
nam
e (e
.g. m
axim
um sa
fe w
eigh
t, nu
mbe
r of
flig
hts)
of t
he r
estr
ictio
n.
An
impl
ied
com
pari
son
is a
con
clus
ion
whi
ch h
as a
n el
emen
t of c
ompa
riso
n to
it b
ut w
ill n
ot u
se th
e nu
mbe
r or
nam
e ex
pect
ing
that
th
ese
can
be in
ferr
ed fr
om th
e av
aila
ble
stim
ulus
mat
eria
l.
5.M
echa
nica
l err
ors i
nclu
de tr
ansc
ribi
ng in
corr
ectly
or
arri
ving
at a
n in
corr
ect r
esul
t aft
er u
sing
the
righ
t val
ues i
n th
e ri
ght o
pera
tions
.
| Retrospective 2012 QCS Test
Unit Three
The items of this unit are based on a certain style of jigsaw puzzle and the arrangement of its various pieces.
The following table shows the percentage of responses awarded the various grades for the items in this unit.
Item 4
Model response
CommentaryItem 4 is a two-star item that tested achievement in CCEs 16 Calculating with or without calculators and 51 Identifying shapes in two and three dimensions.
This item required students to determine the number of interior pieces in a jigsaw that forms a rectangle of a given size. The cue indicated that students should show their working.
An A-grade response needed to indicate 900 as the number of interior pieces.
For the most part students used one of two methods to calculate an answer. These were called the �exterior� method (see Model response 1) and the �interior� method (see Model responses 2 and 3).
A B C D E N O
Item 4 35.8 1 38.8 20.5 3.9
Item 5 28.5 32.2 13.5 9.9 4.7 6.4 4.9
A shaded box indicates that the grade was not available for that item.
Determine the number of interior pieces contained in a jigsaw that, when completed, forms a
rectangle 38 pieces long and 27 pieces wide.
Number of interior pieces = .......................
Show working
here.
Number of interior pieces = total number of pieces (Number of border pieces + corner pieces)–
= 38 27 – (36 + 36 + 25 + 25 + 4)x
= 1026 – 126
= 900
900
A B C N O
100%
Queensland Studies Authority | 23
24
Some students appeared to have interpreted the stem as asking for the total number of pieces (i.e. the area) of the jigsaw, rather than taking account of the information in the stimulus about edge pieces and interior pieces. Introductory stimulus contains pertinent information and should be read carefully for understanding. Highlighting specific parts is a reliable method of making sure the correct data is used when responding.
One common error occurred when students calculated the outside perimeter of the jigsaw and �doubled-up� on the corner pieces. Without adjustment, this resulted in an incorrect determination of the number of edge pieces.
Drawing a diagram to help visualise the problem would be a useful strategy for this type of item. Unlined response areas make it easier to devise diagrams, sketch or do rough working that might be helpful in responding to the item.
| Retrospective 2012 QCS Test
PER
FOR
MA
NC
E D
OM
AIN
Mar
king
Sch
eme
Mar
king
Uni
t 3 1
of 6
UN
IT T
HR
EEIT
EM 4
N
Res
pons
e is
un
inte
lligi
ble
or d
oes n
ot
satis
fy th
e re
quir
emen
ts
for
any
othe
r gr
ade.
O
No
resp
onse
ha
s bee
n m
ade
at a
ny ti
me.
16C
alcu
latin
g w
ith o
r w
ithou
t cal
cula
tors
51
Iden
tifyi
ng sh
apes
in tw
o an
d th
ree
dim
ensi
ons
C
The
res
pons
e sh
ows 8
96 a
s the
num
ber
of in
teri
or p
iece
s.
The
res
pons
e
�is
base
d on
the
jigsa
w b
eing
38
piec
es lo
ng a
nd 2
7 pi
eces
wid
e�
atte
mpt
s to
acco
unt f
or a
num
ber
of e
dge
piec
es�
arri
ves a
t a n
umbe
r of
inte
rior
pie
ces.
OR
A
The
res
pons
e sh
ows 9
00 a
s the
nu
mbe
r of
inte
rior
pie
ces.
B
The
res
pons
e sh
ows 8
92 a
s the
num
ber
of in
teri
or p
iece
s.
The
res
pons
e
�is
base
d on
the
jigsa
w b
eing
38
piec
es lo
ng a
nd 2
7 pi
eces
wid
e�
acco
unts
for
the
corr
ect n
umbe
r of
edg
e pi
eces
�ar
rive
s at a
con
sequ
entia
lly c
orre
ct n
umbe
r of
inte
rior
pie
ces
allo
win
g fo
r at
mos
t one
obs
erva
ble
mec
hani
cal e
rror
.
OR
Not
es:
1.A
dia
gram
may
con
trib
ute
to a
cre
dita
ble
resp
onse
.
2.T
he a
nsw
er c
an b
e cr
edite
d an
ywhe
re o
n th
e pa
ge a
s lon
g as
it is
cle
ar n
o fu
rthe
r m
athe
mat
ical
ope
ratio
ns h
ave
been
un
dert
aken
.
3.T
he n
umbe
r of
edg
e pi
eces
com
pris
es o
f cor
ner
piec
es (4
) an
d bo
rder
pie
ces (
122)
.
4.A
mec
hani
cal e
rror
may
be
a tr
ansc
ript
ion
erro
r or
a
calc
ulat
ion
erro
r as
soci
ated
with
det
erm
inin
g th
e nu
mbe
r of
inte
rior
pie
ces.
Mod
el R
espo
nses
:1.
Num
ber
of in
teri
or p
iece
s = to
tal n
umbe
r of
pie
ces �
(Num
ber
of b
orde
r pi
eces
+ c
orne
r pi
eces
)=
38
27
� (3
6 +
36 +
25
+ 25
+ 4
)=
1026
� 1
26=
900
2.E
ach
side
has
an
edge
col
umn
and
the
top
and
bott
om e
ach
have
an
edge
row
. T
he d
imen
sion
s of t
he le
ft-o
ver
inte
rior
sect
ion
is n
ow 3
6 by
25.
36
25
= 90
0
3.
25
27
38
36
36
25
= 90
0
Queensland Studies Authority | 25
26
Item 5
Model response
CommentaryItem 5 is a three-star item that tested achievement in the CCEs 44 Synthesising, 51 Identifying shapes in two and three dimensions, 60 Sketching and drawing and 13 Recording/noting data.
This item required students to extend part of a jigsaw by drawing eight new pieces as prescribed and to record certain characteristics of those pieces in the accompanying table.
An A-grade response needed to show all eight of the prescribed pieces correctly positioned, labelled and interlocked, and their characteristics recorded in the table.
Well-presented responses indicated that students had carefully read the stimulus material appearing at the beginning of the unit as well as the additional information given in the introduction to the item. This assisted them to understand the various elements of their task and to attend to them. These responses showed that the student had approached the task of orienting two-dimensional pieces so that they interlocked appropriately in a systematic and organised manner.
Students should remember that a change to one part of a response will often necessitate a change to another corresponding aspect of the response. For instance, it was clear that some students had made changes to the pieces they had drawn in the grid, but did not alter the corresponding table entries which unfortunately caused their response to gain less credit than it might otherwise have gained.
X
Y
W
ZC
B₁
B₂ I₁ I₃
I₂ I₄
B₃
outdents indents
jigsaw
C corner
B1 border
B2 border
B3 border
interiorI1
interiorI2
I3 interior
I4
number of
interior
piece type
2
1
2
3
3
0
1
4
0
2
1
0
1
4
3
0
A B C D N O
100%
E
| Retrospective 2012 QCS Test
UN
IT T
HR
EEIT
EM 5
PER
FOR
MA
NC
E D
OM
AIN
Mar
king
Sch
eme
Mar
king
Uni
t 3 2
of 6
N
Res
pons
e is
un
inte
lligi
ble
or d
oes n
ot
satis
fy th
e re
quir
emen
ts
for
any
othe
r gr
ade.
O
No
resp
onse
ha
s bee
n m
ade
at a
ny ti
me.
44Sy
nthe
sisi
ng51
Iden
tifyi
ng sh
apes
in tw
o an
d th
ree
dim
ensi
ons
60Sk
etch
ing/
draw
ing
13R
ecor
ding
/not
ing
data
C
The
res
pons
e pr
ovid
es fo
ur
diff
eren
t, co
rrec
tly la
belle
d an
d po
sitio
ned
piec
es.
The
se fo
ur p
iece
s are
dra
wn
with
in th
e gr
id a
nd in
terl
ock.
The
num
bers
of i
nden
ts a
nd
outd
ents
are
cor
rect
ly
reco
rded
for
each
of t
he fo
ur
piec
es.
A
The
res
pons
e pr
ovid
es th
e ei
ght d
iffer
ent,
corr
ectly
la
belle
d an
d po
sitio
ned
piec
es.
The
eig
ht p
iece
s are
dra
wn
with
in th
e gr
id a
nd in
terl
ock.
The
num
bers
of i
nden
ts a
nd
outd
ents
are
cor
rect
ly
reco
rded
for
each
of t
he e
ight
pi
eces
.
B
The
res
pons
e pr
ovid
es si
x di
ffer
ent,
corr
ectly
labe
lled
and
posi
tione
d pi
eces
.
The
se si
x pi
eces
are
dra
wn
with
in th
e gr
id a
nd in
terl
ock.
The
num
bers
of i
nden
ts a
nd
outd
ents
are
cor
rect
ly
reco
rded
for
each
of t
he si
x pi
eces
.
D
The
res
pons
e pr
ovid
es tw
o di
ffer
ent,
corr
ectly
labe
lled
and
posi
tione
d pi
eces
.
The
se tw
o pi
eces
are
dra
wn
with
in th
e gr
id a
nd in
terl
ock.
The
num
bers
of i
nden
ts a
nd
outd
ents
are
cor
rect
ly
reco
rded
for
each
of t
he tw
o pi
eces
.
The
res
pons
e pr
ovid
es
�a
corn
er p
iece
�
thre
e diff
eren
t bor
der p
iece
s co
rrec
tly p
ositi
oned
.
The
four
pie
ces a
re d
raw
n w
ithin
the
grid
and
, if a
ll pi
eces
wer
e la
belle
d, w
ould
in
terl
ock.
The
res
pons
e pr
ovid
es th
e ei
ght d
iffer
ent,
corr
ectly
la
belle
d an
d po
sitio
ned
piec
es.
The
eig
ht p
iece
s are
dra
wn
with
in th
e gr
id.
The
num
bers
of i
nden
ts a
nd
outd
ents
are
cor
rect
ly
reco
rded
for
each
of t
he e
ight
pi
eces
.
OR
OR
E
The
res
pons
e pr
ovid
es o
ne
diff
eren
t, co
rrec
tly la
belle
d an
d po
sitio
ned
piec
e.
Thi
s one
pie
ce is
dra
wn
with
in
the
grid
and
inte
rloc
ks.
The
num
bers
of i
nden
ts a
nd
outd
ents
are
cor
rect
ly
reco
rded
for
this
one
pie
ce.
The
res
pons
e pr
ovid
es
�a
corn
er p
iece
�on
e di
ffer
ent b
orde
r pi
ece
corr
ectly
pos
ition
ed.
The
two
piec
es a
re d
raw
n w
ithin
the
grid
and
, if a
ll pi
eces
wer
e la
belle
d, w
ould
in
terl
ock.
The
res
pons
e pr
ovid
es si
x di
ffer
ent,
corr
ectly
labe
lled
and
posi
tione
d pi
eces
.
The
six
piec
es a
re d
raw
n w
ithin
the
grid
.
The
num
bers
of i
nden
ts a
nd
outd
ents
are
cor
rect
ly
reco
rded
for
each
of t
he si
x pi
eces
.
OR
OR
Not
es:
1.A
pie
ce is
diff
eren
t fro
m g
iven
and
oth
er p
iece
s whe
n ei
ther
�th
e nu
mbe
r of
out
dent
s and
inde
nts i
s diff
eren
t, or
�if
the
num
ber
of o
utde
nts a
nd in
dent
s is t
he sa
me,
the
rela
tive
posi
tions
of i
ts
outd
ents
and
inde
nts a
re d
iffer
ent.
2.�C
orre
ctly
labe
lled�
mea
ns th
e id
entif
icat
ion
is a
s req
uire
d by
the
item
.
3.W
hen
a re
spon
se sh
ows s
even
pie
ces c
orre
ctly
labe
lled
and
the
iden
tity
of th
e ei
ghth
un
labe
lled
piec
e ca
n be
cle
arly
infe
rred
from
the
tabl
e th
en a
n A
-gra
de c
an b
e aw
arde
d if
all t
he o
ther
com
pone
nts o
f the
A-g
rade
des
crip
tor
have
bee
n sa
tisfie
d.
4.�C
orre
ctly
pos
ition
ed� m
eans
that
the
plac
emen
t of a
pie
ce (r
elat
ive
to o
ther
pie
ces)
is
cons
iste
nt w
ith th
e ty
pe o
f pie
ce, i
.e. b
orde
r pi
eces
form
a b
orde
r; in
teri
or p
iece
s do
not
form
par
t of a
bor
der.
5.�D
raw
n w
ithin
the
grid
� mea
ns th
at n
o pi
ece
or p
art t
here
of p
rotr
udes
bey
ond
the
grid
pr
ovid
ed.
6.Pi
eces
�int
erlo
ck� w
hen
an o
utde
nt o
n on
e la
belle
d pi
ece
conn
ects
with
an
inde
nt o
n its
la
belle
d ne
ighb
our
(or
vice
ver
sa),
allo
win
g a
path
to b
e tr
aced
from
the
piec
e in
que
stio
n,
via
outd
ents
and
inde
nts t
o W
, X, Y
or
Z. T
he p
ath
mus
t tra
vel a
long
labe
lled
piec
es o
nly.
Queensland Studies Authority | 27
28
Mar
king
Sch
eme
UN
IT T
HR
EEIT
EM 5
Mar
king
Uni
t 3 3
of 6
Mod
el R
espo
nse:
I. T
here
are
seve
ral w
ays o
f com
plet
ing
this
res
pons
e.II
.
| Retrospective 2012 QCS Test
Unit Four
The items of this unit are based on the technique of using political spin.
The following table shows the percentage of responses awarded the various grades for the items in this unit.
Item 6
Model response
A B C D E N O
Item 6 11.4 8.7 23.5 34.3 20.7 1.5
Item 7 4.9 26.5 28.5 33.4 6.8
A shaded box indicates that the grade was not available for that item.
I. Below are five political statements that use spin, and some possible interpretations.
For each political statement, place one letter (A B C D E F, , , , , or G) in the box alongside
to show how Sir Humphrey would interpret the statement.
We’re spending more than ever to
make our Health Service the best in
the world.
We will restructure the base from
which the statistics are derived without
drawing public attention to the fact.
We must build a better world for our
children and our children’s children.
We will make every effort, but it may
not be possible.
We have found undisclosed advance
commissions to foreign government
officials.
A There is no prospect of improvement
in our lifetime.
B is rifeBribery .
C Never in a million years!
D We’re in this mess because of greedy
unions and spineless managers.
E Costs are totally out of control.
F The indiscriminate buying of votes
with other people’s money will
affect our future.
G Time to manipulate the figures.
political statements possible interpretations
Use a letter once only.
E
G
A
C
B
Queensland Studies Authority | 29
30
CommentaryItem 6 is a three-star item that tested achievement in CCE 4 Interpreting the meaning of words �, 43 Analysing, 7 Translating from one form to another and 28 Empathising.
This item had two parts. In Part I students were required to match political statements to possible interpretations of them by entering correct letters in the boxes provided. In Part II, students were asked to consider a statement and provide an interpretation of what was really meant. In effect students were asked to reverse the spin used in the statement.
An A-grade response needed to correctly match all five statements to their interpretations in Part I and in Part II provide a response that did not use spin but provided an accepted interpretation (see marking scheme) of what the Prime Minister really meant.
Some students misunderstood the demands of the stem and in Part II merely repeated the sense of the quotation in more colloquial language.
The stem of an item should not be read in isolation but rather in the context of the stimulus material provided. This would avoid the problem where students approached the question as requiring a literal translation into simpler language, rather than reading it in context which required a �de-spinning� of the statement to reveal the truth behind it.
II. Imagine that Sir Humphrey, on behalf of the Prime Minister, wrote the following
statement to the Secretary of Transport:
Write a sentence that gives an interpretation of what the Prime Minister really meant.
........................................................................................................
........................................................................................................
........................................................................................................
‘The Prime Minister’s recollection of the event is significantly at variance with that
of the Secretary of Transport.’
The Secretary of Transport is lying.
A B C D N O
100%
| Retrospective 2012 QCS Test
Mar
king
Sch
eme
Mar
king
Uni
t 3 4
of 6
UN
IT F
OU
RIT
EM 6
PER
FOR
MA
NC
E D
OM
AIN
N
Res
pons
e is
un
inte
lligi
ble
or d
oes n
ot
satis
fy th
e re
quir
emen
ts
for
any
othe
r gr
ade.
O
No
resp
onse
ha
s bee
n m
ade
at a
ny ti
me.
4In
terp
retin
g th
e m
eani
ng o
f wor
ds �
43A
naly
sing
7Tr
ansl
atin
g fr
om o
ne fo
rm to
ano
ther
28
Em
path
isin
g
C
The
res
pons
e
for
I
�co
rrec
tly li
nks T
HR
EE
pol
itica
l st
atem
ents
to th
eir
inte
rpre
tatio
ns
and
for
II
�im
plie
s an
acce
pted
inte
rpre
tatio
n of
w
hat t
he P
rim
e M
inis
ter
mea
nt�
does
not
use
spin
.
The
res
pons
e
for
I
�co
rrec
tly li
nks a
ll FI
VE
pol
itica
l st
atem
ents
to th
eir
inte
rpre
tatio
ns.
OR
A
The
res
pons
e
for
I
�co
rrec
tly li
nks a
ll FI
VE
po
litic
al st
atem
ents
to th
eir
inte
rpre
tatio
ns
and
for
II
�pr
ovid
es a
n ac
cept
ed in
terp
reta
tion
of w
hat t
he P
rim
e M
inis
ter
mea
nt
�do
es n
ot u
se sp
in�
is in
sent
ence
form
.
E G A C B
B
The
res
pons
e
for
I
�co
rrec
tly li
nks F
OU
R p
oliti
cal
stat
emen
ts to
thei
r in
terp
reta
tions
and
for
II
�pr
ovid
es a
n ac
cept
ed in
terp
reta
tion
of w
hat t
he P
rim
e M
inis
ter
mea
nt�
does
not
use
spin
.
D
The
res
pons
e
for
I
�co
rrec
tly li
nks T
WO
pol
itica
l st
atem
ents
to th
eir
inte
rpre
tatio
ns
and
for
II
�im
plie
s an
acce
pted
inte
rpre
tatio
n of
w
hat t
he P
rim
e M
inis
ter
mea
nt.
The
res
pons
e
for
I
�co
rrec
tly li
nks T
HR
EE
pol
itica
l st
atem
ents
to th
eir
inte
rpre
tatio
ns.
The
res
pons
e
for
II
�pr
ovid
es a
n ac
cept
ed in
terp
reta
tion
of w
hat t
he P
rim
e M
inis
ter
mea
nt�
does
not
use
spin
�is
in se
nten
ce fo
rm.
