3.2 Visual or Oral Text – 91473
4 Credits
This achievement standard requires you to view and study a visual text, or listen to and study an oral
text, and develop a critical response using supporting evidence. Typically students study a feature
length film.
You will write a critical response to show your understanding. The task requires you to write at least
400 words but you should write significantly more than this to gain Merit or Excellence.
Some students at Christchurch Girls’ High School are entered into three external achievement standards.
This means students to have 60 minutes to complete their visual text(s) response. Some classes are only
entered for two external papers. These students have 90 minutes to complete their visual text response.
You will select one question from a range of statements (usually eight) in the examination paper. It is
important to address all parts of the question in your response.
During your study of the text you may have covered aspects such as:
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Themes, ideas or messages
Characterisation – description, changes, relationships, contrasts
Setting – time, place and social conditions
Context – social, political, historical
Significant events – turning points, climax, opening , closing
Style – method of narration, structure, genre
Cinematography – mise en scene, montage
Symbolism
It is important that you revise all aspects studied in class for your chosen text.
You should be able to give a range of specific examples from the text to support your ideas, such as
quotations, actions of characters, events and examples of cinematic techniques. Therefore events from
the plot should be used as evidence to support your ideas rather than form the basis of your essay.
You will be assessed on the following schedule:
Achievement
Achievement with Merit
Achievement with Excellence
 Respond critically to
 Respond critically and
 Respond critically and
specified aspect(s) of
studied visual or oral
text(s), supported by
evidence.
This means clearly developing the
focus and scope of an argument when
discussing specified aspects of the
text(s), then integrating a range of
relevant points supported by accurate
and relevant evidence. The response
should be communicated clearly and
coherently, in a structured written
answer that follows the conventions of
an essay format.
convincingly to specified
aspect(s) of studied visual
or oral text(s), supported by
evidence.
As for Achieved and includes making
discerning, informed critical
responses to specified aspects
supported by accurate and relevant
evidence.
perceptively to specified
aspect(s) of studied visual
or oral text(s), supported
by evidence.
As for Merit and includes making
sophisticated and insightful or original
critical responses to specified aspects,
integrated with accurate and relevant
evidence. It may include explaining how
significant aspects of the text(s)
communicate ideas about contexts, such as
human experience, society and the wider
world.
Below are the Achievement Standard explanatory notes:
1
Respond critically involves developing the focus and scope of an argument when discussing specified
aspect(s) of the text(s), and integrating a range of relevant points. The argument is communicated
clearly and coherently, in a structured written answer that follows the conventions of an essay format.
Respond critically and convincingly involves making a discerning and informed argument relating to the
specified aspect(s) of the text(s).
Respond critically and perceptively involves making a sophisticated and insightful and/or original argument
relating to the specified aspect(s) of the text(s).
2
Specified aspect(s) of visual or oral text(s) are selected from:
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purposes and audiences
ideas (eg character, theme, setting)
language features (eg cinematography, mise-en-scène, editing, production design, sound, performance, rhetorical
devices)
structures (eg narrative sequence, beginnings and endings).
3
Studied refers to a considered exploration of the specified aspects of text(s).
4
Visual or oral text(s) may include part or whole texts from New Zealand and world texts. Reference may
be made to one or more texts within the chosen text types or a combination of those listed below
(inter textual studies):
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5
film
television programme
drama production
radio programme
oral performance
multi-media
graphic novel
digital
online.
Supported by evidence refers to the use of specific and relevant details to support an argument. This may
include examples, quotations, and/or references to the studied text(s) and/or other sources.