The Queensland Core Skills Test, commonly referred to as the QCS Test or simply QCS, was a statewide test formerly completed by all

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

year twelve students who were eligible for an

Overall Position The Overall Position (OP) was a tertiary entrance rank used in Queensland, Australia to guide selection into universities. Like similar systems used throughout the rest of Australia, the OP shows how well a student has performed in their senior s ...

, and was optional (but beneficial) for

tertiary entrance rank The Tertiary Entrance Rank (TER) was a tertiary entrance score used in several Australian states, the ACT and the Northern Territory as a tool for selection to universities in Australia. As of 2010, it has been replaced by the Australian Tertiary ...

students. These ranks were used to gain entrance into tertiary degrees and courses. In-school subject rankings given to students were scaled and moderated using the performance of the subject cohort at individual schools on the QCS test. The QCS test was the only statewide external exam conducted in the two senior years of secondary education (Years 11 and 12). The test was held for the final time on 3–4 September 2019, and will be replaced with external examinations as part of the new

Queensland Certificate of Education The Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) is the certificate awarded to students completing their secondary schooling in Queensland. The QCE was introduced in 2008, to replace the Senior Certificate. It is currently issued by the Queensland ...

system. The QCS Test was claimed to be an achievement test grounded in the Year 12 curriculum, rather than a measure of intelligence or aptitude. Moreover, the test was aimed to be accessible to all students regardless of their subject choices, with general knowledge, vocabulary and mathematics tested only to the common Year 10 level. The test was held over two consecutive days late in

Term 3 An academic term (or simply term) is a portion of an academic year, the time during which an educational institution holds classes. The schedules adopted vary widely. In most countries, the academic year begins in late summer or early autumn an ...

Format

The QCS Test comprised four papers—a two-hour writing task, a two-hour short response paper, and two one-and-a-half-hour

multiple choice Multiple choice (MC), objective response or MCQ (for multiple choice question) is a form of an objective assessment in which respondents are asked to select only correct answers from the choices offered as a list. The multiple choice format is mo ...

tests. These formed the three modes of assessment—extended writing, short response and multiple choice. The writing task required students to write around 600 words of continuous

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prose Prose is a form of written or spoken language that follows the natural flow of speech, uses a language's ordinary grammatical structures, or follows the conventions of formal academic writing. It differs from most traditional poetry, where the ...

based on provided stimulus material and a set theme. This could include graphics, quotations and statistics. The short response paper tested various skills through several numerical and 'verbal' (language-based) questions, including calculations, reading comprehension, reasoning and drawing. The two multiple choice papers required candidates to choose from four alternative answers for a variety of questions. Results on the QCS test were returned to students as an overall grade from A to E with exit results in December.

Content tested

The test was designed by the Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority to test 49 common curricular elements, including basic skills from "recognising letters, words and other symbols" to complex skills such as "hypothesising" and "expounding a viewpoint".

Previous writing task topics

* 2019: What's Next * 2018: Connection * 2017: What Lasts * 2016: Seeing Things * 2015: What Feeds Us * 2014: Who Cares? * 2013: Things Unknown * 2012: Getting There * 2011: Gold * 2010: Flight * 2009: Time * 2008: Circle * 2007: Essence * 2006: Shape * 2005: Discovery * 2004: What Matters * 2003: Face * 2002: Space * 2001: Light * 2000: Work

Trivia

In 2010, a student-organised movement, fuelled by the popular social networking site

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, suggested that students mention Bear Grylls in the writing task or in the short response task, similar to Project Clooney '09 in the

General Achievement Test The General Achievement Test (GAT) is an Australian test of general knowledge and skills including communication, mathematics, science and technology, the arts, humanities and social sciences. From 2022, the GAT is delivered in two sections, hel ...

. A similar movement was started in 2011, substituting

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for Bear Grylls. In 2018, some students started a movement to rename QCS to 'QCStress'.

References

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External links