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 1 requires that students ‘model, investigate and evaluate the wave-like nature of light, thermal energy and the emission and absorption of light by matter’.  Students must show evidence of all three cognitive aspects of the outcome, i.e. ‘model’, ‘investigate’ and ‘evaluate’. If students could only ‘model’ these concepts, then they could not be awarded an S for the outcome since all three cognitive aspects contained in the outcome must be demonstrated for each of the specified physics concepts. If students could only ‘describe’ the nominated concepts rather than being able to ‘evaluate’ them, then an S could not be awarded for the outcome since a higher cognitive demand than ‘describe’ is expected. Assessment must take into account the expected cognitive demand listed in the outcome statement.

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 Physics Study Design and VCE Assessment Principles.

Teachers should refer to both the key knowledge for each outcome and the key science skills in developing assessment tasks. A tool for mapping key science skills across Units 1 and 2 is available at VCE Physics Units 1 and 2 key science skills mapping grid.

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

The study design lists sixteen assessment task types for Unit 1 Outcomes 1, 2 and 3 on page 28 and for Unit 2 Outcomes 1 and 2 on page 49, 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 written 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 does physics inform contemporary issues and applications in society?

This area of study involves students choosing an option of personal interest related to a contemporary societal issue or application. Since there are 18 options, it is possible that there are a number of different topics that will be explored by the students in a class. Students may work individually or in a group to undertake the investigation but each student’s response to the selected issue or application should be completed individually. The VCE assessment principle of equity must be considered in developing the assessment task for this area of study.

Teachers are advised to use the outcome statement on page 31 of the study design as the basis for developing the assessment task. Students are required to communicate an informed response to a contemporary societal issue or application related to their selected investigation topic. All 18 options have a common set of key knowledge points related to communicating science, listed under the sub-heading ‘Communicating physics’ for each option, so that these can be used to structure the assessment task. The set of key knowledge related directly to the physics knowledge associated with an option, listed under the sub-heading ‘The physics of…’ can be used by students as the context for the assessment task.

Teachers may use any of the 16 assessment tasks listed on page 49 of the study design as the format for the assessment task for this area of study, or they may modify these for their cohort of students. For example, teachers may provide students with a set of scaffolded questions to present their information via a set of PowerPoint slides:

• Why is your investigation important?
• What is the socio-scientific issue involved in your investigation?
• Why are there different views about the issue?
• What is the physics that is relevant to your investigation?
• How did you investigate the issue?
• What qualitative and quantitative evidence can you present about your issue?
• What is your (justified) position about the issue?

Teachers may also consider using the common set of key knowledge points under 'Communicating physics' in each of the 18 options 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 Physics study page (Contemporary science contexts and approaches and Socio-scientific issues). The Detailed example in the Teaching and learning activities for Unit 2 Area of Study 2 relates to running a Socratic Seminar in managing the 18 options.

How do physicists investigate questions?

This area of study requires students to either adapt a previously completed scientific investigation (coupled investigation) or design their own scientific investigation that 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; 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, 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 49 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 Physics, 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 Physics Study Design on page 55 for Unit 3 and on page 61 for Unit 4.

In developing SAC tasks, teachers should use the key knowledge listed for the outcomes, as well as the Units 1–4 Physics 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 Physics 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 Physics 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, 2 and 3 in Unit 3 and for Outcome 1 in Unit 4, schools have the flexibility to decide which of four unallocated assessment task types will be used for each outcome. However, each task type can only be selected once across Units 3 and 4. For Outcome 2 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 to Unit 3 Outcomes 1, 2 and 3 and to Unit 4 Outcome 1
• content has been selected from Units 3 and / or 4 for the Unit 4 Outcome 2 assessment task.

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, the VCAA performance descriptors 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 (performance descriptors, rubric 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

School-assessed Coursework 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 Physics 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 Physics Units 1–4 key science skills that will be assessed in the task, how the task will be structured, task time, 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 55 and 61 of the VCE Physics Study Design that can be applied to Unit 3 Outcomes 1, 2 or 3 or to Unit 4 Outcome 1. 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 the stimulus material for the assessment task
• discuss examples of models, theories and devices specified in the study design
• discuss examples of designs and innovations relevant to content in the study design.

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

This assessment task requires students to apply physics concepts to explain a model, theory, device, design or innovation, as specified on pages 55 and 61 of the VCE Physics Study Design.

The focus of this SAC task is on communicating physics concepts. Questions such as, ‘What does it do?’, ‘How does it work?’, ‘What makes it useful?’ and ‘Why does it matter?’ are fundamental to developing this task. Qualitative, rather than quantitative, explanations are required for this assessment task.