OR
OR
Not
es:
1.A
ccep
ted
inte
rpre
tatio
ns o
f wha
t the
Pri
me
Min
iste
r m
eant
are
:
�th
e Se
cret
ary
of T
rans
port
is w
rong
, lyi
ng o
r m
ista
ken
�th
e Pr
ime
Min
iste
r is
cov
erin
g up
�th
e Pr
ime
Min
iste
r�s v
iew
is th
e on
e th
at m
ust p
reva
il (t
he P
rim
e M
inis
ter
does
n�t w
ant t
he S
ecre
tary
of T
rans
port
�s v
ersi
on p
rom
ulga
ted)
.
2.A
n ac
cept
ed in
terp
reta
tion
is �p
rovi
ded�
whe
re th
e in
terp
reta
tion
is st
ated
dir
ectly
.
3.R
espo
nses
that
giv
e on
ly a
n ex
ampl
e of
how
the
Secr
etar
y of
Tra
nspo
rt is
lyin
g or
wro
ng o
r m
ista
ken
are
deem
ed to
be
�impl
ying
� an
acce
ptab
le in
terp
reta
tion.
4.A
res
pons
e w
ritte
n in
sent
ence
form
may
com
pris
e on
e or
mor
e se
nten
ces.
Queensland Studies Authority | 31
32
Mar
king
Sch
eme
UN
IT F
OU
RIT
EM 6
Mar
king
Uni
t 3 5
of 6
Mod
el R
espo
nse:
I. II. T
he S
ecre
tary
of T
rans
port
is ly
ing.
We’
re s
pen
din
g m
ore
th
an e
ver
to
mak
e o
ur
Hea
lth
Ser
vic
e th
e b
est
in
the
wo
rld
.
We
wil
l re
stru
ctu
re t
he
bas
e fr
om
wh
ich
th
e st
atis
tics
are
der
ived
wit
ho
ut
dra
win
g p
ub
lic
atte
nti
on
to
th
e fa
ct.
We
mu
st b
uil
d a
bet
ter
wo
rld
fo
r o
ur
chil
dre
n a
nd
ou
r ch
ild
ren
’s c
hil
dre
n.
We
wil
l m
ake
ever
y e
ffo
rt,
bu
t it
may
no
t b
e p
oss
ible
.
We
hav
e fo
un
d u
nd
iscl
ose
d a
dv
ance
com
mis
sio
ns
to f
ore
ign
go
ver
nm
ent
off
icia
ls.
AT
her
e is
no
pro
spec
t o
f im
pro
vem
ent
in o
ur
life
tim
e.
Bis
rif
eB
rib
ery
.
CN
ever
in
a m
illi
on
yea
rs!
DW
e’re
in
th
is m
ess
bec
ause
of
gre
edy
un
ion
s an
d s
pin
eles
s m
anag
ers.
EC
ost
s ar
e to
tall
y o
ut
of
con
tro
l.
FT
he
ind
iscr
imin
ate
bu
yin
g o
f v
ote
s
wit
h o
ther
peo
ple
’s m
on
eyw
ill
affe
ct o
ur
futu
re.
GT
ime
to m
anip
ula
te t
he
fig
ure
s.
po
litica
l sta
tem
en
tsp
ossib
le in
terp
reta
tio
ns
E G A C B
| Retrospective 2012 QCS Test
Item 7
Model response
CommentaryItem 7 is a two-star item that tested achievement in CCE 10 Using vocabulary appropriate to a context.
This item required students to craft a statement that Sir Humphrey might present to the media to put a positive spin on the budget situation of the Ministry of Defence.
An A-grade response needed to do two things: to champion (that is, enthusiastically endorse) the stance the Ministry took on its budget and to present a laudable reason for why the Ministry had not reduced spending or why it needed to maintain its current rate of spending.
It seemed that some students could not adjust to the change in point of view, i.e. could not adopt Sir Humphrey�s view and then craft a media response which would require the use of spin.
When asked �to craft� a brief statement, students should carefully construct a response using their own words. Simply copying quotations and fragments from the stimulus material will not gain credit.
Consider a situation where the Ministry of Defence has not reduced its spending despite
directions to do so.
Craft a brief statement Sir Humphrey might present to the media to put a positive spin on
this situation.
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
In these dangerous times, with extremist activities threatening our borders, it is
imperative that the safety of our people is guaranteed. It is for this reason that our
Defence Minister must spend whatever money is necessary to protect our great nation
so that the generations to come may live in peace.
A B C N O
100%
Queensland Studies Authority | 33
34
PER
FOR
MA
NC
E D
OM
AIN
Mar
king
Sch
eme
Mar
king
Uni
t 3 6
of 6
UN
IT F
OU
RIT
EM 7
N
Res
pons
e is
un
inte
lligi
ble
or d
oes n
ot
satis
fy th
e re
quir
emen
ts
for
any
othe
r gr
ade.
O
No
resp
onse
ha
s bee
n m
ade
at a
ny ti
me.
10U
sing
voc
abul
ary
appr
opri
ate
to a
con
text
C
The
res
pons
e pr
ovid
es a
stat
emen
t tha
t pre
sent
s a
reas
on fo
r O
NE
of th
e fo
llow
ing:
�w
hy th
e M
inis
try
of D
efen
ce h
as n
ot r
educ
ed
spen
ding
/nee
ds to
mai
ntai
n sp
endi
ng�
why
it is
impo
rtan
t for
the
Min
istr
y of
Def
ence
to
incr
ease
spen
ding
�w
hy th
e Min
istr
y of
Def
ence
is st
alle
d in
att
empt
s to
redu
ce sp
endi
ng.
A
The
res
pons
e
�ch
ampi
ons t
he M
inis
try
of D
efen
ce�s
stan
ce�
offe
rs a
laud
able
just
ifica
tion
for
why
the
Min
istr
y of
Def
ence
has
not
red
uced
spen
ding
/nee
ds to
m
aint
ain
spen
ding
.
B
The
res
pons
e
�pa
ints
the
Min
istr
y of
Def
ence
�s st
ance
in a
pos
itive
lig
ht�
pres
ents
a r
easo
n fo
r w
hy th
e M
inis
try
of D
efen
ce
has n
ot r
educ
ed sp
endi
ng/n
eeds
to m
aint
ain
spen
ding
.
Not
es:
1.A
res
pons
e th
at si
mpl
y re
peat
s stim
ulus
mat
eria
l is t
o be
aw
arde
d an
N-g
rade
.
Mod
el R
espo
nse:
In th
ese
dang
erou
s tim
es, w
ith e
xtre
mis
t act
iviti
es th
reat
enin
g ou
r bo
rder
s, it
is im
pera
tive
that
the
safe
ty o
f our
peo
ple
is g
uara
ntee
d. It
is fo
r th
is re
ason
that
our
Def
ence
Min
iste
r m
ust s
pend
wha
teve
r m
oney
is
nec
essa
ry to
pro
tect
our
gre
at n
atio
n so
that
the
gene
ratio
ns to
com
e m
ay li
ve in
pea
ce.
Las
t Pag
e C
ount
| Retrospective 2012 QCS Test
Unit Five
The items of this unit concern tyre properties that can be gleaned from the markings on the sidewall of tyres and the effect different tyres can have on the performance of a car.
The following table shows the percentage of responses awarded the various grades for the items in this unit.
Item 8
Model response
A B C D E N O
Item 8 28.9 27.3 20.4 19 4.4
Item 9 9.6 7.5 2.3 30.6 32.7 17.3
A shaded box indicates that the grade was not available for that item.
In the correct positions on Figure 2, write the dimensions specific to the tyre shown above, that
is, a P 165/75R13 81 S tyre. Give the dimensions in millimetres correct to two decimal places.
.........
.........
.........
.........
Show any working here.
Figure 2
165
123.75
330.2
288.85
section width = 165
section height �
75 = h ��165 x 100
123.75 = h
wheel rim diameter = 13�
��13 x 25.4 = 330.2 mm
rolling radius = 330.2 + 123.75
= 288.85
2
Queensland Studies Authority | 35
36
CommentaryItem 8 is a two-star item that tested achievement in CCEs 6 Interpreting the meaning of � diagrams �, 7 Translating from one form to another and 16 Calculating with or without calculators.
This item required the student to write the dimensions specific to the tyre shown (i.e. a P 165/75R13 81 S tyre) in the correct positions on Figure 2. The dimensions were to be given in millimetres correct to two decimal places.
An A-grade response required students to transfer the section width; calculate the section height using a given formula; convert the wheel rim diameter from inches to millimetres and calculate the rolling radius.
Students found it challenging to rearrange the formula, profile = h ÷ w × 100, to determine the section height, h. Because the section height was required in the calculation of the rolling radius students could still gain some credit if they used the incorrect value in a correct fashion to find the rolling radius (consequentially correct value for rolling radius). Students should review the process of rearranging a simple formula to solve for an unknown value.
A B C N O
100%
| Retrospective 2012 QCS Test
Mar
king
Sch
eme
Mar
king
Uni
t 2 4
of 7
PER
FOR
MA
NC
E D
OM
AIN
UN
IT F
IVE
ITEM
8
N
Res
pons
e is
un
inte
lligi
ble
or d
oes n
ot
satis
fy th
e re
quir
emen
ts
for
any
othe
r gr
ade.
O
No
resp
onse
ha
s bee
n m
ade
at a
ny ti
me.
6In
terp
retin
g th
e m
eani
ng o
f � d
iagr
ams �
7Tr
ansl
atin
g fr
om o
ne fo
rm to
ano
ther
16C
alcu
latin
g w
ith o
r w
ithou
t cal
cula
tors
C
The
res
pons
e pr
ovid
es tw
o of
�16
5.00
� fo
r se
ctio
n w
idth
�12
3.75
(or
cons
eque
ntia
lly c
orre
ct v
alue
) � fo
r se
ctio
n he
ight
�
330.
20 �
for
whe
el r
im d
iam
eter
�28
8.85
(or
cons
eque
ntia
lly c
orre
ct v
alue
) � fo
r ro
lling
rad
ius.
Dim
ensi
ons m
ay b
e sh
own
usin
g al
low
able
eq
uiva
lent
s.
A
The
res
pons
e pr
ovid
es, o
n Fi
gure
2
�16
5.00
� fo
r se
ctio
n w
idth
�12
3.75
� fo
r se
ctio
n he
ight
�
330.
20 �
for
whe
el r
im d
iam
eter
�28
8.85
� fo
r ro
lling
rad
ius.
B
The
res
pons
e pr
ovid
es th
ree
of
�16
5.00
� fo
r se
ctio
n w
idth
�12
3.75
(or
cons
eque
ntia
lly c
orre
ct v
alue
) � fo
r se
ctio
n he
ight
�
330.
20 �
for
whe
el r
im d
iam
eter
�28
8.85
(or
cons
eque
ntia
lly c
orre
ct v
alue
) � fo
r ro
lling
rad
ius.
Dim
ensi
ons m
ay b
e sh
own
usin
g al
low
able
eq
uiva
lent
s.
Not
es:
1.Fo
r al
l gra
des:
� 1
65.0
0 m
ay b
e w
ritt
en a
s 165
or
165.
0 an
d 33
0.20
may
be
wri
tten
as 3
30.2
� th
ere
is n
o re
quir
emen
t to
show
uni
ts if
it is
cle
ar b
y th
e nu
mbe
rs it
is m
illim
etre
s.
2.Fo
r th
e A
-gra
de, �
prov
ides
on
Figu
re 2
� req
uire
s the
val
ues t
o be
on
the
diag
ram
or
valu
es in
the
wor
king
to b
e cl
earl
y co
nnec
ted
by a
rrow
s or
othe
r in
dica
tors
to th
eir
corr
ect p
ositi
ons o
n Fi
gure
2.
3.Fo
r th
e B
- and
C-g
rade
s, if
dim
ensi
ons a
re sh
own
on th
e di
agra
m th
ese
are
the
valu
es w
hich
are
to b
e co
nsid
ered
for
cred
iting
eve
n if
they
are
not
con
sist
ent w
ith w
hat i
s sho
wn
in th
e w
orki
ng se
ctio
n.
If th
e di
men
sion
s are
cle
arly
iden
tifie
d in
the
wor
king
but
are
not
on
the
diag
ram
thes
e ar
e th
e va
lues
whi
ch c
an b
e co
nsid
ered
for
cred
it.
4.Fo
r th
e B
- and
C-g
rade
s, co
nseq
uent
ially
cor
rect
val
ues f
or se
ctio
n he
ight
and
the
rolli
ng r
adiu
s mus
t be
chec
ked
as th
ese
can
be a
ffec
ted
by a
n in
corr
ect v
alue
in o
ne o
r m
ore
of th
e ot
her
valu
es.
5.Fo
r th
e B
- and
C-g
rade
s, �a
llow
able
equ
ival
ents
� are
val
ues t
hat h
ave
been
giv
en c
orre
ctly
to o
ne d
ecim
al p
lace
or
to a
who
le n
umbe
r, e.
g.�
123
.8 o
r 12
4 fo
r se
ctio
n he
ight
� 3
30 fo
r w
heel
rim
dia
met
er�
288
.9 o
r 28
9 fo
r ro
lling
rad
ius (
or a
val
ue in
kee
ping
with
whi
chev
er c
orre
ct r
ound
ings
wer
e us
ed fo
r se
ctio
n he
ight
and
whe
el r
im d
iam
eter
� 2
89.1
, 288
.75,
288
.8) .
6.R
espo
nses
in w
hich
the
dim
ensi
ons a
re g
iven
in c
entim
etre
s (w
ith th
e un
its sh
own)
may
gai
n cr
edit
at th
e C
-gra
de.
Queensland Studies Authority | 37
38
Mar
king
Sch
eme
UN
IT F
IVE
ITEM
8
Mar
king
Uni
t 2 5
of 7
Mod
el R
espo
nse:
.........
.........
.........
.........
se
ct
ion
wid
th
= 1
65
se
ct
ion
he
igh
t�
75
=h
��1
65
x 1
00
12
3.7
5 =
h
wh
ee
l rim
dia
me
te
r =
13
�
��1
3 x
25
.4 =
33
0.2
mm
rolli
ng
ra
diu
s =
33
0.2
+ 1
23
.75
= 2
88
.85
2
Sho
w a
ny w
orki
ng h
ere.
165
123.75
330.2
288.85
| Retrospective 2012 QCS Test
Item 9
Model response
CommentaryItem 9 is a four-star item that tested achievement in CCEs 43 Analysing, 48 Justifying and 16 Calculating with or without calculators.
This item required students to consider the effects of a change in tyre size on the speed at which a car drives. Standard-sized tyres were replaced by tyres with a smaller rolling radius and students were asked to determine the actual speed of the car over the ground when the speedometer was showing 60 km/hr. There was a reminder to students of the formula for the circumference of a circle and a cue that instructed them to include clear explanations with their calculations.
An A-grade response needed to provide an explanation of a valid process for establishing the actual speed, correctly executed supporting calculations and an answer of 57.5 km/hr or its equivalent (see the marking scheme). Valid processes that could be applied to the situation included:� the concept that in one hour, the number of tyre revolutions for a particular car is constant as measured by
the speedometer� the concept that the time for one revolution of a tyre was a constant value regardless of the tyre fitted
Determine the actual speed of the car when the speedometer is showing 60 kilometres per hour.
Reminder: Circumference of a circle = 2�r
.......................................................................................
.......................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
Include clear
explanations with
your calculations.
Standard tyres: C =
=
In one hour standard tyres travel 60 km = 60000 m
Number of revolutions = = 31381
Replacement tyres: C =
= 1.832 m
In one hour replacement tyres will travel = 57489.99 m
= 57.5 km
Therefore, the actual speed will be approximately 57.5 km/hr.
2 x x� 304.25 = 1911.66
1.912 m
600001.912
291.55 = 1831.86
1.832 x 31381
2 x x�
A B C D N O
100%
Queensland Studies Authority | 39
40
� the concept that there was a direct-proportion relationship between tyre size and the actual speed over the ground of the car.
Some responses used valid processes for solutions but contained mechanical errors or insufficient explanation and so could not be awarded the highest grade. Final work should be checked for simple errors and explanations must outline clearly and fully (without relying on inference), what the accompanying calculation is intended to determine or why the calculation is required. Using and showing correct units is also very important in these types of problems. A useful strategy is to write the words, then show and execute the calculations noting the result and the unit at each step in a problem until the solution is reached.
| Retrospective 2012 QCS Test
UN
IT F
IVE
ITEM
9
PER
FOR
MA
NC
E D
OM
AIN
Mar
king
Sch
eme
Mar
king
Uni
t 2 6
of 7
N
Res
pons
e is
un
inte
lligi
ble
or d
oes n
ot
satis
fy th
e re
quir
emen
ts
for
any
othe
r gr
ade.
O
No
resp
onse
ha
s bee
n m
ade
at a
ny ti
me.
43A
naly
sing
48Ju
stify
ing
16
Cal
cula
ting
with
or
with
out c
alcu
lato
rs
C
The
res
pons
e pr
ovid
es
�a v
alid
pro
cess
for e
stab
lishi
ng
the
actu
al sp
eed
�so
me
supp
ortin
g ca
lcul
atio
ns
allo
win
g fo
r at
mos
t one
m
echa
nica
l err
or�
a co
nseq
uent
ially
cor
rect
nu
mer
ical
val
ue fo
r sp
eed.
�T
he re
spon
se p
rovi
des 5
7.5
or
its e
quiv
alen
t.OR
A
The
res
pons
e pr
ovid
es
�an
exp
lana
tion
of a
val
id
proc
ess f
or e
stab
lishi
ng th
e ac
tual
spee
d�
supp
ortin
g ca
lcul
atio
ns,
corr
ectly
exe
cute
d �
57.5
km
/hr
or it
s equ
ival
ent
show
n w
ith k
m/h
r.
No
inco
rrec
t inf
orm
atio
n or
st
atem
ent i
s use
d in
the
cred
itabl
e pa
rt o
f the
res
pons
e.
B
The
res
pons
e pr
ovid
es
�an
exp
lana
tion
of a
val
id p
roce
ss fo
r es
tabl
ishi
ng
the
actu
al sp
eed
�so
me
supp
ortin
g ca
lcul
atio
ns a
llow
ing
for
at m
ost
one
mec
hani
cal e
rror
�a
cons
eque
ntia
lly co
rrec
t spe
ed sh
own
with
km
/hr.
The
res
pons
e pr
ovid
es
�a
valid
pro
cess
for
esta
blis
hing
the
actu
al sp
eed
�so
me
supp
ortin
g ca
lcul
atio
ns, c
orre
ctly
exe
cute
d�
57.5
km
/hr
or it
s equ
ival
ent s
how
n w
ith k
m/h
r.
OR
D
The
res
pons
e pr
ovid
es
�a
corr
ect c
ircu
mfe
renc
e �
at le
ast o
ne o
ther
corr
ect a
nd re
leva
nt
calc
ulat
ion.
The
resp
onse
indi
cate
s tha
t a p
ropo
rtio
n or
per
cent
age o
f the
ori
gina
l spe
ed co
uld
be u
sed
to o
btai
n th
e ac
tual
spee
d.
The
resp
onse
link
s the
chan
ge o
f tyr
es to
a
decr
ease
in sp
eed.O
R
OR
Mod
el R
espo
nse:
1St
anda
rd ty
res:
C =
= In
one
hou
r st
anda
rd ty
res t
rave
l 60
km =
600
00 m
Num
ber
of r
evol
utio
ns =
=
313
81
Rep
lace
men
t tyr
es: C
= = 1.
832
m
In o
ne h
our
repl
acem
ent t
yres
will
trav
el
= 5
7489
.99
m =
57.
5 km
The
refo
re, t
he a
ctua
l spe
ed w
ill b
e ap
prox
imat
ely
57.5
km
/hr.
