A3 and the Appraisal: Showcasing your Output of Learning in SACE Activating Identities and Futures
“A3 Appraising learning development as represented in the Output of Learning: evidence and showcase your Output of Learning in the Appraisal (maximum 1000 words, 6 minutes, or the multimodal equivalent) and appraise the extent of your learning development against your Learning Goal”
A3 is assessed in the external Appraisal (30%, maximum 1000 words, 6 minutes or the multimodal equivalent, with the Output of Learning evidenced but not counted). Showcase your Output, compare it with your Learning Goal, and appraise the extent of your learning development using several connected measures, honestly including what you did not achieve.
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What this criterion asks
A3, Appraising learning development as represented in the Output of Learning, is assessed in the externally marked Appraisal (AT3, 30%). The subject outline says students "showcase their Output of Learning and appraise it based on their learning development and own goals chosen and shaped throughout the portfolio".
The answer
The Appraisal at a glance
- External assessment, 30%, submitted online and marked by the SACE Board.
- Maximum 1000 words written, 6 minutes oral, or the multimodal equivalent.
- The Output of Learning must be evidenced in the Appraisal but does not count towards the word or time limit.
- Assesses A1, A2 and A3.
- Evidence should be authentic and not contrived or overly curated.
Examples from the subject outline
| Learning Goal | Output of Learning | Appraisal |
|---|---|---|
| Learn sustainable farming practices for the farm | Recorded discussion with a parent about the findings | 1000-word written response with the recording or transcript attached |
| Rebuild parts of a car engine | Two pages of annotated photos | 6-minute audio recording referring to the photos |
| Design and hand-knit a jumper | The nearly completed jumper | 6-minute video, including the student wearing it |
| Make a short horror film | Annotated storyboard with practice footage | 6-minute screencast with voiceover |
| Research innovations in cochlear implants | Magazine-style scientific article | 1000 words of paragraph annotations around the article |
Appraising learning development
- Showcase the Output clearly (photos, links, attachments, demonstration).
- Compare it with your Learning Goal: how far did you get?
- Use interconnected measures: skills, quality, user or audience response, goal achievement, process growth, linked together.
- Be honest about what was not achieved and why.
| Grade | A3 standard |
|---|---|
| A | Appraises the extent of learning development, using interconnected measures, as represented in the output of learning |
| B | Appraises the extent of learning development as represented in the output of learning |
| C | Discusses how the output of learning represents progress towards the learning goal |
| D | Describes the relationship between the output of learning and the learning goal |
| E | Identifies the output of learning and/or learning goal |
Learning Goal: to learn to make a short documentary about a local community garden.
- Output: a 5-minute documentary (linked, not counted in the time limit).
- Appraisal format: a 6-minute screencast with voiceover.
- Interconnected measures: early footage compared with final shots (skill), responses from a screening at the garden (audience), the original goal of 8 minutes cut to 5 (goal), and learning to plan shots instead of filming everything (process).
- Judgement: "My filming skills developed further than my editing, which is why the final cut is shorter than planned, but the audience response showed it captured the garden's community spirit."
- Spending the whole Appraisal describing the Output
- Appraise development against your goal.
- Exceeding the limit
- Stay within 1000 words, 6 minutes or the equivalent.
- Pretending everything went perfectly
- Honest appraisal of partial achievement is stronger.
Practice questions
Original practice questions graded from foundation to exam level, each with a full worked solution. Try them before revealing the solution.
foundation3 marksChoose a suitable Appraisal format for each Output of Learning: (a) a restored motorbike, (b) a written business proposal, (c) a series of paintings.Show worked solution →
(a) A 6-minute video or audio recording walking through annotated photos of the restoration, since the motorbike cannot be submitted.
(b) A 1000-word written appraisal with the proposal attached (the proposal does not count towards the word limit).
(c) A 6-minute multimodal presentation or screencast showing the paintings with voiceover.
Marking guide: 1 mark per suitable format with a reason.
core4 marksSuggest a structure for a 1000-word written Appraisal.Show worked solution →
- Introduction (about 100 words): the Learning Goal and the Output of Learning, and the purpose and value intended.
- The Output of Learning (about 200 words): showcase what it is and appraise how far it represents your learning development (A3).
- Most significant factors (about 350 words): appraise the impact of strategies, perspectives and feedback, and how they related (A2).
- Personal value (about 250 words): appraise what the learning meant for you and how it will transfer (A1).
- Conclusion (about 100 words): overall judgement of your progress and next steps.
Marking guide: 1 mark for including the Output, 1 mark each for A1, A2 and A3 coverage (3 marks).
exam5 marksWhat does 'using interconnected measures' mean in the A3 A-level standard, and how could a student show it?Show worked solution →
It means judging the extent of learning development from several connected kinds of evidence rather than a single claim.
For example, a student who aimed to learn to design a website for a local charity could combine: skill measures (comparing their first and final page designs), user measures (the charity's feedback and visitor statistics), goal measures (which parts of the original Learning Goal were achieved and which were not), and process measures (how their approach to problem-solving changed). They then connect these ("the redesign doubled the time visitors spent on the donation page, which shows my learning about layout had real impact, although I did not reach my goal of building it without templates").
Marking guide: 2 marks for explaining the term, 2 marks for examples of different measures, 1 mark for connecting them in a judgement.