Unit 3 and 4 Sample approach(es) to developing an assessment task
Each of the following assessment tasks must be completed over the course of Units 3 and 4:
- a political inquiry
- analysis and evaluation of sources
- extended responses
- short-answer questions
- an essay.
Teachers may choose to select one or more assessment tasks for each outcome. The assessment tasks may be undertaken in any order.
For Unit 3 Area of Study 1
Outcome1: On completion of this Unit the student should be able to analyse the causes and consequences of a global issue and evaluate the effectiveness of global actors’ responses in resolving the issue.
Sample questions could be based on causes, consequences, impact of global interconnectedness, responses by global actors, international laws and challenges to resolution of the issue. Teachers are advised to examine the questions that form Section A of a sample examination as well as previous VCE Politics examinations to see the range of possible questions.
Students should practise answering similar questions before completing the assessment. Teacher feedback should target both content knowledge and response structuring skills.
Planning
Use a combination of the key knowledge points and key skills to create questions that enable students to meet the outcome of Unit 3 Area of Study 1.
Question stems should be based on the command terms found in the Glossary of Command Terms and it is good practice to include a range of difficulty:
- 25 per cent as easy questions based on lower order thinking tasks, such as: identify, outline or describe
- 50 per cent as medium difficulty questions with tasks such as: distinguish, explain, compare or discuss
- 25 per cent as challenging questions based on command terms such as: analyse, evaluate, assess.
The range of marks should also fall within these categories, so that easy questions may be worth between 1 and 3 marks, medium difficulty questions should be within 4 and 6 marks, and challenging questions may be within 5 and 8 marks. Questions that are worth more than 8 marks would generally be considered to be extended response questions
Constructing the SAC notification sheet
The following should be included:
- the outcome, key knowledge and key skills to be assessed
- the date, time, location and allocated marks with the percentage weighting of the particular task
- the SAC type
- any conditions associated with the SAC task, such as permitted or not permitted materials
- any instructions or advice to students, such as suggested number of minutes per question.
Constructing the actual short-answer task
When developing short-answer questions for this area of study, each question could target one key knowledge area or key skill point from this area of study or a combination of key knowledge and skills.
For Unit 3 Area of Study 2
Extended response questions (9–10 marks)
Outcome 2: Analyse the causes and consequences of one contemporary crisis and discuss how global actors’ responses have contributed to political stability and / or change.
When developing extended response questions for Unit 3 Area of Study 2, each question could target one key knowledge area (such as the causes of the crisis) or could combine knowledge from more than one area (such as both the causes and impacts of political actors’ responses). Extended response questions enable students to demonstrate their understanding of the connections between several ideas with the support of case study evidence. Extended response questions may ask students to analyse, discuss, compare, evaluate and assess the extent to which they agree with a statement or idea. Use a combination of the key knowledge areas and key skills to create questions that enable students to meet the outcome of the area of study. Students should practise answering similar questions before completing the assessment. Teacher feedback should target both content knowledge and response structuring skills.
What is an extended response?
An extended response is a short piece of structured writing (approximately a page or two in length, depending on the number of marks) with a succinct argument and supporting evidence, which may be focused and limited to one or two key knowledge points or on a part of the outcome. Typically, students address a higher-order question(s) to demonstrate more complex understanding of a concept(s) and an ability to explore different ways in which that concept can be applied to politics. Typically, students will explore different sides of a question and will draw together their ideas into a cohesive discussion, analysis or evaluation.
Extended response assessment tasks provide an opportunity for students to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of specific key knowledge areas and / or key skills from the VCE Politics Study Design. An extended response School-assessed Coursework task may be a single higher-order question or a number of questions, that increase in complexity over the course of the assessment; for example: explain, analyse and discuss. The questions developed for extended response tasks should make use of the
glossary of command terms and phrases, such as ‘to what extent…?’ Extended response question design should allow students to demonstrate their understanding of political concepts relevant to the specific area of study, such as power, legitimacy, cause, consequence, conflict and cooperation, national interest, sovereignty, global interconnectedness, perspective, interests, stability and change and / or political significance. Such questions require the ability to apply these concepts in contemporary political situations and to use political evidence through tying the concepts to specific case studies.
