Assessment

Determination of an S or an N for a unit is based on satisfactory demonstration of the outcomes for the unit. Teachers should note the cognitive demand of the command terms in the outcome statements to determine the type of teaching and learning activities and evidence of student understanding that will be needed for students to demonstrate satisfactory completion of each outcome. For example, Unit 1 Outcome 2 requires that students ‘calculate mole quantities, use systematic nomenclature to name organic compounds, explain how polymers can be designed for a purpose, and evaluate the consequences for human health and the environment of the production of organic materials and polymers’. The verbs related to each of the four parts of the outcome indicate the depth to which students are expected to demonstrate their understanding. Specific key science skills and knowledge are indicated in the ‘calculate mole quantities’ and ‘use systematic nomenclature to name organic compounds’ parts of the outcome statement. Being able to ‘explain how polymers can be designed for a purpose’ requires that students can also undertake activities related to lower levels of cognitive demand, such as being able to describe or compare different polymers. However, they are not expected to be able to undertake tasks that are of higher cognitive demand such as designing their own polymers or evaluating polymer design. Being able to ‘evaluate consequences for human health and the environment of the production of organic materials and polymers’ is a high-order expectation so that if students could only ‘describe’ or ‘discuss’ consequences, then they could not be awarded an S for the outcome since a higher order of knowledge and science skills is expected.

Procedures for assessment of levels of achievement in Units 1 and 2 are a matter for schools to decide. Schools have flexibility in deciding how many and which assessment tasks they use for each outcome, provided that these decisions are in accordance with the VCE Chemistry Study Design and VCE assessment principles.

The following information provides an overview of the scope of tasks that may be selected for Units 1 and 2 Areas of Study 1 and 2, and general considerations when developing the assessment tasks involving increased student agency specified for Unit 1, Outcome 3 and Unit 2, Outcome 3.

The study design includes thirteen assessment task types on pages 30–31 and 37 for Outcomes 1 and 2 in each of Units 1 and 2, which are described in the table below.

Some of the assessment tasks are listed as ‘reports’. Reports may take any form as deemed appropriate by the teacher, and may include an oral presentation, a multimodal presentation, a practical report or a scientific poster. Practical reports may involve students presenting their investigation results with a focus on analysis and discussion of data, responding to an overarching question or set of structured questions, or writing a formal practical report that includes an abstract, aim, hypothesis, method, results, discussion, conclusion and references.

How can chemical principles be applied to create a more sustainable future?

This area of study involves students choosing one of four investigation topics and developing a research question of personal interest related to the production or use of a selected material, including consideration of how sustainability applies to their question. Teachers should work with students to identify and confirm a suitable investigation question that can be managed within the available time and resources at the school. The selected student questions should relate to content in Unit 1 Area of Study 1 and / or 2. The VCE assessment principles of equity and efficiency, in particular, should be considered in developing the assessment task for this area of study.

It is likely that there are a number of different topics that will be explored by the students in a class. Students may work individually or may work in a group with other students who are investigating a question related to the same investigation topic, but each student must provide an individual response to their own research question. Time should be allocated outside class for student research, with students recording reference sources and research notes in their logbooks.

In developing the assessment task, teachers should refer to the outcome statement on page 29 of the study design. The task may be structured so that all students, no matter what question is selected, may respond to the same set of general questions, so that the assessment principle of equity is achieved, for example:

• Why is your research question of interest?
• What is the chemistry that is relevant to your research question?
• How did you investigate your research question?
  
• What qualitative and quantitative evidence can you present about your research question?
• Which green chemistry principles apply to your research question?
• How is the circular economy relevant to your research question?
• Which sustainable development goals are addressed by your research question?
• What is your response to your research question?

Teachers may choose the format that students are required to use in communicating their response or, alternatively, students may be provided with a choice of the presentation format to be used.

Teachers may consider using the key knowledge points on pages 29 and 30 of the study design as the basis of a common rubric or set of questions to assess different student topics on an equitable basis.

Further information about the management of this area of study can be accessed in the Support materials on the VCE Chemistry study page on Contemporary science contexts and approaches and the Detailed example in the Unit 1 Area of Study 3 learning activities.

How do quantitative scientific investigations develop our understanding of chemical reactions?

This area of study requires students to either adapt an existing scientific investigation or design their own scientific investigation, which they then conduct to generate appropriate quantitative data. The investigation should relate to content in Unit 2 Areas of Study 1 and / or 2. Teachers may determine the level of scaffolding provided to students when determining whether students will conduct a student-adapted or student-designed investigation. However, for this area of study, it would be expected that the investigation would involve either a guided inquiry, a coupled inquiry or an open inquiry.

Investigations may be selected from a number of scientific methodologies relevant to generating primary data: classification and identification; controlled experiment; fieldwork; modelling; product, process or system development; or simulation.

The same inquiry approach and / or methodology may be undertaken by the whole class or different inquiry approaches and / or methodologies may be undertaken by different students in the class, depending on factors such as the nature of investigation question, available school resources, students’ prior inquiry skills, and the level of complexity of the investigation. In all investigations, students must generate primary data. Depending on the type of inquiry undertaken, students may generate this data individually or in groups. In addition to analysing their own primary data, students may analyse de-identified data from another student and / or collated class data to increase the size of the data set for analysis. It may also be appropriate to analyse secondary data relevant to the investigation question.

Students are required to present a report of their investigation. The teacher may choose the format that students are required to use in presenting their report or, alternatively, students may be provided with a choice of presentation formats to be used, as outlined on page 37 of the study design. Students may work individually or in a group to undertake their investigations, but each student’s presentation of the findings of their investigation should be completed individually.