The source materials for the SAC task could be:

• cases studies of theories, models, discoveries and inventions (qualitative)
• information sourced from the internet
• schematic representations of devices or innovations
• advertisements about new products; for example, new amusement park rides or tennis racquets
• annotated designs for actual or proposed constructions or devices
• demonstrations or YouTube clips of how a device operates
• class activity involving the dismantling of a device, including safety precautions in handling electrical equipment (refer to the advice about electrical safety on pages 8 and 9 of the study design)
• advertisements that highlight the key features of a new product (descriptive).

This SAC task contributes 10 per cent to a student’s study score for VCE Physics.

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 Physics 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 stimulus material and assessment task questions
• organise the task to be completed under test conditions that allow for authentication.
• For an oral or multimodal task:
• allocate approximately 5 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 how topic selection will be managed. Will there be a ‘lucky dip’ of topics for students? Will every student have a different topic? Will students nominate their own topic from a provided list, or will the topic be allocated by the teacher?  
• Determine how much time will be allocated to students researching the topic. All research and references used by students should be recorded in their logbooks. Alternatively, teachers may provide students with relevant background information. Time may be allocated prior to the assessment task for students to read the information, particularly if it is extensive or complex. Teachers should also determine whether students may annotate researched or provided materials. Annotations should be dated. All materials prepared for the assessment task should be handed to the teacher along with the assessment task.
• 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 a generic question such as ‘What does your device do, and how does it work?’
  • answer a set of structured questions that build towards students explaining the physics concepts associated with the model, theory, device, design or innovation
  • deliver an oral or multimodal presentation explaining the model, theory, device, design or innovation.
• 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 and logbooks), 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 Physics Study Design
  • VCAA performance descriptors for the ‘analysis and evaluation of primary and / or secondary data’ task outlined under ‘Assessment’ on the VCAA website, noting that these performance descriptors are not mandated. The performance descriptors 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. Specific VCE Physics 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 the explanation of a model, theory, device, design or innovation.
• 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 performance descriptors or rubrics) or the number of allocated marks (for marking schemes). Including different levels of performance (for performance descriptors or 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 creation of notes under teacher supervision
  • the collection of logbooks / 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 for work undertaken outside class time
  • changing the context used to develop the assessment task from year to year (for example, offering a limited set of models, theories, devices, designs or innovations and changing the set each 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 is one of four assessment tasks listed on pages 55 and 61 of the VCE Physics Study Design that can be applied to Unit 3 Outcomes 1, 2 or 3 or to Unit 4 Outcome 1. Teachers must select the outcome that 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:

• ensure that students can distinguish between primary and secondary data
• determine the source of primary and / or secondary data to be used as the stimulus material for the task
• provide students with experience 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 evidence that is required to be able to support or refute conclusions.

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 55 and 61 of the VCE Physics Study Design.

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. For example, flawed data – 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
• raw data generated from simulations conducted during the assessment task
• 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
• 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.

This SAC task contributes 10 per cent to a student’s study score for VCE Physics.

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 Physics 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 5 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 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.
• 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.
• 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 Physics Study Design.
  • VCAA performance descriptors for the ‘analysis and evaluation of primary and / or secondary data’ task outlined under ‘Assessment’ on the VCAA website, noting that these performance descriptors are not mandated. The performance descriptors 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. Specific VCE Physics 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.
• Questions and prompts should provide students with the parameters and framework for a response that reflects the expected level of achievement (for performance descriptors or rubrics) or the number of allocated marks (for marking schemes). Including different levels of performance (for performance descriptors or 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 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
  • 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 55 and 61 of the VCE Physics Study Design that can be applied to Unit 3 Outcomes 1, 2 or 3 or to Unit 4 Outcome 1. Teachers must select the outcome that 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 stimulus materials for the task
• discuss examples of real-world physics applications with students in class
• provide feedback to students about areas for improvement when solving real-word physics problems as part of class activities
• encourage students to bring media articles of interest and relevance to the content being studied to discuss in class.

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

This assessment task requires students to apply physics understanding and skills to solve real-world physics problems, as specified on pages 55 and 61 of the VCE Physics Study Design.

The focus of this SAC task is on the use of calculations and explanations to respond to physics-related real-world problems.

The source materials for the SAC task could be:

• cases studies of theories, discoveries and inventions (including quantitative data)
• physics research; for example, articles published in Science Daily (filter for selected topics) or The Conversation
• different opinions about physics-based socio-scientific issues published in the media
• data from simulations
• a student-designed product completed as part of class activities that will be modified for improved performance or output
• data related to the performance of materials; for example, improved car tyres.

