Your child’s ICAS result will show one of five awards. Here is exactly what each one means in percentages — and, just as importantly, what group those percentages are measured against.
Read the individual writing criteria as well as the overall award. ICAS uses a criterion-referenced scale: a criterion score describes demonstrated writing skills, not a percentile or a percentage mark.
Choose one area from the report, such as text organisation or punctuation. Ask the child to revise a short paragraph, explain the change, and apply it to a new prompt a few days later. Compare the same skill, rather than asking only whether the next story is longer.
ICAS Writing format and entry guide · Official Writing assessment explanation (checked 5 October 2026).
A High Distinction places your child in the top 1% of students in their year level, in that subject, in their country. A Year 5 Science High Distinction means the top 1% of Australian Year 5 students who sat ICAS Science — not the top 1% of everyone who sat the paper.
| Award | Who receives it |
|---|---|
| High Distinction | Top 1% |
| Distinction | Next 10% |
| Credit | Next 25% |
| Merit | Next 10% |
| Participation | All remaining students |
| ICAS Medal | The top scorer in each state, per subject, per year level |
Choose Maths or Science support for the skill your child needs next.
Our Maths and Science courses build related skills; they are not official ICAS papers.
The useful next step depends on which subject the result came from, not just the band:
Yes. A Distinction means your child scored higher than roughly 89% of students in their year level for that subject. Fewer than one student in eight receives a Distinction or above.
Only their own year level, in that subject, in their own country. This is the detail most explanations get wrong. A Year 4 Credit and a Year 9 Credit are both “the next 25%” — but of completely different groups. Your child is never ranked against older students.
Results reach schools first, and the student portal follows. UNSW publishes the exact release schedule each year; check your school’s notification rather than relying on a date circulated informally, as timing varies by subject and sitting window.
Start with the subject and year level on the results report. Review the question feedback, then try a suitable free activity and its worked explanations. An award band alone does not identify topic gaps or show that a child is ready for a course above their year level.
For Years 7-8, the maths or science samples above offer a starting point. For another year or subject, check the preparation guide and the stated course requirements before choosing.
Choose a course using the child’s year group, subject and performance on relevant practice, rather than their ICAS award alone. Consider Foundation when the sample reveals unfamiliar core ideas; consider Advanced when the foundations are secure and the harder sample is a suitable challenge.
Check each course outline and try its available free lessons before paying. These maths and science courses provide related enrichment; they are not dedicated ICAS courses for every subject.
A result in one ICAS subject is not a placement test for another. Start with the year group, subject feedback and the student’s own explanation of a few questions. Choose one skill to revisit, then try a fresh question rather than repeating the same answer from memory. A high award can prompt a more demanding sample; a lower award calls for a closer look at the cause, not an automatic label.
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