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The report includes guidance on how student answers were reproduced, the non-exemplary nature of sample responses, and statistics caveats. It then details Section A question expectations and examples for high-scoring responses.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/exam/","Exam",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/2018-vce-philosophy-written-examination-report-general-comments-section-a/315225/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/2018-vce-philosophy-written-examination-report-general-comments-section-a/315225.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Margaret","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-02","2026-09-20",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",7,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What does the report say about the overall accessibility of the 2018 Philosophy exam?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"It states that the examination was generally accessible, and students were able to demonstrate knowledge through their responses.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"What were the most common reasons students lost marks in Section A?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"The report highlights simple reading errors, misinterpreting or ignoring what questions asked, inconsistent content knowledge, and a lack of precise recognition of philosophical language.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"Why was Question 1 particularly dependent on Meditations 6?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"Students were required to identify not only Descartes’s mind-body separation, supported by Meditations 1 and 2, but also to use the specific argument from Meditation 6, including the role of God.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},315225,1790469342,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,92,95,100,105,109,114,119,122,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":89,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":91},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":93,"slug":94},70,"exam",{"id":96,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":97,"show_sort_weight":98,"slug":99},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":101,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":102,"show_sort_weight":103,"slug":104},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":55,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":106,"show_sort_weight":107,"slug":108},"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":110,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":111,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":115,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":121},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":123,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":123,"slug":125},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":96,"slug":129},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":131},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":132,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":33,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":123,"language":139,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":143,"read_time":144,"preview_page_count":4},137451207643,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_3d24733baf745e90a7e4bdd5f77d97b2","2018 VCE Philosophy written examination report  \nGeneral comments  \nThe 2018 Philosophy examination allowed students to demonstrate their knowledge, and student responses showed that the examination was generally accessible. In Section A students were expected to not only recite specific textual knowledge but also demonstrate focus and precision when reading the specifics of each question. Many students displayed accurate and refined knowledge of the study material and an astute ability to make selections and support their reasoning. However, a large number of students made simple reading errors and misinterpreted or ignored what was being asked of them in some questions. This issue was compounded by some inconsistent content knowledge and a distinct shortage of precise recognition of philosophical language.  \nSpecific information  \nNote: Student responses reproduced in this report have not been corrected for grammar, spelling or factual information.  \nThis report provides sample answers or an indication of what answers may have included. Unless otherwise stated, these are not intended to be exemplary or complete responses.  \nThe statistics in this report may be subject to rounding resulting in a total more or less than 100 percent.  \nSection A  \nSection A contained a variety of question styles ranging from those that required single-mark definitional responses to those that required expanded discussions of philosophical positions supported by specific and well-developed reasoning. Students who knew the study content welland targeted the specific language of the questions performed well in this section. However, students often attempted to interpret some questions in ways that suited their knowledge rather than applying their knowledge to accurately and insightfully develop a precise response to the question asked.  \nQuestion 1  \n\n| Marks | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | Average\u003Cbr>0.4 |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| % | 86 | 3 | 2 | 8 |  |\n\nReferences to anything outside of Meditation 6 did not answer the question. Moreover, it was essential for students to identify not just Descartes’s efforts to separate the mind and body (as supported by the uncertainty established in Meditations 1 and 2) but to make use of the specific argument given in the single paragraph of Meditation 6 in the set readings. For this reason,  \n© VCAA  \nresponses referring to the impact of doubt on knowledge, or the knowability of the mind versus that of the body, were irrelevant.  \nThe only acceptable answer covered the way that Descartes possesses clear and distinct understanding of the nature of his mind and by extension clear and distinct knowledge of the different aspects of the mind and body. Finally, and most importantly, students had to identify the role of God as the figure within whom the separation of the mind and body is properly held. Hence, because the separation can be held at least in the mind of God, Descartes feels justified in his claim that such a separation actually exists.  \nThe following is an example of a high-scoring response.  \nDescartes argues that if he can clearly and distinctly understand A apart from B, then God can make it logically possible that they’re distinct. For them to be clear and distinct there must be 2 properties that differ between them. With his body this property is extension, and with his mind this property is thought. Therefore, the mind and body are distinct and the mind can exist apart from the body.  \nQuestion 2  \n\n| Marks | 0 | 1 | 2 | Average\u003Cbr>1.1 |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| % | 37 | 16 | 47 |  |\n\nQuestion 2 required students to identify an example specifically used by Armstrong to demonstrate his problem with behaviourism. The most common error students made in answering this question was not to include an example, or to choose examples not directed at behaviourism , such as the subconscious driver thought experiment. Students who made good use of either behaviourism’sinability to account for emo","cbCaikwzVFZXcEqt","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaikwzVFZXcEqt","pdf",326827,"English","# General comments\n# Specific information\n# Section A\n## Question 1\n## Question 2\n## Question 3a","[{\"question\":\"What does the report say about the overall accessibility of the 2018 Philosophy exam?\",\"answer\":\"It states that the examination was generally accessible, and students were able to demonstrate knowledge through their responses.\"},{\"question\":\"What were the most common reasons students lost marks in Section A?\",\"answer\":\"The report highlights simple reading errors, misinterpreting or ignoring what questions asked, inconsistent content knowledge, and a lack of precise recognition of philosophical language.\"},{\"question\":\"Why was Question 1 particularly dependent on Meditations 6?\",\"answer\":\"Students were required to identify not only Descartes’s mind-body separation, supported by Meditations 1 and 2, but also to use the specific argument from Meditation 6, including the role of God.\"}]","2018 VCE Philosophy written examination report - General comments - Section A | PDF",1789903931,25]