Gold Medal For Rangi Ruru Writer

Media Release 17 October 2016

Gold Medal For Rangi Ruru Writer

Out of almost a million entries, a Rangi Ruru Girls’ School student has been awarded a gold medal in the Year 10 section of the ICAS Writing competition.

New Zealand University of New South Wales International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS) attracted 980,000 entries with 514 students from Australia and 100 students from New Zealand and the Pacific Region being awarded medals for their outstanding achievement.

Mette van Pallandt was placed first in the Year 10 section for New Zealand and the Pacific region.

Her winning submission recounts a rather frightening and unconventional game of hide and seek, one that may make readers think twice about climbing into a wardrobe ever again.

Mette was presented with her gold medal for ICAS Writing in a school assembly last week as she is not able to attend the national ceremony which will be held in December in Auckland. Students with the top score in each subject in each year level are awarded a medal and a medal winner’s certificate.

Head of the English Faculty, Erin Fitzpatrick says it’s a noteworthy achievement for Mette and Rangi Ruru.

“To be placed first out of all Year 10 participants from across New Zealand and the Pacific region is significant. The piece she wrote is so evocative that it places the reader right there with Sam, in that dark space, being hunted. I was totally absorbed while reading Mette’s work,” says Erin.

ICAS Writing and English exams are optional extra examinations at Rangi Ruru. Students who wish to challenge and extend themselves sit these exams after school. The test was sat on Tuesday 13th June.

How is ICAS Marked?

ICAS Writing is a criterion-referenced assessment that uses a common scale. This means that the assessment is marked against criteria which are specific to the task and that every student’s work is assessed against the same marking scheme. There are between nine and twelve marking criteria which are divided into four domains or sections:

• Genre

• Textual Grammar

• Syntax/Punctuation

• Spelling

ENDS

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