Sample Tests

English

The ICAS English competition for Year 11 challenges students to engage with language at a sophisticated level, assessing their ability to interpret complex ideas and respond with insight. Students explore a wide range of texts and are asked to analyse irony, unpack layered references, and interpret nuanced vocabulary in context. Core skills assessed include textual understanding, grammatical control, word choice, and authorial technique — encouraging students to read deeply, think critically, and articulate their interpretations with clarity and confidence.

Assess Literacy. Empower Expression

English shapes how students interpret the world, express ideas, and connect across disciplines. The ICAS English exam offers an opportunity to assess students’ language proficiency through a series of challenging, engaging tasks that focus on deeper thinking and clear communication.

Students are tested on key skills such as comprehension, vocabulary in context, syntactic awareness, and writer’s technique. These abilities not only support success in academic writing and reading but also lay the foundation for confident communication in all aspects of life.

Skill Area	Learning Objective	Key Student Outcomes
Text Comprehension	Interpret, evaluate, and synthesise complex narrative and argumentative content	Explain relationships between characters or ideas Distinguish supported vs. unsupported statements Synthesise ideas to make analogies or predictions Evaluate a text to identify limitations
Writer’s Craft	Interpret advanced textual perspectives and narrative techniques	Explain shifts in perspective (e.g., between narrators or narrative voices)
Syntax	Recognise and analyse complex syntactic patterns and referencing	Skills from lower papers assessed with greater text complexity
Vocabulary	Interpret subtle variations and context-dependent meanings of words	Skills from lower papers assessed with greater text complexity

Mathematics

The Year 11 ICAS Mathematics test challenges students to think strategically and apply advanced skills across five key areas: number and arithmetic, measures and units, chance and data, algebra, and geometry. Tasks may involve converting numbers to scientific notation, calculating surface areas, solving two-step probability problems, and more. Designed to stretch mathematical thinking, this assessment rewards accuracy, reasoning, and the ability to apply concepts in complex, real-world scenarios.

Build Thinkers. Elevate Problem-Solvers.

Mathematics equips students with the tools to reason, analyse, and solve problems with confidence. The ICAS Mathematics test challenges learners to apply core numeracy skills through thought-provoking questions that go beyond routine calculations.

Focusing on areas such as logical reasoning, pattern recognition, and real-world problem solving, the assessment highlights each student’s strengths while identifying growth areas. From STEM pathways to everyday decision-making, ICAS Maths nurtures flexible, future-ready minds equipped to tackle whatever comes next.

Skill Area	Learning Objective	Key Student Outcomes
Number & Arithmetic	Solve advanced problems with indices, surds, and interest	Apply index laws with integer and fractional indices Convert numbers to scientific notation Operate on surds Solve simple and compound interest problems
Algebra & Patterns	Manipulate and solve a variety of algebraic expressions and equations	Apply index laws to simplify expressions Expand and simplify binomials Substitute and rearrange to solve equations Factorise quadratics Calculate midpoint, distance, and gradient Solve and graph linear inequalities Solve linear simultaneous equations Solve problems involving parallel and perpendicular lines Graph transformations of parabolas, hyperbolae, polynomials, and circles
Measures & Units	Apply measurement in complex real-world and geometric contexts	Solve problems involving very small time intervals Calculate area of composite shapes Compute surface area and volume of cylinders, cones, spheres, and pyramids
Space & Geometry	Solve spatial problems using trigonometry and angle reasoning	Solve problems involving bearings, elevation, and depression Solve 3D problems using trigonometry Use sine and cosine rules to find unknown sides/angles
Chance & Data	Analyse and interpret complex probabilities and statistical displays	Use two-step probability with/without replacement Calculate relative frequencies Use 'and'/'or' probabilities Solve conditional probability problems Interpret and compare stem-and-leaf plots, histograms, box plots, and scatterplots Identify quartiles Describe distributions using measures of location and spread

Science

The ICAS Science assessment for Year 11 pushes students to apply high-level scientific thinking across a range of real-world and theoretical challenges. Covering five essential skills — observing & measuring, interpreting, predicting & concluding, investigating, and reasoning & problem solving — the test may ask students to analyse solvents, classify stars, evaluate organ function, or compare forces in motion. It’s designed to develop sharp, curious minds ready to explore, question, and explain the world with scientific precision.

