Mr Richard Dobrenov | Deputy Principal and Head of Senior School

As our Year 12 students embark upon three and a half weeks of external exams, we wish them well as they complete 13 years of schooling. For those students studying Maths and Science subjects, the exams are worth 50% and for those studying English and Humanities subjects, their exams are worth 25%. What the students can take comfort from is that they have been thoroughly prepared by their teachers, and have had feedback from their mock exams.

So why does the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority impose such rigorous standards, and why is this system favoured over others? The previous OP system which ranked students according to their subject results and the cohort’s performance on the Queensland Core Skills test had some flaws which have now been addressed by the new ATAR system. Under the current system, all internal assessment items in Years 11 and 12 must be endorsed by a panel of trained teachers for their relevance, alignment to the syllabus and alignment to assessment specifications for the technique being assessed. If the item is not endorsed, then it cannot be implemented until it meets the requirements of the assessment instrument.

To ensure that marking criteria are applied consistently, assessed items are then uploaded to the QCAA for confirmation by independent markers as a means of assuring accuracy. To further ensure quality, the external exams are marked externally, allowing for greater fairness across all subjects. This all culminates with the release of ATAR scores on Friday December 15 and University offers soon afterwards. We wish our Year 12s the very best for their final push towards the finish line.