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, 533 KB]

TKI History assessment resources (external link)

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

This involves using key historical ideas, with supporting evidence, to communicate an argument. Students must also establish the significance of the event or place to New Zealanders.

This student has provided several key historical ideas pertaining to the early interactions between Māori and Pākehā and how many of these reflect a process of acculturation. This includes consideration of interactions with sealers, whalers and missionaries, the way in which both continuity and change is evident in Māori cultural practices, and how acculturation is seen through the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Through these key historical ideas, the student presents an argument that the theory of Acculturation, rather than of Fatal Impact, more accurately reflects early Māori and Pākehā interactions.

There are frequent instances of student analysis as required by the standard. This is most clearly present when the student considers the way in which an aspect of the context (such as the conversion to Christianity, or the signing of Te Tiriti O Waitangi) shows fatal impact as well as acculturation.

Most paragraphs are supported by historical evidence that reflects expectations for Achieved at curriculum level 8. In most instances, the student has drawn on a relevant and appropriate extract of primary or secondary source evidence to support the key historical idea.

The significance to New Zealand has been established in a way that reflects expectations at curriculum level 8. It is both inferred throughout the discussion and explicitly addressed in places. 

For Merit, the standard requires students to analyse, in depth, an historical event or place of significance to New Zealanders. This includes the requirement to use in-depth supporting evidence to communicate an argument.

To reach Merit, further examples and depth could be included to support the key historical ideas. For example:

• further evidence could be used to support the ideas around Māori choosing aspects of western medicine, technology and belief systems to add to their cultural practices
• a second piece of source evidence could be used to support how interactions with missionaries reveal ‘acculturation’
• the analysis weighing the extent to which the interaction with missionaries demonstrated acculturation as opposed to fatal impact, could be further developed.  

For Merit, the standard requires the student to analyse, in depth, an historical event, or place, of significance to New Zealanders. This involves using key historical ideas with in-depth supporting evidence to communicate an argument.

This student has analysed two key historical ideas to communicate an argument that the Native Land Court of 1865 remains significant today. This has mostly been achieved through consideration of the economic implications and institutionalised racism that resulted from the establishment of the Native Land Court.

There are frequent instances of student analysis. The nature of the analysis varies across the response. For example, there is analysis of the ideas that are contained in the primary or secondary source evidence (such as the discussion about the intended consequences of the Native Land Act) and analysis of the authority and validity of the sources’ authors.

Each paragraph is supported by historical evidence that reflects expectations for Merit at curriculum level 8. Extracts or summaries of the ideas, taken from primary or secondary source evidence, are used to support the key historical idea.

The significance to New Zealand has been established in a way that reflects expectations at curriculum level 8. The phrasing of the moot ensures that this has been explicitly addressed throughout.

For Excellence, comprehensive analysis of an historical event or place, of significance to New Zealand, is required.

Further processing of the source material to draw conclusions ‘as a historian’, could help to demonstrate a ‘sound understanding’, as required for Excellence.

Drawing conclusions ‘as a historian’ should result from deeper engagement with the historiography (i.e. consideration of the merits of the arguments being made by the authors and the possible counter arguments) or consideration of the wider historical context. For example, when drawing conclusions about the Native Land Court and long-term economic health outcomes, the student could acknowledge the role of other factors such as urbanisation, or the significant loss of land that had already occurred (i.e. through Raupatu, the Kemp purchase and ongoing acquisitions through the Public Works Act). They may then consider the comparative weight of the impact of the Native Land Court against these other acts of colonisation, drawing conclusions back to their overall argument.

For Excellence, the standard requires students 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 must be presented through the communication of an argument using key historical ideas that are supported by comprehensive evidence drawn from primary and secondary sources. 

This student has comprehensively analysed the extent to which the Enlightenment influenced the Declaration of Independence. They clearly argue, in a reasoned and supported manner, that while other factors may have had a role, the ideas of Enlightenment thinkers and Enlightenment principles are clear in the Declaration of Independence.   

The student expertly integrates the use of primary and secondary evidence into their response to develop the critical key historical ideas (clearly found at the beginning of each paragraph). The source evidence is carefully and effectively selected to present and establish the debate and the complexities of the context, before being used by the student to substantiate their own argument and conclusions. 

A consistent analytical approach is used through the response leading to the inclusion of frequent well-considered judgements. These are often found after stem phrases, such as “Some historians argue”, “This suggests that”, “One can easily argue” and “It is more accurate to assert”, “It is evident then,” “In this way, it follows that”.

Conclusions formed logically result from the argument that has been built in the paragraph and derive from a fair and balanced engagement with the source evidence. Many of the conclusions made by the student not only directly support the overall argument being made, but move ‘beyond the obvious’ and show a sound understanding of the complexities of the chosen context. As one example, the student draws an insightful conclusion about the influences and union of ideas seen in the New Zealand Bill of Rights.

The significance to New Zealand has been established in a considered, supported and meaningful way. This includes consideration of similar ‘revolutionary’ responses of Māori Rangatira when faced with oppressive policies of the Crown, Aotearoa’s own Declaration of Independence (He Whakaputanga) and the presence of some Enlightenment principles in the New Zealand legal system as well as in the ‘Fourth Article’ of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.