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JUDGING STANDARDS IN PRE-PRIMARY ENGLISH
Reporting against the Achievement Standard
PRE-PRIMARY ENGLISH ACHIEVEMENT STANDARD
These assessment pointers are for judging standards of a child’s performance in Pre-primary English.
They are examples of what children may demonstrate rather than a checklist of everything they
should do. For reporting, they are used to make on-balance judgments about achievement based on
what has been taught and assessed during the reporting period. They can also be used to guide the
pitch of assessment tasks, develop marking keys and inform assessment feedback.
These are the assessment pointers for the Reading and viewing and Writing and creating modes.
Assessment pointers for the Speaking and listening mode are currently being developed.
(organised by modes from The Australian Curriculum version 6.0)
Reading and viewing
By the end of the Pre-primary year, children use predicting and questioning strategies to make meaning from texts. They recall one or two events from texts with familiar topics.
They understand that there are different types of texts and that these can have similar characteristics. They identify connections between texts and their personal experience.
They read short, predictable texts with familiar vocabulary and supportive images, drawing on their developing knowledge of concepts about print and sounds and letters. They
identify the letters of the English alphabet and use the sounds represented by most letters.
Writing and creating
When writing, children use familiar words and phrases and images to convey ideas. Their writing shows evidence of sound and letter knowledge, beginning writing behaviours and
experimentation with capital letters and full stops. They correctly form known upper- and lower-case letters.
Speaking and listening
They listen to and use appropriate language features to respond to others in a familiar environment. They listen for rhyme, letter patterns and sounds in words. Children understand
that their texts can reflect their own experiences. They identify and describe likes and dislikes about familiar texts, objects, characters and events. In informal group and whole class
settings, children communicate clearly. They retell events and experiences with peers and known adults. They identify and use rhyme, letter patterns and sounds in words.
2013/36587v9 [PDF 2013/37348] Published: 22 May, 2015
PRE-PRIMARY ENGLISH ASSESSMENT POINTERS – READING AND VIEWING
The child demonstrates
excellent achievement of what
is expected for this year level
The child demonstrates
high achievement of what
is expected for this year level
The child demonstrates
satisfactory achievement of what
is expected for this year level
The child demonstrates
limited achievement of what
is expected for this year level
The child demonstrates
very low achievement of what
is expected for this year level
Uses a range of relevant
comprehension strategies to
make meaning from texts.
Uses relevant comprehension
strategies to make meaning
from texts.
Uses some comprehension
strategies, such as predicting
and questioning, to make
meaning from texts.
With guidance and/or
prompting, makes meaning from
a text.
With prompting, attempts to
make meaning from a text.
Retells in detail and correctly
sequences events from a text.
Correctly sequences two or
more events from texts on a
familiar topic.
Retells one or two events from
texts on a familiar topic.
With guidance and/or
prompting, retells one or two
events from texts on a familiar
topic.
With prompting, attempts to
recall a key idea from the text.
Text structure
Finds points of comparison
between different types, forms
and features of texts.
Makes simple comparisons
between different types, forms
and features of texts.
Recognises that there are
different types of texts and
identifies some features, such as
beginnings and endings in
stories.
With guidance and/or
prompting, recognises there are
different types of texts.
With prompting, attempts to
recognise there are different
types of texts.
Language and
conventions
Identifies the language features
and images used to make
meaning in a text.
Identifies simple language
features and images used to
make meaning in a text.
Recognises some language
features and images used to
make meaning in a text.
With guidance and/or
prompting, recognises a
language feature or image in a
text.
With prompting, attempts to
recognise a language feature or
image in a text.
Describes the purpose of and
differences between simple
imaginative and informative
texts accurately.
Describes the purpose of and
differences between simple,
imaginative and informative
texts.
Identifies the purpose of and
some differences between
simple, imaginative and
informative texts.
With guidance and/or
prompting, recognises the
purpose of a simple text.
With prompting, attempts to
recognise the purpose of a
simple text.
Response and evaluation
Responds to a character or
event in a text and expresses an
opinion.
Responds to a character or
event in a text and begins to
express an opinion.
Responds to a character or
event in a text.
With guidance and/or
prompting, makes a connection
to a character or event in a text
from a personal experience.
With prompting, attempts to
make a personal connection to a
text.
Reading aloud
Reads short texts clearly, with
increasing fluency, intonation,
phrasing and knowledge of
phonics and language features,
using relevant text processing
strategies.
