Appendix 1: Example of a Level 1 achievement standard

New Zealand Qualifications Authority: Assuring the consistency and quality of internal assessment for NCEA.

Achievement Standard

© New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2012

This achievement standard involves drafting, reworking and presenting at least one piece of creative writing.

Achievement Criteria

Achievement Achievement with merit Achievement with excellence
Develop and structure ideas in creative writing. Develop and structure ideas convincingly in creative writing. Develop and structure ideas effectively in creative writing.
Use language features appropriate to audience and purpose in creative writing. Use language features appropriate to audience and purpose with control in creative writing. Use language features appropriate to audience and purpose with control to command attention in creative writing.

Explanatory Notes

  1. This achievement standard is derived from the Level 6 Creating Meaning strand [writing] and related achievement objectives in the English learning area of The New Zealand Curriculum, Learning Media, Ministry of Education, 2007, and is related to the material in the Teaching and Learning Guide for English, Ministry of Education, 2011.
  2. Creative writing text types at this level may include descriptions, narratives, poems, personal accounts, scripts, or other appropriate creative writing text types. Students are required to draft, rework and present at least one piece of creative writing that expresses imaginative and creative ideas.
  3. Ideas may include thoughts, feelings, experiences or sensory qualities.
  4. Develop and structure ideas means to build on a single idea by adding details or examples, linking that idea to other ideas and details appropriate to the selected text type.
  5. Develop and structure ideas convincingly means that the development of the ideas and structure is generally credible and connected.
  6. Develop and structure ideas effectively means that the development of the ideas and structure is compelling and well-organised.
  7. Use language features means that:
    • vocabulary selection, syntax, stylistic features and written text conventions (including spelling, punctuation, grammar) are appropriate to audience and purpose for a selected text type
    • written text conventions are used without intrusive error patterns, such as a pattern of errors in syntax (eg sentence fragments, where structures are not used intentionally; and ‘run on' syntax); or a pattern of other significant errors (eg mixed tense sequences, miscapitalisation, spelling errors).
  8. Use language features with control means that:
    • language features are selected and linked to the intended purpose and audience for the selected text type
    • text conventions are used accurately so that the writing contains only minor errors.
  9. Use language features with control to command attention means:
    • the original and sustained use of language features, distinctive personal voice, and dimensions or viewpoints linked to the intended purpose and audience for the selected text type
    • text conventions are used accurately so that the writing contains only minor errors.
  10. Conditions of Assessment related to this achievement standard can be found at www.tki.org.nz/e/community/ncea/conditions-assessment.php.

Quality Assurance

  1. Providers and Industry Training Organisations must be accredited by NZQA before they can register credits from assessment against achievement standards.
  2. Accredited providers and Industry Training Organisations assessing against achievement standards must engage with the moderation system that applies to those achievement standards.

Accreditation and Moderation Action Plan (AMAP) reference 0233

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