AS 91158 annotated exemplars

This annotated exemplar is intended for teacher use only. Annotated exemplars are extracts of student evidence, with commentary, that explain key parts of a standard. These help teachers make assessment judgements at the grade boundaries.

Download all exemplars and commentary [PDF, 279 KB]

TKI Biology assessment resources (external link)

For Excellence, the student needs to comprehensively investigate a pattern in an ecological community, with supervision.

This involves using an environmental factor and the biology of interrelated organisms of different species to explain the pattern (or absence of a pattern). 

The explanation may involve elaborating, applying, justifying, relating, evaluating, comparing and contrasting, and analysing.

This student has used information provided in the kite graphs to describe the findings and clearly identify a pattern in the community as zonation (1). The pattern is related to the environmental factor of tidal movement (2). How this environmental factor might affect two chosen species within the community is explained (3). Some reasons for adaptations relating to the pattern (4) and an interrelationship between wedge shells and cockles are explained in some detail (5).

For a more secure Excellence, the student could use information in the kite graphs and other data that was provided to explain the pattern more thoroughly. For example, a more thorough explanation could be provided by analysing the data and information provided in more detail, elaborating even more on Gause’s principle to show how or why an environmental factor and the biology of interrelated organisms of the two different species are related to the pattern.

For Merit, the student needs to investigate in-depth a pattern in an ecological community, with supervision.

This involves providing a reason for how or why the biology of one of the chosen species relates to the pattern (or absence of a pattern).

The biology involves structural, behavioural or physiological adaptations of the organism which are related to the environmental factor and to an interrelationship with an organism of another species (e.g. competition, predation, or mutualism).

This student has used information provided in the kite graphs to describe the findings and clearly identify a pattern in the community as zonation (1). The pattern is related to the environmental factor of tidal movement (2). How this environmental factor might affect two chosen species within the community is explained (3). Reasons for adaptations relating to the pattern (4) and an interrelationship between wedge shells and cockles are explained in some detail (5).

To reach Excellence, the student could use information in the kite graphs and other data that was provided to explain the pattern in more depth. For example, an in depth explanation could be provided by using Gause’s principle to further analyse and elaborate on how or why an environmental factor and the biology of the interrelated organisms of the two different species are linked to the pattern.

For Merit, the student needs to investigate in-depth a pattern in an ecological community, with supervision.

This involves providing a reason for how or why the biology of one of the chosen species relates to the pattern (or absence of a pattern).

The biology involves structural, behavioural or physiological adaptations of the organism which are related to the environmental factor and to an interrelationship with an organism of another species (e.g. competition, predation, or mutualism).

This student has used information provided in the kite graphs to describe the findings and clearly identify a pattern in the community as zonation (1). The pattern is related to the environmental factor of tidal movement (2). How this environmental factor might affect two chosen species within the community is briefly explained (3). Some reasons for adaptations relating to the pattern (4) and an interrelationship between wedge shells and cockles are given (5).

For a more secure Merit, the student could use the data that was provided to give a more detailed explanation of how and why an adaptation of the organism is related to an environmental factor and to an interrelationship with an organism of another species. For example, the student could provide more detail about predation, inter-specific competition for space, food.

For Achieved, the student needs to investigate a pattern in an ecological community, with supervision.

This involves:

• describing observations or findings, and using those findings to identify the pattern (or absence of a pattern) in an ecological community
• relating this pattern to an environmental factor
• describing how the environmental factor might affect chosen species within the community.

This student has used information provided in the kite graphs to describe the findings and clearly identify a pattern in the community as zonation (1). The pattern is related to the environmental factor of tidal movement (2). How this environmental factor might affect two chosen species within the community is considered (3). Some reasons for an adaptation relating to the pattern are given (4), and an interrelationship between wedge shells and cockles is briefly considered (5).

To reach Merit, the student could use information in the kite graphs and other data that was provided to give a more thorough reason explaining how or why an adaptation of one of the chosen species relates to the pattern, and explain in more depth the interrelationship with an organism of another species.

For Achieved, the student needs to investigate a pattern in an ecological community, with supervision.

This involves:

• describing observations or findings, and using those findings to identify the pattern (or absence of a pattern) in an ecological community
• relating this pattern to an environmental factor
• describing how the environmental factor might affect chosen species within the community.

This student has used information provided in the kite graphs to describe the findings and identify a pattern in the community as zonation (1). The pattern is related to the environmental factor of tidal movement (2). How this environmental factor might affect wedge shells and cockles within the community is briefly considered (3).

For a more secure Achieved, the student could use information in the kite graphs and other data that was provided to include more specific details in describing the pattern by showing where the two species were abundant, and describing more thoroughly how one environmental factor might affect both chosen species within the estuary community.

For Achieved, the student needs to investigate a pattern in an ecological community, with supervision.

This involves:

• describing observations or findings, and using those findings to identify the pattern (or absence of a pattern) in an ecological community
• relating this pattern to an environmental factor
• describing how the environmental factor might affect chosen species within the community.

This student has used information provided in the kite graphs to briefly describe the findings and a pattern in the community as zonation (1). The pattern is related to the environmental factor of tidal movement (2). How this environmental factor might affect wedge shells and cockles within the community is briefly considered (3).

To reach Achieved, the student could use information in the kite graphs and other data that was provided to include more specific details in the description of the pattern and how an environmental factor might affect both chosen species within the estuary community.