AS 91593 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, 2.1 MB]

TKI Dance assessment resources (external link)

For Excellence, the student needs to demonstrate in-depth understanding of dance performance practices.

This involves:

• justifying the selection of specific dance performance practices
• applying a range of dance performance practices for specific purposes and contexts
• evaluating the effects and purposes of a range of practices in enhancing the communication and expression of the performance.

This student has demonstrated in-depth understanding by analysing how the performance practices used informed and affected the performance (1). There is detailed and thorough understanding of the choreographic intention of the dance being performed, and research was undertaken into the subject of the dance (2).

The student has critiqued the refining and rehearsing of movement, with reference to the desired effect on communication of ideas. Specific examples are given that show insight and support their application and justification (3). 

The student has performed the dance at Excellence level, showing perceptive understanding and application of the practices chosen.

For a more secure Excellence, the student should make further reference to why the practices identified were chosen, and rely less on detailed description of the action in favour of more critical analysis on the effects and purposes of the practices used, e.g. explaining how expression and projection could be enhanced.

More reference to the ideas that the student personally brought to their interpretation of the choreographic intention, and explaining how this impacted on their performance, would further strengthen the work. A wider range of processes could be explored, analysed and justified.

For Merit, the student needs to demonstrate informed understanding of dance performance practices.

This involves:

• explaining and evaluating the effectiveness of a range of dance performance practices
• selecting and applying aspects of the performance practices in dance exercises.

This student has demonstrated informed understanding by analysing a small range of practices in dance exercises. They have interpreted, explored and applied performance practices which are explained suitably in written work. The effectiveness of these has been evaluated, and some examples have been included to provide supporting evidence (1).

The student has selected several practices to apply to a section of a dance that they were finding difficult, and explained how these practices can be applied and their purpose. They have then effectively applied their understanding of the practices in their performance work, and provided some evaluation of the effect of these (2).

To reach Excellence, demonstrating in-depth understanding, the student needs to give more specific examples of actual movements that they applied the practices to, in order to back up their points and provide much more detail on the success or otherwise of their selected practices. 

The student needs to further explore a wider variety of practices, such as the emotional content of the movements being performed. They also need to evaluate how to enhance the expression and communication of the dance ideas.

For Merit, the student needs to demonstrate informed understanding of dance performance practices.

This involves:

• explaining and evaluating the effectiveness of a range of dance performance practices
• selecting and applying aspects of the performance practices in dance exercises.

This student has used appropriately selected performance practises to perform the dance with competence, and thereby has demonstrated the successful effects of the chosen performance practices. The student has further demonstrated informed understanding by identifying the application of the choreographic intention to the movement choices, and explained this with some insight.

The student has made some evaluative comments on practices and how they assist in refining movements during the learning and rehearsing process (1).

For a more secure Merit, the student needs to describe in more detail the effectiveness of the practices used in enhancing the performance, and use more explanation rather than mere description, e.g. in the dynamics section and in the costume section, where the student has not actually explained how the costume assisted the portrayal of the movements and key ideas in the dance (2).

In addition, including some evaluation of how the selected quote was interpreted in relation to the way the student performed the movements, rather than just giving more detail about the dance and ideas, would have strengthened their work (3).

For Achieved, the student needs to demonstrate understanding of dance performance practices.

This involves:

• researching, exploring, and applying a range of dance practices such as:
  • the generic steps involved in rehearsing for dance performance
  • variations in learning and rehearsing dance
  • using aspects of performance practices in dance exercises.

The student demonstrates understanding by researching, exploring, using and applying a range of dance performance practices, for example by applying a thought or feeling to significant movements to inform their expression and intention (1) (2). The student researched, recorded and briefly discussed the main points of the choreographers intentions (3).

The student clearly identifies practices and ideas that have informed their movement, and the intended/desired effect and purpose of the movement (4). This has helped the student to then effectively perform the dance to clearly communicate the choreographic intention, and show the desired dynamic qualities of the movement.

To reach Merit, demonstrating informed understanding, the student needs to explain how the movements shown in the photographs have been developed or refined as a result of using performance practices. They also need to explore, identify and evaluate a wider variety of practices, and to further evaluate the effectiveness of the practices used to rehearse the dance. 

For Achieved, the student needs to demonstrate understanding of dance performance practices.

This involves:

• researching, exploring, and applying a range of dance practices such as:
  • the generic steps involved in rehearsing for dance performance
  • variations in learning and rehearsing dance
  • using aspects of performance practices in dance exercises.

This student has demonstrated understanding by exploring, using and applying aspects of several performance practices. For example, they have identified and noted some of the practices used in class exercise, and have generally explained the purpose of performance practices. 

The student has also explored and applied appropriate performance practices to inform their own performance work, such as fragmenting the work into smaller pieces to practice. The student has then made a brief judgement on the success of this practice. Further, they have briefly reflected on aspects of expression and dynamics (1).

For a more secure Achieved, the student should describe at least one effect that these practices had on their performance, e.g. by describing how their performance was enhanced or influenced by the use of these practices. 

The student’s reflection is brief, and the descriptions require more depth, e.g. there is no evaluation of whether the identified practices improved the movement or not. Moreover, the student needed to include more detailed and specific examples to back up their points, i.e. to explain which moments in the group dance were the most effective, and therefore which practices had been successful.

For Achieved, the student needs to demonstrate understanding of dance performance practices.

This involves:

• researching, exploring, and applying a range of dance practices such as:
  • the generic steps involved in rehearsing for dance performance
  • variations in learning and rehearsing dance
  • using aspects of performance practices in dance exercises.

This student has begun to demonstrate understanding of performance practice.

These samples of work have begun to demonstrate understanding by identifying expressive qualities that should be present in the performance of the dance, and by describing the choreographic intention of the dance (1). The student has described and shown some understanding of the symbolism of the costumes (2). 

To reach Achieved, this student needs to explain and explore more fully how performance practices were used to communicate key ideas in the dance. Further, the student needs to apply the quotes chosen to an exploration of performance practices (3). Explaining what Martha Graham techniques are and how these are applied, or how the submitted photo is related, would further strengthen the student’s work.

There needs to be a shift away from just narrating and describing what is happening on stage,  moving towards an explanation of how performance practices have influenced the way that the movement is performed. For example, there is no explanation of how the costumes were used or the impact they had on the dance.