NZQA Assessment Support Material
Unit standard
9680
Title
Communicate within a specified organisational context
Level
2
Vocational pathways
Credits
Version
3
4
Social and Community Services
Assessor guidelines
Introduction
The following guidelines are supplied to enable assessors to carry out valid and consistent
assessment using this internal assessment resource.
As with all assessment resources, education providers will need to follow their own quality control
processes. Assessors must manage authenticity for any assessment from a public source,
because learners may have access to the assessment schedule or exemplar material. Using this
assessment resource without modification may mean that learners' work is not authentic. The
assessor may need to change figures, measurements or data sources or set a different context or
topic. Assessors need to consider the local context in which learning is taking place and its
relevance for learners.
Assessors need to be very familiar with the outcome being assessed by the unit standard. The
evidence requirements and the explanatory notes contain information, definitions, and
requirements that are crucial when interpreting the standard and assessing learners against it.
The following guidelines are supplied to enable teachers to carry out valid and consistent
assessment using this internal assessment resource.
Context/setting
This activity requires learners to show they can:

Demonstrate knowledge of how organisational and legislative requirements impact on
communication within a specified organisational context.

Communicate orally within a specified organisational context.

Communicate in writing within a specified organisational context.
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Level of performance expected
This is a level 2 standard. This means learners should be:

Using factual and/or operational knowledge of a field of work or study.

Applying known solutions to familiar problems and applying standard processes relevant to the
field of work or study.

Working under general supervision, taking some responsibility for their own learning and
performance and collaborating with others.
Conditions of assessment
For this standard, organisation may refer to an organisation based in a work, community, religious,
educational, or cultural context. Organisation requirements are those policies and procedures
specific to an organisation.
Evidence for elements 1 -3 must be collected from a single organisational context.
Resource requirements
Documented policies and procedures or established protocols for workplace performance.
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Assessment Schedule
Unit standard
9680
Title
Communicate within a specified organisational context
Level
2
Credits
Evidence requirements
Outcome 1
3
Version
4
Evidence for achieved
Judgements for achieved
Demonstrate knowledge of how organisational and legislative requirements impact on communication within a specified organisational context.
1.1
Legislative and organisational requirements for
providing information are identified.
1.2
Legislative and organisational requirements for
recording, storing, and distributing written
information are identified.
Task 1 responses on the worksheet: The impact
of organisational and legislative requirements on
communication within my organisation
See sample answers for examples of acceptable
learner responses.
Task 1a

For the described organisation, the learner
correctly identifies:
–
one example each of the requirements of the
Privacy Act 1993 & Official Information Act
1982 for the provision of information
–
one example each of the requirements of the
Privacy Act 1993 & Official Information Act
1982 for the recording, storage and
distribution of information.Note that
requirements between the two Acts may
overlap
–
one example each of organisational
requirements for the provision, recording,
storage and distribution of information.
Requirements must be different from the two
Acts above.
–
If appropriate, one example each of the
requirements of another piece of legislation
for the provision, recording, storage and
distribution of information.
Task 1 Organisation verification sheet
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
Verifier confirms the accuracy of the information
provided in relation to legislative and
organisational requirements for recording, storing
and distributing information.
Verification is signed and dated. Verifier is
someone in a supervisory role with appropriate
level of responsibility to confirm performance.
Outcome 2
Range
2.1
2.2
Communicate orally within a specified organisational context.
evidence of at least one by telephone; at least two face-to-face, one individual, and one group situation; at least one confidential and one unexpected
communication.
Forms of address and identification used fit
the situation, occasion, medium,
relationship between participants, and
organisational requirements.
Vocabulary, content, and language
structure used fit the situation, occasion,
medium, relationship between participants,
and organisational requirements.
2.3
Feedback and clarification are sought from
listeners/responders to ensure
understanding.
2.4
Responses to unexpected communications
meet organisational requirements.
Range
2.5
Task 2
Task 2
Oral communication recording sheets.

