Distribution of scaled marks... (via email) (1 Viewer)

[Lazarus]

[This query was sent to me via email - I have posted it here for future reference.]

Sorry to bother you again........but I forgot something......

I was reading about the "Distribution of Scaled Marks" on the UAC website.
Just looking at the table, I noticed that in order to be placed in the 99th
percentile for:


English Advanced, you have to gain an HSC mark of 46.6
but for
English Ext. 1, you have to gain an HSC mark of 48.0
and for
English Ext. 2, you have to gain an HSC mark of 49.7


Just looking at these figures, it would appear that it's easier to gain a
high rank in Advanced, than in Extension 1, which seems logical.
But, doesn't this mean a student would be better off doing English Advanced
because it's easier to gain a high rank?
In other words, does a student that comes first in Advanced have an equal
chance of gaining a high UAI as a student that comes first in Extension 2?

 

[Lazarus]

Hi -

You cannot compare aligned HSC marks between courses. An aligned mark is
specific to the standards set for the course in which it was awarded, and
means nothing in relation to other courses. The only marks that can be
compared between courses are scaled marks.

Using scaled marks, your example becomes:

English (Advanced) - 47.0
English Extension 1 - 48.3
English Extension 2 - 49.3

It is only by chance that the conclusion is the same in this case.

You asked whether a student ranked first in the state for Advanced would
have an equal chance of obtaining a high UAI as a student ranked first in
Extension 2. This question can be approached in two ways, and can result in
two different answers.

Both courses have a maximum scaled mark of 50 (on a 1-unit basis). For
Advanced, the maximum scaled mark is always set to 50. For Extension 2, the
scaled mean will almost always ensure that the maximum scaled mark is 50.
Hence both students will receive the same mark. The answer is therefore yes.

However, the Advanced component consists of 2 units, whereas Extension 2 is
comprised of only 1. The student who tops Advanced will have 1/5 of their
UAI 'maxed out', whereas the student who tops Extension 2 will have only
1/10. The answer is therefore no.