Assessment

Accreditation period Units 1 and 2: 2024-2025

General assessment advice

Arrange key information in a visual hierarchy, in order of importance. Make sure important information is more prominent.

Updates to matters related to the administration of VCE assessment are published in the VCAA Bulletin. Subscribe to the bulletin.

Teachers must refer to these publications for current advice.

The VCE assessment principles underpin all VCE assessment practices and should guide teachers in their design and implementation of School-assessed tasks. When developing tasks, teachers should also refer to the VCAA policies and school assessment procedures as specified in the VCE Administrative Handbook section: Scored assessment: School-based Assessment.

The VCAA assessment principles determine that assessment of the VCE should be:

valid and reasonable
equitable
balanced
efficient

Essentially, these principles invite schools and teachers to create assessment practices, including tasks and tools, that enable students to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the outcome statements, and the key knowledge and key skills through a range of opportunities and in different contexts (balanced), that do not advantage or disadvantage certain groups of students on the basis of circumstances and contexts (equitable), that are not overly onerous in terms of workload and time (efficient) and that only assess that which is explicitly described in the study design.

Excepting third-party elements, schools may use this resource in accordance with the VCAA’s Educational Allowance (VCAA Copyright and Intellectual Property Policy).

Conditions of tasks

Units 1–2 assessment tasks should be a part of the regular teaching and learning program and should not add unduly to student workload. Students should be clearly informed of the timelines and the conditions under which assessment tasks are to be conducted, including whether any resources are permitted.

Points to consider in developing an assessment task:

List the relevant content from the areas of study and the relevant key knowledge and key skills for the outcomes.
Develop the assessment task according to the specifications in the study design. It is possible for students in the same class to undertake different tasks, or variations of components for a task; however, teachers must ensure that the tasks or variations are comparable in scope and demand.
Identify the qualities and characteristics that you are looking for in a student response and map these to the criteria, descriptors, rubrics or marking schemes being used to assess level of achievement.
Identify the nature and sequence of teaching and learning activities to cover the relevant content, the key knowledge and key skills outlined in the study design, and to provide for different learning styles.
Decide the most appropriate time to set the task. The descision is the result of several considerations including:
- the estimated time it will take to cover the relevant content from the areas of study and the relevant key knowledge and key skills for the outcomes
- the possible need to provide preparatory activities or tasks
- the likely length of time required for students to complete the task
- when tasks are being conducted in other studies and the workload implications for students

Sample approach to developing an assessment task

Outcome 2

Look at each outcome and its key knowledge and key skills. Note any other relevant points from the area of study such as a specific context.
Choose the assessment task type from the range of options listed in the study design. [For this task: gap analysis report on employability skills.]
Decide on the conditions under which the task will be conducted. Given that students may need access to resources such as their Workplace Learning Record or written feedback they have received from a manager or host employer, the task could be completed under test conditions with access to approved resources.
Design the task:
- While this task is mainly focused on employability skills, consider how the application of the key knowledge dot points and key skills dot points are related to the eight employability skills. For example, consider how the use of industry- and workplace-specific terminology (key knowledge dot point 5) and application of terminology (key skills dot point 2) may be related to the employability skill of ‘communicating’; or how key work tasks, processes and activities conducted in the workplace (key knowledge dot point 3) may be related to employability skills such as ‘planning and organising’, ‘teamwork’ and ‘problem-solving’
- Consider how a template (such as a SWOT analysis or table) or the inclusion of structured questions can be used to scaffold the task.
- Consider whether the use of stimulus material or scenarios is appropriate for the task. This may involve the teacher creating fictional scenarios or requiring students to write specific examples of how they have applied employability skills in their SWL.
- Consider how to include a combination of objective and reflective questions or sections in the task. Objective questions can be used to assess understanding of key knowledge and application of key skills (using command terms such as identify, describe and discuss). Reflective questions can be used to assess the application of key knowledge and key skills through the workplace learning experience.
Identify the nature and sequence of teaching and learning activities to cover the key knowledge and key skills outlined in the area of study and provide for different learning styles. The teaching and learning activities for Unit 1 Outcome 2 include a range of teaching and learning activities that provide for different learning styles and allow students to consolidate the knowledge and experience gained in the workplace. The task that requires students to complete a graphic organiser to identify and describe how employability skills are applied in the workplace could be used to prepare them for the gap analysis report on employability skills.
Conduct the assessment task.
Assess the task. This task could be assessed using a rubric or a marking scheme

If using a rubric to assess a student’s level of performance, the rubric should include relevant aspects of the outcome statement, key knowledge and key skills being assessed, and be explained to students prior to the task.
If using a marking scheme to assess a student’s level of performance, it may be appropriate to allocate marks to each structured question and/or section of a graphic organiser/template in the task. Marks should be allocated based on the degree of difficulty required by the command term used for each question, and command terms should be based on the key skills of the outcome.

Outcome 1

Look at each outcome and its key knowledge and key skills. Note any other relevant points from the area of study such as a specific context.
Choose the assessment task type from the range of options listed in the study design. [For this task: oral presentation.]
Decide on the conditions under which the task will be conducted.
- An oral presentation can be presented in different ways, such as: to an audience of peers or to a panel, online (for example, via Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Google Meet), screencast, video or podcast. Ensure students are given appropriate guidelines for the length of the oral presentation assessment, for example 3–5 minutes. See the VCE Administrative Handbook for support and strategies to avoid authentication problems.
Design the task

In this outcome, students will be preparing for and commencing SWL placement in a different workplace setting or context to that of Unit 1. Consider how the task can be designed to include comparison of experiences in two different workplace settings or contexts.
Consider how to include a combination of objective and reflective prompts in the task. Objective prompts can be used to assess understanding of key knowledge and application of key skills (using command terms such as identify, describe, explain and compare). Reflective prompts can be used to assess the application of key knowledge and key skills through the workplace learning experience.

Identify the nature and sequence of teaching and learning activities to cover the key knowledge and key skills outlined in the area of study and provide for different learning styles.

The teaching and learning activities for Unit 2 Outcome 1 include a range of teaching and learning activities that provide for different learning styles and allow students to consolidate the knowledge and experience gained in a different workplace setting or context. The detailed example ‘instructional video’ will give students the opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills gained in a different workplace setting or context using oral communication skills as a scaffold in preparation for their assessment task.

Conduct the assessment task
Assess the task. A rubric used to assess a student’s level of performance should include relevant aspects of the outcome statement, key knowledge and key skills being assessed, and be explained to students prior to the task

Authentication

Teachers must consider the authentication strategies relevant for each assessment task. Information regarding VCAA authentication rules can be found in the VCE Administrative Handbook section: Scored assessment: School-based Assessment.

Units 1 and 2

All assessments for Units 1 and 2 are school-based. The determination of an S or N for each of Units 1 and 2 is a separate consideration from the assessment of levels of achievement.

Procedures for assessment of levels of achievement in Units 1 and 2 are a matter for schools to decide. Schools have flexibility in deciding how many and which assessment tasks they use for each outcome, provided that these decisions are in accordance with VCE Structured Workplace Learning Recognition for VET Study Design and VCE Assessment Principles.