An extended response is a flexible task. It may be set as a stand-alone assessment instrument. Alternatively, it can be used in conjunction with other tasks, such as a political inquiry, a case study or a political source analysis, as a means for students to communicate their findings.
Designing the task
Developing questions
Teachers must design extended responses that will enable students to demonstrate achievement of the outcomes. When designing questions, teachers should pay attention to the language used in the study design, particularly with regard to political concepts. The construction of each task needs to be carefully considered to ensure it addresses the outcome and incorporates the key knowledge and key skills.
Formulate a question using the following three steps:
- Select the most appropriate terms from the key skills, such as: discuss, assess, analyse or evaluate. These terms elicit different types of thinking and have different cognitive demands.
- Select the most appropriate political thinking concept for the area of study, such as: causes and / or consequence, impact of global interconnectedness, perspectives, effectiveness, challenges to resolution, contribution to stability or change. This choice should be based on the outcome for that area of study.
- Select the key knowledge area that is the focus of the question. Teachers may choose to link more than one aspect of the key knowledge to assess the area of study more effectively. For example, a question might require analysis of a range of global actors responses to international laws.
Students are typically required to use evidence in their response, so the addition of the instruction: ‘Use evidence to support your response’ or ‘Use a specific example’, can be a helpful prompt as well as a way to focus the student answer.
Typical question stems include:
- Using specific examples, analyse…
- Analyse responses by…
- Discuss the perspectives of… Use evidence to support your response.
- Evaluate the political significance of… Use evidence to support your response.
A student’s response to a higher order question requires a balanced exploration of different interests, perspectives or consequences so that an evidence-informed and logically supported argument can be synthesised. An evaluation statement may be required at the end of the response.
Information for students prior to the SAC
The following should be included:
- the outcome, key knowledge and kkills to be assessed
- the date, time, location and allocated marks with the percentage weighting of the particular task
- the SAC type
- any conditions associated with the SAC task, such as permitted or not permitted materials
- any instructions or advice to students, such as suggested number of minutes per question.
Student planning – What is the question asking?
Students should be encouraged to identify and interrogate the key terms, knowledge and concepts in the question in order to determine exactly what is being asked.
Students can be encouraged to develop a short dot-point plan that contains relevant discussion points, supports the evaluation, and includes evidence to support and strengthen the political arguments or perspectives presented.
Student responses
For an extended response question, the following structure may be used to adequately address the requirements of the question.
|
Optional Introduction | Students could provide a direct answer to the question or a short sentence that indicates the points for discussion. This is optional as the direct answering of the question can be achieved through a conclusion / evaluation statement. |
Body | The body of the extended response is less formally structured than an essay, although short paragraphs are advisable to clarify arguments. The body includes: - clear topic sentences for each main idea – one per paragraph
- identification of key points and relevant supporting evidence
- explanation of any key concepts and application of them to the specific key knowledge
- use of signpost words and phrases that announce steps in the student’s argument, such as however, nevertheless, in contrast.
- use of political evidence to support arguments.
|
Conclusion | A summary of the contention or statement of position (avoiding repetition) that typically consists of not more than two sentences. |
Using political evidence and political language
Students will be expected to demonstrate their knowledge of political terminology, as well as use a range of evidence such as statistics, dates, policies, names, quotes, places.
Time
The execution of the extended response task should typically take between 50 and 90 minutes.
Why a political source analysis task?
In political studies, students are often directed to various types of source material to develop their case study knowledge and/or conceptual understanding within different areas of study. For example, in learning about global issues such as climate change or global economic instability, or a crisis such as the Central American migration crisis, or the Ukrainian conflict, students will need to employ statistical analyses – tables, graphs and maps – as well as expert commentary to understand the parameters of the issue or crisis. When studying the national interests and types of power held and used by a state, or Australia’s position on regional issues and relationships, students may find it useful to read sources such as policy documents, news articles, political cartoons, press releases, diplomatic communications and speeches / addresses by leaders. Students should be reading and annotating with a purpose; that is, to identify and apply key concepts within the sources and then use the information within those sources to construct political arguments about the causes, consequences, perspectives, interests, effectiveness, extent of stability and / or change and political significance of events, actors, perspectives and responses.