2
3
04.2
5 =
1911
.66
1.91
2 m 60
000
1.91
2
2
2
91.5
5 =
1831
.86
1.83
231
381
Not
es:
1.A
n ex
plan
atio
n pr
esen
ts so
me
rele
vant
rea
soni
ng fo
r th
e pr
ogre
ssio
n of
step
s sho
wn.
2.Va
lid p
roce
sses
are
bas
ed o
n re
cogn
ition
that
the:
a) n
umbe
r of
rev
olut
ions
in o
ne h
our
is c
onst
ant s
o th
e di
stan
ce tr
avel
led
by a
smal
ler
tyre
will
be
less
b) ti
me
for
one
revo
lutio
n is
con
stan
t, so
spee
d =
dist
ance
/tim
e (d
/t) c
an b
e us
ed to
find
the
actu
al sp
eed
of th
e sm
alle
r ty
rec)
rol
ling
radi
us a
nd th
e sp
eed
are
dire
ctly
pro
port
iona
l so
the
actu
al sp
eed
can
be c
alcu
late
d by
mul
tiply
ing
60 k
m/h
r by
a
suita
ble
ratio
or
perc
enta
ge o
r by
find
ing
perc
enta
ge d
ecre
ase
in sp
eed.
3.T
he �s
uppo
rtin
g ca
lcul
atio
ns� a
re m
eani
ngfu
l for
the
valid
pro
cess
bei
ng u
sed.
4.T
he �c
orre
ctly
exe
cute
d� c
alcu
latio
ns a
llow
for
corr
ect r
ound
ing
to h
ave
been
don
e bu
t doe
s not
allo
w fo
r an
y m
echa
nica
l or
conc
eptu
al e
rror
s to
have
occ
urre
d.
5.T
he �e
quiv
alen
ts� o
f 57.
5 in
clud
e:�
val
ues i
n th
e ra
nge
56.8
� 5
7.6
� a
stat
emen
t (su
ppor
ted
by c
orre
ct w
orki
ng) t
hat s
ays �
abou
t 58
km/h
r�, o
r si
mila
r.
6.M
echa
nica
l err
ors i
nclu
de tr
ansc
ribi
ng in
corr
ectly
, uni
t con
vers
ions
exe
cute
d in
corr
ectly
(if s
ame
mis
take
is m
ade
cons
iste
ntly
cou
nt th
is a
s one
err
or).
7.A
val
id p
roce
ss c
anno
t con
tain
con
cept
ual e
rror
s suc
h as
usi
ng in
dire
ct p
ropo
rtio
n or
not
att
endi
ng to
uni
t con
vers
ions
whe
n it
is n
eces
sary
.
Queensland Studies Authority | 41
42
Mar
king
Sch
eme
UN
IT F
IVE
ITEM
9
Mar
king
Uni
t 2 7
of 7
Mod
el R
espo
nse:
2St
anda
rd ty
res:
C =
2
304
.25
= 19
11.6
6 m
m
= 0.
0019
12 k
m
Rep
lace
men
t tyr
es: C
= 2
2
91.5
5
= 18
31.8
6 m
m
= 0.
0018
32 k
m
Tim
e fo
r on
e re
volu
tion
=
= = 3.
1866
1
0-5 h
r
As t
he ti
me
for
one
revo
lutio
n w
ill r
emai
n co
nsta
nt w
ith r
epla
cem
ent t
yres
,
new
spee
d = = =
57.4
9 km
/hr
Act
ual s
peed
= 5
7.5
km/h
r.d s 0.00
1912
60
d t0.
0018
323.
1866
10-5
Mod
el R
espo
nse:
3St
anda
rd ty
res:
C =
2
304
.25
= 19
11.6
6
= 1.
912
m
Rep
lace
men
t tyr
es: C
= 2
2
91.5
5
= 18
31.8
6
= 1.
832
m
Dec
reas
e in
size
of t
yres
will
res
ult i
n a
decr
ease
in sp
eed
of c
ar.
Tyre
cir
cum
fere
nce
of 1
.912
sh
ows 6
0 km
/hr
Tyre
cir
cum
fere
nce
of 1
.832
show
s
60
= 57
.49
km/h
r
Act
ual s
peed
abo
ut =
57.
5 km
/hr.
(usi
ng r
adii)
Tyre
with
rad
ius 3
04.2
5 sh
ows 6
0 km
/hr
Tyre
with
rad
ius 2
91.5
5
show
s
60
= 57
.5 k
m/h
r
1.83
21.
912
291.
5530
4.25
Mod
el R
espo
nse:
4St
anda
rd ty
res:
C =
1.9
12 m
Rep
lace
men
t tyr
es: C
= 1
.832
m
A p
erce
ntag
e of
size
of t
yres
giv
es
corr
espo
ndin
g %
in sp
eed
of c
ar.
1
00 =
95.
82%
95.8
2% o
f 60
= 57
.5 k
m/h
r
(usi
ng r
adii)
1
00 =
95.
83%
95.8
3% o
f 60
= 57
.5 k
m/h
r
1.83
21.
912
291.
5530
4.25
Mod
el R
espo
nse:
5St
anda
rd ty
res:
C =
191
1.66
mm
Rep
lace
men
t tyr
es: C
= 1
831.
86 m
m
A p
erce
ntag
e de
crea
se in
size
of t
yres
will
re
sult
in sa
me
% d
ecre
ase
in sp
eed.
% d
ecre
ase
=
100
= 4.
17%
Act
ual s
peed
= (1
00 �
4.1
7)%
6
0
= 57
.5 k
m/h
r
(usi
ng r
adii)
% d
ecre
ase
=
100
= 4.
17%
Act
ual s
peed
= 9
5.83
%
60
= 57
.5 k
m/h
r
1911
.66
� 18
31.8
619
11.6
6
304.
25 �
291
.55
304.
25
Las
t Pag
e C
ount
| Retrospective 2012 QCS Test
Unit Six
The items of this unit are based on the poem Retrial written on the opening in 1956 of Douglas Stewart�s play, Ned Kelly.
The following table shows the percentage of responses awarded the various grades for the items in this unit.
Item 10
Model response
A B C D E N O
Item 10 17.6 22.2 26.3 18.3 11.8 4
Item 11 1.9 3.8 52.5 20 10.3 5.4 6.1
From those given above, choose two different techniques that are used in the poem. For each
of your chosen techniques, give one clear example from the poem and explain how the
example illustrates the technique.
................................................................................................
................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
You may
use point
form.
Pun — ‘left him in suspense’ — This could simply mean that he was left wondering
what the outcome of the trial would be, but in light of the fact that Kelly was
hanged, it has a double meaning; a clear reference to the outcome of the trial — he
was ‘suspended’ when he was hanged for his crime.
Hyperbole — ‘He could not safely go to work Except in armour-plate’ — The poet
does not really think Kelly needed protection because he was a victim. The
association between ‘safely going to work’ and ‘armour-plate’ is about Kelly as the
aggressor in his battles with police. The poet has deliberately misrepresented and
exaggerated the situation in an attempt to be funny.
Queensland Studies Authority | 43
44
CommentaryItem 10 is a three-star item that tested achievement in CCEs 30 Classifying,43 Analysing and 26 Explaining to others.
This item required students to choose two different techniques from the four given (along with their definitions) that were used in the poem Retrial to achieve certain poetic effects. They were asked to give one clear example from the poem for each of the chosen techniques and explain how the example illustrated the technique. The cue stated that the students could use point form.
An A-grade response needed to nominate two different techniques and for each of the two techniques cite an example from the poem. The response then had to explain how the cited example was illustrative of the technique nominated.
Almost all students attempted this item. However, many did not provide clear and complete explanations of how the examples they cited illustrated their chosen techniques but rather relied on what they assumed a reader might already know. Explanations should be conclusive and convincing and not rely on any inferences.
A B C D N O
100%
| Retrospective 2012 QCS Test
UN
IT S
IXIT
EM 1
0
PER
FOR
MA
NC
E D
OM
AIN
Mar
king
Sch
eme
Oct
ober
26,
201
2 11
:32
am(*
foot
er to
rem
ain
until
fina
l prin
t*)
T:\q
cs\s
ri\sr
i201
2\P
aper
\sri6
65\m
sche
mes
\ms6
65-1
0.fm
Mar
king
Uni
t 1 3
of 5
N
Res
pons
e is
un
inte
lligi
ble
or d
oes n
ot
satis
fy th
e re
quir
emen
ts
for
any
othe
r gr
ade.
O
No
resp
onse
ha
s bee
n m
ade
at a
ny ti
me.
30C
lass
ifyin
g 43
Ana
lysi
ng
26E
xpla
inin
g to
oth
ers
C
The
res
pons
e no
min
ates
ON
E o
f the
te
chni
ques
from
the
four
giv
en.
For
this
tech
niqu
e,
�an
exa
mpl
e fr
om th
e po
em is
cite
d �
a cl
ear
expl
anat
ion
of h
ow th
e ex
ampl
e is
illu
stra
tive
of th
e te
chni
que
is g
iven
.
The
resp
onse
nom
inat
es T
WO
diff
eren
t te
chni
ques
from
the
four
giv
en.
For
each
tech
niqu
e,
�an
app
ropr
iate
exa
mpl
e fr
om th
e po
em is
pro
vide
d.OR
A
The
resp
onse
nom
inat
es T
WO
diff
eren
t te
chni
ques
from
the
four
giv
en.
For
each
tech
niqu
e,
�an
exa
mpl
e fr
om th
e po
em is
cite
d�
a cl
ear
expl
anat
ion
of h
ow th
e ex
ampl
e is
illu
stra
tive
of th
e te
chni
que
is g
iven
.
B
The
resp
onse
nom
inat
es T
WO
diff
eren
t te
chni
ques
from
the
four
giv
en.
For
one
tech
niqu
e,
�an
exa
mpl
e fr
om th
e po
em is
cite
d �
a cl
ear
expl
anat
ion
of h
ow th
e ex
ampl
e is
illu
stra
tive
of th
e te
chni
que
is g
iven
.
For
the
seco
nd te
chni
que,
�an
app
ropr
iate
exa
mpl
e fr
om th
e po
em is
pro
vide
d.
D
The
res
pons
e no
min
ates
ON
E o
f the
te
chni
ques
from
the
four
giv
en.
For
this
tech
niqu
e,
�an
app
ropr
iate
exa
mpl
e fr
om th
e po
em is
pro
vide
d.
The
resp
onse
pro
vide
s an
expl
anat
ion
of
an e
xam
ple
that
illu
stra
tes O
NE
of t
he
tech
niqu
es fr
om th
e fo
ur g
iven
OR
Mod
el R
espo
nse:
Pun
� �l
eft h
im in
susp
ense
� � T
his c
ould
sim
ply
mea
n th
at h
e w
as le
ft w
onde
ring
wha
t the
out
com
e of
the
tria
l wou
ld b
e, b
ut in
ligh
t of t
he fa
ct th
at K
elly
was
han
ged,
it h
as a
dou
ble
mea
ning
; a c
lear
refe
renc
e to
the
outc
ome
of th
e tr
ial �
he
was
�sus
pend
ed� w
hen
he w
as h
ange
d fo
r hi
s cri
me.
Hyp
erbo
le �
�He
coul
d no
t saf
ely
go to
wor
k Ex
cept
in a
rmou
r-pl
ate�
� T
he p
oet d
oes n
ot r
eally
thin
k K
elly
nee
ded
prot
ectio
n be
caus
e he
was
a v
ictim
. The
ass
ocia
tion
betw
een
�saf
ely
goin
g to
wor
k� a
nd
�arm
our-
plat
e� is
abo
ut K
elly
as t
he a
ggre
ssor
in h
is b
attle
s with
pol
ice.
The
poe
t has
del
iber
atel
y m
isre
pres
ente
d an
d ex
agge
rate
d th
e si
tuat
ion
in a
n at
tem
pt to
be
funn
y.
Queensland Studies Authority | 45
46
Oct
ober
26,
201
2 11
:32
am(*
foot
er to
rem
ain
until
fina
l prin
t*)
T:\q
cs\s
ri\sr
i201
2\P
aper
\sri6
65\m
sche
mes
\ms6
65-1
0.fm
Mar
king
Sch
eme
Mar
king
Uni
t 1 4
of 5
UN
IT S
IXIT
EM 1
0N
otes
:1.
The
tech
niqu
e/s n
omin
ated
mus
t be
from
the
4 gi
ven
tech
niqu
es.
2.A
n ex
ampl
e m
ust c
ome
from
the
poem
, rat
her
than
the
intr
oduc
tion.
3.A
res
pons
e th
at u
ses t
he sa
me
exam
ple
to il
lust
rate
two
diffe
rent
tech
niqu
es w
ill g
ain
cred
it at
the
A-g
rade
onl
y if
an e
xpla
natio
n of
how
the
exam
ple
is il
lust
rativ
e of
eac
h te
chni
que
is g
iven
and
ea
ch e
xpla
natio
n is
clea
r.
4.To
be
deem
ed a
ppro
pria
te, t
he e
xam
ple
mus
t eith
er b
e fr
om th
e ap
prop
riat
e ex
ampl
e ta
ble
(bel
ow) o
r be
acc
ompa
nied
by
an e
xpla
natio
n th
at d
emon
stra
tes i
ts a
ppro
pria
tene
ss.
exam
ple
iron
ypu
nun
ders
tate
men
thy
perb
ole
refe
rrin
g to
Kel
ly a
s �to
o te
nder
�
refe
rrin
g to
Kel
ly a
s �a
bank
er�
refe
rrin
g to
Kel
ly a
s �a
stoc
k an
d st
atio
n de
aler
�
refe
rrin
g to
Kel
ly a
s an
�arm
amen
ts p
rodu
cer�
� � le
ft h
im in
susp
ense
�
� � h
arsh
Vic
tori
an st
ate�
� � ju
ry o
f his
pee
rs�
� � w
ork
� �
�He
coul
d no
t saf
ely
go to
wor
k E
xcep
t in
arm
our-
plat
e�
�As a
ban
ker
he w
as h
arri
ed �
by
the
capt
ains
of f
inan
ce�
�As a
stoc
k an
d st
atio
n de
aler
� h
e ne
ver
had
a ch
ance
�
�As a
n ar
mou
rmen
ts p
rodu
cer �
he m
ight
hav
e fou
nd h
is fe
et�
�The
y go
t him
dow
n to
Mel
bour
ne�
�The
y m
ade
a lo
t of c
harg
es�
� � la
wer
ly p
rete
nce
� �
� d
idn�
t wan
t him
to c
ompe
te �
�
Las
t Pag
e C
ount
| Retrospective 2012 QCS Test
Item 11
Model response
CommentaryItem 11 is a four-star item that tested achievement in CCEs 43 Analysing, 31 Interrelating ideas/themes/issues 48 Justifying, and 45 Evaluating.
This item required students to read the poem Retrial and consider two possible interpretations of Ned Kelly�s bushranging career. Either he was fighting for freedom against an oppressive establishment or he was a thug and common criminal. The item required students to suggest the interpretation with which the poet most likely agrees.
It is clear that the stanzas of the poem are laced with irony, hyperbole, pun and understatement. An analysis of the stanzas would lead to a comprehensive reading of the poem. Students needed to recognise that there was a deeper underlying meaning in the poem. Only a superficial reading of the poem would suggest that the poet was sympathetic towards Kelly.
An A-grade response needed to suggest the poet�s view was that Ned Kelly was a thug and a common criminal (a non-literal reading would support this). Responses were required to discuss how this meaning was revealed and use evidence from the poem to support this interpretation. The justification needed to be clearly expressed and well argued.
Responses that failed to recognise that the poem had a deeper meaning indicated that little or no analysis of the poem had occurred. Students should be mindful to attend to the stem as some responses were obviously a personal view of Ned Kelly and not based on the poem. Others offered an interpretation which differed from the two offered in the stem.
In Retrial, the poet alludes to these competing interpretations. Suggest the interpretation with
which the poet most likely agrees.
...........................................................................................
...........................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
Justify your
conclusion with
evidence from
the poem.
In the poem ‘Retrial’, the poet is treating the view of Ned Kelly as a
champion of the people sarcastically. If taken at face value, you would think
the poet believes Kelly to have been badly treated. For example, the poet
says Kelly was ‘too tender for the harsh Victorian state’. But Kelly was a tough
bushranger and a criminal and the Victorian state was soft because they couldn’t catch
Kelly so this is ironic. The second and third stanzas of the poem suggest Kelly was
stopped by the establishment from legitimate jobs such as banker, stock-and-station
dealer and armaments producer. But this is not meant to be taken seriously as Kelly’s
‘jobs’ were bank robbing and cattle stealing and he wore armour to protect himself in a gun
battle with police. Ultimately, the poet believes Kelly to be a thug and a common criminal.
A B C N O
100%
D E
Queensland Studies Authority | 47
48
UN
IT S
IXIT
EM 1
1
PER
FOR
MA
NC
E D
OM
AIN
Mar
king
Sch
eme
Oct
ober
22,
201
2 15
:33
pm(*
foot
er to
rem
ain
until
fina
l prin
t*)
T:\q
cs\s
ri\sr
i201
2\Pa
per\s
ri665
\msc
hem
es\m
s665
-11.
fm
Mar
king
Uni
t 1 5
of 5
N
Res
pons
e is
un
inte
lligi
ble
or d
oes n
ot
satis
fy th
e re
quir
emen
ts
for
any
othe
r gr
ade.
O
No
resp
onse
ha
s bee
n m
ade
at a
ny ti
me.
43A
naly
sing
31
Inte
rrel
atin
g id
eas/
them
es/is
sues
48Ju
stify
ing
45E
valu
atin
g
C
The
res
pons
e
�su
ppor
ts th
e po
et�s
vie
w o
f N
ed K
elly
bei
ng a
�thu
g an
d a
com
mon
cri
min
al�
�pr
ovid
es a
ppro
pria
te
exam
ples
from
the
poem
to
supp
ort t
his i
nter
pret
atio
n.
The
res
pons
e
�pr
opos
es th
at th
e poe
t�s vi
ew
was
that
Ned
Kel
ly w
as
�fig
htin
g fo
r fr
eedo
m
agai
nst a
n op
pres
sive
es
tabl
ishm
ent�
�
is su
ppor
ted
with
evi
denc
e fr
om th
e po
em
�is
cle
arly
exp
ress
ed.
The
res
pons
e
�pr
esen
ts a
dis
cuss
ion
abou
t th
e po
et�s
vie
w o
f Ned
Kel
ly
that
con
side
rs th
e tw
o in
terp
reta
tions
pre
sent
ed�
wei
ghs u
p ev
iden
ce fr
om th
e po
em in
supp
ort o
f the
two
inte
rpre
tatio
ns�
is c
lear
ly e
xpre
ssed
.
OR
OR
A
The
res
pons
e
�su
ppor
ts th
e po
et�s
vie
w o
f N
ed K
elly
bei
ng a
�thu
g an
d a
com
mon
cri
min
al�
�di
scus
ses h
ow m
eani
ng is
re
veal
ed
�is
wel
l-sup
port
ed w
ith
evid
ence
from
the
poem
�
is c
lear
ly e
xpre
ssed
and
w
ell-a
rgue
d.
B
The
res
pons
e
�su
ppor
ts th
e po
et�s
vie
w o
f N
ed K
elly
bei
ng a
�thu
g an
d a
com
mon
cri
min
al�
�re
cogn
ises
an
unde
rlyi
ng
mea
ning
�is
supp
orte
d w
ith e
vide
nce
from
the
poem
.
D
The
res
pons
e
�su
ppor
ts th
e po
et�s
vie
w o
f N
ed K
elly
bei
ng a
�thu
g an
d a
com
mon
cri
min
al�
�re
fers
to a
n ap
prop
riat
e el
emen
t of t
he p
oem
to
supp
ort t
his i
nter
pret
atio
n.