For satisfactory completion of a unit, teachers should note the cognitive demand of the command terms in the outcome statements to determine the type of teaching and learning activities and evidence of student understanding that will be required for students to demonstrate satisfactory completion of each outcome. School-assessed Coursework may contribute to the determination of an S or N for a unit.

A student’s level of achievement is assessed by an end-of-year examination and by School-assessed Coursework.

School-assessed Coursework contributes 50 per cent to a student’s study score. An end-of-year examination also contributes 50 per cent to a student’s study score.

The SAC tasks for Units 3 and 4 are weighted equally, as shown in the table below:

In VCE Chemistry, students are expected to demonstrate their level of understanding of key knowledge and the application of the key science skills through a variety of School-assessed Coursework (SAC) assessment tasks as listed in the VCE Chemistry Study Design on page 43 for Unit 3 and on page 49 for Unit 4.

In developing SAC tasks, teachers should use the key knowledge listed for the outcomes, as well as the Units 1–4 Chemistry key science skills included under the ‘Cross-study specifications’ on pages 11–12 of the study design to determine students’ level of achievement at Units 3 and 4. Not all of an outcome needs to be assessed in School-assessed Coursework. A planner to map the assessment of key science skills for the five assessment tasks across Units 3 and 4 is available at VCE Chemistry Units 3 and 4 key science skills mapping grid.

The VCAA VCE assessment principles underpin all VCE assessment practices. When developing SAC tasks, teachers should also refer to the VCAA policies and school assessment procedures as specified in the VCE and VCAL Administrative Handbook section: Scored assessment: School-based Assessment.

Designing the task

Each SAC task should meet the VCE Assessment Principles, allow students to demonstrate their highest level of performance and allow for student work to be authenticated as their own. Students should be familiar with, and understand the meaning of, the command terms embedded in the outcomes of the study design and each of the designated SAC task types. Each term has a different cognitive requirement and should be explicitly taught in learning activities throughout the course of study. In this way, students will have the opportunity to practise and demonstrate a range of responses using the language of the study design.

The VCE Chemistry Study Design specifies a set of five School-assessed Coursework (SAC) tasks across Units 3 and 4 that must be undertaken as part of the teaching and learning program. For Outcomes 1 and 2 in Units 3 and 4, schools have flexibility to decide which assessment task type will be used for each outcome. However, each task type can only be selected once across Units 3 and 4. For Outcome 3 in Unit 4, an allocated assessment task can be applied to content relating to Units 3 and / or 4.

The following table provides an example of how the four unallocated SAC tasks in the study design may be assigned across Units 3 and 4, Outcomes 1 and 2, with the extra requirement that at least one task must include reference to sustainability.

For Unit 4 Outcome 3, schools must design a SAC task that allows students to communicate the design, analysis and findings of a student-designed and student-conducted scientific investigation through a structured scientific poster and logbook entries.

Assessing the task

Teachers should determine the assessment tool used to assess student work. For example, VCAA rubrics can be used and adapted to the requirements of each SAC task, a different set of rubrics may be constructed by teachers, or a school-specific marking guide can be developed. The assessment instrument (rubrics and/or marking guide) should reflect the outcome, key knowledge and relevant key science skills. The SAC task and assessment instrument should be explained to students before they commence the task.

Time

SAC tasks must be a part of the regular curriculum and assessment program and must not unduly add to the workload associated with that program. They must be completed mainly in class and within the timeframes indicated in the VCE Chemistry Study Design.

Conditions and authentication

The teacher must consider the conditions in which the SAC task is completed and the authentication strategies relevant for each assessment task. Information regarding VCAA authentication rules can be found in the VCAA VCE and VCAL Administrative Handbook section: Scored assessment: School-based Assessment.

Students should be provided with clear written instructions about the conditions of each SAC task. These instructions should include the specific key knowledge and VCE Chemistry Units 1–4 science skills that will be assessed in the task, how the task will be structured and any materials or resources that will be permitted when completing the assessment task.

Explore learning contexts for setting up the assessment task

This is one of four assessment tasks listed on pages 43 and 49 of the VCE Chemistry Study Design that can be applied to Outcomes 1 or 2 in Units 3 or 4. Teachers must select the outcome which will be assessed via this task. The remaining three outcomes for Units 3 and 4 cannot subsequently be assessed by this task.
In preparing for this SAC task, teachers should:

• decide how may practical activities will form the basis of the SAC task, with a recommendation that no more than four are compared so that the VCE assessment principle of efficiency is met
• determine the practical activities on which the SAC task will based
• include the practical activities on which the SAC task is based as part of the regular teaching and learning program
• identify the relevant key knowledge and key science skills that will be assessed
• discuss with students the difference between the terms ‘methodologies’ and ‘methods’ in relation to scientific investigations
• undertake and discuss ‘comparison’ type activities related to chemical theories, concepts, phenomena, methods and methodologies so that students understand the requirements of a ‘comparison’ type of task.

Define the parameters that will form the basis of the assessment task

This assessment task requires students to compare and evaluate the chemical concepts, methodologies and methods, and findings from at least two practical activities, as specified on pages 43 and 49 of the VCE Chemistry Study Design.

The focus of this SAC task is on the importance of practical work in developing students’ understanding of science as a human endeavour. Students should be assessed on their ability to make links across multiple practical activities; they should identify similarities and differences in both conceptual understandings that underpin the activities as well comparing how scientific knowledge develops through practical work. They may compare how different practical activities contribute to understanding of a selected chemical concept or how different methodologies and / or methods can be used to quantify chemical phenomena. The task involves comparisons of practical activities rather than analysis and evaluation of two or more practical activities each treated separately. Questions related to sustainability, if relevant, may also be included in the task.