What type of political sources should I use?
When developing an assessment task involving an analysis of political sources, students should be provided with a range of sources. Sources can be categorised into two distinct types:
qualitative sources and quantitative sources.
Qualitative sources
These are sources that involve human opinions, decisions, approximations, judgements and / or perspectives. They include sources such as:
- Transcript of an address / speech by a leader
- Official government policy document (e.g. Executive Order, White Paper, Act of Parliament, 5-year plan)
- Media release (e.g. press release by a non-government organisation, Transnational Corporation or government department)
- Diplomatic statements (e.g. demarches, diplomatic cables, open letters, joint communiqué, memorandums, public denunciation or censure)
- Social media posts
- News, journal or academic article / analysis piece or op-ed
- Reporting from an informal news source (i.e. a non-government organisation on their website, such as the topic reports and country reports on the
Human Rights Watch website)
- Political cartoon
- Documentary or video
- Interpretations and analysis of existing data for a different purpose.
These may provide particular insights into the perspectives and interests of actors while also allowing students to formulate ideas about cause and consequence and significance.
Quantitative sources
These are sources of raw or collated data. They include sources such as:
- Budgetary papers (either of a state or an organisation / actor detailing its spending in various areas)
- Collated economic data on aid spending, trade, regional military spending, regional vs global GDP figures from, for example the IMF, World Bank, Statista, Our World in Data, the Lowy Institute
- Polling data (for example attitudes towards a certain state or leader)
- Surveys, observations, experiments, questionnaires, focus groups, interviews
- Indices such as:
Designing the task
1. Choose the area of study that will incorporate an analysis of political sources
Ultimately, the task will differ greatly depending on which area of study it is tied to. Unit 3 topics will be more about the interaction of the international community with regards to global and regional crises and issues including a range of actors, responses, challenges, perspectives and interests, whereas Unit 4 topics will focus more on states, their national interests and types of power. This should guide the type of sources that are selected.
Teachers should bear in mind that school-based assessment tasks may be formative or summative or both, so the aim of the task is paramount. If teachers intend to use qualitative and / or quantitative sources to enable students to collect reliable evidence to increase their understanding of an issue, crisis, an actor’s interests, perspectives or use of power, or to make a judgement about the effectiveness of an actor’s response, then a formative assessment task using sources can be useful. Asking students to interpret survey results, graphical representations of people movement, or the data presented in the
UNCTAD World Investment Report can be as useful, and often more reliable, than published speeches and papers by the actor concerned or backgrounders by media commentators. Teachers must ensure they teach students the skills of qualitative and quantitative data analysis before setting such as assessment task.
If the purpose of the source analysis task is summative (that is, purely to test student knowledge and understanding after the teaching and learning is completed) then it can be used to assess student achievement of any of the outcomes. Or it may be designed as part of an inquiry, a set of short-answer questions or lead to an essay or extended response. In this case, students will use the sources and their own knowledge to reach conclusions.
2. Select relevant and varied sources
Students should develop their proficiency in analysing a range of source types. The task might have anywhere between two and five sources, depending on the depth of the task and the time allocated. A mix of qualitative and quantitative sources should allow students to recognise and apply different concepts, collect different types of evidence to support their arguments, as well as compare the accuracy and bias of some the political sources.
Outcome-based approaches: For Unit 3 Area of Study 1 (case study: climate change)
A teacher could include sources such as a journal article relating to the causes of climate change, a joint communiqué from COP talks, a government policy from a state relating to a specific environmental policy and a chart relating to emissions levels since the Paris Climate Agreement entered into force in 2016.
3. Create the questions
Create questions that achieve the aim of the task. For example: for a formative assessment task on the key knowledge area of ‘the ability of global actors to respond effectively to one issue’ and using the key skill of ‘analyse and interpret a range of sources of information on one global issue’ students could be asked simply to explain what the data in sources X, Y and Z suggests. Or they could be asked to analyse the perspectives presented in source Z.
If the aim is summative assessment of student achievement of key knowledge and key skills, then the task may be a little more complex.
