What is ICAS?

The International Competitions and Assessments for Schools, or ICAS for short, is an independent, skills-based assessment program. ICAs recognises and rewards student achievement in areas such as English, maths, science, spelling, writing and digital technologies. The series of tests are designed to match and test skills that are learned in the school classroom.

These tests are updated annually to ensure that they accurately measure levels of understanding and capabilities in different subject areas. The tests are reviewed by experienced teachers to ensure that accurate assessment of students’ skills and relevance to classroom topics.

Students in over 20 countries including Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa and the United States participate in ICAS each year. Each test is sat at the student’s school and is invigilated by teachers under normal examination conditions.

Why does ICAS and ICAS preparation matter?

ICAS is a test that is used by schools and teachers to better understand what each student can and can’t do at a given point in time and to help track student progress from year to year. These exams are used as a component of testing a student’s overall academic achievement for a particular year. ICAS can also be used as a placement test by some schools. Preparation for ICAS will ensure that your child is informed about the purpose and structure of the test. Additionally, it helps your child to understand the testing and examination procedure so that they can perform at their best during the examination.

ICAS Results and Rankings

Students who undertake the ICAS test are ranked based on their percentile in each year level across every participating state (Australia) and country:

• Top 1% of students receive a High Distinction
• The next 10% of students receive a Distinction
• The following 25% of students receive a Credit
• The next 10% of students receive a Merit Certificate
• All other students receive a Participation Certificate

ICAS provides a reporting system that is easy to use and gives the opportunity for parents to view their child’s individual results. You can also view the performance of the school your child is enrolled in. The reporting system is online and can be accessed using a code provided by your child’s school.

The report provides a summary of results for all year levels at your child’s school, a year level summary, student results in each year level and a student response analysis for each year level. This gives you great insights into how their kids are performing compared to their peers, locally, nationally and globally.

Challenges your child may face and how to help overcome them

For many children sitting ICAS exams can be a daunting experience. ICAS testing begins at Year 2. For many children at this age, it may be the first big examination they sit. Going into an exam anxious or nervous can hinder student performance resulting in unsatisfactory results. Our aim is to help students overcome their nervousness and anxiety so that they can perform at their best!

At Lynn’s Learning, we work hard to ensure that your child has strong foundation skills in reading, writing, numeracy and language conventions in our day-to-day tuition. When it comes to preparing for tests such as the ICAS, we begin teaching other necessary skills as well – one critical requirement being the ability to work with time pressure.

All Lynn’s Learning students sitting examinations will undergo some preparation before the examination dates come around. This process includes completing practice tests – both timed and against the clock – to teach children the concepts involved in an exam as well as exam time-management.

English students at Lynn’s Learning are coached in argumentative essay writing to assist them in planning and writing in a calm, structured and timely manner. This is particularly important for Year 3 students who are oftentimes new to the concept of essay writing.

Contact us today to book your free assessment and help your child with their ICAS exam preparation.