This SAC task contributes 10 percent to a student’s study score for VCE Chemistry.

Decide on the structure and conditions of the task

Teachers may consider the following actions in determining the structure and conditions of the assessment task:

• Review the outcome on which the assessment task is based and identify the key knowledge and the specific Units 1–4 Chemistry key science skills (on pages 11–12) that students will be expected to demonstrate. 
• Decide whether the task will be undertaken in a written, multimodal or oral format.
• For a written response:
• allocate approximately 50–70 minutes for task completion
• organise the task to be completed under test conditions that allow for authentication
• allow time for students to read the assessment task questions, or to generate data from a simulation, in addition to the allocated time for the written component.
• For an oral or multimodal task:
• allocate approximately 10 minutes for task completion
• arrrange for live or pre-recorded presentations while also managing authentication processes for pre-recorded presentations
• provide time to research and prepare the presentation, in addition to the time allocated for the presentation component.
• Determine the type of assessment that students will undertake and what will be required of students. For example, the SAC task may require students to:
• answer a set of structured questions that require direct comparisons to be made between practical activities
• produce a Venn diagram to identify similarities and differences between two practical activities
• complete a table with nominated criteria against which the practical activities will be compared
• deliver an oral or multimodal presentation to demonstrate differences between aspects of selected practical activities.
• Determine how students’ recorded data in their logbooks will be used in the assessment task. Consider whether students can annotate and / or process their data prior to the assessment task, and whether all data annotations and / or processing should be completed under teacher supervision. It is recommended that all data annotation and / or processing occurs under teacher supervision and that teachers collect students’ logbooks immediately following the generation of the primary data, and return the logbooks to students at the beginning of the assessment task, so that authentication issues are minimised.
• Decide the most appropriate time to set the task. This decision is the result of several considerations including:
• the estimated time it will take to cover the key knowledge and relevant key science skills
• when assessment tasks are being conducted in other studies and the workload implications for students.
• Although the primary data generated by students in their practical activities will differ, the same assessment task questions can be used. Teachers should be aware that some data sets may be more challenging to evaluate than other data sets; this should be taken into account when deciding how data evaluation will be assessed. Teachers may want to check the suitability of students’ data for analysis and evaluation prior to the assessment task.  
• Prior to undertaking the assessment task students should be advised of the timeline, the conditions under which the task will be conducted, materials that will be allowed (including notes, annotations, logbooks and calculators) and be informed of the key knowledge and key science skills that will be assessed.

Design the assessment task

Teachers should consider the following points in designing the assessment task:

• When designing this assessment task, teachers should refer to the following:
• Introduction and key knowledge of the outcome to which the task is aligned.
• Cross-study specifications, including key science skills outlined on pages 11–12 of the VCE Chemistry Study Design; a Units 3 and 4 key skills mapping grid may be used by teachers to map skills across all assessment tasks across Units 3 and 4
• VCAA rubrics for the ‘comparison and evaluation of two or more practical activities’ task outlined under ‘Assessment advice’ on the VCAA website, noting that these rubrics are not mandated. The rubrics may be modified to suit the key knowledge and key science skills addressed in each task. Teachers may also develop their own set of rubrics or marking schemes. If developing rubrics or marking schemes, teachers should ensure that the higher order thinking skills (such as ‘analyse’ and ‘evaluate’) that are stated in the outcomes and assessment tasks are appropriately represented. 
• If structured questions are used as part of a written task, the assessment task should have a number of different questions at various levels of complexity to allow for student performance at a range of levels. Specific VCE Chemistry Units 1–4 key science skills should be blended with questions that explore key knowledge so that the key knowledge and key science skills are assessed in the context of comparing different practical activities.
• It is important to consider how the task will be marked and the expected levels of achievement or responses that will be required as part of the design process, prior to students undertaking the task.
• Questions and prompts should provide students with the parameters and framework for a response that reflects the expected level of achievement (for rubrics) or the number of allocated marks (for marking schemes). Including different levels of performance (for rubrics) or multi-mark questions (for marking schemes) will help to discriminate between student responses during assessment.
• Authentication strategies for the assessment task may include:
• the annotation of logbooks under teacher supervision
• the collection of logbooks / annotations prior to the assessment lesson and re-distribution at the start of the assessment task
• changing the context used to develop the assessment task from year to year (for example, using a different outcome, or changing the context for the comparison).
• Teachers should ensure that any publicly available materials used to develop the assessment task are suitably adapted and / or modified to ensure that students’ work can be authenticated as their own.

Explore learning contexts for setting up the assessment task

This is one of four assessment tasks listed on pages 43 and 49 of the VCE Chemistry Study Design that can be applied to Outcomes 1 or 2 in Units 3 or 4. Teachers must select the outcome which will be assessed via this task. The remaining three outcomes for Units 3 and 4 cannot subsequently be assessed by this task.

In preparing for this SAC task, teachers should:

• determine the source of primary and / or secondary data to be used as the stimulus material for the task
• ensure that students can distinguish between primary and secondary data
• provide opportunities for students to generate and record primary data, and collate secondary data
• provide students with experiences in interpreting a variety of graphs relevant to the selected outcome for the assessment task
• use raw data or tabulated data relevant to the selected outcome for the assessment task to develop students’ skills in data representation, analysis and evaluation
• explore the nature of the evidence that is required to be able to support or refute conclusions drawn from data.

