WTF VCAA? English Language Analysis from the internet

[damo707]

http://www.watoday.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/tats-lose-lustre-in-long-march-to-fashion-foible-20100922-15mwi.html

So this is where they got the language analysis from...

Even the comments.

and "Helen Razer" LOL.

[MJRomeo81]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[geoff_821]

oh my god....

[homosapiens]

Trust VCAA to be so lazy...
oh and I guess that also explains the non-existent link between the blog and the visuals

[DisaFear]

Some bits were cut out I see
And this article is from last year as well, mm

[nacho]

wow
i didn't think anyone would be  idiotic enough to actually really post those comments -_-

although most of VCAA's LAs (in fact perhaps all) are derived from a real source

[DisaFear]

wow
i didn't think anyone would be  idiotic enough to actually really post those comments -_-

And comments are now closed
Else, it'd get...many more...many more...

[ShortBlackChick]

WTF!!! Thats preety cheap!!
Its funny coz I've heard there are all these Helen Day hate facebook pages, but no one probably knew Helen existed!!
You should go and put that link of those pages.
Then again, wouldnt want Helen Razor to get killed by a mob of 2011 English students.
Although...I do go to school near Chaddy...

And how the hell did you find this article??

[ProtonStar]

Why the hell would VCAA do something like this? Someone needs to go over to them an give them a kick up the backside for ruining our lives by choosing this bloody article!

[burbs]

If I tutor next year my students will be given homework to read every article of every paper.... but seriously nice find.

[ben_sebastian4]

Oh WOW

[Lasercookie]

I had heard (maybe from this site actually) that VCAA usually uses articles from April/May/March - since that's usually around when the exam is written.

Maybe that was true at one point, but it looks like that has changed, that article was from September last year.

[cltf]

Can we file an injunction on VCAA to invalidate that section of the exam, for using this article and the COMMENTS (which is plagiarism), I'm sure they got consent from the writer, but not the people making the comments :p

Also can't it be argued that maybe on some off chance a class of students may have inadvertently analyzed it during the year as practice?

[ShortBlackChick]

Man, Helen Razor has bigger problems to worry about than the British Prime Ministers' Wife having tattoos.
Sarah Palin's kids have tattoos!!! Now they really are as superficial as she made them out to be

I could only find the 'whale' comment?? But then again I did scroll down fast for the rest, considering there was a heavy debate going on.

[Lasercookie]

Can we file an injunction on VCAA to invalidate that section of the exam, for using this article and the COMMENTS (which is plagiarism), I'm sure they got consent from the writer, but not the people making the comments :p

I'm no expert with legal stuff, but by commenting on The Age, you agree to their conditions:

Your Material
By uploading, transmitting, posting or otherwise making available any Material via the Fairfax Network, you:

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(b) except where expressly stated otherwise, also grant each user of the Fairfax Network a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, licence to use, reproduce, edit and exploit the Material in any form for any purpose, subject to the Conditions;

(c) warrant that you have the right to grant the abovementioned licences;

(d) warrant that the Material does not breach the Conditions; and

(e) unconditionally waive all moral rights (as defined by the Copyright Act 1968) which you may have in respect of the Material.

So, yes, it seems that The Age holds the rights to the comments on their website - since by commenting, you give them that right.

Also can't it be argued that maybe on some off chance a class of students may have inadvertently analyzed it during the year as practice?

The same goes for essay topics, or even trial exams. Just because something on the exam is similar to a trial exam (you'd probably notice this a lot in maths/science exams particularly), doesn't mean that the student has an unfair advantage. It'd be more like the student has studied hard and is prepared for all possible situations that could come up on the exam.

edit: btw, I didn't quote the entire conditions page in this post - there's more on there.