When designing the task, consider increasing the complexity of questions as the task progresses so that earlier responses can build confidence and understanding, and so that a higher order question, bringing the analysis of these sources all together, can be more accessible. Students are encouraged, if not required, to use a range of the sources, as well as their own knowledge and understanding, when developing a political argument, particularly in response to a higher order question. For example:
- Using source X, outline the response of one global actor to…
- Using source X, identify two…
- Using source X and your own knowledge, explain…
- Using source X and Y and your own knowledge, analyse the…
- Using the sources and your own knowledge, evaluate the extent to which…
- Using the sources and your own knowledge, evaluate the political significance of…
For Unit 4 Area of Study 1 (case study: the United States) a teacher could include sources such as an excerpt from the most recent National Security Strategy, a statement by a Chinese Diplomat on a recent US activity in the Indo-Pacific region, US budgetary data on its spending allocations to the Department of Defence vs Department of State, a dataset from the Lowy Institute Power Index on regional economic capabilities.
4. Setting and assessing the task
This task would be suited to a time of between 30 minutes and 60 minutes depending on the number, length and complexity of sources. Reading time is very useful in that students can focus on understanding the sources first.
The length of each source and the volume of reading needs to be considered to ensure that the task is equitable and efficient. Each source should include complete and correct citations, translations (if required), some additional annotations to help contextualise the source, and any information that may be required to provide source clarity. Complex words and translations of words should be provided in a glossary to ensure the task is accessible to all students.
Depending on the particulars of the class, such as individual learning needs, stage of the academic year and school policies, this task can be undertaken either as an open or closed book task. Keep in mind that this may be a relatively new skill for students so consider whether it may be worth allowing students to bring in with them a sheet of evidence so their focus can be on the analysis of the political sources and the construction of an argument rather than on memorising and recalling facts and data to support their analysis.
Information for students prior to the SAC
The following should be included:
- the outcome, key knowledge and skills to be assessed
- the date, time, location and allocated marks with the percentage weighting of the particular task
- the SAC type
- any conditions associated with the SAC task, such as permitted or not permitted materials
- any instructions or advice to students, such as suggested number of minutes per question.
An inquiry is a rich assessment task as it can incorporate other assessment task types (such as an analysis of sources or an essay) and it can be both formative and summative. It is best suited to the assessment of the whole area of study rather than a few key knowledge points. The essential characteristic of an inquiry is that there must be substantial elements of student-controlled research. Different types of inquiry are set out in the planning section of these support materials and models of inquiry learning are provided in the teaching and learning activities associated with Unit 2.
The following approach is based on assessing the outcome in Unit 4 Area of Study 2: analyse different perspectives on Australia’s national interests in the Indo-Pacific region and evaluate the degree to which Australia’s pursuit of its national interests has resulted in cooperation or conflict with three states in the region.
This outcome consists of two parts. The first requires an analysis of different perspectives on Australia’s national interests. Perspectives should include internal and external perspectives as stipulated in the key knowledge. Since the key skills include not only ‘analyse and interpret
a range of sources on Australia’s national interests but also ‘analyse different perspectives on Australia’s national interests
and actions in the region’, this would be an ideal opportunity for students to complete an analysis and evaluation of sources.
The second part of the outcome offers an opportunity for students to write an essay evaluating ‘the degree to which Australia’s pursuit of its national interests has resulted in cooperation or conflict with three states in the region’.
Alternatively, the inquiry could consist of research, a short-answer test and an essay, or research and two extended responses.
Preparation for the task
Step 1 – Consider which perspectives on Australia’s national interests and actions in the region will provide the most fruitful learning for the students. Internal perspectives could be selected from party political positions – on foreign aid or climate change for instance; from non-governmental organisations within the country such as World Vision Australia or media outlets such as the Guardian, Fox News or the Australian. External perspectives should be from the three states selected for study, which could include the state that was studied in Unit 4 Area of Study 1. Depending on the issues that are used as a base from which to examine Australia’s stated national interests and the corresponding actions in the region, perspectives can be sourced from regional organisations such as ASEAN and the Pacific Islands Forum and institutions of global governance such as the United Nations.
