Analysing a contemporary geographic issue (internal)
Internal 3 credits Issue Values & perceptions Responses Course of action JustificationThree components, and the third is unusual: explain the nature of the issue, explain how people's values and perceptions led to their responses, and propose a suitable course of action and justify it. Merit requires a detailed justification showing why your solution is better than the alternatives; Excellence requires a FULL justification showing insight.
1 Reading the notation
Precise definitions the standard supplies for "contemporary", "issue", and "justify".📖 Terms the schedule grades you on
3 terms- Contemporary issue
- An issue currently affecting people or places that is UNRESOLVED.
- Geographic issue
- A topic, concern, problem, debate or controversy on a natural and/or cultural environment, with a spatial dimension.
- Justifying the proposed solution
- Requires consideration of AT LEAST ONE alternative solution.
2 The three components
Nature → values and perceptions → a justified course of action.What each component covers
- NATURE OF THE ISSUE: what it is, where, and why it is contested and unresolved.
- VALUES AND PERCEPTIONS: at least three groups, each with a value → perception → response chain.
- COURSE OF ACTION: a suitable, implementable proposal, justified against at least one alternative.
3 Values, perceptions and responses
Fill this table for YOUR issue before writing — component 2 then writes itself.| Group | Value | Perception | Response |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | Place attachment, amenity | The change threatens the character of the area | Submissions, petitions, local action |
| Industry / farmers | Economic viability | The limits are unachievable at current margins | Lobbying, appeals, proposed exemptions |
| Iwi / hapū | Kaitiakitanga, mana whenua | The resource is a taonga held for future generations | Formal submissions, co-management claims |
| Environmental groups | Ecological integrity | Degradation is already past a threshold | Advocacy, legal challenge, monitoring |
| Council / government | Balanced statutory duty | A trade-off between competing statutory obligations | Plans, consents, rules, funding |
Each row is already value → perception → response, which is exactly the chain component 2 needs.
4 Proposing and justifying a course of action
A named alternative is not optional — the standard requires at least one. ✕A proposal with no alternative
Merit requires a justification demonstrating why your solution is preferable. That is only possible against something. Name at least one credible alternative and say why it loses — otherwise the justification has nothing to compare with, and note 3 requires this explicitly.Practice
Recall it first, then use it — testing yourself builds the memory, where rereading the notes above only feels easier.
Recall and application shuffled together — you have to work out what each item wants before you can answer it, which is the part the exam actually tests. Both kinds feed the same spacing schedule, so anything you miss comes back sooner.
Say the answer out loud before flipping — that attempt is where the learning happens, even when you get it wrong.
Exam-style only. Instant feedback, shuffled each attempt, best score saved on this device.