This SAC task contributes 10 per cent to a student’s study score for VCE Physics.

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 Physics 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 5 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 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 stimulus materials. 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.
• 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 a 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 physics 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 students are generating their own data as part of, or prior, to the assessment task, 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 designing 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:

• 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 Physics Study Design
  • VCAA performance descriptors for the ‘problem-solving using real-world contexts’ task outlined under ‘Assessment’ on the VCAA website, noting that these performance descriptors are not mandated. The performance descriptors 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. Specific VCE Physics 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 performance descriptors or rubrics) or the number of allocated marks (for marking schemes). Including different levels of performance (for performance descriptors or 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:
  • changing the context used to develop the assessment task from year to year (for example, the use of a different laboratory or fieldwork 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 55 and 61 of the VCE Physics Study Design that can be applied to Unit 3 Outcomes 1, 2 or 3 or to Unit 4 Outcome 1. Teachers must select the outcome that 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 the stimulus material for the assessment task
• undertake and discuss ‘comparison’ type activities related to physics theories, concepts and phenomena so that students understand the requirements of a ‘comparison’ type of task
• conduct class discussions to compare student findings from experiments and simulations as part of classroom activities
• explore different methods used to measure variables.

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

This assessment task requires students to compare and evaluate two solutions to a problem, two explanations of a physics phenomenon or concept, or two methods and / or findings from practical activities, as specified on pages 55 and 61 of the VCE Physics Study Design.

The focus of this SAC task is on a direct comparison of two selected physics scenarios (solutions, phenomena, methods or findings) being made by the student, rather than an analysis of each scenario in isolation without reference to the other.

The source materials for the SAC task could be:

• two different opinions about the merit of a new discovery, invention or proposal in response to a physics-related issue reported in the public domain
• two different explanations of a physics phenomenon
• two different theories proposed by physicists to explain natural phenomena
• two different interpretations and / or conclusions drawn from students’ experimental data
• two different equations, or algebraic methods, for measuring and calculating variables
• outline of an alternative experimental method from that which was used in class activities
• data related to an investigation produced by two students (de-identified and manipulated by the teacher so that the two data sets have not been seem by any students in the class).

This SAC task contributes 10 per cent to a student’s study score for VCE Physics.

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 Physics 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 5 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 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 stimulus materials. 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.
• 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:
  • answer a set of structured questions that identify criteria on which the two selected physics scenarios (solutions, phenomena, methods or findings) should be compared
  • produce a Venn diagram to identify similarities and differences between the two selected physics scenarios
  • complete a table with nominated criteria against which the selected physics scenarios will be compared
  • deliver an oral or multimodal presentation to compare the two selected physics scenarios.
• 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:

• 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 Physics Study Design
  • VCAA performance descriptors for the ‘comparison and evaluation of two physics solutions, phenomena, concepts, methods or findings’ task outlined under ‘Assessment’ on the VCAA website, noting that these performance descriptors are not mandated. The performance descriptors 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. Specific VCE Physics 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 scientific ideas.
• Questions and prompts should provide students with the parameters and framework for a response that reflects the expected level of achievement (for performance descriptors or rubrics) or the number of allocated marks (for marking schemes). Including different levels of performance (for performance descriptors or 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 for the assessment task under teacher supervision
  • the creation of notes under teacher supervision
  • the collection of logbooks / 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 for work undertaken outside class time
  • 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 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 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 relevant scientific methodologies (experiment; fieldwork; modelling; product, process or system development; or simulation) listed on page 13 of the VCE Physics 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 physics 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 inthis area of study
• provide succinct communication examples 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 pages 59 and 60 of the study design.

The task accounts for 40 marks of the 80 marks available for School-assessed Coursework in Unit 4 and contributes 10 per cent to a student’s study score for VCE Physics.

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 of equity and efficiency are met.
• Decide the most appropriate time to set the task. This decision is the result of several considerations including:
  • availability of resources to undertake the investigations
  • 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 2
  • Cross-study specifications, including the ‘Key science skills’ and ‘Scientific investigation’ sections, outlined on pages 11–15 of the VCE Physics Study Design
  • ‘Scientific Investigations’ and ‘Scientific Poster’ sections under ‘Planning advice’ in the VCAA online support materials
  • VCE Performance Descriptors for the Unit 4 Outcome 2 task included under ‘Assessment advice’. Teachers should note that the performance descriptors are not mandated. The performance descriptors 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, an 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 Physics 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 are 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 Physics 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 the 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.
• 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 for the student cohort is used by a school.