AS 91435 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, 613 KB]

TKI History assessment resources (external link)

For Excellence, the student needs to comprehensively analyse an historical event, or place, of significance to New Zealanders.

This involves presenting sound understanding, well-considered judgements of the evidence, and conclusions from an historian’s perspective. The analysis is presented through key historical ideas that are supported by comprehensive evidence drawn from primary and secondary sources.

This student has consistently communicated evidence through key historical ideas (2) (4) (6) (9) (11) (14) (15) (17), often provided comprehensive supporting evidence (3) (7) and drawn some evidence from primary sources (10). Sound understanding of the context is consistently demonstrated and there are well-considered judgements of the evidence (1) (5) (8) (12) (13) (14) (16) (18). Conclusions are drawn from an historian’s perspective (19).

For a more secure Excellence, the student could:

• include and consider the analyses of other historians who are cited
• avoid the over-use of narrative (3)
• provide more evidence that primary sources have contributed to the analysis
• address more specifically the significance of the event to New Zealanders.

For Merit, the student needs to analyse, in depth, an historical event, or place, of significance to New Zealanders.

This involves explaining key historical ideas using in-depth supporting evidence.

This student has communicated the evidence through key historical ideas (1) (4) (6) (11) (12) (13) (14) and provided evidence to support key historical ideas and then gone on to explain these ideas (2) (3) (5) (8) (9) (10) by providing an historian’s perspective.

The student has also used primary sources (7), provided some in-depth supporting evidence (7) and given consideration to the significance to New Zealanders of the historical event.

To reach Excellence, the student could:

• provide more analysis such as that presented at (9) and (10)
• provide more historical evidence to support assertions such as those made at (9) and (10)
• provide further supporting historical evidence in the ‘significance to New Zealanders’ section which would add to the credibility of the generalisations provided there.

For Merit, the student needs to analyse, in depth, an historical event, or place, of significance to New Zealanders.

This involves explaining key historical ideas using in-depth supporting evidence.

This student has mostly presented the evidence through key historical ideas which include supporting evidence (2) (4) (7) (10) (14) (15). Supporting evidence is in-depth in places (7) (11). There is some use of primary material as well (6) (8) (9).

The student’s own explanations for events are presented in places throughout the evidence (10) (12), particularly in the last section (13). The significance of the event to New Zealanders is clearly addressed.

For a more secure Merit, the student could ensure that paragraphs which begin with a key historical idea stay with the idea rather than moving on to different material (1). Merely describing what happened in an historical event is not by itself an analysis.

Some sections of straight description of events (3) (4) (5) could be supported with the student’s own explanations/analysis. Evidence that historians have different interpretations of the event could be introduced.

For Achieved, the student needs to analyse an historical event, or place, of significance to New Zealanders.

This involves using historical evidence to communicate key historical ideas with supporting evidence and establishing the significance of the historical event or place to New Zealanders.

This student has successfully communicated some historical evidence through key historical ideas (2) (6) (11) and provided some in-depth evidence (3) (12), which moves the standard towards Merit. The student’s own analysis of the event occurs in some places (3) (5) (13).

To reach Merit the student could:

• ensure that narrative is avoided (1) (8) (10) by making each paragraph address only the key historical idea which is the subject of the paragraph rather than moving on to other matters (4) (9)
• ensure that understanding is clearly communicated throughout (7)
• provide further supporting evidence that is in-depth
• provide more of his/her own explanation/analysis of the event/s.

For Achieved, the student needs to analyse an historical event, or place, of significance to New Zealanders.

This involves using historical evidence to communicate key historical ideas with supporting evidence and establishing the significance of the historical event or place to New Zealanders.

This student has successfully communicated some evidence through key historical ideas (1) (4) (6) (9) and has described an event in detail (9). There is some analysis of the evidence (2) (3) (5).

For a more secure Achieved, the student could ensure that:

• each paragraph contains a key historical idea and the evidence does not move well beyond supporting the key historical idea (8)
• there is evidence of the use of primary sources
• description/narrative is avoided (7) (9)
• analysis of the evidence is its main feature
• significance of the event to New Zealanders is established.

For Achieved, the student needs to analyse an historical event, or place, of significance to New Zealanders.

This involves using historical evidence to communicate key historical ideas with supporting evidence and establishing the significance of the historical event or place to New Zealanders.

This student has consistently presented evidence through key historical ideas (1) (3) (5) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11), and has begun to analyse the evidence (2) (4) (6) (12) (14). The significance of the event to New Zealanders is also briefly discussed (13).

To reach Achieved, the student could provide considerably greater depth of historical evidence to support the key historical ideas. The points of analysis that are introduced could also be supported with a depth of evidence more appropriate to curriculum level 8.