Refer to example provided for learners in the
resource.
Oral communication verification statements
unexpected communications may include
but are not limited to – non-routine and/or
inappropriate verbal and non-verbal
communication.

Interaction is completed in a manner that
fits the situation, occasion, medium, and
relationship between the participants in
accordance with organisational
requirements.
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
At least 3 Recording sheets and 3 Verification
statements are supplied, although more may be
necessary. Evidence is required for:
–
One telephone communication.
–
One face-to-face communication with an
individual.
–
One face-to-face communication with a
group.
–
One confidential communication.
–
One unexpected communication.
The Verification statements each confirm that:
–
the learner met organisational requirements
–
the contents of the reports are accurate and
authentic.
In addition to the Verification statements, the
evidence supplied on the Recording sheets is
sufficient to show, for each situation, that the
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learner has:
–
used forms of address and identification,
vocabulary, content and language structure
that fit the situation, occasion, medium,
relationship between participants.
–
sought appropriate feedback and from
listeners/responders to ensure
understanding.
–
completed the interaction in a manner that
fits the situation, occasion, medium, and
relationship between the participants.
Verification sheets are signed and dated by an
organisation supervisor.
Observer/verifier is someone in a supervisory
role with appropriate level of responsibility to
confirm performance meets organisational
requirements.
Element 3
Range
3.1
3.2
Communicate in writing within a specified organisational context.
e-mail, memo, letter.
Mode of communication fits the
organisational context, the subject matter
and the audience.
One email, one letter and one memo.
Forms of address and identification used fit
the situation, occasion, medium,
relationship between participants, and
organisational requirements.
Written communication verification statement
3.3
Vocabulary, content, and language
structure used fit the situation, occasion,
medium, relationship between participants,
and organisational requirements.
3.4
Spelling, punctuation, grammar, and format
meet organisational requirements.

The Verification statement confirms that the
learner’s 3 documents meet organisational
requirements.

