02/08/2016 12:00 am - 00:00:00 > 00:00:59
Optional English Assessment
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 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 a PDF copy of the ICAS English assessment framework