Q:   What subjects and year levels are tested?

A: Please refer to this page for more information about subjects and year levels.

Q:   What do labels A, B, C, D etc on the ICAS test booklets represent?

A:   ICAS are used in a growing number of countries. As year-level names vary across countries it is simpler to code the ICAS booklets as A, B, C, D etc and provide a key to identify the relevant year-level for each country.

Q:    Could students write answers on extra paper for the ICAS Writing Assessment?

A:     Students should not be encouraged to write beyond the lines that are provided in the Answer Booklet, so it is not appropriate to include additional sheets of paper for written responses. Additionally Answer Booklets are scanned so that responses can be retrieved should any queries arise. Any writing outside of the Answer Booklet cannot be scanned.

Q:    Do students have sufficient time to complete the Writing assessment?

A:     Our experience is that the time allocated is sufficient for students to produce a concise and coherent piece of writing. If students feel they need to produce a longer piece of work, they may feel rushed to complete the task and tend to make more mistakes in their writing, affecting their scores in the areas of Syntax, Punctuation and Spelling. Time is allocated for editing and our experience shows that students who do review and edit their work are able to correct errors and improve their writing in general.

Q:    What are the changes in the format & what students need to be prepared with? Will the contest be a mix of MCQs & short answers questions? 

A:    There is no change in the format of the paper. The paper will be MCQs only. 

Q:    For private candidates, the test will be taken from home or from the centre? Other competitions were organized from home. 

A:    Please take note that ICAS will be held in the test centres or schools. No participants are allowed to take the ICAS at home. 

Q:    Are ICAS Writing and Spelling not available this year? 

A: Due to COVID-19, ICAS Writing and Spelling will not be available this year.

Q:    What is the entry fee per subject and how do we enter?

A: Please visit the individual country page or email the individual country contact. 

Q: What Year Level should a student enter?

A: Students must sit only the paper for the Year Level in which they are currently enrolled.

Q: What happens if my school/child can't participate in a particular ICAS on the set period?

A:     Under special circumstances, permission may be given to a school to participate in ICAS on an alternative date. All requests for an alternative ICAS sitting date must be requested in writing no later than four weeks before the official sitting date.

Q:    For students who have learning difficulties, any extra time or special arrangements will be made for sitting ICAS?

A:     Students with learning difficulties can be allowed extra time if they are allowed extra time for other public examinations. The time allocation should be comparable with that of the public examinations.

Q:    Can we make additional entries after sending out the schools' entry form(s)? 

A:     Yes, schools can make additional entries provided the ICAS entries closing date has not passed. Dispatch of test materials after the closing date will incur postage and handling fee.

Q:    Since payment is done online, will the payment be made in Singapore dollars or overseas currency?

A: If the participant is taking ICAS in Singapore, they will make their payment in Singapore dollars. If you are an overseas candidate, you will pay in your country’s currency. 

Q:    Can we prepare the laptops/ tablet a few days in advance or must it be on the actual day?

A: Please prepare your laptop/tablet a few days before the test according to our technical requirements. You can view the requirements here: https://simccicas.org/technical-requirements/

Q:    Can student/my child sit an ICAS in the year level above (or below) his/her school year?

A:     No. Students must sit the ICAS paper for the year level in which they are currently enrolled for that subject. Students must only attempt one year level paper

Q:    Who writes ICAS papers?

A:     Questions used in ICAS papers are written by experienced classroom teachers and subject matter experts. These assessment item writers utilise a wide range of materials and resources to ensure the questions are current, relevant and engaging for the student.

Q:    What is the review process for choosing questions?

A:     All items are peer reviewed by an external panel. This panel consists of practising classroom teachers and subject matter experts (including university academics). This panel considers the validity, reliability and currency of each assessment item. Once ratified by the external panel, the questions are placed in tests. All tests maintain a balance of items taking into account the difficulty of the questions and the strands, topics and skills tested.

Q: How can a student or school prepare for the test? 

A: See the Preparation section of this website for information about the ICAS subjects. Sample questions are available to give an indication of the skills and knowledge being assessed.

Past papers can be purchased here.

Q: How do I know that ICAS is relevant for my child?

A:     Each ICAS subject has been carefully researched by SIMCC staff so that the test content is relevant to what is taught. The 'assessment framework' guides show details of how this works for each ICAS subject.

Q: What information will I get about my child's achievements?

A: Parents and students will receive a report from SIMCC. This report provides accessible diagnostic information about the student's performance and highlights any strengths or weaknesses.

Q: What information will I get about the students in my class?

A:     Schools will receive a report providing accessible diagnostic information about individual and year level strengths and weaknesses. Schools also receive detailed analyses of individual and year level responses in order of item difficulty.

Q:    Why SIMCC re-use some questions from previous years' papers and why do the same questions appear in various papers?

A: At the School and State level we draw comparisons between each year level to see how different cohorts progress over time. In order to do this we need to know how much more difficult one test paper is over another. By comparing the information obtained from a few questions that appear in two different papers we can get a good indication of the relative difficulty of each paper. This process is called 'equating' and is applied to test papers across year levels (called Vertical Equating) and also across calendar years (Horizontal Equating).

Q: Where can I purchase past papers? 

A:   Past papers can be purchased here.

