Clarification details
Updated November 2015. This document has been updated in its entirety to address new issues that have arisen from moderation.
The purpose of clarifications
We create clarification documents to help people understand the current requirements of achievement standards. Clarifications do not introduce new criteria, change the intent of the standard, or change what we expect from assessment.
These documents unpack and explain the language and intent of the standard so people interpret and apply the standard consistently. We provide examples or guidance as illustrations only. They are not prescriptions or requirements.
For official requirements, always refer to the current version of the achievement standard as published by NZQA.
General Notes
A brief with specifications needs to be agreed prior to the product being made (Explanatory Note 6). It should be of sufficient rigour to enable exploration of the aesthetics of the specified product using different techniques, materials and equipment.
The students may be given a complex design (see Explanatory Note 7 for complexity of the design) by the teacher, or may be at the point in their technological practice where they are ready to trial a design prior to applying it to an outcome.
For Achieved
Students could trial and test their complex design with different mediums to determine the medium suited to their design. Explanatory Note 3 lists possible mediums. The medium may have to be tailored to ensure complexity in the design.
Students will need to trial to determine possible complex techniques, equipment and materials to create the complex design. Explanatory Note 5 gives guidelines around expectations for the complexity of techniques to be applied. Appropriate testing will demonstrate that the applied design enhances the products aesthetics.
Merit and Excellence
Assessors are required to make judgements about the ways in which procedures are implemented, as well as the quality of the applied design for the product.
Annotating an assessment schedule is one way for the assessor to confirm judgements around independence and accuracy (for Merit) and if the student has worked in a manner that economises time, effort, and materials (Excellence). These annotations could be derived from classroom observation and/or discussions with students.