NEWSLETTER 87

The International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS) 2011

Competition Competition
No Content / Area Format Entry Fee
Name Date
• Common operating systems for desktop computers (Windows, Macintosh).
• Basic internet skills. • Year 3/4; Std 3/4: 30 minutes/30 multiple-choice questions
• Common computer features and peripherals. • Year 5/6; Std 5/6: 35 minutes/35 multiple-choice questions
ICAS Computer Tuesday, • Common features of software packages. • Year 7/8; Form 1/2: 40 minutes/40 multiple-choice questions
1 • Tweaking, customising and making use of expert skills in software packages and operating systems. RM25.00
Skills 12th April • Year 9-10; Form 3-5: 45 minutes/45 multiple-choice questions
• Programming and systems analysis skills.
• Computer language skills.

• Year 3/4; Std 3/4: 45 minutes/30 multiple-choice questions

The questions cover a wide variety of skills and processes that are an integral part of Science. These
Tuesday, include observing and measuring, reading and interpreting information, predicting, drawing conclusions,
2 ICAS Science
26th April understanding experimental design and higher order skills, such as reasoning and problem solving. The
papers test the application of these skills across all Science disciplines.
• Year 5/6; Std 5/6: 55 minutes/40 multiple-choice questions
• Year 7 - 11; Form 1 -5: 1 hour/45 multiple-choice questions
RM25.00
Calculators and rulers may be used in all levels.

• Year 5 - 8; Std 5/6; Form 1/2 : 60 minutes/25 multiple choice items

Wednesday, The Gauss Contests are an opportunity for students to have fun and to develop their mathematical
3 CMC 11th May problem solving ability. RM20.00
Calculators are permitted for all levels.

Writing is a criterion-referenced assessment. The Writing assessment is marked against criteria which
are specific to the task, every mark that a student scores has a particular meaning. The marking criteria
are divided into four domains or sections: Genre, Textual Grammar , Syntax and Spelling .
Two forms of writing - narrative and persuasive - are assessed in alternating years.
In 2011, the ICAS (Writing) task will assess an example of persuasive writing. The task requires students • Year 3 – 6; Std 3 - 6 : 30 minutes
to write a text that persuades. These include writing: • Year 7 – 11; Form 1 - 5 : 30 minutes
Tuesday,
4 ICAS Writing • a review RM55.00
29th June
• an advertisement
• a letter to a council
• a formal argument
• an opinion piece for a newspaper
• a campaign manifesto
All students will be given age-appropriate tasks in the same genre.

• Year 3/4; Std 3/4: 45 minutes/45 multiple-choice items

Tuesday, Each assessment covers a wide range of skills in reading, language and spelling across both literary and • Year 5/6; Std 5/6: 50 minutes/50 multiple-choice items
5 ICAS English • Year 7/8; Form 1 /2: 55 minutes/55 multiple-choice items RM25.00
12th July factual genres and text types.
• Year 9 - 11; Form 3 - 5 : 1 hour/60 multiple-choice items

• Year 3 - 5; Std 3 - 5: 45 minutes/40 multiple-choice items

• Year 6; Std 6: 1 hour/35 multiple-choice items and 5 free response
The questions cover a wide variety of skills and processes that are an integral part of Mathematics. items
ICAS Tuesday, These include for levels Std 3-Form 1 (Year 3 – Year 7), the four areas of Number, Measurement, • Year 7 – 11; Form 1 - 5 : 1 hour/35 multiple-choice items and 5 free
6 RM25.00
Mathematics 26th July Space, and Chance and Data. For levels Form 2-Form 5 (Year 8 – 11), the questions cover the five response items
areas of Number, Algebra, Measurement, Space and Geometry, and Chance and Data.
Calculators are not permitted for levels Year 3 - 7 (Std 3 - Form 1).
Calculators are required for levels Year 8 - 11 (Form 2 - 5).
• Year 3 – 6; Std 3 - 6: 60 minutes/25 multiple-choice items and 5 free
response items
• Year 7 – 11; Form 1 - 5 : 75 minutes/25 multiple-choice items and 5
Thursday, The questions cover a wide variety of skills and processes that are an integral part of Mathematics. free response items
7 AMC RM40.00
4th August Questions are problem solving based.
Calculators are not permitted for levels Year 7 - 11 (Form 1 - 5).
Calculators are required for levels Year 3 - 6 (Std 3 - 6).