Fuel Curiosity. Develop Scientific Thinkers.

Science is about more than answers — it’s about asking the right questions. The ICAS Science exam encourages students to explore, experiment, and apply their knowledge through engaging, skill-driven tasks that test how they observe, reason, analyse, and conclude.

By assessing key competencies like empirical observation, investigation, logical thinking, and scientific interpretation, the test not only highlights each student’s strengths but also deepens their understanding of how science works in the real world. ICAS Science inspires learners to think critically, solve problems creatively, and discover the power of inquiry.

Skill Area	Learning Objective	Key Student Outcomes
Observing/Measuring	Measure, record, and recognise scientific patterns from large-scale data or phenomena	Measure planetary distances Observe differences at subspecies level Track Earth's magnetic pole movement
Interpreting	Decode complex visual and data-based scientific information	Interpret wind chill data Use graphs showing physical properties (melting/boiling points, temp/pressure) Read genetic or dental identifiers
Predicting/Concluding	Draw inferences or hypotheses from high-level scientific data or evidence	Estimate populations in ecosystems Conclude implications of ionic liquid properties Examine Universe formation evidence
Investigating	Analyse advanced scientific phenomena through structured investigation or critique	Critique biological experiments Investigate activation energy and catalyst effects Distinguish accuracy vs precision
Reasoning/Problem Solving	Apply multi-layered scientific reasoning to real-world or theoretical problems	Evaluate AC vs DC circuits Explore conservation laws Relate electric/magnetic fields Determine energy release in chemical reactions

Writing

At Year 11, writing is about impact — shaping arguments with precision and crafting stories with purpose. The ICAS Writing exam gives students the opportunity to demonstrate advanced skills in both persuasive and narrative writing. They may be asked to express a strong opinion in a formal letter or article, or bring a narrative moment to life by developing a character, scene, or dramatic twist. Students are assessed on their ability to control language, structure, tone, and conventions — showcasing not just what they think, but how effectively they communicate it.

Empower Expression. Sharpen Written Impact.

Strong writing is more than correct grammar — it’s the ability to inform, persuade, and inspire through well-crafted language. The ICAS Writing exam gives students the opportunity to demonstrate their skills in both narrative and persuasive forms, encouraging clarity of thought, originality, and purposeful communication.

Students are assessed on how effectively they structure ideas, adapt tone to task, and use grammar, syntax, and punctuation to support meaning. From shaping arguments to building compelling story moments, the exam recognises writing as a powerful tool across academic, social, and real-world contexts — and helps students strengthen their ability to use it with precision and confidence.

Skill Area	Learning Objective	Student Learning Outcome
Strategic Purpose & Audience Control	Adapt tone, register, and structure to meet specific communicative purposes and reader expectations	Writes with a clear sense of audience and purpose, selecting appropriate voice, format, and language for the task
Content Depth & Idea Shaping	Develop ideas with logical progression, elaboration, and relevance	Constructs persuasive or narrative texts that are focused, coherent, and supported with convincing or descriptive detail
Genre Awareness & Flexibility	Apply advanced features of narrative or persuasive writing across diverse task types	Uses structural and stylistic features (e.g., thesis statements, dialogue, resolution) appropriate to genre and task
Grammar & Syntactic Control	Employ a wide range of sentence structures and grammatical forms for fluency and effect	Demonstrates accuracy and variety in grammar and syntax, enhancing flow and clarity of expression
Punctuation & Editorial Precision	Use punctuation for meaning-making, emphasis, and structural clarity	Applies complex punctuation (e.g., colons, dashes, parentheses) effectively and edits with attention to detail
Word Choice & Stylistic Expression	Choose vocabulary that enhances tone, meaning, and persuasive or narrative voice	Selects precise, expressive, and context-appropriate language to engage, convince, or evoke imagination