Question 1

What is NCEA AS 91158 about?

Accepted Answer

You need to plan and carry out an investigation to find a pattern in a natural community of plants and animals—like how plants are arranged on a rocky shore, or how different animals live at different heights in a forest. You'll describe what you observe, figure out what environmental factor (like light, water, or temperature) is causing the pattern, and explain how that factor affects the living things there.

Question 2

What do students need to do for AS 91158?

Accepted Answer

1. Collect or analyse data from your chosen ecological community through observations, field measurements, photographs, graphs, or published information 2. Describe the pattern you find (or lack of pattern) and identify which environmental factor is affecting it 3. Explain how that environmental factor might affect the species you're studying 4. Identify relationships between different species affected by the same factor (like competition for resources or predator-prey relationships) 5. Use biological facts about how organisms are adapted to justify why the pattern exists the way it does

Question 3

What's the difference between Achieved, Merit, and Excellence for AS 91158?

Accepted Answer

Achieved: You describe what you observe in the community, name a pattern and an environmental factor affecting it, and explain in basic terms how that factor influences the species. Merit: You go further by explaining the biology—the specific adaptations or behaviours—of at least one species that relate to the pattern, and how it interacts with another species (like competing for food or space). Excellence: You use your understanding of how multiple species are biologically adapted and how they interact with each other to give a full explanation of why the pattern exists, showing you can compare, analyse, and justify the connections between the environment, the organisms, and the pattern.

Question 4

What mistakes do students typically make in AS 91158?

Accepted Answer

1. Not clearly identifying the environmental factor causing the pattern, or mixing up what you observed with what actually causes the pattern 2. Describing the pattern but not explaining the biology—for example, naming species without explaining their adaptations or how they survive because of the environmental factor 3. Forgetting to show how organisms interact with each other (competition, predation, etc.) as part of explaining the pattern

Ecological investigation

Your assessment resources

Videos & study resources

More in this subject

Other Biology standards · Level 2 · Year 12

Next year — Biology Level 3 · Year 13

Related standards