Assessment Specifications

General information

Domain / Graphics
Level / 3
Mode of Assessment / Portfolio Submission
For Year / 2011
Submission Date / 2 November 2011
Standards / 90734, 90735
Format for the assessment
Assessment will be in the form of a portfolio. Candidates should submit a portfolio of material that effectively conveys the design requirements of the externally assessed achievement standards, and still clearly communicate the candidate's knowledge, understanding and skills relevant to the external graphics standards. Evidence may be drawn from one or more units of work and used for assessment against more than one achievement standard.
A candidate may submit a portfolio of work using a variety of media in any form and up to a maximum size of A2 (420 × 594 mm).
Candidates may use any computer applications (e.g. Adobe Photoshop, Vectorworks, Google Sketchup, flash animations) to produce evidence for AS90734 and AS90735. However, the format for digital submissions for external assessment will need to be in a PDF, PowerPoint, HTML or QuickTime format on CD ROM. Do NOT send other technology such as USB flash drives or MP3 players.
Where mock-ups, prototypes and models have been used, photographic evidence of this may assist in the assessment.
The candidate's portfolio should not exceed 60 pages. The submission can be made up of individual sheets or a visual diary or a combination of both to total no more than 60 pages.
The following presentation formats are recommended for 2011:
  • presentation boards, if used, to be limited to 4
  • visual diaries, if used, to be limited to 2
  • laminated material, if submitted, limited to a maximum of 6 pages.
The following are not acceptable in 2011:
  • submission material contained in clear files
  • an entirely laminated submission
  • additional packaging, e.g. boxes or framed design work
  • models - only photographs are to be submitted.
Management of the external assessment process is explained after the specific information for each achievement standard.
Special notes
Candidates should develop their own design ideas within the context of a design brief, which should have a focus situated in any of the following graphics areas:
  • architectural or environmental design
  • engineering or technological design
  • media or technical illustration design.
There must be some indication attached to the work that identifies the design topic or context.
Instrumental drawings may include computer-generated drawings. If the candidate wishes to submit computer-generated drawings, they must include evidence of the design brief and their design thinking.

Specific information for individual external achievement standards

Standard / 90734
Title / Negotiate a brief and a solution by applying a design process
Version / 2
Number of Credits / 5
Special notes
The evidence for this achievement standard can be integrated with any of the internal achievement standards or presented as a separate unit.
Candidates should only submit one negotiated brief for this achievement standard.
For this achievement standard, candidates will need to demonstrate that they can negotiate a design brief and apply a design process using specialist graphics knowledge to develop a solution based on the needs of a real client.
The client must be a real person or group of people with a stake in the design process. The client and their stake in the design must be identified and the authenticity of the interaction attested to by the candidate and teacher on the form supplied by NZQA. The client will also be required to sign the Authenticity form.
As part of the design process, candidates will need to demonstrate ongoing negotiation with the client, and document these interactions.
Negotiation refers to the ongoing interaction between the candidate and the client to achieve agreement about the nature and scope of the problem to be solved and a solution that meets the client's needs. The process of negotiation and the recording of this could be as follows:
  • Real client and their design need or problem identified, suitable to meet the specialist graphics knowledge requirement of Level 3.
  • Brief development in consultation with the client to formulate a design brief and requirements.
  • Application of a design process to develop a solution to the brief based on the needs of a client.
  • Client interaction could occur at research, concept and development stages as appropriate.
/ Ongoing negotiation and
consultation with the client
is fully analysed and
documented throughout.
Candidates should refer to the 2008, 2009 and 2010 Assessment Reports for further clarification of the requirements of an "actual client" to ensure their portfolios meet the requirements of the standard.
To gain Achievement with Merit, candidates must demonstrate an ability to analyse a negotiated brief. Analysis could be demonstrated by the student taking the responses of the client, identifying their meaning in terms of design requirements, and progressing the design process based on this. Alternative design approaches should be explored in detail and reasons given for design choices.
To gain Achievement with Excellence, candidates must demonstrate an ability to critically analyse the implications of alternatives to develop a refined solution, in relation to the negotiated brief. This will include visual exploration of different design approaches that supports the ongoing interaction with the client and includes justification for the decisions made. Full refers to in-depth references for design decisions that meet the requirements of the brief and specifications developed by the on-going discussion with the actual client.
Standard / 90735
Title / Plan and produce a presentation to communicate design ideas
Version / 2
Number of Credits / 4
Special notes
For this achievement standard, candidates will need to demonstrate that they can plan, develop, prepare and exhibit their own design ideas using specialist graphics knowledge. Planning involves the application of a design process to the carrying out of a presentation.
In this context planning and producing, a presentation has a different purpose to the presentation drawings normally produced within the context of an internally assessed design project. When a professional architect, product designer or graphic designer finishes a design, or wants to present their initial ideas to the client for feedback on the design work, they prepare a specific presentation. They choose and use a variety of media/modes which suit the design project e.g. display boards, albums modelling processes, or digital forms such as PowerPoint, CAD fly-through, flash productions, etc. This type of presentation is the focus of this achievement standard.
Candidates are able to present material from any stages throughout their design process e.g. the presentation of a design solution based on one of the graphics areas.
The evidence for this achievement standard can be integrated within a unit of work for the internally assessed level three standards or for AS90734 or as a separate unit.
Evidence for this standard should involve the demonstration of the design of a presentation through a consideration of alternative media/modes based on appropriate research, the needs of the target audience and the nature of the design ideas being presented. The design development and construction procedures associated with the presentation must be shown.
To gain Achievement with Merit, a candidate solution needs to demonstrate the planning and carrying out of an effective presentation that clearly communicates the key features of candidate's design ideas. This will include the exploration of narrative structure (organisation of information to tell a story) to best exhibit the intentions of the design to the target audience.
To gain Achievement with Excellence, the candidate needs to plan and carry out a high quality presentation demonstrating an effective layout and use of compositional principles (e.g. proximity, hierarchy, alignment and use of white space), refined execution of visual communication techniques and methods that show neatness, tidiness and accuracy to clearly exhibit the qualities of the design idea(s).

Management of external assessment

Portfolio construction
In October, personalised candidate labels and individual A2 (420 x 594 mm) plastic bags will be supplied for each candidate to submit their material for assessment in. Instructions for packaging, forwarding the portfolios to markers, and courier bags (per 6–8 candidates) will also be included.
The candidate labels and plastic bags supplied will be based on the school's student entry file. It is essential that schools ensure their Graphics student entry file is accurate by 1 August 2011.
No material will exceed the actual size of the A2 portfolio.
A candidate portfolio should not exceed 60 pages.
Large work should be submitted in photographic form together with the appropriate documentation.
Original copies
Original copies should be presented for assessment. Photocopies are not acceptable.
Writer assistance
Writer assistance is excluded from all external achievement standards. This is due to the nature of drawing and graphics. Any queries regarding this must be addressed to NZQA through the Principal's Nominee.
Authenticity
Candidates must provide material that is their own work and demonstrates their own ability for assessment purposes.
Teachers and candidates are required to validate candidate work by signing an Authenticity declaration form that will be sent to schools by NZQA in the October mail out and will be available on NZQA's website. Candidates entered for AS90734 Develop a design solution to a negotiated brief using specialised graphics knowledge, are required to obtain the verification of the client used in the negotiated brief in the form of a client signature.