The
res
pons
e
�pr
opos
es th
at th
e poe
t�s vi
ew
was
that
Ned
Kel
ly w
as
�fig
htin
g fo
r fr
eedo
m
agai
nst a
n op
pres
sive
es
tabl
ishm
ent�
�
uses
an ap
prop
riat
e exa
mpl
e fr
om th
e po
em to
supp
ort
this
pro
posi
tion.
OR
E
The
res
pons
e
�pr
esen
ts a
n al
tern
ativ
e op
inio
n of
Ned
Kel
ly�
draw
s on
aspe
cts o
f the
po
em to
supp
ort t
his
opin
ion.
Mod
el R
espo
nse:
In th
e poe
m �R
etri
al�,
the
poet
is tr
eatin
g th
e vi
ew o
f Ned
Kel
ly
as a
cha
mpi
on o
f the
peo
ple
sarc
astic
ally
. If t
aken
at f
ace
valu
e, y
ou w
ould
thin
k th
e po
et b
elie
ves K
elly
to h
ave
been
ba
dly
trea
ted.
For
exam
ple,
the p
oet s
ays K
elly
was
�too
tend
er
for
the
hars
h V
icto
rian
stat
e�. B
ut K
elly
was
a to
ugh
bush
rang
er a
nd a
cri
min
al a
nd th
e V
icto
rian
stat
e w
as so
ft
beca
use
they
cou
ldn�
t cat
ch K
elly
so th
is is
iron
ic. T
he se
cond
an
d th
ird
stan
zas o
f the
poe
m su
gges
t Kel
ly w
as st
oppe
d by
the
esta
blis
hmen
t fro
m le
gitim
ate
jobs
such
as b
anke
r, st
ock-
and-
stat
ion
deal
er a
nd a
rmam
ents
pro
duce
r. B
ut th
is is
not
mea
nt
to b
e ta
ken
seri
ousl
y as
Kel
ly�s
�job
s� w
ere
bank
rob
bing
and
ca
ttle
stea
ling
and
he w
ore
arm
our
to p
rote
ct h
imse
lf in
a g
un
batt
le w
ith p
olic
e. U
ltim
atel
y, th
e po
et b
elie
ves K
elly
to b
e a
thug
and
a c
omm
on c
rim
inal
.
Las
t Pag
e C
ount
| Retrospective 2012 QCS Test
Queensland Studies Authority | 49
Unit Seven
The items of this unit are about pirate crews and how they divided up their loot, the value of the Australian dollar, and the price of gold over time.
The following table shows the percentage of responses awarded the various grades for the items in this unit.
Item 12
Model response
CommentaryItem 12 is a three-star item that tested achievement in CCEs 16 Calculating with or without calculators and 52 Searching and locating � information.
This item required students to find the number of gold moidores given to each ordinary pirate as their share of a 40 000 moidore prize that the pirates seized from a ship. This was based on the information given in the introduction defining how prizes were shared.
An A-grade response needed to articulate a clear and appropriate process to calculate the total number of shares allocated to all crew members (375) and
working to give the correct number of moidores (after rounding down) given to each ordinary pirate (106). The key to this problem was to convert people (captains, quarter-masters, etc.) to share-lots so that the value of one share of the prize (an ordinary pirate�s share) could be calculated.
At times an appropriate method was devised but simple errors were made, such as not following the second cue (round down to the nearest whole coin) or writing one and a quarter as one point four. Another problem that was evident was that some responses lacked clarity when outlining steps and this caused vital information to be omitted which then led to an incorrect answer.
If trial and error is used as a method that could lead to a solution, particular attention must be paid to providing enough detail for the process to be followed and justification for the result.
A B C D E N O
Item 12 15.2 6.2 16.4 21.2 34.4 6.7
Item 13 23.6 28.8 13.9 8.5 16.7 8.6
Item 14 3.5 15.6 12.6 11.7 13.3 24.4 18.9
A shaded box indicates that the grade was not available for that item.
Assume there were 16 ‘other officers’ on board. How many gold moidores were given to each
ordinary pirate on the Rover?
..........................................................................................
..........................................................................................
..........................................................................................
............................................................................................................
Show all steps.
Round your
calculation down
to the nearest
whole coin.
Number of ordinary pirates = 368 – (1 +1 +1 +1 + 6) = 3481
Number of shares = 2 + 2 +1.5 +1.5 +16 x 1.25 + 348 = 375 shares
One share of prize = 40 000 ÷ 375 = 106.66
Rounds down to 106 gold moidores given to each ordinary pirate.
A B C N O
100%
D
50
UN
IT S
EVEN
ITEM
12
Mar
king
Sch
eme
Mar
king
Uni
t 7 1
of 4
PER
FOR
MA
NC
E D
OM
AIN
N
Res
pons
e is
un
inte
lligi
ble
or d
oes n
ot
satis
fy th
e re
quir
emen
ts
for
any
othe
r gr
ade.
O
No
resp
onse
ha
s bee
n m
ade
at a
ny ti
me.
16C
alcu
latin
g w
ith o
r w
ithou
t cal
cula
tors
52Se
arch
ing
and
loca
ting
� in
form
atio
n
C
The
res
pons
e sh
ows
�34
8 (o
r w
orki
ng th
at w
ould
lead
to
348)
ord
inar
y pi
rate
s�
27 (o
r w
orki
ng w
hich
indi
cate
s tha
t th
ere
are
27) s
hare
s for
the
offic
ers.
The
res
pons
e sh
ows 3
75 (o
r w
orki
ng
that
wou
ld le
ad to
375
) sha
res.
The
res
pons
e sh
ows
�a
proc
ess t
hat i
s app
ropr
iate
�w
orki
ng to
find
a n
umbe
r of
shar
es�
wor
king
to fi
nd th
e nu
mbe
r of
gol
d m
oido
res g
iven
to e
ach
ordi
nary
pi
rate
.
OR
OR
A
The
res
pons
e sh
ows
�a
proc
ess t
hat i
s cle
ar a
nd
appr
opri
ate
�w
orki
ng w
hich
lead
s to
375
shar
es�
wor
king
whi
ch le
ads t
o 10
6 as
the
num
ber
of g
old
moi
dore
s giv
en to
ea
ch o
rdin
ary
pira
te.
No
inco
rrec
t wor
king
is sh
own
in th
e st
eps w
hich
lead
to th
e nu
mbe
r of
gol
d m
oido
res g
iven
to e
ach
ordi
nary
pir
ate.
B
The
res
pons
e sh
ows
�a
proc
ess t
hat i
s cle
ar a
nd
appr
opri
ate
�w
orki
ng w
ith a
t mos
t one
obs
erva
ble
mec
hani
cal e
rror
�
a co
nseq
uent
ially
cor
rect
num
ber
of
gold
moi
dore
s for
eac
h or
dina
ry
pira
te.
The
resp
onse
show
s 106
as t
he n
umbe
r of
gol
d m
oido
res g
iven
to ea
ch o
rdin
ary
pira
te.
No
inco
rrec
t wor
king
is u
sed
in th
e st
eps w
hich
lead
to th
e an
swer
.
OR
D
The
res
pons
e sh
ows 3
48 (o
r w
orki
ng
that
wou
ld le
ad to
348
) ord
inar
y pi
rate
s.
The
res
pons
e sh
ows 2
7 (o
r w
orki
ng
whi
ch in
dica
tes t
hat t
here
are
27)
sh
ares
for
the
offic
ers.
The
res
pons
e ha
s wor
king
that
show
s 40
000
divi
ded
corr
ectly
by
a ca
lcul
ated
nu
mbe
r of s
hare
s as t
he n
umbe
r of g
old
moi
dore
s giv
en to
each
ord
inar
y pi
rate
.
OR
OR
Not
es:
1.M
echa
nica
l err
ors i
nclu
de:
� n
ot r
ound
ing
106.
66�
rou
ndin
g 10
6.66
to 1
07
� a
tran
scri
ptio
n er
ror
� a
n ar
ithm
etic
err
or.
2.A
con
sequ
entia
lly c
orre
ct n
umbe
r of
gol
d m
oido
res
for
each
ord
inar
y pi
rate
doe
s not
hav
e to
be
roun
ded.
Mod
el R
espo
nse:
Num
ber
of o
rdin
ary
pira
tes =
368
� (1
+1+1
+1+1
6) =
348
Num
ber
of sh
ares
= 2
+2+1
.5+1
.5+1
6x1.
25+3
48 =
375
shar
esO
ne sh
are
of p
rize
= 4
0000
÷ 3
75 =
106
.66
Rou
nds d
own
to 1
06 g
old
moi
dore
s giv
en to
eac
h or
dina
ry p
irat
e.
| Retrospective 2012 QCS Test
Item 13
Model response
CommentaryItem 13 is a three-star item that tested achievement in CCE 16 Calculating with or without calculators and 7 Translating from one form to another.
This item required students to determine how long it would have taken a typical British merchant sailor to earn 151 moidores. The stem provided the necessary conversion information to calculate this. The first cue instructed students to show all steps and the second required that their answer be given in years and months.
An A-grade response needed to detail clearly the conversions used to determine that it would take 95 months to earn 151 moidores. This time was then required to be converted to 7 years and 11 months.
Many students chose a problem-solving strategy based on trial and error to arrive at an answer. As well as taking a disproportionate amount of time, this method is often cumbersome when attempting to convey that a clear, logical process has been used. Students should be cautioned that if they use this strategy, they need to give details of the underlying processes used and not simply leap to an answer (which may be correct) without showing the necessary corroborating and supporting steps.
Some responses misused simple conversions involving time, incorrectly translating 7.9 years to 7 years and 9 months.
Items involving time require students to be familiar with �non-decimal� conversions such as converting 14.7 years to years and months or 5.8 minutes to minutes and seconds, etc.
A typical British merchant sailor of this era was paid 2 pounds and 3 shillings per month. A
pound was worth 20 shillings and a Portuguese gold moidore was worth 27 shillings. When a
pirate crew shared out a particular prize, each pirate received 151 moidores.
How long would it have taken a typical British merchant sailor to have earned 151 moidores?
.......................................................................................
.......................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
Show all steps.
Give your answer in
years and months.
Value of share = 151 x 27 = 4077 shillings
Pay per month = 2 pounds 3 shillings = 43 shillings
Time taken to earn equivalent = 4077 ÷ 43 95 months = 7 years 11 months»
A B C N O
100%
D
Queensland Studies Authority | 51
52
PER
FOR
MA
NC
E D
OM
AIN
Mar
king
Sch
eme
Mar
king
Uni
t 7 2
of 4
UN
IT S
EVEN
ITEM
13
N
Res
pons
e is
un
inte
lligi
ble
or d
oes n
ot
satis
fy th
e re
quir
emen
ts
for
any
othe
r gr
ade.
O
No
resp
onse
ha
s bee
n m
ade
at a
ny ti
me.
16C
alcu
latin
g w
ith o
r w
ithou
t cal
cula
tors
7Tr
ansl
atin
g fr
om o
ne fo
rm to
ano
ther
C
The
res
pons
e sh
ows
�a
proc
ess t
hat i
s app
ropr
iate
�w
orki
ng th
at d
eter
min
es a
tim
e ta
ken
allo
win
g fo
r at
mos
t tw
o ob
serv
able
mis
take
s.
The
res
pons
e sh
ows t
he c
orre
ct ti
me
give
n in
mon
ths o
r ye
ars.
No
inco
rrec
t wor
king
is u
sed
in th
e st
eps w
hich
lead
to th
e an
swer
.
OR
A
The
res
pons
e sh
ows
�a
proc
ess t
hat i
s cle
ar a
nd
appr
opri
ate
�w
orki
ng to
det
erm
ine
the
time
take
n�
the
corr
ect t
ime
give
n in
yea
rs a
nd
mon
ths.
No
inco
rrec
t wor
king
is u
sed
in th
e st
eps w
hich
lead
to th
e an
swer
.
B
The
res
pons
e sh
ows
�a
proc
ess t
hat i
s cle
ar a
nd
appr
opri
ate
�w
orki
ng th
at d
eter
min
es a
tim
e ta
ken
allo
win
g fo
r at
mos
t one
ob
serv
able
mis
take
.
The
res
pons
e sh
ows t
he c
orre
ct ti
me
give
n in
yea
rs a
nd m
onth
s.
No
inco
rrec
t wor
king
is u
sed
in th
e st
eps w
hich
lead
to th
e an
swer
.
OR
D
The
res
pons
e sh
ows t
wo
of th
e co
nver
sion
s (do
ne co
rrec
tly) t
hat c
ould
be
use
d to
det
erm
ine
the
time
take
n.
Not
es:
1.T
he m
onth
s in
the
time
take
n ca
n be
cor
rect
ly r
ound
ed w
hole
mon
ths o
r co
rrec
tly r
ound
ed o
r tr
unca
ted
mon
ths w
ith a
de
cim
al c
ompo
nent
, e.g
.�
the
corr
ect t
ime
in y
ears
and
mon
ths c
ould
be
7 ye
ars 1
1 m
onth
s or
7 ye
ars 1
0.8
mon
ths
� th
e co
rrec
t tim
e in
mon
ths c
ould
be
95 m
onth
s or
94.8
mon
ths.
2.A
mis
take
ref
erre
d to
in th
e de
scri
ptor
s can
be:
� a
con
vers
ion
erro
r �
a tr
ansc
ript
ion
erro
r �
a c
alcu
latio
n er
ror
� a
rou
ndin
g er
ror
� in
appr
opri
ate
roun
ding
or
trun
catin
g, i.
e. g
ivin
g an
ans
wer
diff
eren
t fro
m th
e co
rrec
t or
cons
eque
ntia
lly c
orre
ct a
nsw
er�
faili
ng to
follo
w th
e se
cond
cue
, i.e
. not
con
vert
ing
mon
ths o
r ye
ars i
nto
year
s and
mon
ths.
3.T
he c
onve
rsio
ns th
at c
ould
be
used
to d
eter
min
e th
e tim
e ta
ken
incl
ude,
but
are
not
lim
ited
to:
� p
ound
s to
shill
ings
, e.g
. mer
chan
t sai
lors
ear
n 2
poun
ds 3
shill
ings
= (2
x 2
0) +
3 =
43
shill
ings
per
mon
th�
moi
dore
s to
shill
ings
, e.g
. 151
x 2
7 =
4077
shill
ings
� sh
illin
gs to
moi
dore
s, e.
g. m
erch
ant s
ailo
rs e
arn
43 ÷
27
= 1.
592
moi
dore
s per
mon
th�
shill
ings
to p
ound
s, e.
g. m
erch
ant s
ailo
rs e
arn
2 +
(3 ÷
20)
= 2
.15
poun
ds p
er m
onth
� m
onth
s to
year
s, e.
g. m
erch
ant s
ailo
rs e
arn
43 x
12
= 51
6 sh
illin
gs p
er y
ear,
1.59
2 x
12 =
19.
1 m
oido
res p
er y
ear
� m
onth
s int
o ye
ars a
nd m
onth
s, e.
g. 3
7 m
onth
s = 3
yea
rs 1
mon
th.
Mod
el R
espo
nses
:1.
Valu
e of
shar
e =
151
x 27
= 4
077
shill
ings
Pay
per
mon
th =
2 p
ound
s 3 sh
illin
gs =
43
shill
ings
Tim
e ta
ken
to e
arn
equi
vale
nt =
407
7 ÷
43
95
mon
ths =
7 y
ears
11
mon
ths
2.Sa
ilors
ear
n 43
shill
ings
per
mon
th.
Sailo
rs p
ay in
moi
dore
s 43
÷ 27
= 1
.593
moi
dore
s per
mon
thTi
me
take
n to
ear
n eq
uiva
lent
= 1
51 ÷
1.5
93 =
94.
79 m
onth
s =
94.7
9 ÷
12 =
7.9
yea
rs =
7 y
ears
10.
8 m
onth
s
| Retrospective 2012 QCS Test
Item 14
Model response
I. On the chart on the opposite page, use pencil to draw lines that capture the fluctuations
over the two days. Mark in any relevant values.
100
95
90
85
80
75
70
65
400
500
600
700
800
900
1000
1100
Price of 1 troy ounceof gold in $US
Value of 1$Ain US cents
Intrinsic value of1 doubloon in $A
350
360
370
340
330
320
310
300
290
280
270
260
250
240
230
220
210
200
190
180
170
160
150
140
130
120
110
100
920
74910
72275
Queensland Studies Authority | 53
54
CommentaryItem 14 is a three-star item that tested achievement in CCEs 6 Interpreting the meaning of � graphs, 57 Manipulating/operating/using equipment, 43 Analysing and 26 Explaining to others.
This item required students to draw lines on a chart to capture information about the fluctuations of the gold price, the value of the Australian dollar and the intrinsic value of a collector�s twelve Spanish gold doubloons. They also had to discuss how the price of gold and the value of the Australian dollar fluctuated and how this affected the intrinsic value of the collector�s twelve doubloons. The
stimulus provided an example of a line drawn for given values of the price of gold and the value of the Australian dollar. It also indicated how the intrinsic value of the doubloon for that day could be read from the chart. This line and the information it could provide was given as a model for students to follow. Any examples or models given in an item are intended to help guide a correct response.
An A-grade response needed to accurately draw the two lines with at least three relevant values shown. It also needed to relate the fall in the price of gold and the fall in the Australian dollar to the rise of the intrinsic value of the coins and give the total intrinsic value of the twelve coins on both days. Relevant values had to be evident in the discussion.
Lack of precision when drawing lines or neglecting to show numbers on the chart (as the stem indicated must be done) were problems that could have been avoided with more care. Some responses did not specifically discuss how the price of gold and the value of the Australian dollar fluctuated and how this affected the intrinsic value of the doubloons as required in the stem.
Students should be aware that a stem says precisely what the given task is and should be reread after completing the response to be sure every part has been attended to.
Students should come to the test with appropriate equipment including sharp pencils and a reliable ruler.
II. Discuss how the price of gold and the value of the Australian dollar fluctuated and how
this affected the intrinsic value of a doubloon. Include the intrinsic value of the collector’s
twelve doubloons on each of the days in your discussion.
.........................................................................................
.........................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
Be sure to
explain what
your lines and
values show.
The line for the first day shows that the initial value of $A1 is 74 US cents.
This drops to 72 US cents overnight and the gold price dips to $US910 and
the line that connects these shows that there is a rise in the intrinsic value
to around $A275 for each doubloon.
This will result in the gold being worth 12 x $A275 = $A3300
instead of 12 x $A270 = $A3240.
A B C D N O
100%
E
| Retrospective 2012 QCS Test
UN
IT S
EVEN
ITEM
14
PER
FOR
MA
NC
E D
OM
AIN
Mar
king
Sch
eme
Mar
king
Uni
t 7 3
of 4
N
Res
pons
e is
un
inte
lligi
ble
or d
oes n
ot
satis
fy th
e re
quir
emen
ts
for
any
othe
r gr
ade.
O
No
resp
onse
ha
s bee
n m
ade
at a
ny ti
me.
6In
terp
retin
g th
e m
eani
ng o
f � g
raph
s57
Man
ipul
atin
g/op
erat
ing/
usin
g eq
uipm
ent
43A
naly
sing
26E
xpla
inin
g to
oth
ers
C
The
res
pons
e
�ha
s tw
o lin
es, o
ne o
f whi
ch is
re
ason
ably
dra
wn
�re
late
s the
fall
in th
e pri
ce o
f go
ld a
nd th
e fa
ll in
the
Aus
tral
ian
dolla
r to
the
chan
ge in
the i
ntri
nsic
val
ue
of th
e co
ins
�gi
ves a
cha
nge
in in
trin
sic
valu
e of
the
coin
s con
sist
ent
with
the
char
t.