Reads short predictable texts
with developing fluency,
intonation, phrasing and
developing knowledge of
phonics and language features,
using text processing strategies.
Reads short predictable texts
with some fluency, intonation,
phrasing and developing
knowledge of phonics and
language features. Uses some
text processing strategies such
as predicting and monitoring
meaning.
With guidance, begins to read
with some fluency.
With prompting, attempts to
read.
Meaning and
interpretation
Context, audience and
purpose
PRE-PRIMARY ENGLISH ASSESSMENT POINTERS – WRITING AND CREATING
Text structure
Language features
Spelling
Punctuation
The child demonstrates
excellent achievement of what
is expected for this year level
The child demonstrates
high achievement of what
is expected for this year level
The child demonstrates
satisfactory achievement of what
is expected for this year level
The child demonstrates
limited achievement of what
is expected for this year level
The child demonstrates
very low achievement of what
is expected for this year level
Creates texts, connects and
sequences ideas and events
using some elements of a simple
text structure. Uses familiar
words, phrases, images and
beginning writing knowledge,
with an accompanying drawing,
if required.
Creates short texts with related
sentences to record ideas and
events using familiar words,
phrases, images and beginning
writing knowledge, with an
accompanying drawing, if
required. Some events and ideas
are sequenced.
Creates short texts to record
ideas and events using familiar
words, phrases, images and
beginning writing knowledge,
with an accompanying drawing,
if required.
Uses images and some familiar
words, phrases and drawings to
convey ideas and events.
Predominantly uses drawings to
convey ideas and events.
Writes compound sentences
using `and’ or `because’,
reflecting extended oral
language patterns to convey
ideas, events and/or
information.
Writes detailed simple
sentences, reflecting oral
language patterns to convey
ideas, events and/or
information.
Writes short simple sentences to
convey ideas, events and/or
information.
Writes a combination of words
and sentence fragments.
Writes a random string of letters
or letter-like shapes.
Writes more complex words and
phrases related to personal
experience or a specific topic.
Uses illustrations to convey
meaning and extend the
message of the text.
Writes familiar words and
phrases which add detail and
uses illustrations to convey
meaning related to personal
experience or a specific topic.
Writes familiar words and
phrases related to personal
experience or a specific topic.
Writes one or two words related
to personal experience.
Draws images related to a
personal experience.
Correctly spells high frequency
words, such as ‘went’, ‘when’,
‘was’, ‘like’, ‘want’ and simple
CVC words.
Correctly spells some high
frequency words, including
‘and’, ‘the’, and simple CVC
words.
Correctly spells some simple CVC
words.
Uses some letters to represent
sounds.
Forms some letter patterns.
Spells words with difficult letter
patterns phonetically.
Spells words phonetically,
representing most sounds.
Spells words phonetically,
representing initial and key
sounds.
Writes letters to represent some
initial or key sounds in words.
Writes a string of random
letters.
Consistently uses capital letters
to begin sentences and uses full
stops to end sentences. Begins
to use capital letters for proper
nouns.
Uses capital letters to begin
sentences and uses a full stop to
mark the end of a sentence.
Experiments with capital letters
and full stops in most sentences.
Attempts to apply capital letters
and full stops; however, not
always consistently.
Uses upper-case and lower-case
letters without discrimination.
The child demonstrates
excellent achievement of what
is expected for this year level
The child demonstrates
high achievement of what
is expected for this year level
The child demonstrates
satisfactory achievement of what
is expected for this year level
The child demonstrates
limited achievement of what
is expected for this year level
The child demonstrates
very low achievement of what
is expected for this year level
Concepts of print
Consistently writes from top to
bottom and left to right, using a
return sweep. Leaves spaces
between words.
Writes from top to bottom and
left to right, using a return
sweep. Leaves spaces between
words.
Writes from top to bottom and
left to right. Leaves spaces
between words.
Writes from top to bottom and
left to right. Sometimes leaves
spaces between word-like
clusters of letters.
Writes from top to bottom and
left to right.
Handwriting
Writes clearly legible and
correctly formed letters that are
uniform in size.
Correctly forms known upperand lower-case letters using an
appropriate starting point, with
developing uniformity.
Correctly forms known upperand lower-case letters using an
appropriate starting point.
Forms recognisable upper- and
lower-case letters which are not
uniform in size or shape.
Forms some recognisable upperand lower-case letters which are
not uniform in size or shape.