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Biology resources
Clarifications of Internally Assessed level 1 Achievement Standards
| Level 1 | | | Level 2 | | | Level 3 | | | Unit Standards |
90161: Carry out a practical biology investigation with direction ( version 3)
The following notes provide clarification of the assessment requirements for this achievement standard, and should be read in conjunction with the achievement standard, and Assessment Matters A2008/011 (April 2008).
- The emphasis in this standard is on the complete process of students carrying out their own practical investigation - the student must be involved in the collection of primary data (Explanatory Note 3).
- The investigation is either a 'fair test' or 'pattern seeking.'
- The investigation is directed (EN 3). Instructions are specified in writing and templates or suitable formats given for planning. Direction is 'what to do' but not 'how to do it.'
- Safety and animal ethics guidelines (EN 2) must be considered. When students are subculturing bacteria, for example, investigating the effect of diluting antiseptics, this can only be done using material from a safe i.e. approved source.
- Group work - if group work is allowed (for management reasons) in the practical aspect of the investigation, the teacher must have some system in place which verifies each student has met the requirements while working in the group.
- Investigations are based on the content up to and including the level 6 Science and/or level 6 Biology curriculums (EN 1 and 4).
The following is a summary of the requirements at each level of achievement:
| Achieved | Merit | Excellence |
|---|---|---|
| Carry out a practical investigation (EN 5) | Carry out a quality practical investigation (EN 6) Quality - means that the investigation enables a valid conclusion to be reached | Carry out and evaluate a quality practical investigation (EN 6) Quality - enables a valid conclusion to be reached As for Merit plus, |
| Purpose - this may be given as part of the directions but must be stated or implicit | Purpose - as for achieved | |
| Method I ndependent variable - students are required to develop their own values. As a guide, a minimum of three points for the independent variable, over a range relevant to the purpose of the investigation, is sufficient. | Method A set of ordered instructions is expected. The range for the independent variable must be valid and address the purpose of the investigation. Repeats and/or an extended range (i.e. at least four points) are required. Other variables that are relevant to the investigation and could affect the reliability of the data must be specified. Relevant factors potentially contributing to bias and/or error must be specified. The method should contribute to the reliability of the data and provide repeatable results. | Evaluation - to justify the conclusion (EN 7) t he student must explain "what I did that allows you to trust my results" in terms of one or more of the following, relevant to the method used:
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| Dependent Variable - students must clearly describe what is to be measured for the dependent variable and how it is to be measured, including units of measurement. This information must be explicit within the report. | ||
| Collect record and process data relevant to purpose - raw data must be processed in a way that is relevant to the purpose. This could be an ordered table of raw data, an ordered table of averaged data, or a graph. The raw data / processed data must be within a range of values that would normally be expected. Minor processing or computational errors can be ignored. | Collect record and process data to enable trend/pattern to be determined - raw and processed data need to display a level of accuracy that contributes to the overall validity of the conclusion. A table or graph may be used, as long as a trend or pattern (or absence) can be identified. | This requires the student to link either the validity , or the reliability or the biology ideas to their method. |
| Conclusion - must be based on an interpretation of the processed data, and not simply a restatement of the data. It should relate to the variables investigated and be consistent with the data. | Conclusion - a valid conclusion based on an interpretation of the processed data linked to the purpose of the investigation. | It is not appropriate for the evaluation to focus on the limitations of the investigation, saying what was wrong with the method or what limited the accuracy of the data collected. This does not justify the conclusion, therefore would not get an excellence grade. |
90162: Process information to describe a use of biology knowledge with direction ( version 3)
The following notes provide clarification of the assessment requirements for this achievement standard, and should be read in conjunction with the achievement standard.
The outcome of this standard has two key parts:
- Processing information (EN5) - the aim here is for students to sift and sieve information.
- Describe/explain/discuss a use of biology knowledge.
The assessment activity, and the judgement of the associated evidence, needs to cover both aspects of this standard.
- Direction (EN 2) - the context for the study will be provided and general instructions for processing will be specified in writing. Direction is "what to do" and not "how to do it". Care must be taken when offering students a range of topics to process information on, to avoid limiting their ability to achieve at Merit and Excellence at this level e.g. "using medication" as an example of treating a disease. Presenting information as a poster or PowerPoint can also limit students from achieving at Merit and Excellence because they do not encourage students to develop explanation or discussion.
- Use of biology knowledge is based on content up to and including level 6 Science and/or level 6 Biology curriculum - possible contexts include a technological application, management practice, resolving an issue or the development of a theory or model (EN 3).
- Information is selected from a range of sources ( EN4) provided by the teacher or researched by the students. At least three different sources of information need to be used. A range of information may be supplied by the teacher, and can include secondary information. Students do not have to complete their own research to achieve this standard. While it is good practice for students to record their sources of information so they are accessible to others, the need for referencing in itself will not in future preclude achievement at any level. Refer to the Biology newsletter.