The
res
pons
e
�ha
s tw
o re
ason
ably
dra
wn
lines
�gi
ves t
he r
ise
in in
trin
sic
valu
e of
the
coin
s con
sist
ent
with
the
char
t.
The
res
pons
e ha
s
�tw
o ac
cura
tely
dra
wn
lines
�
thre
e re
leva
nt v
alue
s ev
iden
t.
OR
OR
A
The
res
pons
e
�ha
s tw
o ac
cura
tely
dra
wn
lines
with
thre
e re
leva
nt
valu
es m
arke
d (w
ith
num
bers
) on
the
char
t�
rela
tes t
he fa
ll in
the p
rice
of
gold
and
the
fall
in th
e A
ustr
alia
n do
llar
to th
e ri
se
in th
e in
trin
sic
valu
e of
the
coin
s�
give
s the
intr
insi
c va
lue
risi
ng fr
om $
3240
to a
bout
$3
300
�ha
s all
rele
vant
val
ues
evid
ent.
B
The
res
pons
e
�ha
s one
acc
urat
ely
draw
n lin
e an
d on
e re
ason
ably
dr
awn
line
�re
late
s the
fall
in th
e pri
ce o
f go
ld a
nd th
e fa
ll in
the
Aus
tral
ian
dolla
r to
the
rise
in
the
intr
insi
c va
lue
of th
e co
ins
�gi
ves t
he r
ise
in in
trin
sic
valu
e of
the
coin
s con
sist
ent
with
the
char
t.
The
res
pons
e
�ha
s tw
o ac
cura
tely
dra
wn
lines
with
thre
e re
leva
nt
valu
es m
arke
d (w
ith
num
bers
) on
the
char
t�
give
s the
intr
insi
c va
lue
risi
ng fr
om $
3240
to a
bout
$3
300
�ha
s all
rele
vant
val
ues
evid
ent.
OR
D
The
res
pons
e
�ha
s tw
o lin
es, o
ne o
f whi
ch is
re
ason
ably
dra
wn
�gi
ves a
cha
nge
in in
trin
sic
valu
e of
the
coin
s con
sist
ent
with
the
char
t.
The
res
pons
e ha
s tw
o re
ason
ably
dra
wn
lines
.
The
res
pons
e
�ha
s a li
ne fo
r D
ay 2
thro
ugh
a po
int w
hich
is 2
US
cent
s le
ss (u
p th
e $A
1 sc
ale)
than
th
e lin
e fo
r D
ay 1
inte
rcep
t�
give
s an
intr
insi
c va
lue
of
the c
oins
on
Day
2 co
nsis
tent
w
ith th
e ch
art.
OR
OR
E
The
res
pons
e ha
s one
re
ason
ably
dra
wn
line.
The
res
pons
e ha
s
�th
e pr
ice
of g
old
is $
US9
10
per
ounc
e on
Day
2�
the
intr
insi
c va
lue
of $
3240
fo
r th
e tw
elve
coi
ns o
n D
ay 1
.
The
res
pons
e ha
s a li
ne fo
r D
ay 2
thro
ugh
a po
int w
hich
is
2 U
S ce
nts l
ess (
up th
e $A
1 sc
ale)
from
the
line
for
Day
1
inte
rcep
t.
The
resp
onse
giv
es a
chan
ge in
in
trin
sic
valu
e of
the
coin
s co
nsis
tent
with
the
char
t.
OR
OR
OR
Queensland Studies Authority | 55
56
Mar
king
Sch
eme
Mar
king
Uni
t 7 4
of 4
UN
IT S
EVEN
ITEM
14
Not
es:
1.T
he p
oint
s for
the
line
for
Day
1 a
re 9
20 o
n th
e pr
ice
of g
old
scal
e an
d 27
0 on
the
valu
e of
1
doub
loon
scal
e.
2.T
he p
oint
s for
the
line
for
Day
2 a
re 9
10 o
n th
e pr
ice
of g
old
scal
e an
d 2
US
cent
s les
s (up
th
e sc
ale)
than
the
line
for
Day
1 in
terc
ept o
n th
e va
lue
of $
A1
scal
e.
3.A
n �a
ccur
atel
y dr
awn�
line
is a
sing
le st
raig
ht li
ne th
at a
ppea
rs to
be
draw
n w
ith a
rul
er
and
it go
es th
roug
h th
e po
ints
spec
ified
for
that
line
and
join
s the
two
outs
ide
scal
es.
4.Fo
r a
line
to g
o th
roug
h a
poin
t the
re sh
ould
be
no sp
ace
visi
ble
betw
een
the
dot
repr
esen
ting
the
poin
t and
the
draw
n lin
e.
5.A
�rea
sona
bly
draw
n� li
ne g
oes c
lose
to th
e po
ints
spec
ified
for
that
line
and
join
s the
two
outs
ide
scal
es.
6.R
elev
ant v
alue
s for
the
lines
that
are
to b
e m
arke
d on
the
char
t are
:�
for
the l
ine
for
Day
1, t
he p
rice
of g
old
$US9
20, t
he in
terc
ept w
ith th
e va
lue
of $
A1
line
(app
roxi
mat
ely
74)
� fo
r th
e lin
e fo
r D
ay 2
, the
pri
ce o
f gol
d $U
S910
, the
val
ue o
f $A
1 (a
ppro
xim
atel
y 72
) an
d th
e in
terc
ept w
ith th
e in
trin
sic
valu
e lin
e (a
ppro
xim
atel
y 27
5).
7.Fo
r gr
ades
oth
er th
an A
-gra
de th
e ri
se o
r ch
ange
in in
trin
sic
valu
e of
the
coin
s can
be
give
n by
spec
ifyin
g:
� th
e va
lue
of e
ach
coin
on
Day
2 e
.g. $
275
� th
e va
lue
of th
e co
llect
or�s
12
coin
s on
Day
2 e
.g. $
3300
�
the
diff
eren
ce in
val
ue b
etw
een
Day
1 a
nd D
ay 2
and
a d
irec
tion,
e.g
. $5
incr
ease
.
8.W
here
ther
e ar
e m
ore
than
two
lines
dra
wn
on th
e ch
art:
� If
it is
cle
ar fr
om th
e di
scus
sion
whi
ch tw
o lin
es a
re b
eing
use
d th
en m
ark
thes
e lin
es.
Thi
s cou
ld in
clud
e th
e us
e of
labe
ls, r
elev
ant v
alue
s or
a le
gend
.�
If it
is u
ncle
ar w
hich
line
s are
use
d th
en m
ark
the b
est t
wo
lines
and
app
ly a
one
-gra
de
pena
lty.
9.T
he g
iven
blu
e lin
e ca
nnot
be
used
as a
line
for
Day
1 o
r D
ay 2
.
Mod
el R
espo
nse:
The
line
for
the
first
day
show
s tha
t the
initi
al v
alue
of $
A1
is 7
4 U
S ce
nts.
Thi
s dro
ps to
72
US
cent
s ove
rnig
ht a
nd th
e go
ld p
rice
dip
s to
$US9
10 a
nd th
e lin
e th
at c
onne
cts
thes
e sh
ows t
hat t
here
is a
ris
e in
the
intr
insi
c va
lue
to a
roun
d $A
275
for
each
dou
bloo
n.T
his w
ill r
esul
t in
the
gold
bei
ng w
orth
12
x $
A27
5 =
$A33
00 in
stea
d of
12
x $
A27
0 =
$A32
40.
90
85
80
75
70
65
60
0
70
0
80
0
90
0
10
00
110
0
Price o
f 1 tro
y o
unce
of gold
in $
US
Valu
e o
f1
$A
in U
S c
ents
Intr
insic
valu
e o
f1 d
oublo
on in
$A
35
0
36
0
37
0
34
0
33
0
32
0
31
0
30
0
29
0
28
0
27
0
26
0
25
0
24
0
23
0
22
0
21
0
20
0
19
0
18
0
17
0
16
0
15
0
14
0
92
0
74
910
72
275
Las
t Pag
e C
ount
| Retrospective 2012 QCS Test
Unit Eight
The items of this unit are based on two prose passages. In one, a writer ponders on physical things and in the other a different writer reflects on an e-gift he received.
The following table shows the percentage of responses awarded the various grades for the items in this unit.
Item 15
Model response
CommentaryItem 15 is a two-star item that tested achievement in CCE 4 Interpreting the meaning of words � and 28 Empathising.
This item required students to describe the writer�s attitude toward his smartphone, as conveyed in the first paragraph of the given passage. The cue directed students not to merely quote from the text.
To achieve an A-grade, responses had to capture the author�s attitude to his smartphone by explaining an advantage and a drawback and to indicate the writer�s preference for �old formats�.
Some students failed to recognise the author�s mixed views about his phone. These students relied solely on the opening statement, �I love my smartphone� to respond and failed to acknowledge the deficiencies of the smartphone as alluded to later in the paragraph.
Cues provide essential and additional instruction/s on how to respond to the task outlined in the stem but despite a cue requiring more than simply quoting from the text, the advantage or drawback proffered by some responses were simply words from the text, e.g. it �holds things� (usefulness); �there is no musty smell� (appeal to the senses); �can be deleted with a tap� (impermanence). Unless a quotation was accompanied with some added detail or some synonym for the quality, a creditable grade could not be awarded.
A B C D E N O
Item 15 19.6 23 21.4 33.2 2.8
Item 16 18.8 36.3 19.9 10 8.3 6.8
Item 17 16 14 24.1 18.2 5.2 8.7 13.8
A shaded box indicates that the grade was not available for that item.
Describe the writer’s attitude toward his smartphone, as conveyed in the first paragraph.
...........................................................................................
...........................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
Do not simply
quote from
the text.
In the first paragraph, the writer’s attitude towards his smartphone is that
it is a limitless storage container that stores information; however, it
cannot be compared with the joy of reading information from books. Reading
a book provides textures and feelings that a smartphone cannot provide.
A B C N O
100%
Queensland Studies Authority | 57
58
PER
FOR
MA
NC
E D
OM
AIN
Mar
king
Sch
eme
Mar
king
Uni
t 8 1
of 3
UN
IT E
IGH
TIT
EM 1
5
N
Res
pons
e is
un
inte
lligi
ble
or d
oes n
ot
satis
fy th
e re
quir
emen
ts
for
any
othe
r gr
ade.
O
No
resp
onse
ha
s bee
n m
ade
at a
ny ti
me.
4In
terp
retin
g th
e m
eani
ng o
f wor
ds �
28
Em
path
isin
g
C
The
res
pons
e re
cogn
ises
the
wri
ter�
s mix
ed v
iew
s ab
out h
is sm
artp
hone
.
The
res
pons
e is
not
inco
nsis
tent
with
Pas
sage
1.
A
The
res
pons
e
�in
dica
tes t
he w
rite
r�s p
refe
renc
e for
�old
form
ats�
as
expr
esse
d in
the
first
par
agra
ph o
f Pas
sage
1�
capt
ures
his
att
itude
to h
is sm
artp
hone
by
� e
xpla
inin
g an
adv
anta
ge
and
� e
xpla
inin
g a
draw
back
.
B
The
res
pons
e
�in
dica
tes t
he w
rite
r�s p
refe
renc
e for
�old
form
ats�
as
expr
esse
d in
the
first
par
agra
ph o
f Pas
sage
1�
capt
ures
his
att
itude
to h
is sm
artp
hone
by
� e
xpla
inin
g a
draw
back
.
Not
es:
1.A
n ad
vant
age
of th
e sm
artp
hone
ref
ers t
o its
use
fuln
ess,
acce
ssib
ility
, fun
ctio
nalit
y or
stor
age
capa
bilit
y.
2.T
he d
raw
back
of t
he sm
artp
hone
ref
ers t
o its
lack
of a
ppea
l to
the
sens
es o
r co
nnec
tion
to th
e pa
st o
r pe
rman
ence
or
emot
iona
l/sen
timen
tal a
ppea
l.
3.To
�exp
lain
� stu
dent
s mus
t use
thei
r ow
n w
ords
. Exa
mpl
es:
� in
exp
lain
ing
an a
dvan
tage
of t
he sm
artp
hone
a st
uden
t cou
ld w
rite
, �H
e lik
es h
is sm
artp
hone
bec
ause
it�s
use
ful f
or st
orin
g th
ings
.� If
a st
uden
t wri
tes,
�he
likes
his
smar
tpho
ne b
ecau
se it
hol
ds th
ings
� an
d do
esn�
t ela
bora
te, t
hen
a st
uden
t is s
impl
y qu
otin
g fr
om th
e fir
st p
arag
raph
. Thi
s is n
ot �e
xpla
inin
g�.
� in
exp
lain
ing
a dr
awba
ck o
f the
smar
tpho
ne a
stud
ent c
ould
wri
te, �
he p
refe
rs b
ooks
bec
ause
they
hav
e a
conn
ectio
n to
pas
t hap
peni
ngs.�
If a
stud
ent w
rite
s, �H
e pr
efer
s boo
ks b
ecau
se th
ey o
oze
hist
oric
al
sign
ifica
nce�
then
a st
uden
t is s
impl
y qu
otin
g fr
om th
e fir
st p
arag
raph
. Thi
s is n
ot �e
xpla
inin
g�.
4.T
he e
xpla
natio
ns o
f adv
anta
ges a
nd d
raw
back
s can
onl
y be
cre
dite
d if
they
are
take
n fr
om p
arag
raph
1.
Mod
el R
espo
nse:
In th
e fir
st p
arag
raph
, the
wri
ter�
s att
itude
tow
ards
his
smar
tpho
ne is
that
it is
a li
mitl
ess s
tora
ge c
onta
iner
that
stor
es in
form
atio
n; h
owev
er, i
t can
not b
e co
mpa
red
with
the
joy
of r
eadi
ng in
form
atio
n fr
om
book
s. R
eadi
ng a
boo
k pr
ovid
es te
xtur
es a
nd fe
elin
gs th
at a
smar
tpho
ne c
anno
t pro
vide
.
| Retrospective 2012 QCS Test
Item 16
Model response
CommentaryItem 16 is a three-star item that tested achievement in CCEs 45 Judging, 31 Interrelating ideas/themes/issues and 29 Comparing, contrasting.
This item required students to evaluate the effectiveness of the comparison the writer makes between his old paperback book to a tattoo. The cue indicated that students were to refer to similarities and/or differences.
An A-grade response needed to explain how a similarity or a difference (paperback�tattoo) highlighted the importance of the book to the writer and to
identify another similarity or difference between the book and the tattoo. The response when read as a whole needed to convey an evaluation of the effectiveness of the comparison.
Many students managed to explain similarities between the book and the tattoo which allowed them to highlight the importance of the book to the writer of Passage 1. Students who explained differences between the tattoo and the book found it slightly more difficult to establish the importance of the book to the writer. When conveying the effectiveness of the comparison, students were able to do this explicitly by stating, �The comparison is effective because � � However, a significant number of students conveyed the effectiveness implicitly by explaining how or why the comparison was effective in the body of their response. Sophisticated responses were notable in their ability to achieve this. A number of responses showed ambivalence about the effectiveness of the comparison and were able to argue the case and still meet the requirements of the A grade.
By identifying and acting on the key words in a stem, students have a better chance of responding well. In this item it was important that students had a thorough understanding of the opinions expressed by the writer of Passage 1. The second paragraph in particular provided a number of ideas such as �having memories stored�, �prized possessions� and �connection to a point in his life� which were useful in explaining the similarities and highlighting the importance of the book to the author.
In line 17, the writer likens his old paperback book to a tattoo.
Evaluate the effectiveness of this comparison in terms of what the writer is saying in the
passage.
...........................................................................................
...........................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
Refer to
similarities
and/or
differences.
This comparison is effective as it draws similarities between the old
paperback book and a tattoo. Like a tattoo, the paperback signifies an
important emotion or event in the writer’s life. It symbolises a connection to a certain
point in his life — the same as a tattoo would. Like a tattoo, the memories inspired by the
paperback book will stay with him forever. Because of this, it becomes a prized possession
to be cherished no matter what becomes of it.
A B C N O
100%
D
Queensland Studies Authority | 59
60
Mar
king
Sch
eme
Mar
king
Uni
t 8 2
of 3
UN
IT E
IGH
TIT
EM 1
6
PER
FOR
MA
NC
E D
OM
AIN
N
Res
pons
e is
un
inte
lligi
ble
or d
oes n
ot
satis
fy th
e re
quir
emen
ts
for
any
othe
r gr
ade.
O
No
resp
onse
ha
s bee
n m
ade
at a
ny ti
me.
45Ju
dgin
g 31
Inte
rrel
atin
g id
eas/
them
es/is
sues
29C
ompa
ring
, con
tras
ting
C
The
res
pons
e
�id
entif
ies a
sim
ilari
ty o
r a
diff
eren
ce
�lin
ks th
at si
mila
rity
or
diffe
renc
e to
th
e im
port
ance
of t
he b
ook
to th
e w
rite
r.
A
The
res
pons
e
�ex
plai
ns h
ow a
sim
ilari
ty o
r a
diff
eren
ce h
ighl
ight
s the
impo
rtan
ce
of th
e bo
ok to
the
wri
ter
AND
�id
entif
ies a
noth
er si
mila
rity
or
diff
eren
ce.
The
res
pons
e co
nvey
s an
eval
uatio
n of
th
e ef
fect
iven
ess o
f the
com
pari
son.
B
The
res
pons
e
�ex
plai
ns h
ow a
sim
ilari
ty o
r a
diff
eren
ce h
ighl
ight
s the
impo
rtan
ce
of th
e bo
ok to
the
wri
ter.
The
resp
onse
giv
es a
n ev
alua
tion
of th
e ef
fect
iven
ess o
f the
com
pari
son.
D
The
res
pons
e
�id
entif
ies a
sim
ilari
ty o
r a
diff
eren
ce.
Not
es:
1.To
�exp
lain
�, st
uden
ts m
ust u
se th
eir
own
wor
ds. �
Iden
tify�
mea
ns m
erel
y qu
otin
g fr
om th
e te
xt w
ithou
t ela
bora
tion.
2.Id
eas d
eriv
ed fr
om th
e pa
ssag
e in
clud
e ha
ving
mem
orie
s sto
red,
spin
e fin
ally
dis
inte
grat
ing,
pri
zed
poss
essi
ons,
conn
ectio
n to
a p
oint
in li
fe, w
hole
thin
g di
ssol
ving
� tr
easu
ring
it, p
rom
inen
tly d
ispl
ayin
g.
Mod
el R
espo
nse:
T
his c
ompa
riso
n is
eff
ectiv
e as
it d
raw
s sim
ilari
ties b
etw
een
the
old
pape
rbac
k bo
ok a
nd a
tatt
oo. L
ike
a ta
ttoo
, the
pap
erba
ck si
gnifi
es a
n im
port
ant e
mot
ion
or e
vent
in th
e w
rite
r�s l
ife. I
t sym
bolis
es a
co
nnec
tion
to a
cer
tain
poi
nt in
his
life
� th
e sa
me
as a
tatt
oo w
ould
. Lik
e a
tatt
oo, t
he m
emor
ies i
nspi
red
by th
e pa
perb
ack
book
will
stay
with
him
fore
ver.
Bec
ause
of t
his,
it be
com
es a
pri
zed
poss
essi
on to
be
cher
ishe
d no
mat
ter
wha
t bec
omes
of i
t.
| Retrospective 2012 QCS Test
Item 17
Model response
CommentaryItem 17 is a four-star item that tested achievement in CCEs 46 Creating/composing/devising, 31 Interrelating ideas/themes/ideas, 33 Reaching a conclusion which is consistent with a given set of assumptions and 28 Empathising.