Step 2 – Consider which issues are a cause of conflict or cooperation for Australia and the region and match those to national interests. For example, trade with China is an issue that affects our economic prosperity. Defence ties with the United States are often controversial and are seen as necessary to our national security, though India and China will view this quite differently. Climate change is of vital importance to small island developing states and it has been a cause of friction between Australia and those states for a number of years.
Step 3 – Provide an over-arching inquiry question for students and encourage them to formulate their own sub-questions to answer it. For example: an over-arching question could be ‘Does Australia’s pursuit of national security and economic prosperity undermine its regional relationships and regional standing?’ (Remember to stay within the 10-year time frame). Check students’ sub-questions to make sure they are relevant to the big question.
Step 4 – Locate sources that represent different perspectives on different Australian actions in the region, remembering that actions are undertaken to achieve a perceived interest. Teachers should provide a set of sources or reading suggestions that give students a base of knowledge. Students could then be required to do their own research in this step and their efforts can be assessed via a rubric or marking scheme that relates to research, annotation and source analysis.
Designing the task
- Allocate a suitable time frame – typically four weeks. Decide which task types will be assessed within the inquiry – any of the mandated task types could be employed to assess the outcome, though marks should be awarded for the inquiry process itself.
For example: This SAC consists of an inquiry into Australia’s relations with three states in the region, an analysis of sources reflecting different perspectives on Australia’s actions in the region and an essay which evaluates whether Australia has contributed to conflict, cooperation or both in the region.
- Allocate a number of marks to each part of the inquiry – for example, 15% for location and annotation of source material, 15% for an analysis and evaluation of sources (supplied by the teacher) and 20% for an essay. Write the rubric or refer to the performance descriptors.
- Decide on the conditions under which each of the tasks will be conducted – submission of a folio of located and annotated sources designed to answer the student’s sub-questions, conducted during class time; an in-class analysis of sources conducted under test conditions, and an essay conducted under test conditions with a note page allowed.
- Set the due dates.
- Write the SAC notification sheet, giving students plenty of notice so that they understand the end goals. Students should be provided with a copy of the performance descriptors and / or the assessment criteria at the commencement of work on the outcome.
The following should be included:
- the outcome, key knowledge and key skills to be assessed
- the date, time, location and allocated marks with the percentage weighting of the particular task
- the SAC type(s)
- any conditions associated with the SAC task, such as permitted or not permitted materials
- any instructions or advice to students, such as suggested number of sources or inquiry sub-questions.
Essay – Unit 4 Area of Study 2
Designing the essay question
When developing an essay question for this area of study, the question must allow students to draw on the full scope of key knowledge and key skills. The essay should provide an opportunity for the student to both analyse different perspectives on Australia’s national interests in the Indo-Pacific region and evaluate the degree to which Australia’s pursuit of its national interests has resulted in cooperation or conflict with three states in the region.
A sample topic has been suggested in the paragraphs above on political inquiry.
Structure of the essay
Essential to a polished essay is the requirement for students to address all facets of the question or prompt in their response by providing a hypothesis or contention which they then go on to prove. Students should be encouraged to incorporate knowledge and evidence from across Units 3 and 4; this is a highly integrated study where students should gradually build their political understanding and evidence.
Structure is paramount in that a formal essay requires an introduction containing the contention, the understanding of the context of the question, including any necessary definitions, and signposting of the general approach.
Body paragraphs should each contain a main argument, with explanation, evidence and an exploration of any opposing views indicating why those views may be assigned less weight. That is, a discussion of the argument and the evidence. Arguments expressed in the paragraphs should have a logical sequence leading to an inevitable conclusion.
No new ideas should be introduced in the conclusion and neither should there be a rote repetition of points made earlier – the conclusion should be a forceful and persuasive summation of the student’s contention.
Marking the task
The marking scheme used to assess a student’s level of performance should reflect the relevant aspects of the rubrics / performance descriptors and be explained to students before they commence the task. The marks allocated for the essay may be based on the key skills listed for the outcome.
Authentication
The teacher must consider the conditions in which the essay is conducted using prepared notes. As students are allowed to use notes it is important that the teacher authenticate these notes. It is recommended that the construction of notes be supervised by the teacher in class and collected by the teacher in the lesson prior to the task. Further information regarding the VCAA authentication rules can be found in the
VCE Administrative Handbook..