Define the parameters that will form the basis of the assessment task

This assessment task requires students to analyse and evaluate primary and / or secondary data, including plotting data, identifying assumptions or data limitations, and drawing conclusions, as specified on pages 43 and 49 of the VCE Chemistry Study Design. Questions related to sustainability, if relevant, may also be included in the task.

The focus of this SAC task is on graphing data using appropriate scientific conventions and drawing conclusions from the data, recognising the limitations of the data. Whether the data is primary or secondary is therefore of no consequence. Flawed data (for example, data that may include outliers) provides opportunities for students to discuss the quality and validity of data and consider sources of errors and / or uncertainty. 

Data for the SAC task could be accessed from a variety of sources:

• students’ raw primary data derived from fieldwork, laboratory investigations, simulations or other practical activities, recorded in students’ logbooks
• data from student investigations collated by the teacher
• de-identified and modified primary data from student investigations from previous years to be used as a secondary data source
• data from simulations conducted during, or immediately prior, to the SAC task; for example, a titration
• secondary data sourced from the internet
• a set of data constructed by the teacher to include outliers or other anomalies
• supplementary data as determined by the teacher.

Decide on the structure and conditions of the task

Teachers may consider the following actions in determining the structure and conditions of the assessment task:

• Review the outcome on which the assessment task is based and identify the key knowledge and the specific Units 1–4 Chemistry key science skills (on pages 11–12) that students will be expected to demonstrate.
• Decide whether the task will be undertaken in a written, multimodal or oral format.
• For a written response:
• allocate approximately 50 minutes for task completion
• allow time for students to read the assessment task questions, or to generate data from a simulation, in addition to the allocated time for the written component
• organise the task to be completed under test conditions that allow for authentication.
• For an oral or multimodal task:
• allocate approximately 10 minutes for task presentation
• arrange for live or pre-recorded presentations while also managing authentication processes for pre-recorded presentations
• provide time to research and prepare the presentation, in addition to the time allocated for the presentation component.
• Determine the format for the assessment that students will undertake and what will be required of students. For example, the SAC task may require students to:
• respond to generic instructions such as, ‘Draw a graph of the data and justify conclusions, including discussing the validity of the data’
• answer a set of structured questions that build towards students drawing conclusions, including questions requiring students to plot and analyse data
• deliver an oral or multimodal presentation where data analysis and evaluation is discussed, and conclusions justified.
• Determine how students’ recorded data in their logbooks may be used in the assessment task. Consider whether students can annotate and / or process their data prior to the assessment task, and whether all data annotations and / or processing should be completed under teacher supervision. It is recommended that all data annotation and / or processing occurs under teacher supervision and that teachers collect students’ logbooks immediately following the generation of the primary data, and return the logbooks to students at the beginning of the assessment task, so that authentication issues are minimised.
• Decide the most appropriate time to set the task. This decision is the result of several considerations including:
• the estimated time it will take to cover the key knowledge and relevant key science skills
• when assessment tasks are being conducted in other studies and the workload implications for students.
• Teachers should be aware that some student primary data sets may be more challenging to evaluate than other data sets; this should be taken into account when deciding how data evaluation will be assessed. It may be more equitable to provide students with data sets. The same assessment task questions could be used for data that varies slightly for each student.
• If using secondary data for the task, determine how this data (which should be recorded in students’ logbooks) will be used in the assessment task. Consider whether students can annotate and / or process their data prior to the assessment task, and whether all data annotations and / or processing should be completed under teacher supervision. It is recommended that all data annotation and / or processing occurs under teacher supervision and that teachers collect students’ logbooks immediately following the generation of the primary data. The logbooks can be returned to students at the beginning of the assessment task, to minimise authentication issues.
• Prior to undertaking the assessment task students should be advised of the timeline, the conditions under which the task will be conducted, materials that will be allowed (including notes, annotations, logbooks and calculators) and be informed of the key knowledge and key science skills that will be assessed.

Design the assessment task

Teachers should consider the following points in designing the assessment task:

• Refer to the following VCAA resources:
• Introduction and key knowledge of the outcome to which the task is aligned.
• Cross-study specifications, including key science skills outlined on pages 11–12 of the VCE Chemistry Study Design; a Units 3 and 4 key skills mapping grid may be used by teachers to map skills across all assessment tasks across Units 3 and 4
• VCAA rubrics for the ‘analysis and evaluation of primary and/or secondary data’ task outlined under ‘Assessment’ on the VCAA website, noting that these rubrics are not mandated. They may be modified to suit the key knowledge and key science skills addressed in each task. Teachers may also develop their own set of rubrics or marking schemes. If developing rubrics or marking schemes, teachers should ensure that the higher order thinking skills (such as ‘analyse’, ‘evaluate’ and ‘apply’) that are stated in the outcomes and assessment tasks are appropriately represented. 
It is important to consider how the task will be marked and the expected levels of achievement or responses that will be required as part of the design process, prior to students undertaking the task.
• If structured questions are used as part of a written task, the assessment task should have a number of different questions at various levels of complexity to allow for student performance at a range of levels. Examples of directive terms that require higher order thinking skills include: compare; account for; explain; suggest reasons for; predict; analyse; evaluate; and justify.
• Questions and prompts should provide students with the parameters and framework for a response that reflects the expected level of achievement (for rubrics) or the number of allocated marks (for marking schemes). This will help to differentiate between student responses during an assessment. Examples of questions with clearly defined expectations include, ‘Describe the relationship shown by…’, ‘How do the data explain…?’, ‘How was repeatability / reproducibility considered in…?’, and ‘How does your analysis of the data support your conclusion?’  
• Specific VCE Chemistry Units 1–4 key science skills should be blended with questions that explore key knowledge so that the key knowledge and key science skills are assessed in the context of data analysis and evaluation. Specific questions to assess students’ ability to plot data, identify assumptions in the data, identify limitations in the data and draw conclusions from the data can be scaffolded so that students have every opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and skills.
• Authentication strategies for the assessment task may include:
• the collection of logbooks following investigations involving the generation of primary data prior to the assessment lesson and re-distribution at the start of the assessment task
• collation of students’ primary data to form a unique set of data for analysis and evaluation
• using the same set of assessment questions for all students but randomly allocating different data sets to students related to an experiment, for example, different titration or equilibrium results
• changing the context used to develop the assessment task from year to year (for example, use of a different laboratory activity, fieldwork or simulation as the basis of the task, or including different data sets that may be added to students’ primary data for the assessment task)
• changing the outcome that is used to form the basis of the assessment task from year to year.
• Teachers should ensure that any publicly available materials used to develop the assessment task are suitably adapted and / or modified to ensure that students’ work can be authenticated as their own.

