Mātauranga Māori constitutes concepts and principles that are richly detailed, complex, and fundamental to Māoridom. It is important to remember that the practice of these are wider and more varied than their use within the proposed NCEA Achievement Standards and supporting documentation.

We also recognise that the cultures, languages, and identities of the Pacific Islands are diverse, varied, and unique. Therefore the Pacific concepts, contexts, and principles that have been incorporated within NCEA Achievement Standards may have wide-ranging understandings and applications across and within the diversity of Pacific communities. It is not our intention to define what these concepts mean but rather offer some ways that they could be understood and applied within different subjects that kaiako and students alike can explore.

The intent of the Standard

The purpose of this Achievement Standard is for ākonga to show their understanding of how tracking genetic variation provides a useful tool to trace connections between living things. Ākonga will explore sources of genetic variation and link the tracking of genetic information to human endeavours such as disease diagnosis, or care for an endangered species.

The intention is for ākonga to explore the nature of the genetic code. Ākonga will learn how differences between the genetic information in the code of individuals relate to genetic variation, and how this variation arises. This could include sexual reproduction as a recombination of existing alleles, and mutation as a means of new genetic information arising within a population. Ākonga should understand how these sources of inheritable variations lead to advantages and disadvantages of sexual reproduction for a population, in terms of genetic variation.

This Achievement Standard aligns with the following item of Significant Learning:

• consider how genetic variation arises and its effects on biological systems.

Ākonga should understand genetic variation as an informative tool which can be applied in many different situations. Ākonga will understand how sources of variation in a population, such as migration, mutations, non-random mating, population dynamics, and survival capability caused by differences in phenotype, can result in genetic variation over generations. This will allow a deeper understanding of the importance of variation within populations when there is a changing environment such as pest infestation, disease, drought, or flood.

Making reliable judgments

Using an identified phenotype or trait, ākonga will explain the source and nature of genetic variation and relate genetic variation to connections between living things. They will identify a purpose for identifying genetic relationships between organisms, through the use of gene tracking.

Explaining how and why genetic variation arises, in terms of an identified phenotype might involve discussion of:

• the roles of DNA in carrying instructions to the next generation and in determining phenotype
• the relationship between DNA, alleles, genes, and chromosomes
• the way in which genotype determines phenotype
• the implications of paired chromosomes, such that individuals inherit two copies of each gene.

Sources of variation could be the process of crossing over during meiosis, the independent assortment of alleles during gamete production, or the random nature of fertilisation, all of which produce a new combination of alleles in offspring.

Consideration of the nature of genetic variation, for this Achievement Standard, looks to the outcomes and implications for the individual organism, as well as the population and wider ecological community. These outcomes and implications should not just be generalised to be good, bad, or having no effect. Rather than simply assigning a qualifier to the variation, the important aspect is for ākonga to understand and explain how this variation could result in identified outcomes, and how these may affect the organism, population, or community.

The nature of genetic variation can cover ideas such as:

• inheritable and non-inheritable variations that exist within a group of living organisms
• survival of various members of a group may depend on their phenotype
• the importance of variation within populations (population and species survival) in a changing environment such as pest infestation, disease, drought, or flood
• the advantages and disadvantages of sexual reproduction.

At higher levels of achievement, ākonga will explain how the tracking of genetic variation can be linked to an outcome such as a health diagnosis. Evaluating findings should involve a discussion of how the variation in a trait being tracked relates to the overall purpose. Punnett squares may be useful to show the probability of genetic variation, and how sexual reproduction is involved, while family or phylogenetic trees may be useful for showing genetic variation between individuals or groups or organisms over multiple generations. These could provide useful tools for ākonga when evaluating the overall purpose of tracking genetic information.

Evaluation of the tracking of genetic information should be in relation to the purpose of applying the tracking methodology. The purpose of this may be relevant for an individual, population, or wider community.

For example, a native bird population in Aotearoa New Zealand may have very low genetic variation. The source of this variation could be an extreme and rapid reduction in the population in the past. Genetic markers are often tracked in individual birds, which give an indication of how closely related these individuals may be. Evaluating findings is valid when ākonga show understanding of how information about genetic variation in an individual can give information about how closely an individual is to others in the population, and an understanding of genetic variation throughout a population. The purpose of tracking these markers is to maintain a breeding programme which maximises genetic diversity and reduces inbreeding depression. This is beneficial for the overall survival of the bird population, as well as the wider community of organisms that the bird population is a part of.

DNA structure, the sugar-phosphate backbone, and base pairing should not be assessed.

Collecting evidence

Refer to the External Assessment Specifications for further information.

Possible contexts

This Achievement Standard encourages study of human relationships, conservation of endemic species, agricultural practices, food security and sovereignty, predisposition to non-communicable disease, and mātauranga Māori issues of importance in Aotearoa New Zealand. Ākonga may have a particular interest in an outcome, and this may influence the phenotype or trait that they choose to look at for this Achievement Standard. During the teaching and learning programme, ākonga should encounter a range of ways that genetic information is tracked. To link the use of tracking genetic information to an outcome, ākonga could explore contexts such as forensics, tracking inherited conditions, conservation of small populations, or origins of foods.

Ākonga will select one trait which represents genetic variation in a population. Using the trait they have selected as an example, ākonga will describe a source of genetic variation. Phenotypes that are coded for by multiple genes, or where gene expression is strongly influenced by the environment, may be more difficult examples for ākonga to discuss. Kaiako should guide ākonga to consider examples that are accessible at Level 6 of The New Zealand Curriculum: Learning Media, Ministry of Education, 2007.

Standard Exclusions

This Standard has one or more exclusions, or Standards that assess the same or similar learning. These Standards are excluded against one another to prevent assessing the same learning twice. You can only use credits gained from one of these standards towards your NCEA qualification.

Find out more about the NCEA Level 1 Exclusions List.

Literacy and Numeracy Requirements

This Achievement Standard has been approved for literacy in the transition period (2024-2027). 

Full information on the co-requisite during the transition period: Standards approved for NCEA Co-requisite during the transition period (2024-2027).