AS 91246 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, 1.7 MB]

TKI Geography assessment resources (external link)

For Excellence, the student needs to explain, comprehensively, aspects of a geographic topic at a global scale.

This involves:

• fully describing a spatial or temporal pattern of the geographic topic using geographic terminology and concepts
• fully explaining the factors and/or processes that contribute to this pattern
• fully explaining, showing insight, the significance of the topic for people.

The student has fully described a spatial pattern of malaria, using geographic terminology.

The quality of the description is shown through the extension of the overall linear pattern (1). Detail is provided through descriptions of concentrations within the linear pattern and evidence that the line is broken (2). Reference to topics with similar spatial patterns adds fullness to the description (3).

The student fully explains the two most significant factors contributing to the spatial pattern (climate and poverty). Discussion of climate and lack of sanitation interacting to contribute to the pattern (4) provides evidence of depth of understanding. Several poverty indicators contributing to the spatial pattern have been explained. The strength of this explanation is how pattern continues to form an integral part of the response (5). Global statistical evidence (6) supports the explanation.

Access to international/regional aid to implement eradication programmes is used to explain breaks in the linear pattern (7). Altitude and periods of drought were also discussed as a cause for breaks in the linear pattern.

For a more secure Excellence, the student could make more effective use of the evidence on the maps and the poverty cycle, and include additional supporting statistical evidence (5).

For Merit, the student needs to explain, in depth, aspects of a geographic topic at a global scale.

This involves:

• describing, in detail, a spatial or temporal pattern of the geographic topic using geographic terminology and concepts
• explaining, in detail, the factors and/or processes that contribute to this pattern
• explaining, in detail, the significance of the topic for people.

This student has described a spatial pattern of global rain forests using geographic terminology and supporting global evidence. The annotations added to a resource map provide an overview of the pattern at a global scale (1), and show a clear understanding of the concept of ‘pattern’. In-depth understanding is shown through descriptions of specific characteristics of the wider pattern (2).

The detailed explanation of the significance of rainforests covers tribes, commercial interests, and society at large (3). The in-depth explanation relating to indigenous people (4) is supported with detailed reference to specific groups.

To reach Excellence, the student could more fully describe the spatial pattern by describing the gaps in the linear pattern that have resulted in the concentrations, for example the gaps along Western South America and Eastern Africa.

A full explanation of the significance of the topic could include further development of other ideas to reflect the quality provided for the section on indigenous people. For example, the student could provide detailed evidence of the significance of commercial logging as a contributor to economic growth (5) for specific rainforest countries, and rates of deforestation in named rainforests (6).

For Merit, the student needs to explain, in depth, aspects of a geographic topic at a global scale.

This involves:

• describing, in detail, a spatial or temporal pattern of the geographic topic using geographic terminology and concepts
• explaining, in detail, the factors and/or processes that contribute to this pattern
• explaining, in detail, the significance of the topic for people.

This student has described the spatial pattern of deforestation in detail, through reference to characteristics of the linear pattern, such as peripheral, corridor and pockets (1). The global evidence used for these different patterns continues to support the wider global linear pattern (2).

Relevant causes are explained in detail as contributing to the corridor pattern in the Amazon and larger concentrations in Africa and South East Asia. The explanation provides a range of evidence including more recent causes such as logging, along with the more traditional causes like shifting cultivation (3).

For a more secure Merit, the student could ensure that they develop the explanation of the causes with a focus on the pattern, rather than explaining the general causes for deforestation (4). This section also needs to show the use of more specific detail, such as statistical evidence for rates of deforestation, return times of shifting cultivators, or size of areas that have been converted to plantation etc.

For Achieved, the student needs to explain aspects of a geographic topic at a global scale.

This involves:

• describing a spatial or temporal pattern of the geographic topic
• explaining the factors and/or processes that contribute to this pattern
• explaining the significance of the topic for people.

This student has provided a plan (1), including a map which demonstrates understanding of a spatial pattern of coffee production, and introduced causes for this pattern. Extending the description for the overall pattern “The line is nucleated in…”, and the use of appropriate global evidence, shows the quality expected (2).

The explanation of climate includes explicit links to the pattern, demonstrating understanding of the causal relationship between tropical climatic conditions and the linear pattern (3).

The plan shows the range of groups the student will include in the explanation of the significance of the topic. The explanation begins with the pickers/labour, and proceeds through to wider economic benefits for people. Specific global evidence is used to support the explanation (5).

To reach Merit, the student could further describe the nucleated pattern or variations in the width of the linear pattern. A detailed explanation could consider how the equatorial and subtropical conditions create variation in the linear pattern. While temperature and rainfall statistics are provided for Brazil (4), these need to be extended to continue the focus on the coffee belt rather than an emphasis on one country.

For Achieved, the student needs to explain aspects of a geographic topic at a global scale.

This involves:

• describing a spatial or temporal pattern of the geographic topic
• explaining the factors and/or processes that contribute to this pattern
• explaining the significance of the topic for people.

The student has briefly described a clustered spatial pattern of human trafficking, with global evidence. The statement ‘This looks like one cluster’ shows that the student has identified a concentrated component to their overall spatial pattern, and begins to develop the description (1).

Poverty is explained as a factor contributing to the clustered spatial pattern, with the student making explicit links between poverty and the spatial pattern (3).

For a more secure Achieved, the student could improve the quality of the description of the clustered pattern (1) through further discussion of the characteristics of the clusters. For example, comparisons of sizes or descriptions of concentrations within the clusters.

The explanation of poverty as a factor contributing to the pattern, could be strengthened through further use of the World Poverty and Human Trafficking maps (2) (3), and more extensive global evidence. The inclusion of more specific aspects of poverty could introduce other factors or processes.

Trafficking flows and the implications of shared borders could be explained in more depth and explicitly linked to the resulting clustered spatial pattern (1).

For Achieved, the student needs to explain aspects of a geographic topic at a global scale.

This involves:

• describing a spatial or temporal pattern of the geographic topic
• explaining the factors and/or processes that contribute to this pattern
• explaining the significance of the topic for people.

The student has briefly explained how poverty can contribute to a clustered pattern of human trafficking (3).

The significance of the topic for people has been explained, referring to several key factors such as sex trafficking, HIV/AIDS, and trafficking of boys/child soldiers, with some global case study evidence (4).

To reach Achieved, the student could more clearly demonstrate understanding of the concept of pattern through describing the clusters in the spatial pattern (2), (3). The statement ‘trafficking of people happens in places such as the continents of Africa, South America and Asia’ (1) identifies locations where trafficking occurs, but does not offer any description.

The student needs to focus more on how the factors and/or processes, such as political influence or poverty, contribute to the identified pattern. The emphasis in the student work is more on identifying the causes of human trafficking (2).