Explore learning contexts for setting up the assessment task

This is one of four assessment tasks listed on pages 43 and 49 of the VCE Chemistry Study Design that can be applied to Outcomes 1 or 2 in Units 3 or 4. Teachers must select the outcome which will be assessed via this task. The remaining three outcomes for Units 3 and 4 cannot subsequently be assessed by this task.

In preparing for this assessment task, teachers should:

• determine the source of stimulus materials for the task; it is suggested that to meet the VCE assessment principle of efficiency, the number of scenarios should be limited to between one and three
• discuss examples of real-world chemistry applications with students in class
• practise solving quantitative real-world chemistry problems relevant to the area of study in which the assessment task is allocated
• provide opportunities for practical problem-solving in the laboratory (for example, titration) to determine unknown quantities or determining the ideal conditions for the operation of electrochemical cells
• provide students with feedback about areas for improvement in solving calculation-based problems
• provide feedback to students about areas for improvement when solving real-world chemistry problems as part of class activities.

Define the parameters that will form the basis of the assessment task

This assessment task requires students to apply chemistry understanding and skills to solve real-world chemistry problems as specified on pages 43 and 49 of the VCE Chemistry Study Design.

The focus of this assessment task is on the use of calculations and explanations to respond to chemistry-related real-world problems and scenarios. The assessment task may be based on a practical laboratory problem-solving task and / or could be based on a provided scenario. This task also lends itself particularly well to including reference to sustainability in terms of considering green chemistry principles and / or the transition from a linear to a circular economy.

• reports of contemporary chemistry research; for example, summary articles published in Science Daily or The Conversation (filter for selected topics)
• calculations of efficiencies and atom economy related to a comparison of chemical manufacturing processes
• comparison of the precision of different laboratory techniques used in chemical analysis
• determination of ideal conditions for a chemical reaction or process to proceed
• stoichiometric calculations; for example, the chemistry of airbags involving the decomposition of sodium azide, rocket propulsion involving ideal fuel mix proportions, electroplating, or the quality assurance analysis of consumer products.

This SAC task contributes 10 percent to a student’s study score for VCE Chemistry.

Decide on the structure and conditions of the task

Teachers may consider the following actions in determining the structure and conditions of the assessment task:

• Review the outcome on which the assessment task is based and identify the key knowledge and the specific Units 1–4 Chemistry key science skills on pages 11–12 that students will be expected to demonstrate.
• Decide whether the task will be undertaken in a written, multimodal or oral format.
  • For a written response:
    • allocate approximately 50–70 minutes for task completion
    • allow time for students to read the assessment task questions, in addition to the allocated time for the written component
    • consider whether the SAC task is based on a laboratory activity that should be performed prior to any written component of the task
    • organise the task to be completed under test conditions that allow for authentication.
  • For an oral or multimodal task:
    • allocate approximately 10 minutes for task completion
    • arrange for live or pre-recorded presentations while also managing authentication processes for pre-recorded presentations
    • provide time to research and prepare the presentation, in addition to the time allocated for the presentation component.
• Determine whether students will have access to any stimulus material prior to the assessment task. If the selected material is lengthy or complex, it may be appropriate to provide students with the material prior to undertaking the assessment task. Teachers should also determine whether students may annotate the task. Access to the materials and annotations by students should be undertaken under teacher supervision as far as practicable. Annotations completed outside class should be handed in to the teacher along with the assessment task and a completed VCAA ‘School-assessed Coursework Authentication’ form.
• If using secondary data for the task, determine how this data (which should be recorded in students’ logbooks) will be used in the assessment task. Consider whether students can annotate and / or process their data prior to the assessment task, and whether all data annotations and / or processing should be completed under teacher supervision. It is recommended that all data annotation and / or processing occurs under teacher supervision and that teachers collect students’ logbooks immediately following the generation of the primary data, and return the logbooks to students at the beginning of the assessment task, to minimise authentication issues.
• Determine the type of assessment that students will undertake and what will be required of students. For example, the SAC task may require students to:
  • answer a set of structured questions
  • perform an experiment or simulation to generate data prior to the task, and then respond to a generic question such as ‘How do the data you have generated inform decisions to be made about…?’
  • develop a design for an improved version of a previously developed product, process or system
  • deliver an oral or multimodal presentation that explains the mathematics associated with understanding and solving real-life chemistry problems.
• Decide the most appropriate time to set the task. This decision is the result of several considerations including:
  • the estimated time it will take to cover the key knowledge and relevant key science skills
  • when assessment tasks are being conducted in other studies and the workload implications for students.
• For calculation-based aspects of the assessment task, consider whether there is a need to individualise data sets that may form part of the stimulus materials, for authentication purposes.
• If primary data is used for the task based on students’ prior investigation data, or data generated during the SAC task, teachers should be aware that some data sets may be more challenging to evaluate than other data sets, and this should be taken into account when deciding how data evaluation will be undertaken by students. Although the primary data generated by students may differ (for example, different titration results), the same assessment task questions can be used to ensure that tasks are fair.
• Prior to undertaking the assessment task students should be advised of the timeline, the conditions under which the task will be conducted, materials that will be allowed (including notes, annotations, logbooks and calculators) and be informed of the key knowledge and key science skills that will be assessed.

