Question 1

What is NCEA AS 91735 about?

Accepted Answer

This standard asks you to research a real environmental problem and investigate different solutions that could help fix it. You need to analyze the environment itself, understand how humans are affecting it, and then judge which solutions would actually work best now and in the future, considering environmental, social, cultural, and economic impacts.

Question 2

What do students need to do for AS 91735?

Accepted Answer

1. Research or conduct a practical inquiry into a specific biophysical environment (like a local waterway, forest, farm, or urban area) and describe its characteristics 2. Analyze how humans are interacting with this environment and what sustainability issues have arisen from those interactions 3. Identify at least two different measures (solutions) that could sustain or improve the environment, which might be social, cultural, economic, or technological in nature 4. Evaluate the potential effectiveness of each measure by considering how well they address environmental, social, cultural, and economic aspects of sustainability 5. Draw conclusions about which measure(s) would be most effective for both now and the future, backing up your judgment with evidence

Question 3

What's the difference between Achieved, Merit, and Excellence for AS 91735?

Accepted Answer

Achieved: You evaluate measures with basic reasoning and explain which one might work best, using some evidence from your research. Merit: You evaluate measures in depth with informed reasoning, use clear examples and evidence to compare their effectiveness, and explain why certain measures are more effective than others across different sustainability aspects. Excellence: You critically evaluate measures with insightful reasoning, discuss wider implications and future impacts of solutions, consider trade-offs between different aspects of sustainability, and show sophisticated understanding of how measures might work long-term.

Question 4

What mistakes do students typically make in AS 91735?

Accepted Answer

1. Choosing an environment that is too vague or broad (like 'the whole planet') instead of a specific, definable area you can actually research 2. Failing to properly analyze the relationship between humans and the environment — just describing the environment without explaining what the sustainability problem actually is 3. Evaluating measures superficially without considering how they affect all four aspects of sustainability (environmental, social, cultural, economic) or without using real evidence to back up judgments

Environmental sustainability

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