This item required students to write an argument against the point of view that the writer�s Lonely Otter (e-gift) is just as good as a traditional birthday card or gift. The argument was required to be in keeping with the opinions expressed by the
writer of Passage 1. The cues indicated that students were to give clear reasons to support their argument and to consider both the sender and the recipient when forming their response.
An A-grade response needed to establish the proposition that a physical card or gift is better than a Lonely Otter. It was required to put forward two different sound reasons to support the proposition and be consistent with the opinions of the writer of Passage 1. It needed to convey that the notion of gifting had been considered.
The inclusion of reasons that were not considered sound (not in keeping with the ideas evident in Passage 1) precluded a considerable number of responses being awarded an A grade.
The writer of Passage 2 is of the view that his Lonely Otter is just as good as a traditional
birthday card or gift.
In keeping with the opinions expressed by the writer of Passage 1, write an argument against
this point of view.
...........................................................................................
...........................................................................................
...........................................................................................
...........................................................................................
............................................................................................................
Give clear
reasons to
support your
argument.
Consider both
the sender and
the recipient.
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
Immaterial gifts given online are not as good as physical gifts. The memory of
receiving the lonely otter is entirely dependent on the person. As one ages,
they may use technology less and their memory is sure to fade. By giving
material gifts the memory of the gift and its giver is ‘stored in a physical
medium’. A person may forget about their ‘birthday otter’ online but the presence of a
physical gift in one’s room such as a book or a postcard, is an ongoing reminder. A physical
gift would be better as a person can comprehend the gift with more senses. An online gift is
just registered by the mind, but a material gift can be seen from all directions, its textures
felt and its unique sense identified.
A B C D N O
100%
E
Queensland Studies Authority | 61
62
UN
IT E
IGH
TIT
EM 1
7
PER
FOR
MA
NC
E D
OM
AIN
Mar
king
Sch
eme
Mar
king
Uni
t 8 3
of 3
N
Res
pons
e is
un
inte
lligi
ble
or d
oes n
ot
satis
fy th
e re
quir
emen
ts
for
any
othe
r gr
ade.
O
No
resp
onse
ha
s bee
n m
ade
at a
ny ti
me.
46C
reat
ing/
com
posi
ng/d
evis
ing
31In
terr
elat
ing
idea
s/th
emes
/issu
es
33R
each
ing
a co
nclu
sion
whi
ch is
con
sist
ent w
ith a
giv
en se
t of a
ssum
ptio
ns28
Em
path
isin
g
C
The
res
pons
e
�es
tabl
ishe
s the
pro
posi
tion
that
a p
hysi
cal c
ard
or g
ift is
be
tter
than
a �L
onel
y O
tter
��
puts
forw
ard
ON
E so
und
reas
on to
supp
ort t
he
prop
ositi
on�
is c
onsi
sten
t with
the
opin
ions
of t
he w
rite
r of
Pa
ssag
e 1.
The
not
ion
of g
iftin
g ha
s bee
n co
nsid
ered
.
The
res
pons
e gi
ves T
WO
di
ffer
ent r
easo
ns, o
ne o
f whi
ch
is so
und,
to su
ppor
t the
idea
th
at a
phy
sica
l car
d or
gift
is
bett
er th
an a
�Lon
ely
Ott
er�.
OR
A
The
res
pons
e
�es
tabl
ishe
s the
pro
posi
tion
that
a p
hysi
cal c
ard
or g
ift is
be
tter
than
a �L
onel
y O
tter
��
puts
forw
ard
TW
O d
iffer
ent
soun
d re
ason
s to s
uppo
rt th
e pr
opos
ition
�is
con
sist
ent w
ith th
e op
inio
ns o
f the
wri
ter
of
Pass
age
1.
The
not
ion
of g
iftin
g ha
s bee
n co
nsid
ered
.
B
The
res
pons
e
�es
tabl
ishe
s the
pro
posi
tion
that
a p
hysi
cal c
ard
or g
ift is
be
tter
than
a �L
onel
y O
tter
��
puts
forw
ard
TW
O d
iffer
ent
soun
d re
ason
s to s
uppo
rt th
e pr
opos
ition
�is
gen
eral
ly c
onsi
sten
t with
th
e op
inio
ns o
f the
wri
ter
of
Pass
age
1.
The
not
ion
of g
iftin
g ha
s bee
n co
nsid
ered
.
D
The
res
pons
e gi
ves O
NE
re
ason
to su
ppor
t the
idea
that
a
phys
ical
card
or g
ift is
bet
ter
than
a �L
onel
y O
tter
�.
E
The
res
pons
e at
tem
pts t
o es
tabl
ish
a po
sitio
n ab
out
mat
eria
lism
whi
ch fa
vour
s a
phys
ical
car
d or
gift
.
Not
es:
1.To
�est
ablis
h th
e pr
opos
ition
� mea
ns th
at th
e re
spon
se m
akes
it c
lear
that
a p
hysi
cal b
irth
day
card
or
gift
is b
ette
r. T
his m
ay n
ot a
lway
s be
done
exp
licitl
y.
2.T
he �L
onel
y O
tter
� can
be
the
spec
ific
gift
rece
ived
or
can
repr
esen
t any
imm
ater
ial t
ype
of c
ard
or
gift
.
3.T
he n
otio
n of
giv
ing
and
rece
ivin
g a
gift
or c
ard
(gift
ing)
can
be co
nsid
ered
with
out r
efer
ring
expl
icitl
y to
a se
nder
or
a re
cipi
ent.
4.So
und
reas
ons a
re th
ose
that
are
in k
eepi
ng w
ith th
e id
eas e
vide
nt in
Pas
sage
1 a
nd in
clud
e no
stal
gia,
ap
peal
to se
nses
, tan
gibi
lity/
abili
ty to
hol
d a
phys
ical
obj
ect,
sens
e of
his
tory
, con
nect
ion
with
pas
t, se
ntim
enta
l/em
otio
nal v
alue
, ong
oing
, can
�t be
del
eted
by
a ta
p, d
esir
e fo
r m
emor
ies,
satis
fact
ion,
pr
ized
pos
sess
ion,
poi
nt-in
-life
con
nect
ion,
trea
sure
s it,
prom
inen
t dis
play
, use
ful.
Mod
el R
espo
nse:
Imm
ater
ial g
ifts g
iven
onl
ine
are
not a
s goo
d as
phy
sica
l gift
s. T
he m
emor
y of
rece
ivin
g th
e lo
nely
otte
r is
ent
irel
y de
pend
ent o
n th
e pe
rson
. As o
ne a
ges,
they
may
use
tech
nolo
gy le
ss a
nd th
eir
mem
ory
is su
re to
fa
de. B
y gi
ving
mat
eria
l gift
s the
mem
ory
of th
e gi
ft an
d its
giv
er is
�sto
red
in a
phy
sica
l med
ium
�. A
per
son
may
forg
et a
bout
thei
r �b
irth
day
otte
r� o
nlin
e bu
t the
pre
senc
e of
a p
hysi
cal g
ift in
one
�s ro
om su
ch a
s a
book
or
a po
stca
rd, i
s an
ongo
ing
rem
inde
r. A
phy
sica
l gift
wou
ld b
e be
tter
as a
per
son
can
com
preh
end
the
gift
with
mor
e se
nses
. An
onlin
e gi
ft is
just
reg
iste
red
by th
e m
ind,
but
a m
ater
ial g
ift c
an b
e se
en
from
all
dire
ctio
ns, i
ts te
xtur
es fe
lt an
d its
uni
que
sens
e id
entif
ied.
Las
t Pag
e C
ount
| Retrospective 2012 QCS Test
Writing Task (WT)CommentaryThe Writing Task complements the other subtests by testing students� abilities to produce a piece of continuous English prose about 600 words in length. Students write in response to written and visual stimulus material on an overall concept or theme. Each piece of stimulus material evokes a different aspect of the overall concept. Students respond in any form or style other than poetry to this concept and to as many stimulus pieces as they wish.
This section describes the 2012 testpaper and provides comments on the writing that students produced. The comments are based on an analysis of a statistically significant random sample of student responses. The breakdown of student responses according to stimulus pieces selected and genres of responses is provided.
WT 2012 Overall concept: Getting thereStudents are required to respond to both the overall concept and one or more of the stimulus pieces. The overall concept linking the 13 separate stimulus pieces on the 2012 testpaper is Getting there. The term refers to a deliberate movement towards a place, end point or goal. The focus of the concept can be on the identification of and actual arrival at the end point as much as it is on the process of making one�s way there.
Colloquially, Getting there refers to the physical action of travelling, not aimlessly, but with a specific destination in mind. At a more abstract level, it can represent the process of moving towards and achieving a successful outcome in an endeavour or it can deal with the process of growth and development towards a personal goal in one�s life. It should be possible for students to see a range of applications of the concept. References in the stimulus pieces include the process of establishing and achieving our goals, how we work towards scientific and technical advances, the importance of reducing needless exploitation of resources, the desire to help others along the way towards better times, the significance of the journey, and the joy of arriving.
The most successful responses are those that demonstrate higher achievement in the criteria identified in the marking guide (page 75). The criteria are: Central idea (CI); Vocabulary (V); Responsiveness (R); Grammar, punctuation, spelling (GPS); and Structuring & sequencing (SS); plus Length (L).
Each response is marked by three independent markers. Each marker assigns either four criteria-based standards or three criteria-based standards plus a judgment about Length. Different combinations of judgments are required of the three primary markers (referee marking occurs as required). Markers consider the contribution of each of the criteria they are marking to the holistic worth of the response. On the marksheet they record each of these as a standard (from 1 to 6) with a qualifier (+, 0, �) for each standard and, if required, they indicate the length of the response.
Graphs are included to show the distribution of grades awarded in each of the five substantive criteria. The marking guide is included to show the criteria and standards used to grade responses. Finally, a selection of student responses has been included to exemplify successful writing as defined by the task criteria.
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Diagram of the testpaperThe diagram below represents the 2012 testpaper. The 13 stimulus pieces are numbered for reference. All pieces relate to the overall concept of the testpaper.
Stimulus pieces The following diagram shows the percentage of students who indicated that they selected a particular stimulus piece (or pieces) as the starting point or prompt for their writing. In reality, most students used a combination of two or more stimulus pieces in developing a response to the concept, thus opening up a greater variety of possibilities for their writing than indicated here. For this reason, the percentages shown in this diagram add to more than 100%.
Indication of stimulus pieces as starting point or resource
12
3
4
6
7
5 8 9
11
12
10
13
14% 6%
11%
10%
29% 6% 15% 21%10% 8%
17%
15%
8%
12
3
4
6 758
9
11
12
10
13
| Retrospective 2012 QCS Test
WT commentaryThe following commentary is based on the assumption that students focused on only one stimulus piece as the starting point or source of ideas for their writing. Using a combination of two or more stimulus pieces provided students with a greater variety of possibilities for their writing than those mentioned here.
1 Books
Travel writing and documentaries allow opportunities for readers to learn about other places and other worlds, enjoy vicariously the experiences of others and relive the memories of their own travel. In fiction, the use of a journey can be a strategy to tell a story, develop a character, or explore a theme. A journey can provide a range of locations or minor characters to present challenging situations for a major character. Incidents along the way can present confronting conflicts or new perceptions to the major character and the journey can act as a catalyst for a significant change or realisation or may be the means of taking a character, and perhaps the reader, out of their normal comfort zone. For students, in some cases, �getting there� could mean getting to the end of the book.
This stimulus piece prompted students to consider these aspects of the topic in books or movies that deal with travel. It allowed them to write their own travelogue or travel story. It provided opportunities for reviews of travel books, film documentaries, novels or movies. Some connected their reading experiences with some aspect of their own means of getting there in the process of personal growth and self-discovery.
2 Telegraph wires
This stimulus piece allows students to consider the impact of technology on international communication and relationships. It prompted some to comment on past, current and possible future conflicts in the world, to consider the desire for peace in what seems to be a constantly troubled world and to ask whether peace will ever be achieved.
Responses were mostly expository or persuasive and included feature articles, reports, and political or historical comment.
3 Explorers
Responses to this stimulus piece included factual or imaginary accounts of early settlers and explorers in Australia and their dreams of discovery, expansion, wealth or power. Some students commented on the results of those early explorations and investigations and how they have compared with the dreams. The motel signpost with its vacancies sign prompted some students to draw a comparison between the resting places used by explorers in past times and the kind of accommodation that many of us find as we explore our world today.
This stimulus piece was applied to a wide range and number of investigations including land, sea and space exploration. Some students evaluated the outcomes of previous work or the potential of current and future work in a range of scientific or technical fields. It prompted some to write about the achievements in recent space exploration or about future possibilities.
4 Arrivals
This stimulus piece focused mainly on the arrival aspect of getting there, although the process of getting there is implied by the image of the airport arrivals board. The written text suggests the pleasure one feels on finally reaching one�s destination (or desired result) and finding a welcome (or reward). Inevitably, it suggests the opposite also: that the experience may be one of disappointment. Travellers may look back to the past, to the place and the life they came from with relief or regret, or may look forward with eagerness or apprehension to the future they are now embarking on. They may consider the emotional baggage they bring with them.
This stimulus piece provided students with opportunities for responses that included personal reflections or recounts and analyses of real or imagined experiences of immigrants, visitors and tourists.
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5 Moving out
All students sitting the test are moving from their final year at school to a new and different stage in their lives. Even if they are not leaving home, their future experiences and adventures are still unknown and the potential lies before them for excitement, happiness, trouble or misery. They have decisions to make, as suggested by the stimulus piece: whether to study further; what career to follow; whether and when to leave home; and what to do with their lives. They will all have some ambitions they hope to achieve. The images of people in clothing that represents a range of careers, the passport, and the Learner and Provisional plates should provide specific examples of some of the choices and milestones that face young people. The street sign indicating a traffic roundabout may also prompt them to think about the directions that people do or do not, take in life in their process of getting there.
This piece provides a starting point for short stories, reflections, inspirational speeches and true or fictional accounts of lives past. Many of the responses to this piece were speculative and imaginative. Some students set out the facts about what lies ahead and where they want to be at some time in the future, physically, materially, emotionally or spiritually and how they plan to get there.
6 Tourists
This piece comments on the motives for tourism, a peculiarly human activity, one which has been important to people past and present. It raises the question of the value and purpose of tourism, and questions the pleasure people gain from travelling as tourists. For some, the whole purpose may be to put a notch on the belt to indicate their success in getting there, wherever �there� may be; for others the purpose and the result of tourism may be a deepening of their understanding of people, culture and themselves.
Students wrote travel journals, memoirs, reflections, accounts, descriptions, discussions, arguments or imaginative texts in response to this stimulus piece.
7 Are we there yet?
Most of us have asked this question at some time. The accompanying image of a family car suggests the boredom of a child on a long journey. It may also refer to the stages along the way that mark one�s progress towards an end point, whether that is an actual place or a goal of some kind. The question prompts one to think about the value, personal or otherwise, of a destination or goal and the time it takes to get to the destination or achieve the goal.
The piece prompted a range of forms and texts: imaginative, typically in the form of short stories and anecdotes; expository, as in discussions about the destination; reflective, in journal entries or memoirs.
8 No more turning back
Franz Kafka�s statement holds true for any undertaking that is worth doing and that involves effort, work, hardship, and difficulty. It reminds us that, for some things, we must simply push on until the time comes that there is no longer a choice and then the effort must continue until the end is reached. This quote suggests any number of applications from work and study to sport and other physical activities. Some students applied the words to the process of building and maintaining relationships with others or shaping one�s own character and personality. Below the main sign is another, pointing the way to a rehabilitation clinic, a place for those who need to recover from an event or habit and return to good health and wellbeing. The piece clearly refers to the process of getting there and to the end goal.
Responses to this stimulus piece included stories and drama scripts, persuasive speeches, expository media texts, and reflective journal entries.
9 Our way
This statement from Geraldine Brooks� Boyer lecture 2011 comments on the importance of helping others, and evokes thoughts of mateship and collegiality. The image of the child being supported by adult hands shows the nurturing of a child and suggests the care of those who are helpless or ill. It also suggests that the inclination to support and assist the vulnerable amongst us is a laudable national characteristic.
Students� writing in response to this stimulus piece included stories, media articles, reflections and persuasive writing.
| Retrospective 2012 QCS Test
10 Nothing but facts
Scientists and researchers live by these words of Antoine Lavoisier in his Elements of Chemistry of 1789. The importance of observation and experiment in science would be difficult to exaggerate. Science begins with recording of observations and scientists rely on experiments, carefully designed and conducted so that they can then observe the results. Every statement or theory must be checked and rechecked. Observations must be accurate and experiments must be repeatable. The recommended process of getting there is clear and indisputable.
This stimulus piece provided an opportunity for students to write scientific reports, factual accounts and descriptions or discussions and analyses of scientific hypotheses.
11 Where to now?
The depiction of human evolution on the roadside sign may have reminded some students of T-shirts and posters they have seen. It has a humorous touch in its suggestion that humans have returned to a position reminiscent of an earlier stage but crouched now over their computers.
The question that accompanies the image prompted some students to write speculative expositions or science fiction short stories about the options ahead for human development and the means of getting there.
12 One�s destination
The quote used in this stimulus piece is from Henry Miller�s journal of his time living in the rugged beauty of the Californian coast, exploring his vision of an ideal society. It reminds us that experiencing new locations and meeting different people can affect us in ways that may be life-changing and that can irrevocably change our perceptions of the world and ourselves.
The piece offers students scope to explore real-life incidents and experiences and their effects or to speculate on imaginary travels for others or for themselves in the future. Their responses included stories, biographical and autobiographical writing, journals, reports, speeches and media articles.
13 Human legs
Lewis Mumford wrote much about cities, city architecture, society, the way we live and the way he thought we should live. His comment on the value of human legs and the image that accompanies it prompts some consideration of the means of getting there, varieties of transport, technology and the effects of humans on the world we live in. The row of footwear prompts thoughts of the travellers themselves, their fitness and their impact on the environment.
Students responded to this stimulus piece with opinion pieces about the effects of transport and travel, descriptions of facilities for pedestrians and vehicles, stories about the people who might do the walking and reminiscences of their own walks, trips and journeys.
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Stimulus pieces: Visual, written or combination?Students have the option of responding to the visual images, the written texts, or a combination of both. Stimulus pieces for the Writing Task are selected to maximise appeal for the wide cross-section of the Year 12 population. The material chosen is designed to attract students and prompt ideas for their writing. When considering a stimulus piece (or pieces) and what to write, students should remember that, by the time they reach Year 12, they have a wealth of personal and subject-based knowledge and experience that they can draw upon.
When students use ideas from the written stimulus pieces, there is a danger that they may quote large portions of text directly. This can affect markers� judgments of Length (words from the stimulus pieces are not counted) and Central idea (if the ideas being presented are not the student�s own). Direct quoting can also detract from a response when the language style of the quoted material differs from that of the student, and when quotations are used out of context or incorrectly (affecting Structuring & sequencing, Vocabulary, and Grammar, punctuation, spelling).
Choice of text typeStudent responses to a Writing Task testpaper may be categorised, according to their purpose, into four major text types: imaginative, expository, reflective and persuasive.
In 2012, the most popular text type for responses was the imaginative, with 34% of students writing in this form. This was closely followed by expository pieces, written by 31% of students. Reflective responses accounted for 21% of scripts and 12% of responses were persuasive. When determining which text type to employ, students need to consider the ultimate purpose of their writing. Do they wish to entertain their audience (imaginative)? Do they want to convey information (expository)? Would they like to recall, contemplate or share experiences (reflective)? Is it their intent to convince their audience of a particular viewpoint (persuasive)? Understanding this can help students to plan effectively and give focus to their writing.
