AS 91244 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, 27 MB]

TKI Geography assessment resources (external link)

For Excellence, the student needs to conduct comprehensive geographic research with guidance.

This involves:

• accurately and effectively presenting spatial, statistical and visual data, using the correct geographic conventions and terminology
• fully explaining findings, incorporating the relevance of geographic concepts
• fully explaining the strength(s) and weakness(es) of the research process, and how these affect the validity of the findings and/or conclusions
• discussing ways the research process could be improved.

The student has accurately and effectively presented spatial, statistical and visual data using the correct geographic conventions. Detailed annotations (1) show relevance to the research aim. The presentation method focuses on the comparison of two locations, which directly supports the aim and shows understanding of the spatial component of the research (2).

The findings are fully explained, including detailed evidence from the presented data (3). This explanation demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of the natural elements and interactions (4) (5) which form the basis of the research.

The relevance of geographic concepts, such as process, interaction and location, have been incorporated into the explanation of the findings (4) (6). The student has acknowledged and addressed the anomalies in their data, demonstrating understanding that is indicative of comprehensive research (7).

For a more secure Excellence, the student could discuss ways of improving the research. The research process is effectively evaluated (9), but the suggested improvements (8) need to be discussed further. For example, the instructions beside each recording box could be more specific, with a statement that includes the formula for calculating tree height or soil descriptors.

For Merit, the student needs to conduct in-depth geographic research with guidance.

This involves:

• accurately presenting spatial, statistical and visual data, using the correct geographic conventions and terminology
• explaining findings, in detail, incorporating the relevance of geographic concepts
• providing a conclusion, in detail, that relates to the aim of the research
• explaining, in detail, the strength(s) and weakness(es) of the research process and how these affect the validity of the findings and/or conclusions.

The student has accurately presented data, using a combination of methods and the correct geographic conventions (1). The quadrat annotations use specific details that directly link them to the research focus (2).

The findings are explained in detail, with specific evidence from the collected and presented data (3). The explanation also incorporates the relevance of geographic concepts such as interaction (4) (5), change and process.

The student has provided a detailed conclusion demonstrating an ability to extrapolate the key results of the research. The aim is directly addressed (6) and specific evidence is used (8). The student also shows understanding of how the timing of data collection influenced the results and conclusion (7).

To reach Excellence, the student could present the data more effectively to enable comparisons to be made between the two sites. This could be achieved by drawing graphs that combine data for both locations, or by presenting this data as a statistical map.

More effectively presented data could lead to a full explanation of the findings. An explanation that compares sites would demonstrate a more comprehensive understanding of the research aim, interactions and the spatial context of the research.

For Merit, the student needs to conduct in-depth geographic research with guidance.

This involves:

• accurately presenting spatial, statistical and visual data, using the correct geographic conventions and terminology
• explaining findings, in detail, incorporating the relevance of geographic concepts
• providing a conclusion, in detail, that relates to the aim of the research
• explaining, in detail, the strength(s) and weakness(es) of the research process and how these affect the validity of the findings and/or conclusions.

Although not shown in this sample, the student has accurately presented a combination of data using the correct conventions. The findings are explained in some detail through the use of specific collected and presented evidence (1) (4). The relevance of the geographic concepts of change and location have been incorporated to support the explanation (2) (3).

Although not shown in this sample, the student has also explained the strengths and weaknesses of the research process and how these affect the validity of the findings and conclusion.

For a more secure Merit, the student could provide more evidence from the collected and presented data to support the ideas presented in the conclusion (5). For example, by including statistical evidence of temperatures at the different altitudes.

For Achieved, the student needs to conduct geographic research with guidance. This involves:

• identifying the aim of the research
• planning the research
• collecting and recording data relevant to the aim of the research
• presenting, using the correct geographic conventions and terminology, spatial and statistical and/or visual data
• explaining the findings incorporating the relevance of geographic concepts
• providing a conclusion(s) that relates to the aim of the research
• providing an evaluation of the research that describes the strength(s) and/or weakness(es) of the research process and how these affect the validity of the research findings.

The student has provided clear explanations of the findings incorporating the relevance of the geographic concepts of ‘process’ (2) and ‘change’. A conclusion is provided which directly relates to the research aim (4). Throughout the explanation of the findings and conclusion, the student demonstrates a sound understanding of the research aim.

The evaluation includes a description of both a strength and weakness of the research process, with the strength linked to the validity of the research findings. A strength of the research process is explained with some detail, including how it impacts on the validity of the research findings (6), which demonstrates a Merit level response.

To reach Merit, the student could continue to use detailed evidence from the collected data (1) (5), throughout the explanation of the findings and the conclusion. For example, river volume (3) could have been calculated to support the explanation relating to different river processes.

In the evaluation, the student needs to develop the description of the ‘weakness’ (7) further to explain how it affects the validity of the research findings.