Design the assessment task

Teachers should consider the following points in designing the assessment task:

• When designing this assessment task, teachers should refer to the following:
  • Introduction and key knowledge of the outcome to which the task is aligned
  • Cross-study specifications, including key science skills outlined on pages 11–12 of the VCE Chemistry Study Design; a Units 3 and 4 key skills mapping grid may be used by teachers to map skills across all assessment tasks across Units 3 and 4
  • VCAA rubrics for the ‘problem-solving applied to real-world contexts’ task outlined under ‘Assessment advice’ on the VCAA website, noting that these rubrics are not mandated. The rubrics may be modified to suit the key knowledge and key science skills addressed in each task. Teachers may also develop their own set of rubrics or marking schemes. If developing rubrics or marking schemes, teachers should ensure that the higher order thinking skills (such as ‘analyse’ and ‘evaluate’) that are stated in the outcomes and assessment tasks are appropriately represented.
• If structured questions are used as part of a written task, the assessment task should have a number of different questions at various levels of complexity to allow for student performance at a range of levels. Specific VCE Chemistry Units 1–4 key science skills should be blended with questions that explore key knowledge so that the key knowledge and key science skills are assessed in the context of problem-solving.
• Questions and prompts should provide students with the parameters and framework for a response that reflects the expected level of achievement (for rubrics) or the number of allocated marks (for marking schemes). Including different levels of performance (for rubrics) or multi-mark questions (for marking schemes) will help to discriminate between student responses during assessment.
• It is important to consider how the task will be marked and the expected levels of achievement or responses that will be required as part of the design process, prior to students undertaking the task.
• Authentication strategies for the assessment task may include:
  • the collection of any annotations prior to the assessment lesson and re-distribution at the start of the assessment task
  • changing the context used to develop the assessment task from year to year (for example, the use of a different laboratory activity)
  • changing the outcome that is used to form the basis of the assessment task from year to year.
• Teachers should ensure that any publicly available materials used to develop the assessment task are suitably adapted and / or modified to ensure that students’ work can be authenticated as their own.

Explore learning contexts for setting up the assessment task

This is one of four assessment tasks listed on pages 43 and 49 of the VCE Chemistry Study Design that can be applied to Outcomes 1 or 2 in Units 3 or 4. Teachers must select the outcome which will be assessed via this task. The remaining three outcomes for Units 3 and 4 cannot subsequently be assessed by this task.

In preparing for this assessment task, teachers should:

• determine the source of the stimulus material for the assessment task
• discuss examples of innovations, studies, issues and/or media communications relevant to the outcome that will be used for the assessment task
• encourage students to bring in their own examples of contemporary chemistry innovations and discoveries to discuss, analyse and evaluate in class.

Define the parameters that will form the basis of the assessment task

This assessment task requires students to apply chemistry concepts and skills to analyse and evaluate a chemical innovation, research study, case study, socio-scientific issue, or media communication.

The focus of the SAC task is on communicating chemistry concepts, asking questions such as, ‘Why is … important for society?’, ‘What is the chemistry behind…?’, ‘Do the advantages outweigh any disadvantages of…?’ and ‘What are the implications of…?’ This task also lends itself particularly well to including reference to sustainability in terms of considering green chemistry principles and / or the transition from a linear to a circular economy.

Students may be presented with a chemistry-based innovation, a research study, an issue or a media communication as the stimulus material for the assessment task. Depending on the complexity of the stimulus material, teachers may provide students with the source material prior to undertaking the SAC task, which students may annotate under teacher supervision. Teachers should use readability checks for assessing the suitability of sourced materials for their cohort.

There are many sources of secondary data appropriate to use in this assessment task. Data may be accessed through a variety of different print and electronic resources, with appropriate referencing, as a source of stimulus material for SAC tasks. Teachers may also use information and data from a case study investigation or media communication used as part of the regular teaching and learning program as a basis for the SAC task.

Sources of information include:

• reports of chemistry research; for example, articles published in Science Daily or The Conversation (filter for selected topics)
• different opinions about chemistry-based socio-scientific issues published in the media
• case studies of the development of an innovation or comparison of the ‘greenness’ of new products or chemical processes
• a student-designed product completed as part of class activities that will be modified for improved performance or output
• contemporary (within the last year) media communications related to chemistry innovations, proposals or new ‘green’ products
• relevant stimulus materials sourced by students and approved by the teacher; for example, after being provided with a general research topic such as ‘new batteries’ or ‘alternative energy sources’.

