AS 91411 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.

TKI Earth and Space Science assessment resources (external link)

Download all these exemplars and commentary [PDF, 347 KB]

For Excellence, the student needs to investigate comprehensively a socio-scientific issue in an Earth and Space Science context.

This involves:

• evaluating the issue and the impact on individuals and society
• justifying a personal response to the issue
• evaluating a societal response to the issue.

This student has conducted a comprehensive investigation by evaluating the issue of the effects of global warming due to increases of carbon in the atmosphere (1), justifying a personal response to the effects of global warming (2) and evaluating a societal response to the effects of global warming (3).

For a more secure Excellence, the student could evaluate further how society needs to act quickly to slow down the possible negative effects of global warming. This could involve the use of ‘scrubbers’ to help remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it long term.

For Merit, the student needs to investigate, in depth, a socio-scientific issue in an Earth and Space Science context.

This involves:

• explaining in detail the issue and impacts on individuals and society
• explaining a personal response to the issue
• explaining a societal response to the issue.

This student has conducted an in-depth investigation by explaining the issue of the effects of global warming due to increases of carbon in the atmosphere (1), explaining a personal response to the effects of global warming (2) and explaining a societal response to the effects of global warming (3).

To reach Excellence, the student could evaluate the issue and describe the significance of the graph included in the report and link that to what is happening today.

For Merit, the student needs to investigate, in depth, a socio-scientific issue in an Earth and Space Science context.

This involves:

• explaining in detail the issue and impacts on individuals and society
• explaining a personal response to the issue
• explaining a societal response to the issue.

This student has conducted an in-depth investigation by explaining the issue of the effects of global warming due to increases of carbon in the atmosphere (1), explaining a personal response to the effects of global warming (2) and explaining a societal response to the effects of global warming (3).

For a more secure Merit the student could explain further a societal response to the issue. For example, rather than arguing whether global warming occurs or not, the student needs to look at the geological evidence for where it has occurred in the past and link that to what may happen in the future.

For Achieved, the student needs to investigate a socio-scientific issue in an Earth and Space Science context.

This involves:

• explaining the issue and impacts on individuals and society
• describing a personal response to the issue
• describing a societal response to the issue
• selecting and processing a valid range of scientific information on the issue.

This student has conducted an investigation into a socio-scientific issue by explaining the effects of global warming due to increases of carbon in the atmosphere (1), describing a personal response to the effects of global warming (2), and describing a societal response to the effects of global warming (3).

To reach Merit, the student could explain a personal and societal response to the issue. For example, the student could explain how society could overcome the increase in carbon dioxide levels using a body like the United Nations.

For Achieved, the student needs to investigate a socio-scientific issue in an Earth and Space Science context.

This involves:

• explaining the issue and impacts on individuals and society
• describing a personal response to the issue
• describing a societal response to the issue
• selecting and processing a valid range of scientific information on the issue.

This student has conducted an investigation into a socio-scientific issue by explaining the effects of global warming due to increases of carbon in the atmosphere (1), describing a personal response to the effects of global warming (2), and describing a societal response to the effects of global warming (3).

For a more secure Achieved, the student could describe a societal response to the issue in more detail, for example how a knowledge of the past, when carbon dioxide levels rapidly increased, increased temperatures and extinctions followed.

For Achieved, the student needs to investigate a socio-scientific issue in an Earth and Space Science context.

This involves:

• explaining the issue and impacts on individuals and society
• describing a personal response to the issue
• describing a societal response to the issue
• selecting and processing a valid range of scientific information on the issue.

This student has demonstrated an investigation into a socio-scientific issue by explaining the effects of global warming due to increases of carbon in the atmosphere (1), and describing a personal response to the effects of global warming (2).

To reach Achieved, the student could describe a societal response to the issue, for example how an increase of carbon dioxide in the past caused an increase in the temperature of our planet.