Within these broader categories, students need to make decisions about the specific genre in which they wish to write. They also need to decide which genre will allow them to demonstrate their best writing. They should keep in mind, as they plan their response, that some genres, e.g. the speech and the essay, can have a variety of purposes such as exposition or persuasion. Also, when they choose a genre, they need to be sure they can control its conventions. A short story, for example, should cover a short timespan; a media article should have short paragraphs.
| Retrospective 2012 QCS Test
Choice of genreStudents may write in whatever genre they wish, with the exception of poetry. This enables them to draw on their knowledge and strengths, and to match their ideas from the stimulus with a suitable style of response. Ten genres were identified.
Popularity of genre: total sample
As seen in the diagram above, in 2012, the most popular genre was the essay, closely followed by the short story. The speech was the next most popular. It is worth noting that, while genre conventions are not assessed specifically (although they may affect Structuring & sequencing), students should aim to make use of, and indeed exploit, these conventions for effect. This certainly supports the recommendation that students write �what they know� � giving their writing authority and authenticity.
Student achievement and genreThe diagrams below indicate the genres used in higher, middle and lower achieving responses. Note that the percentages shown are rounded.
Essay
The definition of an essay, however, is vague, as it has become a genre required in many school subjects. Perhaps the simplest definition is that it is a piece of writing that usually expresses the author�s personal point of view.
drama script 2%
letter 1%
report 1%
%1critique
journal 3%
media article 5%
biography %2
short story 36%
speech 10% essa 37y %
speech 4%
essay %60
short story8%
biography8%
drama script4%
media article 4%
journal 8%
drama script 2%
journal 4%
speech %11short story %37
media article5%
letter 1%
report 1%
critique 1%
biography 2%
essay %36
critique 1%report 3%
short story 31%
media article11%
essay 94 %
speech %5
other 4%
higher achieving responses middle achieving responses lower achieving responses
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70
The essay was a popular choice for students of all abilities. This is perhaps because essay writing lends itself to a range of different topics, is a writing style that students use across the majority of subject areas, and has elements that are similar to several other genres. The most successful of these responses were very clearly focused on purpose and audience and developed a clear thesis. Essays that were well written followed a clear structure, consisting of: an introduction (including a thesis statement), a body of writing containing development and explanation of main points, and a concluding paragraph which presented a summary.
Short story
The short story was one of the most popular genres amongst the higher and middle achieving responses. Not surprisingly, stories covered a wide variety of topics. The most successful were those that drew on students� own knowledge and experiences and made effective, yet economical, language choices such as varied sentence length and use of description (including metaphor and personification). Also, successful stories tended to be written with a goal in mind from the outset � that is, there was an effective establishment and development of ideas, a resolution and a conclusion. Students should be wary of some strategies that are likely to have a negative impact on achievement. An example is the story that ends with the narrator waking to find it was all a dream or one that is written in the first person with the narrator dying at the end. This can impact significantly on Central idea and Structuring & sequencing as many of these stories indicated a lack of planning and, consequently, a lack of direction. Other common problems were inconsistencies and inaccuracies in using tense and narrative perspective.
Speech
The purpose of speeches ranged from persuasive to informative to motivational. Having a clear understanding of the purpose and audience of the speech is crucial for success. This can be achieved by creating a context that establishes the speaker�s credentials and the audience�s potential interest. This means students need to ensure that their topic is suitable for this genre, that is, it needs to be a topic that is not contrived and that would interest the audience. For example, an informative speech to a convention of company executives may not be appropriate.
Media article
This genre includes texts such as feature articles, editorials and journal articles. Predominantly expositional in nature, media articles require students to have a reasonable knowledge of their topic. Therefore, students should carefully consider their own background knowledge and expertise when selecting this approach to responding to their chosen stimulus piece/s. They should also consider the conventions of the genre. For example, feature articles have shorter paragraphs than do essays.
Journal
Journal writing included texts such as a diary entry and were usually reflective in style. This genre is often difficult for students, because writing �as themselves� may limit opportunities for selecting and demonstrating a wide or discriminating vocabulary. Also, they tend to lose focus as they are writing, which can affect Central idea and Structuring & sequencing. If they do choose to write a diary, the entries should not be short as the effect of this can be a rather disjointed response. Paragraphs are still essential.
Biography
Biographical writing includes specific texts such as memoirs, personal reflections and obituaries. The most successful responses focused on a specific event or recollection rather than on a broad range of information or topics.
Drama script
There was only a small percentage of drama scripts this year. Students who write in this form need a knowledge of the specific conventions of the genre, and need to be able to use them to effect. The lower achieving responses commonly fell short of length requirements; this affected achievement in the other criteria.
| Retrospective 2012 QCS Test
Critique
Many of the students who wrote in this genre chose to write reviews about books or films that have had an impact on their lives. Another trend noted was that of students offering a comment about the positive and/or negative effect of technological advances on humanity.
Letter
As with journal writing, letters can often provide challenges in Vocabulary and Structuring & sequencing. To be successful, students should ensure that the purpose and, consequently, the content of the letter is substantive enough to justify the choice of genre and also meet length requirements.
Report
A small percentage of students chose to write a report. Many of these were scientific in nature, perhaps suggesting that students were aware of the genres best suited to their knowledge and experience. While conventions of genre are not assessed specifically, reports should make use of features such as subheadings as well as sections including, for example, objectives, conclusions and recommendations to add to the authenticity of the writing and, consequently, the authority of the writer. It would not be a good idea to write up a scientific experiment with just a list of materials and procedures. Rather, the writing should focus on discussion of the findings.
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Criteria and standardsThe following table shows the percentage of students who achieved the various standards for each of the criteria.
For the responses sampled, the data from the standards awarded were analysed. The diagram below shows, for each criterion, the percentage of responses for which that criterion represented the highest achievement, that is, the criterion on which students did best.
For the total sample, Central idea was the criterion in which the greatest percentage of responses (22.8%) demonstrated highest achievement. Grammar, punctuation, spelling and Structuring & sequencing were the two criteria in which students were least successful.
higher achieving middle achieving lower achieving
Criterion 1 2 3 4 5 6
CI 0.4 12.3 58.3 26.9 2.0 0.2
V 0.4 10.7 70.6 17.1 1.1 0.1
R 0.3 9.5 57.4 30.2 2.5 0.1
GPS 0.2 9.0 60.1 27.6 2.9 0.2
SS 0.3 10.4 56.9 29.9 2.1 0.2
22.1%22.1%
14.9%
21.5%22.8%22.8%
18.7%18.7%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
CI V R SSGPS
| Retrospective 2012 QCS Test
Achievement in specific criteria
Central idea
When assessing this criterion, a marker is essentially asking what the response is about. That is, what is the key idea behind the piece of writing, and then, how well has the student deliberately and clearly developed this idea to reach an intended conclusion? The most successful responses will demonstrate direction � whether explicit or implicit � and resolution. Responses suffer in this criterion when the central idea is unevenly developed or when there are several, perhaps vague, ideas present. A lack of resolution often results from lack of direction and consequently has a negative impact on this criterion. An example of a well-developed central idea can be found in the 2004 Retrospective. The response �Market Madness� responded to the concept of What matters and progressed from the introductory statement that it is important to look beyond the tourist façade when visiting other countries to a statement in the conclusion that this leads to varied and fascinating experiences.
Vocabulary
Many people believe that �the bigger the word, the better�. However, this is not necessarily the case. It is never a good idea to sacrifice meaning for style. Success in Vocabulary is determined by word choices: words that have been deliberately selected for effect and exactly fit their location within the text. While students should aim to demonstrate a command and range of vocabulary, their control of language is also crucial. Incorrect and/or inappropriate word choice, lack of variety and language that gets in the way of meaning will all influence a student�s success in this criterion. Trying too hard to use complex vocabulary can also detract from a response. The biggest word is not always the best word. Students could look at �Infinity Mr Grey� from the 2009 Retrospective for an example of simple vocabulary being used for effect.
Making use of language devices such as metaphor and personification, as well as using �technical� language suited to the context, proved to be very effective for many students. Less effective was the often jarring use of exaggeration and hyperbole, tautology and sweeping generalisations. Maintaining an awareness of the purpose and audience of the writing is essential for success in this criterion. Response 3 in the 2011 Retrospective is a good example of this from a student who has been able to resist the temptation to overwrite even though the subject is emotional. In fact, the reflective tone and direct language gives the piece a power that could have been lost with more �impressive� words. This is not to say the words are simple � more that they suit the purpose.
Responsiveness
The piece of writing that a student produces for the Writing Task must clearly be a response to the testpaper on the day, showing a connection to both the concept and the stimulus piece/s. Therefore, Responsiveness is weighted most heavily of all the criteria. Achievement will suffer where the connection is weak, or where the student responds to either the concept or stimulus, but not to both. The highest achieving scripts in this criterion will exhibit a strong and sustained connection to both. It is important to be aware that simply repeating the concept, Getting there, several times is not demonstrating responsiveness. Evidence also suggests that responding to too many stimulus pieces reduces a student�s likelihood of achieving well in this criterion. This is because these responses tend to make only passing or glancing reference to the concept or stimulus.
Students may benefit from a different approach in their planning. Rather than looking at the paper and asking, �What can I write about?�, it may be better to ask, �What do I know a lot about that I can relate to something on this testpaper?� An example of this is in the 2009 Retrospective in which �Austen wants out� is a response that is clearly based on a close reading of Pride and Prejudice. The student has used a strong knowledge of the novel to develop a very responsive analysis that examines the way Elizabeth Bennett represents a character who is �out of her time�. Another example from the 2011 Retrospective is �All that glistens isn�t good, either�. The student has looked at gold both as a substance and as an idea, declaring that �what is pretty may not be strong or dependable�. Both the concept and the stimulus piece are used to develop a clear central idea that has levels of complexity and interest.
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Grammar, punctuation, spelling
Within this criterion, grammar is deemed more important than punctuation which, in turn, is more important than spelling. This is because each one of these can affect meaning more than the next if not done well. To achieve a high standard, students must consistently demonstrate precise and effective use, with few errors. This includes exploiting the conventions of writing for specific purposes and effects. Student performance on this criterion will be affected by the degree to which errors detract from meaning.
For the entire sample, regardless of achievement level, this is the criterion in which students performed most poorly. Some of the most frequent problems evident in responses were:� inconsistencies with tense� antecedent agreement (particularly with singular, plural and indefinite pronouns)� omission or incorrect use of punctuation, e.g. failing to end questions with question marks� the absence of apostrophes to identify possession.
Some problems are more identifiable by achievement level. Rhetorical questions tended to be used to great effect in higher achieving responses, whereas they were overused in middle and lower achieving responses. The use of varied sentence length and punctuation to create a particular effect (such as rising tension) was more common in higher achieving responses. Middle and lower achieving responses often included overly long sentences packed with too much (often irrelevant) detail and description.
While it is to be expected that higher achieving students will attempt and mostly be successful at more complex language use, there is no suggestion that markers keep a tally of successes or failures. A response that misuses semicolons, colons and em dashes is not necessarily more impressive than one in which every sentence is correct, even though only full stops are used. Markers are looking for correct use of the conventions, not one particular kind of language use or punctuation. For example, advice such as the suggestion that one must use a number of semicolons to be awarded a high grade would be seriously misleading.
Structuring & sequencing
This criterion requires markers to consider the architecture of the piece, that is, the way in which the ideas in the response are arranged. To be successful, the writing must demonstrate controlled structuring and deliberate sequencing of ideas. The writing needs to be fluent, logical and flexible. Achievement is hampered where there are weaknesses evident, such as gaps in logic, poor paragraphing and/or randomness in the arrangement of ideas.
Some of the problems with Structuring & sequencing arise when students do not clearly establish the context of their writing and, consequently, the development of ideas is less sequential. Also, poor proofreading and editing can have a negative impact on writing, particularly when students include information that is superfluous to the purpose, therefore weakening the response. In short stories, this often results from including too much unnecessary description. An example of a very well structured response can be found in the Retrospective for 2008 when the concept was Circle. The student script, �Moons in Orbit�, has a circular structure that describes an event in a continuing relationship. The event clearly represents the nature of the relationship but does not attempt to describe the whole. Of course, one thing that students can do to contribute to a well-structured response is to formulate a clear planning strategy that is best suited to their individual writing abilities.
Students should consider their choice of genre when thinking about the structure and sequence of their writing. Although poetry is the only genre that is specifically forbidden, they should think about whether their genre choice will allow them to develop an idea in a clear sequence. For example, writing a 600 word grocery list is not banned but it would be a very bad idea. Students need to consider and discuss what will allow them to develop and demonstrate their best writing.
Length
The Writing Task subtest requires students to produce a piece of continuous prose, approximately 600 words in length. Penalties are applied for too short, far too short, too long, and far too long responses. While each criterion is considered and assessed independently, Length has the potential to have the greatest impact on achievement in other criteria. In terms of overall performance, scripts that are far too short are the most likely to be among the lower achieving responses.
| Retrospective 2012 QCS Test
Criteria and standards
Con
trib
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n to
the
holis
tic g
rade
mad
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ecis
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t:
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RA
MM
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, PU
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ENC
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xplic
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it).
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for t
heir
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ly
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thei
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: �t
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2012
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Selected student responsesThe responses to the 2012 Writing Task that follow were selected from those that met the standards for successful writing as defined by the criteria and standards for judging student responses. These responses appear in their original handwritten form. They may contain errors in expression and factual inaccuracies but, for the sake of authenticity, they have been published as they were written.
With respect to handwriting on the QCS Test, students should be aware that legible handwriting is important. Markers will make a committed attempt to read poor handwriting but they cannot ignore errors due to missing or indecipherable letters. In schools, teachers may become familiar with a student�s handwriting and may guess at their meaning or their spelling. Markers cannot do this. They must assess what they see. Time management may be a consideration in producing legible handwriting.
The selection of these examples does not indicate a preference for any particular form of writing, nor are the sentiments expressed in these responses necessarily endorsed by the QSA. Before publication, the QSA attempted to establish, but cannot guarantee, the originality of the writing in the responses.
Response 1
Getting there: In Praise of Science as a Way to the Future is a media article that aims to convince the reader that science is the pathway to �new and greater pinnacles of human achievement�. In a thoughtful and well-informed discussion the writer points out how successive generations of humans have continued to explore the world and the universe. The response acknowledges the recent death of Neil Armstrong and refers to events in history to explain that the journey is not yet over but that science will �get us there in the end�. The writing is fluent and well-structured and the piece responds clearly and directly to the overall concept of the testpaper as well as to stimulus pieces 10 and 11.
Response 2
Wheels of a Nation provides a tongue-in-cheek response to stimulus piece 6 and to the overall concept. It also pays passing reference to stimulus piece 1. The writer embarks on an investigation and a discussion of what it is that makes Australia such a �car loving country� by first evoking the family slideshows that recorded road trips of the past. We are then taken on the writer�s own road trip and arrival at the first of the chosen destinations which is used to convince us that the attraction lies in the appeal of the road trip to the Australian curiosity to discover what lies ahead. Vocabulary is carefully chosen and, despite some flaws in the expression, images and ideas draw the reader in successfully.
Response 3
In Carpe Diem, the realisation of what is really important in life emerges. It begins with a first-person account of the narrator�s early ambitions to become successful. Everything changes when the narrator�s sister, Rose, succumbs to illness. The focus changes to Rose as her health deteriorates and she finally dies. The narrator comes to understand that finding peace of mind is what really counts in life. This moving account of self-realisation has a sensitive tone, achieved by means of an effective sequencing of ideas and images and the use of simple language. It is very responsive, connecting clearly to the overall concept and to stimulus pieces 3 and 12.
Response 4
Making the way home is a thoughtful commentary on some of the challenges involved in travelling and the joy of arriving at one�s destination. The narrator claims to be one whose childhood has been spent living in and journeying between many countries and reflects on some of the effects of this lifestyle. Then we hear details of the difficulties experienced when travelling as an �unaccompanied minor� and the pleasure of finally arriving to the welcome of family and friends. The piece reflects a strong sense of purpose and the writer has used a deliberate and effective sequence of images and ideas. The command of language is secure and the vocabulary is selected with discrimination to produce a response that makes a strong connection with the overall concept and with stimulus piece 4.
| Retrospective 2012 QCS Test
Response 5
Baggage is an imaginative response that focuses on the three people mentioned in stimulus piece 4, exploring their backgrounds, their thoughts and their observations of one another as they arrive at their destinations. After a moment of connection, each of the travellers goes in a different direction, none entirely happy about the new journey that inevitably lies ahead. The narrative is deceptively straightforward. The three points of view are used to move the story on. The selection of vocabulary creates vivid impressions of the three characters and the language is mostly simple but at times, very skillful. The use of the home countries� names as headings for separate sections at first surprises but does not prevent the development of clear links between the people. References to the bag or suitcase that each one carries subtly suggest the emotional baggage that each one also carries. The Japanese businessman�s final question, quoted from stimulus piece 11, applies to them all and supports the connection of the ideas to the overall concept. This piece moves beyond what is presented on the testpaper and, in fact, the response needs the testpaper in order to fully reveal its complexity and strength.
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Response 1
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Response 3
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Relative worth of each subtestRelative worth of parts of the QCS Test
Worth SR paper
Paper Worth Comment
1 WT 68 Two grades on each of the five substantive criteria plus two judgments on length
2 MC I 50 50 items of equal worth
3 SR 66.5 17 items with up to five grades each
4 MC II 50 50 items of equal worth
Total 234.5
UnitItem
number
Grade awarded and CodeWorth
A B C D E N O
One 1 6 4 2 3
Two2 6 5 3 1 3
3 12 10 7 4 2 6
Three4 5 3 2 2.5
5 9 7 5 3 1 4.5
Four6 7 5 3 1 3.5
7 5 3 1 2.5
Five8 4 3 2 2
9 10 8 6 2 5
Six10 9 7 5 2 4.5
11 12 10 7 4 2 6
Seven
12 8 6 3 2 4
13 6 4 2 1 3
14 9 7 4 2 1 4.5
Eight
15 6 4 2 3
16 9 7 4 2 4.5
17 10 8 5 3 1 5
A2
A2----
66.5=
| Retrospective 2012 QCS Test
Deemed CCEs and QCS Test itemsTables 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: analysing and synthesising, evaluating, comparing, interrelating ideas, graphing, estimating, compiling statistics, and so on. There is not, however, a simplistic match of CCEs and individual items in the QCS Test, meaning there is not exactly one item for each CCE or exactly one CCE for each item. By their nature, some CCEs are obviously widely present � interpreting words and symbols, analysing, interpreting the meaning of diagrams, justifying; 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 CCEsThe 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 tallying the number of times each CCE is listed.
It is wrong to expect such a tally to show an equal number of items for each of the 49 CCEs because they are not, and were not developed to be, either equal or equivalent, or in any other sense, interchangeable.
A reasonable assessment of the balance of the QCS Test will take into account that� the 49 CCEs are not equal� no CCE is trivial� some CCEs are more substantial than others� no single CCE fails to occur in the Queensland senior curriculum� some CCEs are diffused generally across a wide range of items (and are therefore not listed frequently)� some CCEs can only be tested through particular kinds of items 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 NotesNote: 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 49 elements appear in the list.
1 Recognising letters, words and other symbols
2 Finding material in an indexed collection:
Note: Examples of an indexed collection are � a dictionary, an encyclopaedia, a library catalogue, a road map, an art catalogue, an instruction booklet, a share register, a classified advertisement column.
