Here's everything you need to know about assignments, from what they are to how you can use them as work samples to remain government-compliant.
💡 Work sample: a piece of your student's finished work that you give your state education authority as evidence of learning. It's what you're asked for by your state government body to remain compliant.
What this article covers
Complete video walkthrough of assignments and work samples
What is an assignment?
An assignment is an optional, structured piece of work that covers the key parts of the curriculum for one subject, in one grade, for one term.
Each one sets out the task, what a strong response looks like, and exactly which parts of the curriculum it covers. Your student knows what's being asked of them. You know what you're looking at.
Families can use assignments to:
Complete a structured, curriculum-aligned piece of work per term.
Provide clear work samples as evidence of learning when compiling reports for state education authorities.
Offer flexibility for students who want an alternative to the Practise section activity in a lesson.
Who can use assignments?
Assignments are available to Foundation to Grade 12 students.
Each subject has one assignment per term (four per grade), except Financial Literacy and G9/10 electives, which don't need work samples for state reporting. Beyond their use as work samples, assignments can also be done as an alternative to the Practise section activity in a lesson, giving students flexibility across the term.
They're an optional tool, not an additional learning requirement. Nothing in your student's program changes, so pick one up when it's useful and skip it when it isn't.
Adding a work sample straight into a compiled report is part of Premium Reporting, which you can add from your Parent Portal whenever you need it.
❓ Can't see assignments on your student's dashboard? Get in touch with our support team and we'll sort out what's available for your family.
How do I find an assignment?
From the Student Portal dashboard, select Doing an assignment.
You'll see each term listed, with the number of assignments available in each one.
Choose the term you want.
In the week view, select the Assignments link to see everything available for that term.
Select the assignment you'd like to open.
Terms in a grade view
When viewing terms in grade, the number of available assignments are shown.
Specific term view
When viewing the weeks in a specific term, an option to view assignments is provided.
Week view
When viewing weeks in a term, the “Assignments” link lists all available assignments for the selected term.
Clicking the “Learn more” link will display information about using assignments as work samples and how Premium Reporting simplifies adding work samples to reports.
What's inside an assignment?
Every assignment opens with the same four parts.
Main assignment content. The task itself: an overview, the curriculum codes it covers, instructions, what your student's work should show, and what to include.
Assignment document. A single PDF with everything your student needs to complete the work.
Assessment. What a strong piece of work looks like, with links to the support guide and the marking rubric.
Self-upload keepsake. Somewhere to keep a copy of the finished work.
💡 Curriculum codes: the reference numbers your state uses to describe what a student should learn in each subject and year. Listing them on an assignment means you can see at a glance exactly what it covers.
Assignments are written for the audience that will be reading them, so the same assignment sounds different depending on the grade. That's deliberate, and it means your student can work as independently as they're ready to.
Foundation to Grade 3: written for you, on the assumption you'll read it aloud to your child.
Grade 4: written for your student, with you helping.
Grade 5 to Grade 12: written directly for your student.
How does the support guide help?
The support guide gives you practical strategies for tackling the assignment. Start there if you're wondering how to approach it, or what your student actually needs to do.
It shifts voice the same way the assignment does. For Foundation to Grade 6 it's written for you as the person helping, and for Grade 7 to Grade 12 it's written straight to your student.
Assignment support guide example:
You can also download your support guide to PDF.
How do we mark the work?
You and your student mark the work yourselves, using the marking rubric. Assignments aren't submitted to Euka at this stage, unless you're in Grade 11 or 12 on the Assessed/University Pathway, where our teaching team marks them for you. However, very soon, all grades will have the option of teacher-marked assignments too. Stay tuned.
The rubric lists the criteria each assignment was designed to meet, so you're measuring the work against the same standard it was built for.
Work through each curriculum code and highlight the rating that best matches what your student produced. You both come away knowing where they're strong, and where to look next.
Can I download an assignment to use offline?
Can I download an assignment to use offline?
Yes. Every assignment has a single PDF that combines the assignment, the marking rubric and the support guide.
Useful if your student works better on paper, or if you'd rather spread out at the kitchen table.
Can we keep a copy of finished work?
Can we keep a copy of finished work?
Yes. Once the work is done, you or your student can upload it so it sits alongside the assignment, as a small record of what they made.
You can add an image or a PDF, along with a comment.
It's a keepsake, not a submission. Uploading here doesn't send the work to Euka for marking.
Can I use an assignment as a work sample?
Can I use an assignment as a work sample?
Yes. That's exactly what they're built for.
If you have Premium Reporting, the add-on that compiles your student's work into formal reports, you can pick an assignment, upload the finished work, add your comments, and include it in an academic transcript or grade report. We walk through that step by step in a separate article.
Without Premium Reporting you can still view, download and complete every assignment as part of your plan. You'd then include the finished work in your own reporting, or add it to the Euka reports you generate yourself.
Lesson-based work samples still work exactly as they always have, for everyone.
How this differs for Grade 11 and 12
How this differs for Grade 11 and 12
Assignments are available across all grades, but the Grade 11 and 12 experience looks a little different from F–G10. The content is the same; only the layout and on-screen experience differ.
Common questions
Does my student have to complete assignments?
Does my student have to complete assignments?
No, they're completely optional. They're most useful when you need a clear work sample for state reporting, or when your student wants an alternative to a Practise activity. If they're not a fit right now, the rest of the program carries on exactly as it does today.
Can my student do an assignment instead of a Practise activity?
Can my student do an assignment instead of a Practise activity?
Yes. An assignment can stand in for the Practise activity in that term's lessons, which gives your student flexibility across the term.
Do I need Premium Reporting to view assignments?
Do I need Premium Reporting to view assignments?
No. Every Foundation to Grade 12 student and parent can view, download and complete assignments as part of the standard plan.
Should I use an assignment or a lesson as my work sample?
Should I use an assignment or a lesson as my work sample?
Either works. Assignments are the clearer path if you'd like the curriculum coverage handled for you. Lessons are still a good choice if you're confident which activities meet your state's requirements.
My student didn't finish the assignment during the term. Can we still use it?
My student didn't finish the assignment during the term. Can we still use it?
Yes. Assignments stay available, so you can finish one and use it whenever suits, inside or outside its original term.
What's the difference between a work sample and evidence of learning?
What's the difference between a work sample and evidence of learning?
Nothing, they mean the same thing. Work sample is the term most parents use with their state education authority, and evidence of learning describes what it's for.
Need more help?
Visit our Help Centre or contact our support team.