Assessment Overview
Units 3 & 4 assessment structure
Schools report a provisional mark by criterion to the QCAA for each internal assessment. These are combined with the external assessment result to determine each student's final subject result (a mark out of 100 and an A–E grade).
| Assessment | Type | Weighting | Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| IA1 — Data test | Supervised test | 10% | 60 min, calculator + formula book |
| IA2 — Student experiment | Individual experiment | 20% | 10 hours class time, up to 2000 words |
| IA3 — Research investigation | Individual research | 20% | 10 hours class time, up to 2000 words |
| External exam | Combination response | 50% | Paper 1 (90 min) + Paper 2 (90 min) |
Units 1 & 2 assessment
Units 1 & 2 assessments are formative (practice) versions of the above instruments, designed to familiarise students with the assessment structure used in Units 3 & 4. Schools determine their own marking approach for these.
QCAA cognitive verbs
Physics exam questions use specific cognitive verbs. Make sure you understand what each one requires:
Describe — give an account of characteristics or features.
Explain — make an idea clear by providing additional information about how or why.
Analyse — examine something methodically and in detail to explain and interpret it.
Calculate — determine a numerical answer, showing relevant working.
Evaluate — make a judgment based on criteria, determining value, quality, outcomes, results or size.
Justify — give reasons or evidence to support an answer, response or conclusion.
Compare — display recognition of similarities and differences and recognise the significance of these.
Determine — establish, conclude or ascertain after consideration, observation, investigation or calculation.