UNSW - Educational Assessment Australia

ICAS English

 

Overview

The International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS) English assesses reading and language skills in a range of contexts. The following aspects of texts are assessed and reported: reading for meaning in literary texts, reading for meaning in factual texts, textual devices, syntax and vocabulary. The questions require students to locate, identify, interpret, infer and synthesise information in and about texts.

Students read a variety of texts which narrate, describe, explain, argue, persuade and review. The types of texts include extracts from picture books, novels, poems, play scripts, transcripts of interviews, letters, diary entries, advertisements, webpages, 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 come from a variety of sources and may include texts originally written in another language and texts which are now out of copyright.

The texts which students read will increase in complexity within each paper as well as from Paper A to Paper J, moving from simple texts dealing with familiar subjects and topics to complex texts incorporating abstract concepts and sophisticated language structures.

To find out more about the English skills assessed download the ICAS English assessment framework (pdf).

 

Test Structure

Paper

Breakdown of Questions

Test Duration

A

45 multiple choice

45 minutes

B

45 multiple choice

45 minutes

C

50 multiple choice

50 minutes

D

50 multiple choice

50 minutes

E

55 multiple choice

55 minutes

F

55 multiple choice

55 minutes

G

60 multiple choice

1 hour

H

60 multiple choice

1 hour

I

60 multiple choice

1 hour

J

60 multiple choice

1 hour

Paper to year level conversion table

More information

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