AS 90826 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, 288 KB]

TKI Religious Studies assessment resources (external link)

For Excellence, the student needs to analyse, with perception, the response of a religious tradition to a contemporary ethical issue.

This involves:

• critically evaluating the response of a religious tradition to a contemporary ethical issue
• drawing conclusions that address the wider implications arising from the analysis.  

The student has analysed the contemporary ethical issue of abortion (1).

The student has considered the response of the Catholic Church to the contemporary ethical issue of abortion by explaining the beliefs that life begins at conception and that the foetus’ right to life is equal to the mother’s right to life (2). 

The student has critically evaluated the response of the religious tradition to the contemporary ethical issue with some perception when they considered the concept of the sacredness of life (3).

The student has identified a wider social implication arising from the analysis (4).

For a more secure Excellence, the student could further analyse, with perception, the response of the Catholic Church to the contemporary ethical issue of abortion.

For example, the student could provide evidence from further teachings of the Catholic Church (Vatican Documents like Humanae Vitae or Donum Vitae, and draw further conclusions as to how this teaching affects the members of Catholic Church and more of the possible wider social, historical, geographical, political or personal implications of the Catholic Church’s response to abortion.

For Merit, the student needs to analyse in depth the response of a religious tradition to a contemporary ethical issue.

This involves:

• discussing the ethical principles of the religious tradition that influenced the response
• drawing conclusions supported by a range of evidence.

The student has analysed the contemporary ethical issue of abortion (1).

The student has discussed two ethical principles, the dignity of the human person and love and justice, as responses of the Catholic Church to the contemporary ethical issue of abortion (2).

The student has drawn conclusions about the Catholic Church’s response to the issue of abortion, supported by evidence from Scripture, Papal authority, NZ Catholic Bishops and Vatican documents (3).

To reach Excellence, the student could provide a critical evaluation of the response of the Catholic Church to the contemporary ethical issue of abortion, and draw conclusions that address the wider implications arising from this analysis.

For example, the student could provide evidence from further teachings of the Catholic Church documents such as Theology of the Body St John Paul II, Deus Caritas Est Pope Benedict XVI or Ethical Directives for Catholic Hospitals USCCB, and the various responses to them from the secular world.

For Merit, the student needs to analyse in depth the response of a religious tradition to a contemporary ethical issue.

This involves:

• discussing the ethical principles of the religious tradition that influenced the response
• drawing conclusions supported by a range of evidence.

The student has discussed two ethical principles, the dignity of the human person and the common good, as responses of the Catholic Church to the contemporary ethical issue of abortion (1).

The student has drawn some conclusions about the Catholic Church’s response to the issue of abortion supported by evidence from Scripture, Papal authority and the NZ Catholic Bishops (2).

For a more secure Merit, the student could provide further analysis of the response of the Catholic Church to the contemporary ethical issue of abortion, especially in relation to the ethical principle of the common good.

In addition, the student could draw further conclusions using a wider range of supporting evidence by citing Vatican documents such as Humanae Vitae on Responsible Parenthood, and Catechism of the Catholic Church.

For Achieved, the student needs to analyse the response of a religious tradition to a contemporary ethical issue.

This involves:

• considering in detail a contemporary ethical issue, and breaking it down into components or essential features
• considering in detail the response of the religious tradition to the issue, and breaking it down into components or essential features
• drawing conclusions about the response of the religious tradition to the issue, supported by evidence.

The student has discussed the contemporary ethical issue of abortion in detail (1).

The student has considered in detail the ethical principle of the dignity of the human person, as a response of the Catholic Church to the contemporary ethical issue of abortion (2).

The student has drawn conclusions about the Catholic Church’s response to the issue of abortion, supported by evidence from Scripture, Papal authority and the NZ Catholic Bishops (3).

To reach Merit, the student could provide further analysis of the response of the Catholic Church to abortion in relation to a second ethical principle, such as the common good or love and justice.

In addition, the student could draw further conclusions using a wider range of supporting evidence. For example, the student could provide a further breakdown of the details of abortion, and use evidence from the teachings of the Catholic Church regarding their ethical principles to explain the Church’s stance against abortion (e.g. Vatican Documents like Humanae Vitae and Catechism of the Catholic Church).

For Achieved, the student needs to analyse the response of a religious tradition to a contemporary ethical issue.

This involves:

• considering in detail a contemporary ethical issue, and breaking it down into components or essential features
• considering in detail the response of the religious tradition to the issue, and breaking it down into components or essential features
• drawing conclusions about the response of the religious tradition to the issue, supported by evidence.

The student has discussed the contemporary ethical issue of abortion in some detail (1).

The student has considered one ethical principle, the dignity of a human person, as a response of the Catholic Church to the contemporary ethical issue of abortion (2).

The student has drawn limited conclusions about the Catholic Church’s response to the issue of abortion, supported by evidence from Scripture and Papal authority (3).

For a more secure Achieved, the student could provide further details about the components or essential features of the contemporary ethical issue of abortion.

In addition, they could consider in more detail the response of the Catholic Church to abortion, and draw more substantial conclusions supported by evidence from Vatican documents such as Humanae Vitae, Catechism of the Catholic Church, and/or the NZCBC Consistent Ethic of Life. 

For Achieved, the student needs to analyse the response of a religious tradition to a contemporary ethical issue.

This involves:

• considering in detail a contemporary ethical issue, and breaking it down into components or essential features
• considering in detail the response of the religious tradition to the issue, and breaking it down into components or essential features
• drawing conclusions about the response of the religious tradition to the issue, supported by evidence.

The student has discussed the contemporary ethical issue of abortion in limited detail (1).

The student has implied one ethical principle, the dignity of a human person as a response of the Catholic Church to the contemporary ethical issue of abortion (2).

The student has drawn a limited conclusion about the Catholic Church’s response to the issue of abortion, supported by some biblical evidence (3).

To reach Achieved, the student could provide more detail about the components or essential features of the contemporary ethical issue of abortion.

In addition, they could consider in detail the response of the Catholic Church to abortion, and draw conclusions supported by evidence from Scripture and Vatican documents like Humanae Vitae, Catechism of the Catholic Church, and/or the NZCBC Consistent Ethic of Life.