International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS) Assessment Frameworks
© 2007 Educational Assessment Australia, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
           
ICAS - English Assessment Frameworks
PAPER G (Year 9)
The student may be tested on all the preceeding years' skills as well as skills contained in this table, for example:
SKILLS
Reading-Literacy
Questions may require students to
Reading-Factual
Questions may require students to
Textual devices
Questions may require students to
Syntax
Questions may require students to
Vocabulary
Questions may require students to
Locate information within a complex literary description (cite as EICAS/A1) technical information in a complex explanation (EICAS/B1) puns in a factual explanation (EICAS/C1) an example of a shift in tense (EICAS/D1) an example of jargon (EICAS/E1)
Identify the ways in which humor can be used to enhance writing, eg cynicism, exaggeration (EICAS/A2) supporting evidence in an argument (EICAS/B2) the use of assonance in a poem (EICAS/c2) the correct use of a colon (EICAS/D2) a writer's attitude from specific language choices (EICAS/E2)
Interpret multiple meanings of a book title (EICAS/A3) information within a complex graphic (EICAS/B3) irony in a factual text (EICAS/C3) the effect achieved by selecting a particular tense (EICAS/D3) the meaning of a literary expression (EICAS/E3)
Infer the reviewer's interpretation of a book's theme (EICAS/A4) the writer's intention in an argument or discussion (EICAS/B4) the meaning of a visual metaphor (EICAS/C4)    
Synthesize the theme in a didactic poem (EICAS/A5) information in a text to predict a possible future event (EICAS/B5)      
ICAS - Science Assessment Frameworks
PAPER G (Year 9)
Questions may require students to do all the previous years skills as well as, for example, the following:
Knowledge area
Measuring and Observing
Interpreting Data
Predicting/ Concluding from Data
Investigating
Reasoning/ Problem Solving
Earth and Beyond measure the size of atmospheric phenomenon such as cyclones (cite as SICAS/A1) determine the characteristics of the Sun from graphical and tabulated data (SICAS/B1) determine the effects of UV light on living and non-living things (SICAS/C1) generate hypothesis and predictions in relation to the weather (SICAS/D1) analyze data in relation to luminosity of planets and stars (SICAS/E1)
Natural and Processed Materials determine the purpose of dials on measuring equipment (SICAS/A2) understand the properties of metals (SICAS/B2) understand molecular representations of simple molecules (SICAS/c2) establish the sequence in writing up scientific experiments (SICAS/D2) determine the type of products formed during chemical reactions (SICAS/E2)
Life and Living identify and classify living things based on written descriptions (SICAS/A3) identify pests in Australia from data (SICAS/B3) understand and use biological terminology (SICAS/C3) understand about random sampling of living things in the field (SICAS/D3) examine exponential growth in living systems (SICAS/E3)
Energy and Change measure power using specific instruments (SICAS/A4) determine project paths from a series of photographs or diagrams (SICAS/B4) determine units of force in specific situations (SICAS/C4) investigate the changes between potential and kinetic energy (SICAS/D4) deduce relative movement in rotating systems (SICAS/E4)
ICAS - Mathematics Assessment Frameworks
PAPER G & H (Years 9 & 10)
Questions may require students to do all the previous years skills as well as, for example, the following:
 
Number & Arithmetic
Algebra & Patterns
Measures and Units
Space and Geometry
Chance and Data
  Number
* Using factors and multiples of whole numbers (without using the words "factor" or "multiple") (cite as MICAS/A1.1)
* Ordering and comparing all integers including negatives (MICAS/A1.2)
* Ordering and comparing decimals (MICAS/A1.3)
* Ordering and comparing fractions (MICAS/A1.4)
* Using prime numbers (MICAS/A1.5)
* Rounding to nearest whole number (MICAS/A1.6)
* Rounding to given decimal places (MICAS/A1.7)
* Rounding to given significant figures (MICAS/A1.8)
Patterns
* Common number patterns such as square numbers (MICAS/B1.1)
* Completing number patterns where the rule is not given (MICAS/B1.2)
* Choose correct description in words of a number pattern (MICAS/B1.3)
* Identify an expression for a number pattern (linear) (MICAS/B1.4)
* Complete a number pattern (linear) rule given in words (MICAS/B1.5)
Measures
* Measure and compare masses, lengths, areas, volumes (and capacities) (MICAS/C1.1)
* Measure and compare time in days, months and years (MICAS/C1.2)
* Recognise half and quarter turns (MICAS/C1.3)
Space
* Identify relative position on a picture or map (MICAS/D1.1)
* Identify figures with reflection symmetry (MICAS/D1.2)
* Identify nets, plans and elevations of 3D figures and vice versa (MICAS/D1.3)
* Identify and continue a pattern of shapes (MICAS/D1.4)
* Reflect a shape about a given axis (simple) (MICAS/D1.5)
* Rotate a shape about a vertex (MICAS/D1.6)
* Identify co-ordinates in first quad (MICAS/D1.7)
* Identify and continue patterns based on transformations such
as tessellations (MICAS/D1.8)
* Combine simple reflections, rotations, translations and enlargements of simple shapes (MICAS/D1.9)
* Identify a sequence of
transformations that have occurred to a shape(MICAS/D1.10)
* Use simple bearings (MICAS/D1.11)
* Plot and identify co-ordinates in all 4 quadrants (MICAS/D1.12)
Chance
* Simple estimates of probability
in words (MICAS/E1.1)
* Order events on rough
likelihoods (MICAS/E1.2)
* Find possible arrangements of
sets of objects and events (MICAS/E1.3)
* Find numerical probabilities
based on equally likely
outcomes (MICAS/E1.4)
* Find numerical probabilities
based on relative frequencies (MICAS/E1.5)
  Arithmetic
* Squaring numbers (MICAS/A2.1)
* The four operations with percentages (MICAS/A2.2)
* The four operations with decimals (MICAS/A2.3)
* The four operations with negatives (MICAS/A2.4)
* Converting between fractions, decimals and percentages (MICAS/A2.5)
* Four operations with fractions (MICAS/A2.6)
* Square roots (MICAS/A2.7)
* Indices and powers (MICAS/A2.8)

