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Assessment

Accreditation period for Units 1–4: 2024–2028

General assessment advice

Advice on matters related to the administration of Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) assessment is published annually in the VCE and VCAL Administrative Handbook.

Updates to matters related to the administration of VCE assessment are published in the VCAA Bulletin. Subscribe to the VCAA Bulletin.

Teachers must refer to these publications for current advice.

The VCE assessment principles underpin all VCE assessment practices and should guide teachers in their design and implementation of School-assessed Coursework (SACs).

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.

The VCAA assessment principles determine that assessment at VCE should be:

  • valid and reasonable
  • equitable
  • balanced
  • efficient.

Essentially, these principles invite schools and teachers to create assessment practices, including tasks and instruments, that enable students to demonstrate their understanding of the outcome statements as well as the key knowledge and skills. These should be demonstrated through a range of opportunities and in different contexts (balanced) that do not advantage or disadvantage certain groups on the basis of circumstances (equitable). Assessment practices should not be overly onerous in terms of workload and time (efficient) and they should only assess that which is explicitly described in the study design.

The glossary of command terms provides a list of terms commonly used across the Victorian Curriculum F–10, VCE study designs and VCE examinations, to help students better understand the requirements of command terms in the context of their discipline.

VCE Classical Studies Study Design examination specifications, past examination papers and corresponding examination reports can be accessed from the VCE examination webpages.

Graded distributions for graded assessment can be accessed from the VCAA Senior Secondary Certificate Statistical Information webpage.

Excepting third-party elements, schools may use this resource in accordance with the VCAA’s educational allowance (VCAA Copyright and Intellectual Property Policy).

Developing a program

Authentication

The teacher must consider the conditions in which tasks are completed and whether students are using prepared notes. If students are permitted to use notes, it is important that the teacher authenticate these. It is recommended that the teacher collects and inspects the note sheets in the lesson prior to the task. It is recommended that notes are restricted (e.g. one side of a A4 page, minimum 10pt font, dot-points only). The teacher can then re-distribute the sheets during the task. The teacher should also inspect any other material (such as texts) at the beginning of the task. Students should frequently monitor student work so that they become familiar with individual students’ work. Further information regarding the VCAA authentication rules can be found in the VCAA VCE Administrative Handbook.

Units 3 and 4

Unit 3 sample approach to an assessment task

Area of Study 2: Material Culture

Outcome 2

On completion of this unit the student should be able to analyse the key ideas and techniques used in the production of the prescribed material work(s) and its relationship to its socio-historical context.

To achieve this outcome the student will draw on key knowledge and key skills outlined in Area of Study 2.

There are different ways to approach this outcome in terms of task given and also how it is assessed. Below are a variety of ways of approaching Unit 3 Outcome 2 using the VCAA performance descriptors, modified where necessary, for assessing each task.

  • Sample 1 - Structured questions
  • Sample 2 – Structured questions and an extended response
  • Sample 3 - An extended response question.

Sample 1 - Structured questions using the VCAA performance descriptors

Students are given an image or images and asked structured questions based on the image(s). Teachers use the VCAA descriptors to assess the task.

Time

The length of time for the task can be determined by the teacher but a suggested guide is 40–60 minutes.

Requirements

Students respond to an image(s) and a series of previously unseen structured questions. This task should be completed in class, and teachers need to consider their authentication procedures if they decide that students are able to access any notes during an assessment task.

Designing the task

When selecting images and developing a series of structured questions for this area of study, the questions must allow students to draw on the scope of the key knowledge and key skills. When developing questions for a SAC:

  • 25% should be lower order questions, such as list, identify, outline and describe
  • 50% should be mid-range questions, such as compare and explain
  • 25% should be higher order, such as analyse and evaluate

A range of questions in the task ensures that the SAC allows for a breadth of student achievement. The image(s) and questions should provide an opportunity for students to analyse the ideas and techniques of the work studied and evaluate the relationship of the work to its socio-historical context. Students also need to evaluate the importance of sections of the classical work to the whole work, or the importance of the work to its form, where several works are prescribed for study. The image(s) chosen and the structured questions must require students to demonstrate a range of key skills as listed in the study design on p32.

Below are sample questions that might be used where students have studied the Colosseum. For this task, students are given two images of features of the Colosseum, such as a diagram of the seating or the hypogeum, a photograph that shows a portion of the exterior of the building, a photo that shows the passages and groin vaulting or a specific construction method. Teachers can use these questions as models for their own question design, as relevant to their teaching and learning program.

  1. Select one of the following from the list below and describe how it was used in the construction of the Colosseum:
    • arch
    • keystone
    • brick
    • concrete
  2. State the dates between which the Colosseum was built and its precise location in Rome. Explain the significance of the location of the Colosseum to its purpose as a Flavian monument.
  3. Compare the function of the areas shown in Image a and Image b [or similar].
  4. Using evidence from the monument, explain the significance of particular features in conveying ideas.

Marking the task

Teachers use the VCAA descriptors to mark the task. Teachers should unpack the descriptors with students before the assessment task is undertaken. If they wish, teachers may remove or modify descriptors to suit the task they have set. An example of how to modify descriptors can be found in the ‘How to use the Performance Descriptors’ guide.

Sample 2 – Short questions and an extended response using modified VCAA performance descriptors.

Students respond to images through short questions and an extended response.

Time

This task should be completed in class. The length of time is determined by the teacher, but a suggested guide is Part A: 20 minutes and part B: 30-40 minutes.