Decide on the structure and conditions of the task

Teachers may consider the following actions in determining the structure and conditions of the assessment task:

• Review the outcome on which the assessment task is based and identify the key knowledge and the specific Units 1–4 Chemistry key science skills on pages 11–12 that students will be expected to demonstrate.
• Decide whether the task will be undertaken in a written, multimodal or oral format.
  • For a written response:
    • allocate approximately 50–70 minutes for task completion
    • organise the task to be completed under test conditions that allow for authentication
    • allow time for students to read the assessment task questions, or to generate data from a simulation, in addition to the allocated time for the written component.
  • For an oral or multimodal task:
    • allocate approximately 10 minutes for task completion
    • arrange for live or pre-recorded presentations while also managing authentication processes for pre-recorded presentations
    • provide time to research and prepare the presentation, in addition to the time allocated for the presentation component.
• Determine whether students will have access to the stimulus material prior to the assessment task. If the selected material is lengthy or complex, it may be appropriate to provide students with the material prior to undertaking the assessment task. Teachers should also determine whether students may annotate the task. Access to the materials and annotations by students should be undertaken under teacher supervision as far as practicable.
• Determine the type of assessment that students will undertake and what will be required of students. For example, the SAC task may require students to:
  • respond to a generic question such as ‘What is the chemistry associated with…and how is it important to society…?’ or ‘How does…address the green chemistry principles of… and why is this an improvement on the current situation?’
  • respond to a set of scaffolded questions that build towards students analysing and evaluating the selected innovation, research study, case study, socio-scientific issue, or media communication
  • deliver an oral presentation explaining the innovation, research study, case study, socio-scientific issue, or response to a media communication.
• Decide the most appropriate time to set the task. This decision is the result of several considerations including:
  • the estimated time it will take to cover the key knowledge and relevant key science skills
  • when assessment tasks are being conducted in other studies and the workload implications for students.
• Prior to undertaking the assessment task students should be advised of the timeline, the conditions under which the task will be conducted, materials that will be allowed (including notes, annotations, logbooks and calculators) and be informed of the key knowledge and key science skills that will be assessed.

Design the assessment task

Teachers should consider the following points in designing the assessment task:

• When designing this assessment task, teachers should refer to the following:
  • Introduction and key knowledge of the outcome to which the task is aligned
  • Cross-study specifications, including key science skills outlined on pages 11–12 of the VCE Chemistry Study Design; a Units 3 and 4 key skills mapping grid may be used by teachers to map skills across all assessment tasks across Units 3 and 4
  • VCAA rubrics for the ‘analysis and evaluation of an innovation, study, issue or media communication’ task outlined under ‘Assessment advice’ on the VCAA website, noting that these rubrics are not mandated. The rubrics may be modified to suit the key knowledge and key science skills addressed in each task. Teachers may also develop their own set of rubrics or marking schemes. If developing rubrics or marking schemes, teachers should ensure that the higher order thinking skills (such as ‘analyse’ and ‘evaluate’) that are stated in the outcomes and assessment tasks are appropriately represented. 
• If structured questions are used as part of a written task, the assessment task should have a number of different questions at various levels of complexity to allow for student performance at a range of levels. Specific VCE Chemistry Units 1–4 key science skills should be blended with questions that explore key knowledge so that the key knowledge and key science skills are assessed in the context of analysis and evaluation of a contemporary application of chemistry.
• It is important to consider how the task will be marked and the expected levels of achievement or responses that will be required as part of the design process, prior to students undertaking the task.
• Questions and prompts should provide students with the parameters and framework for a response that reflects the expected level of achievement (for rubrics) or the number of allocated marks (for marking schemes). Including different levels of performance (for rubrics) or multi-mark questions (for marking schemes) will help to discriminate between student responses during assessment.
• Authentication strategies for the assessment task may include:
  • the annotation of stimulus materials under teacher supervision
  • the creation of notes under teacher supervision
  • the collection of annotations prior to the assessment lesson and re-distribution at the start of the assessment task
  • regular sighting of any research or preparatory work conducted out of class which is recorded by the teacher
  • use of the VCAA ‘School-assessed Coursework Authentication’ form by students
  • changing the selected innovation, research study, case study, socio-scientific issue or media communication used to develop the assessment task from year to year
  • changing the outcome that is used to form the basis of the assessment task from year to year.
• Teachers should ensure that any publicly available materials used to develop the assessment task are suitably adapted and / or modified to ensure that students’ work can be authenticated as their own.

Explore learning contexts for setting up the assessment task

This task relates to content in Unit 3 and / or Unit 4. Teachers will decide whether:

• all students undertake an investigation in a particular area of study, which may be nominated by the teacher or preferably negotiated with students
• students have a choice of the area of study which will underpin their investigations.

Students may work in small groups or individually to undertake the investigation, but should be individually assessed on their capacity to:

• design an investigation
• analyse and evaluate their data, using a logbook to authenticate their work
• communicate findings and a conclusion in a scientific poster.

In preparing for this assessment task, teachers should:

• review with students how primary data may be generated through the releavnt scientific methodologies (controlled experiment; fieldwork; modelling; product, process or system development; or simulation) listed on page 13 of the VCE Chemistry Study Design
• ensure that students can distinguish between qualitative and quantitative data
• provide students with experiences in organising, analysing and evaluating data to identify patterns and relationships in a variety of chemistry contexts
• review terms related to measurement including accuracy, precision, reproducibility, repeatability and validity
• discuss with students experiments and investigations already completed in class that can be used as the basis of a coupled investigation for students’ investigations in this area of study
• provide examples of succinct communication of science ideas through an evaluation of sample scientific posters (for example, de-identified student posters from previous years).

Define the parameters that will form the basis of the assessment task

The assessment task for this outcome requires students to communicate the design, analysis and findings of a student-designed and student-conducted investigation through a structured scientific poster and logbook entries, as specified on page 49 of the study design.