In addition to the above, for (each of)the memo,
email and letter the learner has:
See sample written communications.
–
selected the mode of communication that fits
the context, subject matter and audience
–
used forms of address and identification,
vocabulary, content and language structure
that fit the situation, occasion, medium, and
relationship between participants.
Judgements should be holistic, rather than based on a checklist approach.
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Sample answers for unit standard 9680
Communicate within a specified organisational context
Task 1 Organisational and legislative requirements for communication
within my organisation
A. Description of my organisation:
I work as a part time library assistant in a town library. Because my organisation is basically
about providing information, some of the requirements are the same for the OIA and the
Privacy Acts.
B. 1. Official Information Act 1982 (OIA). Give one example of what this law requires of your
organisation, for each of the following:
a. Providing information: According to the Act, someone can request to see our internal
policies, principles, rules or guidelines, and can make that request more formal by officially
applying under the OIA. If there is a good reason, we have to supply that information – eg
staff salaries.
b. Recording information: Because we are a employed by the Council, we have to keep details
of our formal agendas, meetings, directives and minutes and if someone has a good reason
to request those, they can apply under the OIA (or the Local Government Official Information
and Meetings Act 1987).
c. Storing information: The OIA – as well as the Privacy Act - requires us to store information
appropriately. All personal information in our organisation is held in a secure database that
we have to have individual passwords to access.
d. Distributing information: If someone applies under the OIA, to access to any specified official
secure information that we hold and the request is granted, then we have to provide it, but
only to the specific person who asked – we can’t distribute it to others.
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2. Privacy Act 1993. Give one example of what this law requires of your organisation for each of
the following:
a. Providing information: Our library is full of information that is generally provided for anyone
who wants it. But this Act requires us to use information only for the purposes for which it
was collected – which means, for example, that if we collect someone’s financial details so
that we can assist them pay back fines, we can’t provide that information to anyone else,
even another family member.
b. Recording information: When people join the library, we have to verify they are who they say
they are with a photo ID such as a driving licence and confirm their address with something
like a rates or other household bill. We don’t let other people stand over us while we are
doing this and we keep the information secure on the database, not on bits of paper.
c. Storing information: We have a database of borrower information and the Privacy Act
requires us to store it securely so that unauthorised people can’t access it.
d. Distributing information: Information held on the database can only be used for library
purposes. For example, I can only use the database to access someone’s phone number if
I want to call them for library purposes. If they are a friend or neighbour, I have to use the
telephone book or White Pages.
3. Other legislation. For your organisation, name any other law relevant to communication: The
Copyright Act 1994.
Give one example (each) of what this law requires of your organisation for each of the following:
a. Providing information: We usually can’t copy a large number of pages from a text unless we
have permission from the copyright holder. So if a customer asks us to copy a whole lot, we
have to say we can’t, and provide the information just as a reference or a borrowed work.
b. Recording information: When we make up our reading lists, the Act requires us to
acknowledge the author, title and publisher.
c. Storing information: The Act says that a few specific types of “public” documents such as
statutes, court judgments and official reports do not have copyright protection. We make
copies of these and store these on the public shelves as usual.
d. Distributing information: The Act allows you to get permission to distribute a chunk of
someone’s work by contacting the copyright owner and usually negotiating. We always get
the permission in writing.
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4. Other requirements (not legislative). Give one example of a requirement your organisation
has for each of the following:
a. Providing information: Our library policy is to be as prompt as we can when we get requests
for information to do with a regular customer’s access to the library resources – for example,
if someone wants to know when their reserved book is due in, we are required to look it up
and get back to them that day: a day’s turnaround is considered too long, usually.
b. Recording information: If we receive a return book that is in need of repair, our process is to
put a sheet of paper on the front of it (called a Repair Note) with the repair needed, and to
put the date and our name and any other info that will help the librarians who will do the
repair – such as what the borrower said happened to it.
c. Storing information: When someone comes in to reserve a book, we call up their details and
record the reservation on the database. Most of our information about borrowers is stored
electronically.
d. Distributing information: If there has been an incident concerning, say, the behaviour of a
member of the public in the library, we have to record as much of the details as possible in
the incident report folder and all staff are expected to read that regularly, so that we can
keep an eye on things and that problems don’t escalate. We don’t distribute this kind of
information in any other form other than the incident file.
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Task 3
Communicate in writing within your organisation
MEMO
To:
From:
cc:
Date:
Re:
All Staff – Staff Noticeboard
J Dash, Library Assistant
15 April 2013
$500 donation for books for children’s section
A local book club has donated $500 towards new books for the children’s section.
I’m collecting ideas for purchases, to give to the Committee for consideration next
week.
Please let me know BY FRIDAY LUNCHTIME any suggestions you have for this
donation – donors stipulate money must be spent on fiction only.
Leave a message on my phone (ext 491) or email me.
Thanks
David
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Mountain View Library
43 Mountain View Road, South TOWN 2387
Tel: 03 494 4949
email: info@mountainview.co.nz
24 February 2013
Anne Murray
Secretary
Mountain View Book Club
24 The Highway
South Town 6190
Dear Anne
Your book club’s donation
I am writing on behalf of the library staff and our readers, to thank you and your book club for your
generous donation.
The donation was used to purchase copies of those books recently awarded prizes in the NZ Post
Children’s book awards.
Once again, thank you very much for your donation.
Yours sincerely
Jenny Dash
Library Assistant
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From:
Jenny Dash [Jenny.Dash@mtviewlibrary.govt.nz]
To:
James007@bond.co.nz
Subject
Request to change book return date
Hello James
Thank you for your email requesting that we extend the date your book is due to be returned until
7 January.
Unfortunately we are not able to meet your request at this time. This is a very popular book and
we have two people on a waiting list to borrow the book.
This means the book must be returned by the due date, 23 December 2013.
Warm regards
Jenny Dash
Library Assistant
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