The following is a summary of the requirements at each level of achievement:
| Achieved | Merit | Excellence |
|---|---|---|
| Process information (EN 5) | Process information (EN 5) | Process information (EN 5) |
| This may involve listing, sorting, collating, highlighting or summarising relevant biology knowledge and its related use. | As for achieved | As for achieved |
| Describe biology knowledge related to the use (EN 6, bullet point 1) i.e. students give an account of, or the characteristics of, the biology knowledge. They summarise the processed information. | Explain how/why biology knowledge applies to the use (EN 6, bullet point 2) i.e. students should give at least two clear reasons for how the biology knowledge applies to its use. | Discuss how/why biology knowledge applies to the use (EN 6, bullet point 3) i.e. students must show analysis skills by linking relevant biology ideas to the use . This can be done as an elaboration, a justification, an evaluation, an analysis, or by comparing or contrasting the links. |
| Range of at least three sources are used (EN 4). | Range of sources used - as for achieved. | Range of sources used - as for achieved. |
90164: Describe ecological characteristics found in two biological communities ( version 3)
The following notes provide clarification of the assessment requirements for this achievement standard, and should be read in conjunction with the achievement standard:
- the emphasis in this standard is on ecological characteristics e.g. food chains/webs, trophic levels, diversity, interrelationships, density, distribution, species dominance (EN 5)
- the chosen communities should show similarities and differences (EN 3)
- the information for the two communities could come from field observations/data or text, tables, graphs, diagrams etc. (EN 4). While it is good practice for students to investigate two communities in the field, they may use secondary information from one community and field data on another.
The following is a summary of the requirements at each level of achievement:
| Achieved | Merit | Excellence |
|---|---|---|
| Describe - requires the student to define, use annotated diagrams, give characteristics of, or an account of (EN 7) at least two ecological characteristics of two communities. | Explain - requires the student to provide at least one reason for either the similarities of or differences between (how/why - EN 7) the ecological characteristics of two communities. | Discuss (one step further from merit) by linking biological ideas. It may involve students in elaborating, applying, justifying, relating, evaluating, comparing and contrasting, and analysing. |
| Similarities or differences must be linked to at least two environmental factors (EN 6) e.g. "More fish are found in stream 1 because they have a higher reproductive rate" is not an explanation as there is no link to environmental factors. | Similarities or differences must be linked to at least two environmental factors (EN 6) and the discussion links these factors to the biology of at least one organism i.e. in the way the organism is adapted to these environmental factors. | |
| "More fish are found in stream 1 than in stream 2. This could be because competition for food is less as there are many more stream invertebrates that the fish use as food in stream 1. This means more food for the fish, reducing competition." This links a difference between the two streams to two environmental factors (less competition and more invertebrates for food). | For example, "More fish are found in stream 1 than in stream 2. This could be because competition for food is less as there are many more stream invertebrates that the fish use as food in stream 1, reducing competition. The fish therefore are able to have an increased reproductive rate since resources are more plentiful in stream 1 than in stream 2. This results in a greater density of fish." This discusses the difference between the two streams in relation to environmental factors (less competition and more invertebrates for food) and the effect on the biology of the organism (increased reproductive rate). |
90165: Describe the control of an introduced species that affects native species (version 3)
The following notes provide clarification of the assessment requirements for this achievement standard, and should be read in conjunction with the achievement standard:
- the emphasis in this standard (EN - explanatory note 5) is how an introduced species affects native species (EN 6), control methods (EN 7) and the effectiveness of the control methods (EN 8)
- the introduced and native species must be named using common or scientific names, or a named community as appropriate (EN 3)
- topics such as effects of rabbits on grassland and competition with sheep, or possums and bovine TB are not appropriate
- primary or secondary data (EN 4) can be used - this is to be encouraged to allow students to give more specific evidence on the affects on native species of the introduced species, and the effectiveness of control methods.
The following is a summary of the requirements at each level of achievement:
| Achievement | Merit | Excellence |
|---|---|---|
Describe (EN 9, bullet point 1) each aspect of:
|
As for achieved and explain (EN 9, bullet point 2) any one of:
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As for achieved and discuss (EN 9, bullet point 3) any one of:
|
Explanatory note 9 of the standard gives the meaning of the following terms:
- Describe requires the student to define, use annotated diagrams, give characteristics of, or an account of.
- Explain requires the student to provide a reason as to how or why something occurs.
- Discuss requires the student to show understanding by linking biological ideas. It may involve students in elaborating, applying, justifying, relating, evaluating, comparing and contrasting, and analysing.
Last updated: 15 April 2009