SUBJECT GUIDE
ENGLISH

ICAS ENGLISH ASSESSES

READING & LANGUAGE SKILLS

IN A RANGE OF CONTEXTS

SKILL AREAS

Students are required to locate, identify, interpret, infer and synthesise information in and about texts. The skill areas assessed are:

  • ƒ Reading for meaning in factual texts
  • ƒ Reading for meaning in literary texts
  • ƒ Textual devices, syntax and vocabulary.

 

CONTENT

Students read a variety of texts which narrate, describe, explain, argue, persuade and review. These include extracts from picture books, novels, poems, play scripts, transcripts of interviews, letters, diary entries, advertisements, web pages, feature articles, opinion pieces and comics. These texts cover a range of topics and may include tables, diagrams, maps and other visual information.

The texts increase in complexity with each assessment, moving from simple texts dealing with familiar subjects and topics to complex texts incorporating abstract concepts and sophisticated language structures.

ASSESSMENT STRUCTURE

CLASS PAPER QUESTION BREAKDOWN DURATION
2 Introductory 35 multiple choice 40 minutes
3 A 45 multiple choice 45 minutes
4 B 45 multiple choice 45 minutes
5 C 50 multiple choice 50 minutes
6 D 50 multiple choice 50 minutes
7 E 55 multiple choice 55 minutes
8 F 55 multiple choice 55 minutes
9 G 60 multiple choice 1 hour
10 H 60 multiple choice 1 hour
11 I 60 multiple choice 1 hour
12 J 60 multiple choice 1 hour

LEARN MORE

  1. Ask for an appointment at your school
  2. Download the comprehensive ICAS English Assessment Framework
  3. View sample assessments
  4. Watch introductory videos

HOW IS ICAS DIFFERENT?

ICAS is developed annually by a team of highly experienced assessment developers and psychometricians, with rigorous reviews at each stage of construction. Subject matter experts develop new ICAS questions each year, drawing on their in-depth understanding of the way students learn. All ICAS assessments are reviewed by experienced teachers to ensure that they accurately assess students’ skills and are relevant to what they are learning at school.

This ensures that ICAS is:

  • Valid
  • Consistent from one assessment cycle to the next
  • Appropriately targeted for the students being assessed
  • ƒObjective and reliable
  • Fair (effect of gender, language background, cultural background is minimised through sensitivity reviews and statistical analyses)
  • Constructed using appropriate examples and authentic contexts
  • ƒRepresented in a visually appealing way to capture student attention and interest
  • ƒUnderpinned by methodologies from psychometric measurement theory
“The QA process for ICAS assessment development is more rigorous than other assessments. Schools can diagnose where the strengths and weaknesses are, and that can inform the teacher to take that student to the next level of understanding.”
Greg Reid
ICAS International Assessment Expert, Literacy
UNSW Global

 

SKILLS ASSESSED

ENGLISH
  • Reading for meaning in factual texts
  • Reading for meaning in literary texts
  • Syntax
  • Textual devices
  • Vocabulary
MATHEMATICS
  • Algebra and patterns
  • ƒChance and data
  • Measures and units
  • Textual devices
  • Number and arithmetic
  • Space and geometry
SCIENCE
  • Observing and measuring
  • Interpreting data
  • Measures and units
  • Applying data
  • Investigating
  • ƒReasoning and problem-solving
DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES
  • Common operating systems and hardware
  • Graphics and multimedia
  • Internet and email
  • Programming and scripting
  • ƒSpreadsheets and databases
  • Word processing

 

Springer
ICAS is a product of UNSW Global Pty Limited, a world leader in the provision of education, assessment and expertise services and a wholly owned enterprise of UNSW Australia. UNSW Global Pty Limited ABN 62 086 418 582. ICAS is distributed exclusively in [Country] by Macmillan Education [Country].