Q: Can schools or parents request to purchase past papers in PDF or electronic format?

A: The ICAS past papers are only offered in hardcopy for purchase. Past papers are not available for purchase and download in PDF or other electronic format due to copyright.

Q: Where will results be sent?

A: All reports and certificates are sent to the school in the first instance. Results are available online; however, parents and students will need their TAP ID to login. The TAP ID is printed on the student reports. The TAP ID is valid for all ICAS subject results.

Q: When will we receive the results?

A: Results will be sent out to schools between around 8 weeks after the completion of the whole assessment period.

Q: Are the results available online?

A: Yes. SIMCC has created a secure, interactive site that allows you to view and analyse your school and student data.

Schools  :   Login with your SIMCC school code and password to access your results online. Please note the results are available only to participating schools, their principals and the ICAS subject co-ordinators.

Parents and Students  :   Login with your TAP ID which is printed on the student reports. Your TAP ID is valid for all ICAS subject results.

Q: Can I get my child's results over the phone?

A: No. Due to privacy policy, results or student details are not disclosed over the phone.

Q: Can I get my child's results directly from SIMCC ICAS Offices?

A: No. Results are dispatched directly to the school. Please see your school for individual student results.

Q:    Can I request for extra test booklets for future reference?

A: All questions (items) are available online at Student Results Online

• Parents and students can login to their results with the TAP ID and PIN printed at the bottom of right corner of the student report.
• Each question can be viewed by clicking on the PDF.

Please login to Student Results Login with the TAP ID and PIN printed on the bottom of the student result letter. To view each question:

1. Click on the \'Analysis\' link in the left hand navigation bar
2. Click on the Question Content or Question (number) link in the results analysis table.
3. A separate window will launch containing an image of the question from the test booklet.

To obtain a test booklet in hardcopy, the parent can purchase one when it becomes available in the past paper.

Q:    When can I get copies of test booklets for the current year ICAS tests?

A:     This year's ICAS papers can be purchased after seven months of assessment completion of the years.

Q: If there is an error in the certificate or report such as name or school grade or no certificate or report hard copy received, can the school request for reprint?

OR

If a student lost the certificate or report, can the student request for reprint?

A: Schools or students can request for reprint certificates or reports with a charge. Schools or students must provide the following details for data verification -

• School Name
• School Code
• Incorrect Name of Student
• Correct Name of Student
• Year of assessment with Year Level
• Subject and Version (Chinese or English version)

The re-print process will take 3 weeks. Please contact your country’s office for more information. 

Q: What is the grade distribution for High Distinction, Distinction and Credit certificates?

A: All students who enter ICAS receive a certificate and student report. A certificate is awarded on the following basis for each subject assessed:

     High Distinction Certificate

The top 1% of entrants in each year level in each participating country.

     Distinction Certificate

The next 10% of entrants in each year level in each participating country.

     Credit Certificate

The next 25% of entrants in each year level in each participating country.

        Merit Certificate

The next 10% of entrants in each year level in each participating country.

     Participation Certificate

All other students receive a Participation Certificate

     Medals

Medals are only awarded when a top score in each year level in each locale is judged to be sufficiently meritorious. The awarding of all medals and certificates is at the entire discretion of EAA.

Q: Is the ICAS result useful for applying Australian universities?  Will I award bonus points if I have participated in ICAS?

A:    Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) Bonus Points

ICAS medallists are eligible for bonus points when they apply to undertake an undergraduate degree at the University of New South Wales.

For Australian students this means that when you apply to the Universities Admissions Centre, you should also apply to the Elite Athletes and Performers Program* through which you may receive credit for one bonus point on the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR), formerly known as Universities Admission Index (UAI), that you achieved on matriculation in Year 11 and Year 12 at High School. The maximum number of bonus points available to any applicant under the Elite Athletes and Performers Program is five (5) points. These five (5) points are for medals won in the last two years of a student\'s high school education.

For international students, ICAS medal winners will be eligible for bonus point consideration of one ATAR point per medal, up to a maximum of five (5) points. These bonus points will be awarded on the basis of ICAS medals won in F5 (Year 11) and F6 (Year 12) and added to the UNSW assessment of the ATAR equivalence of your national school qualification.

This means that ICAS medals could now make a significant difference in your prospects of gaining a place in a UNSW degree course where entry is highly competitive.

For information on the Elite Athletes and Performers Program go to http://www.unsw.edu.au/futureStudents/undergrad/ced/eliteathletes.html  and click on the Elite Athletes and Performers Bonus Points table.

* The Elite Athletes and Performers Program does not apply to the Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery program.

Q:     Can I make a copy of the ICAS Test Papers? Will SIMCC reprint those running out papers?

A:     Most ICAS papers contain at least one image and/or text that has been purchased from a third party. The third party gives SIMCC permission to their images and/or texts by signing a copyright agreement.

This agreement stipulates that we can only use their image and/or text in a limited print run (which is stipulated in the agreement) and does not cover SIMCC making these papers available on the internet. Once we run out of a particular past paper then we are not permitted to reprint unless we apply for and receive copyright permission again. This is a timely and expensive process so we have not done so in the past.SIMCC can not supply the papers as PDFs for downloads as we would be in breach of copyright.