Decide on the structure and conditions of the task

Teachers may consider the following actions in determining the structure and conditions of the assessment task:

• Determine whether the scientific investigation will be undertaken in either Unit 3 or Unit 4 or across both Units 3 and 4. Dependent on the structure of the task, different outcomes and underpinning key knowledge may be investigated by different students. Students may also use different methodologies and / or methods in designing their investigations.
• Where choice of outcome, methodology and / or method for the student-designed investigations is provided, confirm that tasks are comparable in scope and demand to ensure that the VCE Assessment Principles are met.
• Decide the most appropriate time to set the task. This decision is the result of several considerations including:
  • the estimated time it will take to cover the key knowledge and relevant key science skills
  • management of different student investigations
  • availability of school resources to support the student investigations
  • when assessment tasks are being conducted in other studies and the workload implications for students.
• Advise students, prior to the assessment task being undertaken, of the timeline and the conditions under which the task will be conducted. Confirmation of the key knowledge and key science skills that will be assessed relevant to each student’s investigation should also be negotiated between the teacher and the student prior to the investigation being undertaken.

Design the assessment task

Teachers should consider the following points in designing the assessment task:

• When designing this task, teachers should refer to the following:
  • Introduction and key knowledge included in Unit 4 Outcome 3
  • Cross-study specifications, including key science skills outlined on pages 11–12 of the VCE Chemistry Study Design; a Units 3 and 4 key skills mapping grid may be used by teachers to map skills across all assessment tasks across Units 3 and 4
  • ‘Scientific Investigations’ and ‘Scientific Poster’ sections under ‘Planning advice’ in the VCAA online support materials
  • VCE rubrics for the ‘Unit 4 Outcome 3 student-designed investigation’ task included under ‘Assessment advice’. Teachers should note that the rubrics are not mandated. The rubrics may be modified to suit the structure of the student-designed investigations conducted by each specific school cohort of students, or other rubrics may be constructed by teachers. If devising a marking scheme to assess the outcome, teachers should ensure that higher order thinking skills and command terms used in the outcome statements and assessment tasks (such as ‘design’, ‘apply’, ‘analyse’ and ‘evaluate’) are appropriately represented. 
• It is expected that the student-designed investigation will be a ‘coupled’ or ‘open’ scientific investigation and that students will undertake each of the phases listed in the ‘Designing investigations’ section under ‘Planning Advice’ in the VCAA online support materials.
• Depending on the investigation question that is developed, a controlled experiment may not be the best scientific investigation methodology to select in order to answer the question. However, the investigation question and scientific investigation methodology selected must allow for the generation of primary data.
• The ‘investigation exploration’, ‘planning’ and ‘investigation’ phases of a student’s scientific investigation should be appropriately recorded and authenticated in students’ logbooks. The information contained within the logbook should be used by teachers to individually assess a student’s ability to design and conduct a scientific investigation.
• Sections of the ‘processing’, ‘reporting’ and ‘further investigation’ phases of a student’s scientific investigation may be assessed using both the logbook and the scientific poster that is created to convey the overall design and findings of the student’s investigation. Teachers should spend time supporting students to understand the key sections and design principles of communication for the poster format in the VCE Chemistry Study Design 2023–2027. It may be appropriate for students to complete aspects of a scientific report, such as results and discussion of their investigation, in their logbooks, which is then assessed before students are assessed on their ability to use clear, coherent and concise expression and representations to a specific audience for a specific purpose through the construction of the scientific poster.
• In some circumstances, students may design an investigation that cannot be safely conducted or may be beyond the scope of the VCE Chemistry Study Design. In particular, the general guiding principle behind ethical research is to do no harm to participants, including non-human animals, the researcher and community. Teachers should guard against investigation questions that may be inappropriate for secondary school student researchers and be mindful of particular sensitivities within their school community and broader community. In the circumstance that a student is assessed as having designed an investigation that cannot be safely conducted, they may be provided with an alternative method to then generate primary data.
• Due to the time available to design, conduct and report the finding of their scientific investigation, students must be practical and realistic when deciding on investigation topics. Teachers should be equally pragmatic when advising students about their choice of investigation topics and when guiding students in the formulation of the investigation question. Appropriate teacher intervention not only minimises risks but also serves as formative feedback for students.
• Sometimes the data generated by students is inadequate in enabling them to draw meaningful conclusions in relation to their investigation question. In this circumstance, students may be provided with secondary data for analysis.
• Students are assessed on their capacity to design an investigation. Typically, this is assessed in relation to a student’s planned investigation. An alternative approach is to assess a student’s capacity to extend or ask a further question as a coupled experiment to an initial investigation undertaken. In schools with large student cohorts, this is particularly useful for managing resources and assessment.
• It is important to consider how the assessment task will be marked and the expected levels of achievement or responses that will be required as part of the task design process, prior to students undertaking the task. Students should be advised as to how levels of achievement will be determined. Providing students with assessment rubrics, if used, prior to them undertaking the assessment task aligns with the VCE assessment principle of equity.
• Clear communication regarding expectations of students concerning the use of the logbook and / or use of notes in the assessed component of the student-designed investigation is important for authentication.
• Depending on the structure of the task, authentication strategies may include, but are not limited to:
  • the annotation of logbooks or creation of notes under teacher supervision
  • the collection of logbooks / annotations prior to the creation of the scientific poster and re-distribution at the start of the session(s) allocated to create the scientific poster
  • regular sighting of preparation work conducted out of class which is recorded by the teacher
  • use of the VCAA’s ‘School-assessed Coursework Authentication’ form by students for work completed outside class
  • changing the outcome or scientific investigation methodology that is used to form the basis of the assessment task from year to year in cases where only one outcome and methodology are used by a school.