About ICAS
What subjects and year levels are tested?
ICAS subjects and year level information can be seen here.
What do the ICAS Assessments A, B, C, D etc. stand for?
ICAS Assessments are used in a growing number of countries. As year-level names vary across countries, it is simpler to code the ICAS Assessments as A, B, C, D etc. and provide a key to identify the relevant year-level for each country. Click here for the Papers to Year Levels equivalence table
What are the changes in the format & what do teachers and students need to be prepared with? Will the assessments be a mix of MCQs & short answer questions?
There is no change in the format of the assessment. However, all the assessments will be taken online only and will be MCQs only. All invigilating teachers and students should be equipped with relevant devices which meet all technical requirements.
Can students bring their own devices if my school cannot provide enough devices?
Yes, students can bring their own devices. Teachers and students can use the Technical Readiness test to ensure all devices meet the technical requirements.
Can the assessments be taken from home? Other competitions were organized from home.
Please take note that ICAS will be held online in the test centres or schools. No participants are allowed to take the ICAS at home.
Entering ICAS
When will ICAS be held? How much does it cost?
ICAS dates vary every year depending on declared school holiday periods. Teachers can click here for current year dates and pricing. Parents and students can contact your school directly.
My school has never participated in ICAS before. How do we enter? Will be there be charges applied to school?
Your school can register with EATS to participate in ICAS here . A school code and password to access our online shop will be emailed to your registered school administration email address. There will be no charges applied when a school registers.
How do we enter our school for ICAS?
Schools can order ICAS online at our Shop using their school code and password. Please contact us if you do not know your school code and password. Your password will be emailed to your registered school administration email address.
We have already made our orders. Can we make additional entries?
Yes. You can make additional orders at our Shop .
What happens if my class is unable to participate in a particular ICAS subject on the official sitting window?
In special circumstances, permission may be given for a school to participate in the ICAS on an alternative date. All requests for an alternative date must be submitted in writing by the school Principal or their nominee no later than two weeks before the official sitting window. Schools that sit on an alternative date may not be eligible for ICAS medals.
Can a parent enter a child for ICAS independently of our school?
No. Entry to ICAS is school-based only. EATS is unable to accept requests from parents to enrol their child independently into an ICAS assessment.
My School Is Not Participating. What Should I Do?
Discuss the matter with the Principal of your school to explore possibilities.
Year Level
What year level of ICAS should a student participate in?
A student must only sit the paper for the year level in which s/he is currently enrolled. A student should not sit more than one paper in any one subject. Click here for the Papers to Year Levels equivalence table
Can a student/my child sit ICAS in the year level above (or below) his/her school year?
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 per subject.
Education Analysis
Who writes the ICAS papers?
Questions used in ICAS papers are written by experienced classroom teachers and subject matter experts. These writers utilise a wide range of materials and resources to ensure the questions are current, relevant and engaging for the students.
What is the review process for choosing questions?
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 level of the questions and the strands, topics and skills tested.
How can a student or school prepare for the test?
Preparation is available through past papers, the order form can be downloaded here.
How do I know that ICAS is relevant for my school?
Each ICAS subject has been carefully researched so that the test content is relevant and interesting. The Assessment Framework provides details of how this works for each ICAS subject. To view each subject framework go to the ICAS page and click on the framework link.
What information will parents get about their child’s achievements?
Besides the certificate, all students receive a hard-copy of performance information (ranking) acknowledging students’ placing compared to all who sat ICAS (subject) in the corresponding year
What information will I get about the students in my class with regard to ICAS?
Schools and teachers can access all their assessment data online. Drill down further into your assessment data to gain a more detailed understanding of performance.
Why does ICAS re-use some questions from previous years’ papers and why do the same questions appear in the various papers?
Using the same questions enables us to draw comparisons between each year level to see how different cohorts progress over time. In order to do this, we need to know how one test paper compares in difficulty with 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).
Results
Where will results be sent?
All reports and certificates are sent to the school in the first instance. Results are also available online. To access this facility, parents and their children will need their TAP ID and PIN to log in. The TAP ID is printed on the student report and is valid for all ICAS subject results.
When will our School receive our results?
Results will be sent out to schools between 8 to 10 weeks after the completion of the whole assessment period.
Are ICAS results available online?
Yes. A secure, interactive site is created so that you can view and analyse your school and student data.
Schools: Login to the Result Portal with your ICAS school code and password to access your results online. Please note the school results are available only to participating schools, their Principals and the ICAS subject coordinators.
Parents and Students: Login with your TAP ID and PIN which is printed on the student reports. Your TAP ID is valid for all ICAS subject results.
Can a parent get their child’s ICAS results over the phone?
No. Due to privacy laws, results and student details are not disclosed over the phone.
Can a parent get their child’s ICAS results directly from EATS?
No. Results are dispatched directly to the school. Parents need to ask their child’s school for their child’s results. Reprints of results and certificates should also be requested through the school as EATS cannot adequately identify the person requesting the reprints.
If there is an error in the certificate or report such as name or school grade, or no certificate or hard copy report received, can the school request for reprints?
OR
If a student lost the certificate or report, can the student request for a reprint?
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
The reprint process will take 3 weeks. Please contact the EATS office for more information.
Awards & Recognition
What is the grade distribution for ICAS High Distinction, Distinction and Credit certificates?
Certificates suitable for inclusion in a portfolio are awarded to all participants. Please refer to the Awards & Recognition page for information about grade distribution.
Will I be advised if my student is a medal winner in ICAS?
Yes. Schools are advised of all medal winners.
Past papers
Where can I purchase past papers?
Past papers can be purchased here .
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 formats due to copyright.
When can I get copies of test booklets for the current year ICAS tests?
Currently only ICAS 2015 to 2018 papers are available while stocks last. At present, papers from 2019 onwards are not available for sale.