Requirements

Students respond to two or more images from the work and answer short questions based upon them. These questions may include identification and labelling. The second half of the task is an extended response question that covers a variety of the key knowledge and key skills. This task should be completed in class, and teachers need to consider their authentication procedures if they decide that students are able to access any notes during an assessment task.

Designing the task

Teachers stipulate the number of marks per question. As a guide, teachers could allocate one mark for an ‘identify’ question, five marks for an ‘explain, ‘describe’ or ‘compare’ question, and 10 marks for an ‘analyse’ or ‘evaluate’ question. An extended response might take the form of an ‘analyse’ or ‘evaluate’ question, and could award more than 10 marks, depending on the level of detail required by the question.

Below is a sample task where students have studied the Parthenon, that teachers can use as a model to developing their own tasks.

      PART A
    1. Using Image A, label the following features of the Parthenon. (5 marks)
      • Pediment
      • Metope
      • Doric column
      • Ionic frieze
      • Stylobate
    2. Explain what is meant by the term entasis and describe how this feature is used on the Parthenon. (5 marks).
    3. Describe the building program of the Parthenon, explaining who commissioned it and how and when it was constructed. Use precise evidence in your response. (4 marks)
    4. Using Image B, explain how the concept of democracy is integral to the Parthenon. (6 marks)

      5. PART B – Extended response
    5. Use Image C as well as your knowledge of the Parthenon as a whole, analyse the ideas presented in the image, the techniques used to convey them and evaluate the significance of the image to the building as a whole. (30 marks)

Marking the task

Teachers use the key knowledge and key skills as well as the VCAA performance descriptors to decide how many marks each question is worth. They can have questions that represent specific descriptors and/or combine and modify descriptors to suit a given question.

Sample 3 – An extended response question using the VCAA performance descriptors

Students respond to one or more images from the material work studied through an extended response question.

Time

The length of time for the task can be determined by the teacher but a suggested guide is 40–60 minutes.

Requirements

SStudents respond to an image(s) through an extended response question. This task should be completed in class, and teachers need to consider their authentication procedures if they decide that students are able to access any notes during an assessment task..

Designing the task

Create questions that allow students to address key knowledge and skills.

Sample questions:

  1. Evaluate the image in regards to its relationship to its socio-historical context, the ideas presented and the techniques used to convey these ideas, as well as the significance of the image to the work as a whole/as an example of its form.
  2. Identify and explain the techniques used to present key ideas in this image and explain its significance in the presentation of key ideas in the work as a whole/in the material prescribed for study.

Marking the task

Students are given a holistic mark based on the VCAA performance descriptors. The descriptors can be modified. In this case, instead of having ‘Comparing classical works’ and ‘Evaluating significance within or of classical works’ as separate descriptors, they could be combined so that the descriptor becomes ‘Compare and evaluate the significance of a part to the whole’.


Performance descriptors

How to use VCE Classical Studies Performance descriptors

The VCAA performance descriptors are advice only and provide a guide to developing an assessment tool when assessing the outcomes of each area of study. The performance descriptors can be adapted and customised by teachers in consideration of their context and cohort, and to complement existing assessment procedures in line with the VCE Administrative Handbook and the VCE assessment principles.

VCE performance descriptors can assist teachers in:

  • moderating student work,
  • making consistent assessment,
  • helping determine student point of readiness (zone of proximal development), and
  • providing more detailed information for reporting purposes.

Using VCE performance descriptors can assist students by providing them with informed, detailed feedback and by showing them what improvement looks like.

Teachers can also explore the VCE performance descriptors with their students, unpacking the levels of expected performance so students have a clear understanding of what can be possible in terms of development and achievement.

When developing SAC tasks, teachers are advised to adapt the VCAA VCE performance descriptors to relate to the SAC task used and their school context. Teachers should use their professional judgment when deciding how to adapt the rubrics, considering the VCE assessment principles, the requirements of the relevant study design, the relevant outcome, key knowledge, key skills and assessment tasks, and the student cohort.

Teachers may consider using the following guidelines when adapting the VCE Performance descriptors and/or developing an assessment tool:

  • Develop the SAC task and assessment rubric simultaneously.
  • Assess the outcome through a representative sample of key knowledge and key skills. Not all key knowledge and key skills will be formally assessed in a SAC task – some key knowledge and key skills are observable in classroom engagement and learning – but all criteria in any assessment tool must be drawn directly from the study design.
  • Select the components of the VCE Performance descriptors that are most appropriate and most relevant for the selected outcome and SAC task.
  • Attempt to capture the skill level of a range of students within the cohort: the lowest expected quality of performance should be something most or all students can do, and the highest expected quality of performance should be something that extends the most able students. Similarly, ensure that the range of qualities identified in the rubric shows the lower and the upper range of what an individual student could show in terms of the outcome, key knowledge and the key skills.
  • Where necessary, add specific key knowledge and/or key skills to provide context to the expected qualities of performance.
  • Where necessary, remove expected qualities of performance that may not be relevant to the selected outcome and developed SAC task.
  • Show a clear gradation across the expected qualities of performance, indicating progression from one quality to the next.
  • Use consistent language from the study design outcome, key knowledge and key skills.
  • Ensure command terms reflect the cognitive demands of the outcome. Refer to the glossary of command terms for a list of terms commonly used across the Victorian Curriculum F–10, VCE study designs and VCE examinations.