Question 1

What is NCEA AS 91736 about?

Accepted Answer

This standard asks you to write an analysis of how different worldviews (ways of seeing the world) and their connected values and practices affect sustainability. You'll pick two different worldviews, explain what values matter to each one and how those values show up in real actions, then explore whether those worldviews help or harm environmental, social, cultural, and economic sustainability—both now and in the future.

Question 2

What do students need to do for AS 91736?

Accepted Answer

1. Identify and explain the core values held by each worldview and show how those values lead to specific practices or behaviours 2. Use concrete evidence and examples to connect these values and practices directly to sustainability—considering all four aspects: environmental, social, cultural, and economic 3. Compare how the two worldviews differ in what they prioritise and what impact they have on sustainability 4. Analyse the present consequences and future consequences of each worldview for sustainability 5. Explore the complexities and tensions—such as how worldviews shift over time, contain conflicting values, or disagree about what sustainability even means

Question 3

What's the difference between Achieved, Merit, and Excellence for AS 91736?

Accepted Answer

Achieved: You describe the values and practices of each worldview and make some links to sustainability (usually focusing on environmental), and you compare the two worldviews but don't go deep into future consequences. Merit: You explain how the values and practices of each worldview connect to sustainability across the four aspects, you analyse both present and future consequences with good comparisons, but you don't fully explore the complexities and tensions within the worldviews themselves. Excellence: You produce a well-structured analysis that explores how worldviews contain complexities and contradictions, you integrate all four sustainability aspects throughout, you make insightful conclusions about how these complexities affect sustainability outcomes, and you weave in Māori concepts meaningfully rather than as an add-on.

Question 4

What mistakes do students typically make in AS 91736?

Accepted Answer

1. Focusing only on environmental sustainability while neglecting social, cultural, and economic dimensions—examiners noted that many responses were unbalanced 2. Describing worldviews and practices without actually analysing the link between them and the four aspects of sustainability 3. Not engaging with the complexities within worldviews (such as conflicting values inside a single worldview, or how perspectives have shifted over time)—Merit-level responses particularly needed to go deeper here

Worldviews and sustainability

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