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What Is ICAS?

ICAS stands for the International Competitions and Assessments for Schools, developed by Educational Assessment Australia (EAA) of the University of New South Wales (UNSW). Almost 70% of all Australian schools participated in ICAS in 2006.

The competitions are conducted during school hours and require no special preparation over and above the class work students cover with their teachers each day. The content of the papers is developed with reference to the state and territory syllabus documents used by schools across Australia. However ICAS doesn’t test content knowledge, rather each question tests students’ understanding and application of the skills they learn.

Each ICAS paper is designed to be accessible to students of all ability levels and the papers are carefully structured to begin with easier questions and move through to more complex questions at the end. The papers are printed in full colour and use images, tables, graphs and pictures that are designed to stimulate and engage student attention and interest.

ICAS reports provide each student and their parents with:

• a certificate acknowledging the student’s achievement in the assessment, and
• a detailed diagnostic report that outlines areas of strength and weakness, makes comparisons to other students in the same year group from their state and shows how they have improved their performance from previous years.

Schools also receive detailed diagnostic information that outlines individual student and class performance; highlights areas of strength and weakness; and tracks student and year level progress from year to year.

Participating in ICAS provides invaluable practice for students in sitting for compulsory external assessments. When students participate in ICAS, their parents gain another reliable indication of their child’s ability and the results provide an opportunity to work even more closely with their child’s school to assist them to reach their full potential.

For detailed information about what each ICAS tests, see ICAS Tests and Subjects .

How can I participate in ICAS?

Entry into any of the International Competitions and Assessments for Schools is open to all students from Year 3 to Year 12. Entry must be made through your school. Unfortunately EAA is not able to accept entries directly from students or families as all administration is conducted through schools.