* Proportions stated using combinations of fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios (MICAS/A2.9)
* Operations with scientific notation (standard form) (MICAS/A2.10
Algebra
* Solve complex number puzzle expressed in words (MICAS/B2.1)
* Solve a linear equation with one unknown (MICAS/B2.2)
* Given a variety of constraints on x choose a possible value (MICAS/B2.3)
* Collect terms in an expression (MICAS/B2.4)
* Choose a correct expression of a relation given in words (MICAS/B2.5)
* Change the subject of a formula (MICAS/B2.6)
* Substitute values into an expression (MICAS/B2.7)
* Identify plots of values of a function on a graph (MICAS/B2.8)
* Identify an algebraic formula (linear) derived from a situation (MICAS/B2.9)
* Common number patterns such as square numbers (MICAS/B2.10)
* Completing number patterns where the rule is not given (MICAS/B2.11)
* Choose correct description in words of a number pattern (MICAS/B2.12)
* Identify an expression for a number pattern (linear) (MICAS/B2.13)
* Complete a number pattern (linear) rule given in words (MICAS/B2.14)
Units
* Select appropriate metric unit to measure a quantity (mL, L, cm, m, km etc) (MICAS/c2.1)
* Choose appropriate order of magnitude of mass, length, area, volume (capacity) or time (MICAS/c2.2)
* Convert between standard decimal units (MICAS/c2.3)
Shape
* Names of basic shapes and their basic features (MICAS/D2.1)
* Identify by looking shapes or solids which are the same or similar
(the terms congruence”,
“similarity” not needed) (MICAS/D2.2)
* Names of basic solids and their basic features (MICAS/D2.3)
* Symmetry problems using solids (MICAS/D2.4)
Data
* Complete a basic table (MICAS/E2.1)
* Read a column graph (bar chart) (MICAS/E2.2)
* Read a basic table (MICAS/E2.3)
* Read a two way table (MICAS/E2.4)
* Read a picture graph (pictogram) (MICAS/E2.5)
* Read a range of common
graphs and charts (eg line, tally
etc) (MICAS/E2.6)
* Complete a two way table (MICAS/E2.7)
* Interpret a range of common
graphs, charts and statistical
diagrams (MICAS/E2.8)
* Interpret pie charts (MICAS/E2.9)
* Identify correctly drawn pie
charts (MICAS/E2.10)
* Find modes from simple
categorical data (MICAS/E2.11)
* Obtain likelihoods from data (MICAS/E2.12)
* Find medians (MICAS/E2.13)
* Find means (MICAS/E2.14)
* Make estimates of future or
unknown values from data sets (MICAS/E2.15)
* Calculate range (MICAS/E2.16)
* Use (and choose) averages to
compare sets of simple data (MICAS/E2.17)
      Measurement
* Calculate areas of rectangles (MICAS/C3.1)
* Calculate areas of shapes based on rectangles (MICAS/C3.2)
* Estimate angles ±20 degrees or less (MICAS/C3.3)
* Calculate perimeters of rectangles or shapes based on rectangles (not all lengths given) (MICAS/C3.4)
* Calculate circumferences and areas of circles (MICAS/C3.5)
* Calculate volumes of shapes based on rectangular prisms (MICAS/C3.6)
* Find surface areas of prisms (MICAS/C3.7)
* Calculate areas and perimeters of polygons (MICAS/C3.8)
* Calculate parts of circumferences and areas of circles (MICAS/C3.9)
* Calculate areas and perimeters of triangles (MICAS/C3.10)
* Use congruence or similarity to calculate measures (MICAS/C3.11)
* Find volumes of prisms and cylinders (MICAS/C3.12)
* Find missing lengths of right angled triangles using Pythagoras
(MICAS/C3.13)
Geometry
* Calculate internal angles of a triangle (MICAS/D3.1)
* Calculate internal angles of a quadrilateral (MICAS/D3.2)
* Calculate angle sums based on 90, 180 and 360 degrees (MICAS/D3.3)
* Identify angle categories: acute, obtuse and reflex (MICAS/D3.4)
* Solve simple angle problems with line crossing 2 parallel lines (MICAS/D3.5)
* Solve angle problems with polygons (not triangles or rectangles) (MICAS/D3.6)
 
© 2007 Educational Assessment Australia, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia