Class Ranking and Study Scores?

[Menang]

I've noticed a few people mention their class ranking (eg, I'm #1 in my school's cohort etc) when asking for study score predictions.

I didn't know your class rank affected the scaling! So, my question is this: Does class rank affect scaling and if it does, how?

And what happens if I'm in a really, really smart class? Do I get scaled down because my rank isn't as good?

*confused*

[Hellhole]

I'd also like to know this, so would be nice to have some replies. (:

[Mo2]

Significance of class ranking is in the moderation of your SAC score.
The SAC score you obtained from your school will be "moderated" (ie moved up or down) as a result of the way you cohort (your school's students who take that subject) scores in the external exam.
See the VCAA website for more details on how moderation of internal coursework works.
However, briefly, your SAC rank is more important than your absolute score.
As an example, if students A,B,C,D,E

[Mo2]

Sorry, last post sent before it was finished ...........

continuing..

say students A,B,C,D,E get the top 5 SAC scores of 80,84,88,92,96 respectively.-
In the external exam they score as follows A 83, B 91, C 85, D 80, E85
The moderation process will set the top SAC score equal to the top exam score ie E has the top SAC before moderation of 96 - this will be adjusted to the top exam score of 93.
After that it is a little less clear. The 1st quartile SAC score is set equal to the 1st quartile exam score, the median (mean?) SAC is set equal to the median (mean?) exam score, the 3rd quartile SAC is set equal to the 3rd quartile exam, and the spread of all SAC scores in between these benchmarks is made similar to the external spread.
However, the  order remains the same ie E gets the highest moderated SAC score, D gets the 2nd highest, C gets the 3rd  higest etc

The external exam scores are not changed at all. Only the SACs are moderated.

The significance of this for estimating study scores is that your ranking (not your absolute SAC score) will determine what your moderated SAC score becomes.
If your are ranked #1 for SACs at your school, you will get a SAC score equal to the highest exam score achieved by anyone at your school, irrespective of whether it is achieved by you or someone else.
Your moderated SAC score becomes dependant on what your school's cohort achieved in the exam.

It is a very strange and flawed system, and there are anomalies all over the place. But it is the best that VCAA can do to protect against schools exaggerating their internal scores to the advantage of their students.

I hope this helps, rather than confuses you further. As I say, look it up on the VCAA website for more details.

[Menang]

Sorry, last post sent before it was finished ...........

continuing..

say students A,B,C,D,E get the top 5 SAC scores of 80,84,88,92,96 respectively.-
In the external exam they score as follows A 83, B 91, C 85, D 80, E85
The moderation process will set the top SAC score equal to the top exam score ie E has the top SAC before moderation of 96 - this will be adjusted to the top exam score of 93.
After that it is a little less clear. The 1st quartile SAC score is set equal to the 1st quartile exam score, the median (mean?) SAC is set equal to the median (mean?) exam score, the 3rd quartile SAC is set equal to the 3rd quartile exam, and the spread of all SAC scores in between these benchmarks is made similar to the external spread.
However, the  order remains the same ie E gets the highest moderated SAC score, D gets the 2nd highest, C gets the 3rd  higest etc

The external exam scores are not changed at all. Only the SACs are moderated.

The significance of this for estimating study scores is that your ranking (not your absolute SAC score) will determine what your moderated SAC score becomes.
If your are ranked #1 for SACs at your school, you will get a SAC score equal to the highest exam score achieved by anyone at your school, irrespective of whether it is achieved by you or someone else.
Your moderated SAC score becomes dependant on what your school's cohort achieved in the exam.

It is a very strange and flawed system, and there are anomalies all over the place. But it is the best that VCAA can do to protect against schools exaggerating their internal scores to the advantage of their students.

I hope this helps, rather than confuses you further. As I say, look it up on the VCAA website for more details.

Hey thanks so much for the explanation. I think I might go to VCAA to check their explanation as well.

I was just worried, since my class has some really, really smart students. :S

[onerealsmartass]

i thought it was good to have smart students in your class, cos they help lift the sac marks if they do good in the exams....

[gs]

I have been told if your Exam mark is super and your SAC marks are just above average/average, your SAC marks are likely to be increased.
Therefore, if you really stuffed up your exam and your SAC marks were super; your SAC marks are likely to be decreased.
True/False?

Sounds logical to me.

[iNerd]

I have been told if your Exam mark is super and your SAC marks are just above average/average, your SAC marks are likely to be increased.
Therefore, if you really stuffed up your exam and your SAC marks were super; your SAC marks are likely to be decreased.
True/False?

Sounds logical to me.

Correct. If you get 100% SACs then go get a C+ on the VCAA exam, VCAA has to assume that your school gave you easy SACs and than accordingly scales you down.

[eeps]

Your SAC grade/mark only changes depending on how your cohort performs overall, that is, everyone in your school doing that subject. Hence, it's better for your school to give harder SACs, that way if you do really well on the exam(s), then your SAC grade will be moderated up. (i.e. If you were getting B's on SACs, and you get A+ on the exam - then your SAC grade would be increase.)

Note also that there isn't a limit on how much your SACs can be moderated up/down as far as I'm aware.

[taiga]

If you're rank 1, you get the highest exam mark (Even if you didn't get it)

If you're rank 10, even if you get 100% on the exam, you get the 10th highest exam mark in your cohort.

Thankfully for MHS and MacRob in big subjects, the cohort is generally selected at "random", so even if you're in the bottom half, you're still a good chance at an A+
It'd only work for subjects with enrollments >100


If you're rank 3, and the top students screw up, you're probably not going to get A+ though :X

[gs]

If you're rank 1, you get the highest exam mark (Even if you didn't get it)

If you're rank 10, even if you get 100% on the exam, you get the 10th highest exam mark in your cohort.

Don't understand how that's fair at all. Surely not.

[iNerd]

If you're rank 1, you get the highest exam mark (Even if you didn't get it)

If you're rank 10, even if you get 100% on the exam, you get the 10th highest exam mark in your cohort.

Thankfully for MHS and MacRob in big subjects, the cohort is generally selected at "random", so even if you're in the bottom half, you're still a good chance at an A+
It'd only work for subjects with enrollments >100


If you're rank 3, and the top students screw up, you're probably not going to get A+ though :X

Surely not? I'm pretty sure our exam mark stays our exam mark (although I guess it doesn't affect me...that much )

[aznxD]

If you're rank 1, you get the highest exam mark (Even if you didn't get it)

If you're rank 10, even if you get 100% on the exam, you get the 10th highest exam mark in your cohort.

Don't understand how that's fair at all. Surely not.

Not fair at all.

[_avO]

If you're rank 1, you get the highest exam mark (Even if you didn't get it)

If you're rank 10, even if you get 100% on the exam, you get the 10th highest exam mark in your cohort.

Don't understand how that's fair at all. Surely not.

Not fair at all.

He means your SAC gets moderated to the ~10th exam mark, however you keep your exam mark regardless

[holyknight]

i thought that our exams were the things we should really be really worried about, not sacs since they can be moderated.