Victorian Curriculum 2.0 writing samples: what to use, how to annotate, and how to talk about them in reports

What people usually mean by "VCAA writing samples"

Teachers often search for official or indicative work samples to calibrate expectations, support moderation conversations, and improve consistency across year levels.

The safest approach is to use official VCAA/Victorian Curriculum resources for exemplars, then describe your student's writing using plain-English evidence statements linked to the achievement standard.

Where to find official writing samples

• Victorian Curriculum F–10 (VCAA) – the curriculum site includes familiarisation resources and work sample descriptions.
• ACARA work sample portfolios – aligned to Australian Curriculum Version 9, which underpins V2.0. Good for cross-referencing.
• Your school's internal moderation bank – curated samples agreed by your team are often the most practical reference.

How to use writing samples for moderation (without turning your report into jargon)

• Moderate using agreed criteria aligned to the achievement standard.
• Record a few concrete evidence points you can reuse in the report comment.
• In the report, describe what the student can do (and what they are working on next).

Common mistakes when using writing samples in reports

• Reporting against content descriptions instead of achievement standards. Content descriptions tell you what to teach; achievement standards describe what students should be able to do.
• Copying annotation language into the report. Annotations are for teachers; reports are for parents. Translate the jargon into plain English.
• Using samples to compare students to each other. Samples help you judge against the standard, not against classmates.
• Only referencing one piece of work. A single sample rarely represents a student's overall achievement. Use multiple evidence points.

How writing samples connect to your five-point scale rating

Your five-point scale rating (Excellent, Good, Satisfactory, Needs Improvement, Not Shown) should be justified by the writing evidence you've collected. If you rated a student "Good," your annotations should show work that sits above the expected standard for that level.

A practical check: after moderating, ask yourself "does this student's writing consistently demonstrate work above the achievement standard, or does it meet the standard in most areas?" That answer maps directly to your scale level.

Evidence statements you can reuse in report comments

Examples

• "In persuasive writing, [Student] states a clear viewpoint and supports it with reasons and examples."
• "[Student] revises drafts to improve clarity, adding details and choosing vocabulary that fits the audience."
• "[Student] is working on organising ideas into paragraphs and using linking words to connect sentences."
• "[Student] selects and uses text structures appropriate to purpose, demonstrating awareness of how language choices shape meaning."
• "[Student] adapts their writing for different audiences, adjusting tone and vocabulary to suit the context."