NZQA Assessment Support Material
Unit standard
7121
Title
Demonstrate skills to search, access, and select information
Level
1
Vocational pathways
Credits
2
Version
5
Primary Industries
Student guidelines
Introduction
This assessment activity requires you to show that you can:

Identify the purpose and scope of a search for information

Gather and select information

Review the processes undertaken to search, access and select information.
7121 version 5
Student guidelines
ASM version 2
Page 1 of 9
November 2015
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016
Conditions of assessment
Assessor note: It is expected that the assessor will read the learner instructions and modify them
if necessary to suit their learners.
This is an open book assessment. You may use any information to help you complete the
assessment. All answers must be in your own words.
Assessment may be conducted orally - your assessor may read the question to you and write down
your answer on the worksheet but they cannot help you.
How you will be assessed
Worksheets
There are two (2) tasks in this assessment.

Complete the worksheet related to each of the tasks.
Verification Form

Your workplace supervisor or assessor must verify that you have searched three different types
of sources of information and that the information gathered was correctly referenced and met
the purpose of the search.

A verification form is attached for this purpose.
7121 version 5
Student guidelines
ASM version 2
Page 2 of 9
November 2015
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016
Task 1
Defining the Search
Instructions
1. For this assessment you are required to search, access and select information for a particular
purpose. The purpose must be related to some aspect(s) of one or more of the Primary
Industries.
2. Talk to your assessor about a purpose that is useful and/or relevant to your situation, for which
a search for information is required. Some examples of suitable searches are:

You are interested in finding a career in the forestry sector, where you have been doing
some work experience. You recently read a story in the newspaper about an accident at a
forestry site and have decided to investigate the sorts of hazards and accidents that might
occur and any Health and Safety requirements that should be in place in a forestry
workplace.

You are gathering some information for a regional newspaper to investigate the numbers of
people working in dairy farming in your region, the types of roles available, the
qualifications required at each level and the types of training available.
.
3. Use Worksheet 1 Defining the Search to:

Identify the purpose of your search in terms of the end use of the information.

Identify the scope of the search by naming at least three sources of information you will use
for your search, what you expect to find out from each one, and how this will help with the
purpose of your search. Three different types of sources must be used.
A completed example is provided in the Resources section.
4. Ask your workplace supervisor or assessor to verify the purpose of the search on the
verification form.
7121 version 5
Student guidelines
ASM version 2
Page 3 of 9
November 2015
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016
Worksheet 1:
Defining the Search
In terms of the end use of the information, the purpose of my search is:
Name three different types of
Source 1:
source you will use for your
search.
State what type of
information you expect to
find out from each source,
and how this helps with the
Source 2:
purpose of your search.
Source 3:
7121 version 5
Student guidelines
ASM version 2
Page 4 of 9
November 2015
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016
Task 2
Completing and reviewing the search
Instructions
1. Search for information relevant to the purpose and scope of your search from the three (3)
different sources identified in Task 1.
2. Use Worksheet 2 – Selecting information and Reviewing the Search to record the information
you thought was the best for your purposes and to review the processes you used to search,
access and select that information.
Complete worksheet 2 for each type of source you searched (you should have at least
three):

Describe the main information you have selected from this source

Reference the information

Describe the process you used gathering and selecting that information

Comment on the extent to which the process you used to get information from that source
met the purpose and scope of your search.
An example of the kinds of descriptions, references and comments expected is given in
the Resource section.
3. Ask your workplace supervisor or assessor to verify that you have searched for and gathered
information from at least three different types of source and that the information you have
selected is relevant to the identified purpose and scope on the verification form.
7121 version 5
Student guidelines
ASM version 2
Page 5 of 9
November 2015
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016
Worksheet 2:
Completing and reviewing the search
Complete one form for each source of information
Source type 1
Reference
Information I

selected





The process I used
was:
The extent to which this process gathered information that met the purpose and scope of my
search was:
7121 version 5
Student guidelines
ASM version 2
Page 6 of 9
November 2015
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016
Verification Form – to be completed by the workplace supervisor or assessor
Verification
I confirm that _________________________________________ (name of learner) has
completed the worksheets without assistance, and has:
 correctly identified the purpose of the search.
 identified at least three different types of source, the type of information expected and how it
helps with the purpose of the search.
 retrieved at least one piece of relevant information from each source and referenced those
sources.
 reviewed the search process.
Signed: _______________________________________________________
Name: ________________________________________________________
Dated: _____________________________
7121 version 5
Student guidelines
ASM version 2
Page 7 of 9
November 2015
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Resources: Worksheet 1 - example
In terms of the end use of the information, the purpose of my search is:
To find out more information about the hazards working in forestry in NZ because I have been
offered a job but I am worried about the hazards and likelihood of having an accident.
Name three different types of
source you will use for your
search.
State what type of information
you expect to find out from each
Source 1: The Ministry of Business, Innovation and
Employment website (internet)
I will limit my online search to NZ government websites
because I only want to understand the NZ situation at the
moment. I’ll use key words to search, such as forestry,
accidents, hazards, health and safety, etc.
source, and how this helps with
the purpose of your search.
Source 2: the local ACC office (printed matter)
There are pamphlets and information sheets there that
have to do with workplace and especially forestry accident
prevention
Source 3: the Supervisor of my current worksite (people)
He’s been in the business more than 20 years and I want to
hear some stories of near misses and the kinds of real-life
hazards he’s seen. Maybe I’ll interview some of the logging
gang too.
7121 version 5
Student guidelines
ASM version 2
Page 8 of 9
November 2015
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016
Resources 2 - example from one source type
People - Owner ‘Trees a Crowd Ltd’
Source type
Reference
J Black, personal communication (interview), August 3 2014
Information I
He told me a lot of stories, but I just chose the ones he had actually seen or
been part of. The main things he told me were:
selected
The process I used
was:

Someone being hit by a falling tree or a ‘hanger’ has happened on his
worksite a few times

There have been a lot of minor injuries from kickback from chainsaws

He once had a guy who got hit by a chainsaw tooth flying off – the guy
had his hat on; it was a freak accident

Sometimes debris causes trips, falls, and flying debris from working
around a skidder is pretty common

Once he had a truck nearly back over a logger

He felt safety was way better than it used to be and the gear is
definitely better, but it’s a job with some danger and you should be well
trained and have common sense if you want to work in it.
I asked him if I could do a semi-formal interview so that I could record his
answers on my phone. I emailed him 3 questions a couple of days
beforehand. They were; can you tell me of incidents or accidents that you
have personally witnessed or had to deal with in your time in forestry? What
are the main hazards in your job? Do you think it is a dangerous job – why
or why not?
Then we met and he agreed to the recording so I didn’t have to take notes. I
replayed the interview a couple of times and wrote down any time he
answered my particular questions.
The extent to which this process gathered information that met the purpose and scope of my
search was:
I discovered that it’s hard to keep someone on track who has had a lot of experiences - I had only a
few questions I wanted to ask him. But I had to let him say all that and then get what I wanted from
the recording. So he went beyond the scope but he did give me lots of hazards, accidents, etc. that
met my purpose for asking him. It felt real and honest and I could understand his language better
than some of the descriptions I’ve read. I didn’t interview anyone in the gang as basically he had
the best information.
The scope didn’t cover the next step, which is to go and find out about how those accidents and
hazards can be avoided or controlled.
7121 version 5
Student guidelines
ASM version 2
Page 9 of 9
November 2015
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016