COVID-19 has presented us with a number of unprecedented challenges so far this year, with students in Years 11 and 12 particularly affected and concerned about how this will impact their studies.
All stakeholders including TASC, the Department for Education, Children and Young People, other school sectors, the University of Tasmania and public and private registered training organisations have been working together to address issues that may affect the attainment of the Tasmanian Qualifications Certificate, Tasmanian Certificate of Education (TCE) and the calculation of ATAR scores.
It has been confirmed that TCE external assessments for pre-tertiary (Levels 3 and 4) courses are going ahead in 2020, and written exams will take place between 9 and 19 November 2020. However, in light of what has been an extraordinary year for students, some adjustments have been made to external assessments for 2020 to ensure student wellbeing is supported.
Consideration has been given to a range of options that demonstrate a student’s learning, noting that exams can be stressful and that student wellbeing is at the forefront of any adjustments to external assessment.
All 2020 external assessment adjustments have been finalised, aside from English 3, and Maths and Science courses, which will be available as soon as possible.
Adjustments made to external assessments have been grouped into four types:
- Adjustments to reflect 2020 adjustments to courses. For example, Art Production, Media Production, Drama, Health Studies.
- Adjustments to written exams to streamline content. For example, Accounting, English Literature and Economics.
- Adjustments to some folio due dates. For example, some folios have a later due dates to give students more time including Student Directed Inquiry, Psychology, Housing and Design.
- Adjustments to externally assessed performances. For example, Dance Choreography and Performance, Music.
Students who are eligible can be confident they will receive an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) which, as always, will be comparable with other Year 12 students across the country.
Details of 2020 external assessment can be found on the TASC website at https://www.tasc.tas.gov.au/students/courses/.To locate specific course advice, find the individual course from the list and locate the drop-down section within the course information – Supporting documents including external assessment material. The 2020 external assessment advice is named 2020 External Assessment Specifications.