General Achievement Test (G.A.T) What is the GAT? What is it used for? Is the GAT important? Can I prepare myself for the GAT? Where to next?

Some common myths about the GAT … You may have heard some of these: ‘The GAT is not really a serious exam’ ‘Don’t worry – the GAT isn’t important to your ATAR score’ ‘The GAT is a joke’ ‘The GAT isn’t used for anything’ ‘My friend told me that they wrote all this funny stuff in their GAT last year!’

The GAT is a serious exam conducted by the VCAA & all students across Victoria sit it as part their VCE The GAT is used as part of the ‘Statistical Moderation’ process and can have a direct affect on your ‘Subject Study Scores’ & your ‘ATAR Score’ The GAT isn’t a joke – it affects your future University & Career options The GAT can be used to provide you with a ‘Derived Score’ if something goes wrong in your final exams The GAT is used to help predict your ability to perform in certain areas of the VCE subjects

What is the GAT used for? To predict the student’s expected results To check for accurate assessment of SACs and Exams Anomalous Exam Grades – a result that wasn’t expected – the exam will be triple marked To alert the examining panel to possible student stress Derived exam scores if you are unable to sit an exam due to a medical emergency Scaling of SAC & Exam results

What is scaling & how will it affect me? What is shown in this slide? What does the data tell us?

How does scaling affect our ‘Study Scores’? What has happened to student scores after the scaling process? ie they have been scaled down on an average of 2 marks by VTAC – its important that students perform well on the GAT

So, what is the GAT then? The General Achievement Test aims to test your knowledge and ability in several broad categories: General Knowledge Maths, Science & Technology (MST) Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences (AHU) Reasoning Written Communication

What is the GAT exam made up of? The GAT exam goes for 3hrs and is made up of: 2 short written pieces in response to reading materials 1 Expository piece (30 mins) 1 Argumentative piece (30 mins) 70 multiple choice questions (2 hrs)

Written pieces: EXPOSITORY Expository Piece: purpose is to inform, describe, explain, or define a topic expository essays should not reveal the opinion of the writer and should deal with balanced fact 5mins planning time brainstorm your ideas plan what you will write Include an introduction, body of paragraphs & conclusion 25mins writing time write for the full 25 minutes Write using the TEEL paragraph structure Don’t waste time counting words!

Written pieces: EXPOSITORY Expository Assessment: How well you organise and present your understanding of the material Effective communication of Connections, meaning and implications How clearly you express yourself

Written pieces: EXPOSITORY Expository Tips: The emphasis is on clarity (being clear) in your writing & how well you structure your response – this means you really must: DO A PLAN BEFORE YOU START WRITING Read the material carefully Find connections, examples of cause and effect Look for what you have to explain as you are reading

Written pieces: PERSUASIVE Persuasive Piece: purpose of persuasive writing is to give an opinion and try to influence the reader to agree with your point of view This type of writing is commonly used when students work on ‘Issues’ in English classes Use Persuasive Language Techniques (PLTs) from Yr10, Yr11 & Yr12 work

Written pieces: PERSUASIVE Persuasive Piece: Choose one prompt to write on 5mins planning time brainstorm your ideas plan what you will write Include an introduction, body of paragraphs & conclusion 25mins writing time write for the full 25 minutes Write using the TEEL paragraph structure Don’t waste time counting words!

Written pieces: PERSUASIVE Persuasive Piece: Write an introduction 3 body paragraphs & conclusion 2 of those body paragraphs should present your point of view 1 of those paragraphs should be a rebuttal paragraph (where you look at how the other side might argue the topic, present those arguments, then destroy them with your counterargument)

Written pieces: PERSUASIVE Persuasive Assessment: developing & presenting a Point of View in a reasonable and convincing way Effective expression

Multiple Choice Questions Allow 2 hours for this section of the exam Read the information carefully Correctly answer as many questions as you can If you are running out of time try to answer all of the 70 questions before the end You don’t lose marks for a wrong answer

What materials can I bring into the GAT? A blue or black pen – medium to thick dark solid line (bring a second pen as a back-up), pencil, eraser, dictionary (no thesaurus) Why is the type of pen important? - GAT exams are scanned onto computer for marking – if your pen is too faint it may not scan correctly and be unreadable – also make sure you only write within the space provided – don’t write outside of the allocated space – it wont be part of the scan An English Language Dictionary (no thesaurus) Bottled water (must be clear plastic with no labels of any kind), transparent pencil case with no writing on it NO ELECTRONIC DEVICES! NO CALCULATORS!

On the day...Weds June 13th The week after yr 11 exams YOU must be at the gym by 9:15 am – entering via the side door (not near the front office) Check where you are sitting (Row number) – on the doors into the gym and up at the Study Centre Bring photo ID! Get your name marked off the roll

Year 11 Exams Tuesday to Thursday next week Monday is a normal school day All exams in the Study Centre Wear full school uniform, bring all required equipment! Arrive 30 mins before exam! Phone calls home if absent – attendance compulsory (exam will be sat in an after school session! Medical certificate required if absent)

Year 11 Exams Supervised by VCAA exam supervisors If there are any clashes or concerns see Mr Walters or Ms Meusburger Remain in exam for entire duration Unlabelled and clear water bottle, no other drinks or food allowed! No electronic devices, including smart watches Only approved materials – check with your teachers what you are allowed If you are withdrawn you will be suspended – parent meeting and future pathway examined

Navigator booklet Over the next couple of weeks the navigator booklets will be made available to students All students must familiarise themselves with their responsibilities in the VCAA exams Additional information can be found on the VCAA website

How can we prepare for the GAT? GAT Preparation Timeline: Wk1 – GAT Information Session Wk2 – Practice Writing Task 1 (externally marked by assessor) Wk3 – Practice Writing Task 2 (externally marked by assessor) Wk4 – Multiple Choice Session 1 Wk5 – Multiple Choice Session 2 Wk6 – Multiple Choice Results Wk7/8 – Writing Task Feedback Session Wk9 – VCAA GAT EXAM Wednesday 13.06.15

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