IGNITE assessment format: components, timing and scoring

Entry to a South Australian IGNITE program is decided by an ACER ability test rather than a school-curriculum exam, so understanding the paper your child will actually sit is the first step before any practice begins. Braintree Coaching Australia prepares students for the specific assessment each IGNITE school uses, and this page sets out the format at the centre of our IGNITE program preparation for Glenunga International High School, The Heights School and Aberfoyle Park High School. Two of the three schools — Glenunga and Aberfoyle Park — use the ACER HAST (Higher Ability Selection Test); The Heights uses the dedicated ACER IGNITE assessment. Both papers are built from the same four components and prepared for in the same way.

Which components does the IGNITE assessment include?

The IGNITE assessment includes up to four components: Reading Comprehension, Mathematical Reasoning, Abstract Reasoning and Written Expression. The three reading and reasoning components are multiple-choice; Written Expression is a timed writing task marked by ACER markers. Both the ACER HAST and the ACER IGNITE paper draw on the same component design, so preparation transfers directly between them.

• Reading Comprehension measures how well a student interprets ideas in language, working across fiction, non-fiction and visual material such as diagrams, tables and charts. It tests inference, vocabulary in context and main-idea identification above standard Year 6 reading.
• Mathematical Reasoning measures mathematical ability rather than school achievement. Questions cover number, pattern, ratio, geometry and measurement, framed as problem-solving rather than curriculum recall — and no calculator is permitted.
• Abstract Reasoning assesses the ability to recognise relationships at an abstract level through visual pattern recognition, sequences and matrices. It is language-independent and the component most often under-practised by Year 6 students new to ability testing.
• Written Expression assesses a student's ability to express thought in written English, marked by two independent ACER markers on quality of thought, structure, expression and mechanics, with a third marker resolving any difference of more than two raw-score points.

How does each IGNITE component fit together?

Each component is individually timed, and Abstract Reasoning — although the shortest — carries the densest time pressure at roughly one item per minute. The table below sets out indicative timing, question counts and focus; exact figures are confirmed by ACER in the candidate instructions for the sitting.

Component	Format	Indicative timing · questions	What it measures
Reading Comprehension	Multiple choice	30–40 min · 25–35 questions	Inference, vocabulary in context and main idea across fiction, non-fiction and visual texts.
Mathematical Reasoning	Multiple choice	30–40 min · 25–35 questions	Problem-solving across number, pattern, ratio, geometry and measurement — calculator-free.
Abstract Reasoning	Multiple choice	~30 min · 30 questions	Visual pattern recognition, sequences and matrices — language-independent.
Written Expression	Extended response	25–30 min · 1 task	A single creative or discursive task assessed on thought, structure, expression and mechanics.
Total testing time (with breaks)		~2 to 3 hours

Across a full paper the total testing time is roughly two to three hours. Allowing for instructions, transitions and a short break, families should plan for a session of about three hours from sign-in to dismissal. For a chronological walk-through of the sitting itself, see our IGNITE assessment-day guidelines.

HAST versus the ACER IGNITE assessment

For Glenunga International and Aberfoyle Park applicants, the paper sat is the standard ACER HAST used by selective and independent schools across Australia. For The Heights applicants, the paper is the dedicated ACER IGNITE assessment — structurally similar in component design but separately calibrated. Because the two share the same four-component architecture, preparation for one transfers cleanly to the other. Families targeting more than one IGNITE school in successive cycles need only prepare to ACER-format ability-test standards. For the full mechanics of the HAST paper itself — levels, packages and how it is built — see our HAST test format guide, which describes the same assessment from the national HAST family.

How is the IGNITE assessment marked and scored?

The IGNITE assessment is marked in two ways: the multiple-choice components are machine scored for accuracy and consistency, while Written Expression is assessed by two independent ACER markers against a structured rubric. Schools receive a per-candidate report that includes:

• Raw scores for each sub-test.
• Standardised scores for cross-cohort comparison.
• Percentiles referenced against a high-ability cohort.
• Stanines (1 to 9) for each sub-test and overall.

ACER reports a per-component profile rather than a single composite mark, and each IGNITE school decides how to weight the components when ranking applicants.

What does an IGNITE score mean?

An IGNITE score is a standardised result that ranks a candidate against a high-ability reference cohort rather than the general Year 6 population. A student at the 70th IGNITE percentile is performing strongly against above-average peers, not against all South Australian students of that age. This matters when reading results: a solid score can still sit in the middle of an already strong field. The IGNITE schools do not publish fixed cut-offs because the threshold moves annually with the applicant pool, but competitive performance typically sits at or above the 85th percentile across all four components. For a full account of how the bands work and what each school typically needs, see our IGNITE results and percentile interpretation guide.

What does the IGNITE format mean for preparation?

The IGNITE assessment rewards reasoning ability that most state-curriculum classrooms do not teach explicitly, so a child performing well in school maths and English still benefits from targeted work. The two areas families most often underestimate are the timed Abstract Reasoning section — which depends on pattern, rotation and matrix practice rather than curriculum knowledge — and the Written Expression task, judged on quality of thought and language under tight time pressure. ACER publishes the authoritative description of the HAST and its components at the Australian Council for Educational Research. To turn the format into a study plan, read our IGNITE preparation strategies, and if questions about eligibility, schools or applications remain, our IGNITE program FAQ answers what parents ask most often.