Julius Caesar’s family connections, military triumph in Gaul, establishing the Triumvirate, and death at the hands of conspirators – these were the details that Queensland’s year 12 ancient history students were tested on last Wednesday.

This masthead has obtained a copy of the four-question exam paper and stimulus booklet that made headlines when it was revealed that 140 students would walk in with less than 48 hours of cramming to carry them through.

But did it matter? The Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) maintained the exam was “skills-based”, and students who had been taught the wrong topic – Augustus, rather than his great-uncle Julius Caesar – would still be able to complete the test.

A stimulus image from the 2025 Queensland ancient history exam. Credit:

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