3 Recalling/remembering:
Note: Consult Test Specifications Section 2.3 to establish what might reasonably be regarded as assumed knowledge, i.e. �an elementary level of general knowledge, and a knowledge of vocabulary and mathematical operations at a level of sophistication consistent with a sound general Year 10 education � basic arithmetic operations involved in calculation, also include fundamental mathematical concepts such as simple algebra, percentage, ratio, area, angle and power of ten notation.�
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
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.
| Retrospective 2012 QCS Test
14 Compiling results in a tabular form:
Devising appropriate headings and presenting information using rows and/or columns
15 Graphing:
Note: Students will be required to construct graphs as well as to interpret them (see CCE 6).
16 Calculating with or without calculators
17 Estimating numerical magnitude:
Employing a rational process (such as applying an algorithm, or comparing by experience with known quantities or numbers) to arrive at a quantity or number that is sufficiently accurate to be useful for a given purpose
18 Approximating a numerical value:
Employing a rational process (such as measuring or rounding) to arrive at a quantity or number that is accurate to a specified degree
19 Substituting in formulae
20 Setting out/presenting/arranging/displaying
21 Structuring/organising extended written text
22 Structuring/organising a mathematical argument:
Generating and sequencing the steps that can lead to a required solution to a given mathematical task.
26 Explaining to others:
Presenting a meaning with clarity, precision, completeness, and with due regard to the order of statements in the explanation
27 Expounding a viewpoint:
Presenting a clear convincing argument for a definite and detailed opinion
28 Empathising:
Appreciating the views, emotions and reactions of others by identifying with the personalities or characteristics of other people in given situations
29 Comparing, contrasting:
Comparing: displaying recognition of similarities and differences and recognising the significance of these similarities and differences
Contrasting: displaying recognition of differences by deliberate juxtaposition of contrary elements
30 Classifying:
Systematically distributing information/data into categories that may be either presented to, or created by, the student
31 Interrelating ideas/themes/issues
32 Reaching a conclusion which is necessarily true provided a given set of assumptions is true:
Deducing
33 Reaching a conclusion which is consistent with a given set of assumptions:
Inferring
34 Inserting an intermediate between members of a series:
Interpolating
35 Extrapolating:
Logically extending trends or tendencies beyond the information/data given
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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 (that is already known by students or that is given to students) to proceed to the answer
38 Generalising from information:
Establishing by inference or induction the essential characteristics of known information or a result
41 Hypothesising:
Formulating a plausible supposition to account for known facts or observed occurrences
The supposition is often the subject of a validation process.
42 Criticising:
Appraising logical consistency and/or rationally scrutinising for authenticity/merit
Note: also critiquing � critically reviewing
43 Analysing:
Dissecting to ascertain and examine constituent parts and/or their relationships
44 Synthesising:
Assembling constituent parts into a coherent, unique and/or complex entity
The term �entity� includes a system, theory, communication, plan, set of operations.
45 Judging/evaluating:
Judging: applying both procedural and deliberative operations to make a determination
Procedural operations are those that determine the relevance and admissibility of evidence, whilst deliberative operations involve making a decision based on the evidence.
Evaluating: assigning merit according to criteria
46 Creating/composing/devising
48 Justifying:
Providing sound reasons or evidence to support a statement
Soundness requires that the reasoning is logical and, where appropriate, that the premises are likely to be true.
49 Perceiving patterns:
Recognising and identifying designs, trends and meaningful relationships within text.
50 Visualising:
Note: Examples of aspects of this element that might be tested include:visualising spatial concepts (e.g. rotation in space) visualising abstractions in concrete form (e.g. kinetic theory � the movement of molecules) visualising a notion of a physical appearance from a detailed verbal description.
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.
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53 Observing systematically:
Note: This element as it occurs in syllabuses usually refers to laboratory situations. As these conditions are plainly impossible to reproduce under QCS Test conditions, testing can only be performed at a �second order� level.
55 Gesturing:
Identifying, describing, interpreting or responding to visual representations of a bodily or facial movement or expression, that indicates an idea, mood or emotion
Note: This element as it occurs in syllabuses refers to acting and other forms of movement. It is possible to test only the interpretation of movement and expression. It is understood that there are cultural variations relating to the meanings of particular gestures.
57 Manipulating/operating/using equipment:
Displaying competence in choosing and using an implement (in actual or representational form) to perform a given task effectively
60 Sketching/drawing:
Sketching: executing a drawing or painting in simple form, giving essential features but not necessarily with detail or accuracy
Drawing: depicting an object, idea or system pictorially, such as in a clearly defined diagram or flowchart.
Note: Sketching/drawing does not include the representation of numerical data as required in CCE 14 and CCE 15.
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Appendix 2: CCEs1 Recognising letters, words and other symbols
2 Finding material in an indexed collection
3 Recalling/remembering
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
9 Using correct spelling, punctuation, grammar
10 Using vocabulary appropriate to a context
11 Summarising/condensing written text
12 Compiling lists/statistics
13 Recording/noting data
14 Compiling results in a tabular form
15 Graphing
16 Calculating with or without calculators
17 Estimating numerical magnitude
18 Approximating a numerical value
19 Substituting in formulae
20 Setting out/presenting/arranging/displaying
21 Structuring/organising extended written text
22 Structuring/organising a mathematical argument
26 Explaining to others
27 Expounding a viewpoint
28 Empathising
29 Comparing, contrasting
30 Classifying
31 Interrelating ideas/themes/issues
32 Reaching a conclusion which is necessarily true provided a given set of assumptions is true
33 Reaching a conclusion which is consistent with a given set of assumptions
34 Inserting an intermediate between members of a series
35 Extrapolating
36 Applying strategies to trial and test ideas and procedures
37 Applying a progression of steps to achieve the required answer
38 Generalising from information
41 Hypothesising
42 Criticising
43 Analysing
44 Synthesising
45 Judging/evaluating
46 Creating/composing/devising
48 Justifying
49 Perceiving patterns
50 Visualising
51 Identifying shapes in two and three dimensions
52 Searching and locating items/information
53 Observing systematically
55 Gesturing
57 Manipulating/operating/using equipment
60 Sketching/drawing
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Appendix 3: CCEs grouped by baskets Comprehend and collect
1 Recognising letters, words and other symbols
2 Finding material in an indexed collection
3 Recalling/remembering
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
12 Compiling lists/statistics
13 Recording/noting data
28 Empathising
51 Identifying shapes in two and three dimensions
52 Searching and locating items/information
53 Observing systematically
55 Gesturing
57 Manipulating/operating/using equipment
Structure and sequence
21 Structuring/organising extended written text
22 Structuring/organising a mathematical argument
29 Comparing, contrasting
30 Classifying
31 Interrelating ideas/themes/issues
36 Applying strategies to trial and test ideas and procedures
38 Generalising from information
49 Perceiving patterns
50 Visualising
Analyse, assess and conclude
32 Reaching a conclusion which is necessarily true provided a given set of assumptions is true
33 Reaching a conclusion which is consistent with a given set of assumptions
34 Inserting an intermediate between members of a series
35 Extrapolating
41 Hypothesising
42 Criticising
43 Analysing
44 Synthesising
45 Judging/evaluating
48 Justifying
Create and present
9 Using correct spelling, punctuation, grammar
10 Using vocabulary appropriate to a context
11 Summarising/condensing written text
14 Compiling results in a tabular form
15 Graphing
20 Setting out/presenting/arranging/displaying
26 Explaining to others
27 Expounding a viewpoint
46 Creating/composing/devising
60 Sketching/drawing
Apply techniques and procedures
16 Calculating with or without calculators
17 Estimating numerical magnitude
18 Approximating a numerical value
19 Substituting in formulae
37 Applying a progression of steps to achieve the required answer
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Appendix 4: Glossary of terms used in relation to the QCS Testacceptable minimum standards: the description of a marking process whereby markers are required to use their assessment skills to interpret a student response and match it to a standard in each performance domain being tested by the item. Predetermined trade-offs are already incorporated. Markers then award a grade for that performance domain for that item.
adjacent grades: on a short response marking scheme, a pair of available grades in direct proximity, e.g. A and B, D and E, N and O (see grade)
assumed knowledge: the benchmark of students� required learning in terms of QCS testing; taken to be the possession of both an elementary level of general knowledge and a knowledge of vocabulary and mathematical operations at a level of sophistication consistent with that of a student with a sound general Year 10 education
batched items: a group of items which relate to the same stimulus material
built-in trade-off: a property of a marking scheme that ensures that the performance domains contribute to the grade in a manner reflective of their hierarchical position in that item
calibration: a routine process aimed at controlling reliability loss by removing irregularities in a marker�s judgment �gauge� before that marker is free to �gauge standards�, i.e. to mark
check marking: a process involving scrutiny by marking supervisors (WT), immersers (SR) and unit managers (SR) of grades awarded by markers
closed response item: a short response item which involves the student in the production of an answer and requires the marker to assess the accuracy of the response. This type of item usually produces a definite number of response types.
common curriculum element (CCE): one of the 49 generic skills that are common to at least two subjects in the Queensland senior curriculum, testable in the current format of the QCS Test, and within the learning opportunities of a high proportion of students
creditable response: a response (to a short response item) that is awarded one of the available grades, A to E, and thus attracts credit
criterion (also called basket): macroskill. The QCS Test measures achievement in five criteria, each of which is symbolised by a letter of the Greek alphabet:
The 49 common curriculum elements can be distributed among these five criteria, each criterion representing a set of related CCEs.
cue: an instruction attached to a short response item, situated next to the space provided for the student response. The cue gives students a clear idea of what is required of them, sometimes providing essential further information on how to respond.
curriculum element: identifiable coherent activity specified by a syllabus as relevant to the pursuit of the aims and objectives of that syllabus
denotation: descriptor and/or notes related to a CCE, which represent the meaning of that CCE for the purpose of the QCS Test. Denotations are circulated to the appropriate audiences.
descriptor: see standard descriptor
desirable feature: item-specific characteristic of a student�s short response that demonstrates achievement and therefore contributes to the determination of attainment in a particular performance domain
comprehend and collect
structure and sequence
analyse, assess and conclude
create and present
apply techniques and procedures.
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dimension: one of nine defined characteristics of a test item. Each item can be classified in terms of each of these nine dimensions. This classification is used for assessing range and balance in the test.
discrepant marker: a marker whose marking differences (compared with other markers) are either not acceptably small or not apparently random
dissonant markings: binders whose items have been given significantly different marks by different markers
essential equipment: �tools of the trade� listed in the Student Information Bulletin and in Directions on the cover of the testpaper, and which the student must provide in order to complete the test, namely:� pens (black ink)� pencil (for drawing and sketching, but not for writing)� protractor� drawing compass� eraser� coloured pencils� ruler� calculator with spare batteries.
exemplar: example of a response included in the marking scheme as an indication to markers of the acceptable standard for the award of an A-grade
flyer: a written mechanism by which unit managers and immersers can communicate to markers any decisions regarding the treatment of scripts made after marking has commenced
footnote: additional information provided at the end of the relevant piece of stimulus material, with reference to the stimulus material via a superscript. It may take various forms such as a commentary on word usage or sourcing of an extract.
gloss: definition of a term that students are not expected to know. When substantive vocabulary of a high level of sophistication, whose meaning cannot be determined from the context is used, a meaning or explanation is provided at the end of the relevant passage. Reference to the passage is made via a superscript.
grade (response grade): a measure of performance on a short response item on the basis of a student�s response. Grades are consecutive letters, with A denoting the grade pertaining to the highest performance level. The number of grades may vary from item to item. The lowest available grade identifies the threshold for creditable performance.
hierarchy: a ranking of the performance domains of an item, indicating their relative contributions to the award of the grades
immerser (SR): a person who trains markers to apply the prescribed marking schemes and standards for each item; conducts check marking and refocusing sessions as determined by quality control; supports markers with advice on marking; and maintains the standards of the marking
immersion: instruction to acquaint markers with details and subtleties of the marking schemes for the items in an allocated unit, discussion of common response types and marking of real student responses
immersion notes: unit-specific script prepared by immersers for use in training markers
immersion session: a set period of time when immersers train markers in the marking scheme and provide them with guided assistance in practice marking. Verbal instructions which form part of the marking prescription may be given at this time.
incline of difficulty: the sequencing of units within a testpaper in such a way that units tend to become progressively more difficult towards the end of the testpaper
introduction: a block of text at the beginning of a unit that, when necessary, gives a reference for the stimulus material and items to follow
item: comprises the stem, cue and response area
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item-specific: pertaining to a particular item. Usually, item-specific documents contain information that can only pertain to one of the items on a particular subtest.
item writer: a person who writes and develops items for inclusion in the itembank. Test specifications are heeded in the writing of items.
key term: one of a list of verbs used in the stems of short response items as commands or task setters, and for which clear definitions are appropriately circulated to students and markers for the purposes of the QCS Test. The key terms include the following:
line numbers: numbers situated in the left-hand margin of some passages of stimulus material to help students locate details mentioned in associated items
marker training: a process which occurs during the days immediately preceding the marking proper, and consists of a pretraining/administration session and an immersion session in an allocated marking unit, together with preliminary marking and feedback sessions
marking history: a collection of marking schemes for all items in the unit in which a marker is trained to mark, together with the marker manual. Running rules and flyers are sometimes added to the folio during the course of the marking operation.
marking grid: an item-specific sheet, accompanying the marking scheme, designed to assist markers� decision making when the application of descriptors is particularly complex. The use of such grids may be either compulsory or non-compulsory.
marking pool: the total group of markers selected from the register of markers to be involved in the marking operation for a given year
marking scheme: the item-specific criteria and standards schema from which markers can determine grades; the marking scheme may not include all of the instructions to the markers. Most marking schemes are presented as a table in which the cells of each column give the descriptors of standards for the grade shown in that column�s heading.
marking supervisor (WT): a person who trains markers to apply the prescribed criteria and standards; conducts check marking and refocusing sessions as determined by quality control; supports markers with advice on marking; and maintains the standards of marking.
marking unit: a collection of items that is to be marked using a single marksheet. An individual marking unit may include items from more than one test unit. The items of an individual test unit may be spread over more than one marking unit.
marksheet: a pre-printed sheet markers use to record information about marking.
mathematical operations: at the level of QCS testing, the basic operations involved in calculation (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division), as well as fundamental mathematical concepts such as simple algebra, percentage, ratio, area, angle, and power of ten notation
miniature SR paper: an A3 sheet containing abbreviated versions of the items in the testbook. Students may retain this at the conclusion of the test.
account for draw (cf. sketch) illustrate/exemplify show (calculations)
approximate estimate indicate sketch (cf. draw)
argue evaluate justify state
comment on explain list substitute in
compare expound outline (in words) suggest
contrast express present summarise
derive extrapolate prove transcribe
describe find rank verify
determine generalise refer
discuss identify quote
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model response: an example of a response that demonstrates the highest level of performance and would invariably be awarded the highest grade
monitoring (marker monitoring): comparison of markers (many pairings) to identify responses to be re-marked, markers who require refocusing, and aspects of marking schemes which need attention during calibration
non-contributory: term applied to the grade given to a short response item when a response is unintelligible or does not satisfy the requirements for any other grade (N), or when the item is omitted (O)
notes: a note on a marking scheme that clarifies features of the item; defines, qualifies or explains terms used in the descriptors; and gives additional information about the treatment of particular types of response
omit: label given to that category of response to a test item where the student fails to provide a response, i.e. the student makes no apparent attempt to respond to the task set and leaves the response space completely blank
open-ended response item: a short response item that involves the student in generative thinking and requires the marker to assess the quality of the response. No exhaustive list of desirable features can be identified a priori to describe a given response type.
optional equipment: �tools of the trade� (other than essential equipment) normally used in a course of study, which students may choose to provide for the test, e.g.� set square� correction fluid� sharpener.
pathological response: one of the 2% or less of different or unpredictable responses not covered directly by the descriptors in the marking scheme, and discovered after marking commences
performance domain/s: common curriculum element/s tested by a particular item. For items that are associated with more than one CCE, the influence of each CCE is clearly evident in the marking scheme.
practice effect: an increase in marking speed as the marker gains experience in reading student responses and grading them with the marking scheme
practice set: booklet of authentic student responses given to markers within an immersion session to reinforce learning
preliminary marking: mandatory initial session of actual marking conducted under normal conditions with grades to stand. Preliminary marking usually occurs immediately after immersion and before the feedback session.
primary marking: the totality of the first two independent markings of all items on the testpaper
The number of marker judgments in the primary marking is , where N = number of students,
n = number of items on the testpaper, and pi = number of performance domains for the i th item.
refocusing: a one-on-one counselling session between an immerser and a marker who is experiencing problems with his/her marking, as identified by quality-control procedures
referee marking: an independent third marking of a student response, which occurs when two independent markers disagree to an extent that is regarded as significant for that item
registered marker: a marker who has successfully completed a recruitment session
reliability: the degree to which measurements are consistent, dependable or repeatable; i.e. the degree to which they are free of errors
reliability of grades: the degree to which there is marker agreement as to the grade awarded (although some grades are truly borderline)
response: the student�s work on an item as communicated to the marker. In writing, drawing, calculating and so on in the case of a short response item. By blackening a circle corresponding to the selected response option in the case of a multiple choice item.
n
�=i 1
2N pi
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response alternative: one of four options from which students choose the best response for a multiple choice item. Students record their responses on a mark-sensitive sheet which is computer scanned for scoring.
response area: the space provided in the short response testbook where students give their response. It may be a ruled area or grid or a designated space in which to write, draw, complete a diagram, fill in a table, or other task.
richness: a property of a test item whereby the item can provide more than the usual single piece of information about student achievement. In the case of a rich short response item, markers are required to award a grade in more than one, usually two, performance domains.
running rules: decisions made by unit managers and immersers after the marking has commenced to supplement the application of marking schemes
sample response: authentic student response used for the purposes of training
second guessing: anticipating the grade selected by other markers by considering �What will other markers do?� rather than by applying the marking scheme
standard: a reference point for describing the quality of student responses in performance domains (see marking scheme)
standard descriptor: a statement or list of statements that succinctly conveys the standard or features required in a response to be awarded that grade in a particular performance domain
star-value: a rating for a short response item relative to other items on the short response paper, in terms of worth/effort, from [*] lowest to [*****] highest. The star-value is printed beside the item number.
stem: that part of the item that indicates the task set or the question to be answered
stimulus material: verbal, numerical, pictorial, tabular, or graphical material that sets the context for the item/s to follow with the aim of promoting students� responses
testbook (testpaper): the booklet provided to a student for the SR subtest; the cover carries directions to students; the booklet contains items arranged within units. The booklet also contains spare pages (in case the student needs extra response space, or decides to rewrite a response after cancelling the initial attempt) and a fold-out section inside the back cover containing the item and star-value distribution.
training: see marker training
unit: a part of a test consisting of stimulus material and associated items, and often an introduction
unit manager (SR): a person who trains the immersers of a particular unit so that they can train the markers with due regard to the construct of the test. Unit managers direct, assist and monitor the performance of immersers; provide clarification of marking schemes when required; and assist with check marking, referee marking and other quality-control procedures.
validity: the extent to which an assessment instrument measures what it is claimed to measure
validity of grades: the extent to which the item and marking scheme measure achievement in the designated CCE/s
verbal instructions: information given to markers by immersers to acquaint them with the details and subtleties of marking schemes, and with common response types gleaned from a sample of student responses
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Queensland Studies Authority154 Melbourne Street, South Brisbane PO Box 307 Spring Hill QLD 4004 AustraliaT +61 7 3864 0299F +61 7 3221 2553
www.qsa.qld.edu.au
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