Question 1

What is NCEA AS 91437 about?

Accepted Answer

You need to choose a contested (debated) historical event that matters to New Zealand and write about it the way a historian would. Your task is to explain the different perspectives people hold about what happened, why they disagree, and which interpretations are most historically valid based on the evidence.

Question 2

What do students need to do for AS 91437?

Accepted Answer

1. Select a contested historical event that either happened in New Zealand, involved New Zealanders, or affected New Zealanders (examples: Gallipoli, the Treaty of Waitangi, WWI decisions, race relations events). 2. Identify and explain at least two genuinely different perspectives on the event—these might be views held at the time versus modern interpretations, or competing interpretations by historians. 3. Explain why people disagreed or disagree about this event—what different conclusions did they reach about what caused it, what it was like, or what it led to? 4. Evaluate which perspectives are most valid based on historical evidence and reasoning, and explain your judgement as a historian would. 5. Support your analysis with specific evidence and reference to historians' actual arguments and sources.

Question 3

What's the difference between Achieved, Merit, and Excellence for AS 91437?

Accepted Answer

Achieved: You explain different perspectives on a contested NZ event and show you understand why they differ. Merit: You evaluate the different perspectives, weigh up their strengths and weaknesses using evidence, and explain which makes most sense historically and why. Excellence: You make clear historical judgements about which perspectives are most valid, integrate multiple types of evidence seamlessly, and show thorough understanding of how historians interpret the event.

Question 4

What mistakes do students typically make in AS 91437?

Accepted Answer

1. Choosing an event that isn't actually contested—pick something historians and people genuinely disagree about, not something with an obvious 'right answer'. 2. Describing perspectives without explaining them—don't just list what different people think; explain the reasoning and evidence behind each perspective. 3. Not evaluating which perspectives hold up better—don't just present multiple views equally; judge their historical validity based on evidence and use that to draw conclusions.

Contested perspectives · AS 91437

7,284 students sat this in 2024 · 85% passed

Documents (7)

The standard itself

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