Queensland Core Skills Test
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The Queensland Core Skills Test is a statewide school-leavers' test completed by all Queensland Year Twelve students who wish to be eligible for an OP and is optional (but beneficial) for Tertiary Rank students, ranks used to gain entrance into tertiary degrees and courses.
The QCS Test is claimed to be an achievement test grounded in the year 12 curriculum, rather than a measure of intelligence or aptitude. Moreover, the test is aimed to be accessible to all students regardless of subject choice. It is held over two consecutive days late in Term 3.
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[edit] Content Tested
The Test is designed to test 49 common curricular elements (CCEs):
- Recognising letters, words and other symbols
- Finding material in an indexed collection
- Recalling/remembering
- Interpreting the meaning of words or other symbols
- Interpreting the meaning of pictures/illustrations
- Interpreting the meaning of tables or diagrams or maps or graphs
- Translating from one form to another
- Using correct spelling, punctuation, grammar
- Using vocabulary appropriate to a context
- Summarising/condensing written text
- Compiling lists/statistics
- Recording/noting data
- Compiling results in a tabular form
- Graphing
- Calculating with or without calculator
- Estimating numerical magnitude
- Approximating a numerical value
- Substituting in formulae
- Setting out/presenting/arranging/displaying
- Structuring/organising extended written text
- Structuring/organising a mathematical argument
- Explaining to others
- Expounding a viewpoint
- Empathising
- Comparing, contrasting
- Classifying
- Interrelating ideas/themes/issues
- Reaching a conclusion which is necessarily true provided a given set of assumptions is true
- Reaching a conclusion which is consistent with a given set of assumptions
- Inserting an intermediate between members of a series
- Extrapolating
- Applying strategies to trial and test ideas and procedures
- Applying a progression of steps to achieve the required answer
- Generalising from information
- Hypothesising
- Criticising
- Analysing
- Synthesising
- Judging/evaluating
- Creating/composing/devising
- Justifying
- Perceiving patterns
- Visualising
- Identifying shapes in two and three dimensions
- Searching and locating items/information
- Observing systematically
- Gesturing
- Manipulating/operating/using equipment
- Sketching/drawing
[edit] Format
The QCS Test comprises four papers — a Writing Task (WT), Short-response (SR), and two Multiple-choice (MC) papers.
These form the three modes of assessment — extended writing, short-response and multiple-choice.
The Writing Task requires students to write around 600 words of continuous English prose based on provided stimulus material. This may include graphics, quotations and statistics.
The Short Response paper tests various skills through various tasks, including calculations, drawing and reasoning.
The two multiple choice papers require candidates to choose an option out of four alternate answers for a variety of questions.
