1. This Unit Standard belongs to a package of standards that forms the literacy and numeracy co-requisite to the National Certificate of Achievement (NCEA) in English language. Together with Unit <US32405>  Write texts to communicate ideas and information and Unit <US32406> Use mathematics and statistics to meet the numeracy demands of a range of situations, this package of standards assesses the foundational literacy and numeracy skills that enable learners to engage in further learning, life, and work.
2. For the purposes of this Unit Standard, foundational literacy refers to the knowledge and capabilities in reading and writing that enable learners to access further learning, develop important life skills, and engage in employment and in their communities. In Aotearoa New Zealand, this includes an understanding of how to participate in a society with bicultural foundations.
3. This Unit Standard corresponds to the Big Ideas and Significant Learning in the Literacy Learning Matrix for reading. It should be read in conjunction with Unpacking Literacy and at least one of the relevant frameworks below:
   • The New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) – upper Level 4, lower Level 5
   • Curriculum Progress Tools, which comprise the Learning Progressions Framework (LPF) and Progress and Consistency Tool (PaCT) - Reading: The scale descriptors in the range 750 to 850
   • The Learning Progressions for Adult Literacy (LPAN) – Step 4
   • The English Language Learning Progressions (ELLP) – upper Stage 3, lower Stage 4
   • The Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) – upper Level 2, lower Level 3
4. Learners will be assessed against this Unit Standard through an external Common Assessment Activity that is set and delivered by NZQA.
5. For this Unit Standard, the complexity of the texts must allow learners to demonstrate skills as described in one or more of the following documents:
   • The New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) – upper Level 4, lower Level 5
   • Curriculum Progress Tools, which comprise the Learning Progressions Framework (LPF) and Progress and Consistency Tool (PaCT) - Reading: The scale descriptors in the range 750 to 850
   • The Learning Progressions for Adult Literacy (LPAN) – Step 4
   • The English Language Learning Progressions (ELLP) – upper Stage 3, lower Stage 4
6. Competence for the performance criteria must be assessed across a range of texts.
7. For this Unit Standard, assessment must include:
   • a minimum of four texts;
   • continuous and non-continuous texts of various text types;
   • at least one text of more than 200 words.
8. Definitions

Compare refers to noting the similarities and differences within or between texts.

Continuous text consists of sentences organised into paragraphs and often into larger units (for example essays, chapters or books), whereas non-continuous text consists of information without such continuous organisation (for example lists, tables, charts, pānui, graphs, and images supported by a significant element of written information).

Credibility refers to making a judgement about the trustworthiness of an author/source (cf Reliability).

Critical awareness refers to the ability to identify who wrote a text, for whom, why and whether it may have purposes that are not immediately apparent.

Evaluate refers to making a judgment – for example, regarding the usefulness of the text for the reader’s purpose, or the trustworthiness of author/source and text – and writing a brief statement about the main points.

Language features refers to the use of grammar, tense, vocabulary, sentence structure etc.

Link refers to making associations between ideas within or between text.

Locate refers to finding information in a text.

Reliability refers to making a judgment about the trustworthiness of a text (cf Credibility).

Process refers to demonstrating an understanding of ideas and information.

Summarise refers to giving a brief account of the main ideas.

Text structures refers to the organisation of a text, including layout found in different text types (e.g., letters, reports, pānui, recounts, narratives).