Correct response: Variable oystercatchers are wading birds that are native to New Zealand.

Incorrect responses included: Variable oystercatchers are wading birds that are native to New Zealand. They are stocky with red-orange eye-rings, long red bills, pink legs, and vary in colour from black and white to pure black. They nest in the sand above the high tide line, i.e., all of the first paragraph. Students who made this response probably did so because they were unable to distinguish between general and specific information (the information about what variable oystercatchers look like and where they nest is specific information that begins once the opening general statement has concluded).

Note that all of the first paragraph could be justified as an "introduction" because the specific focus of the text does not begin until the second paragraph. However a) asks the students to find the opening general statement, and so assesses their ability to distinguish between general and specific information. Had the students been asked to find the introduction, it would have assessed their ability to distinguish between background information and the topic of the text.

Very few responses included inference, for example, the adult starts flapping around on the ground to draw the predator's attention away from the nest; and The adult fakes an injury. While it is not necessary to infer in order to respond correctly, teachers may wish to investigate whether students who did not use inference actually understand why adult oystercatchers behave as they do.

Correct responses included: Moa were native to NZ; Moa are extinct; flightless; Moa were herbivores; Moa were browsers.

It is important to note that, for this age group, classification does not yet involve ranking species according to Kingdom, Phylum, Family, etc. However, at levels three and four of the science curriculum students are expected to "Begin to group plants, animals, and other living things into science-based classifications". For this reason, responses such as were NZ birds; Moa were vegetarians; Moa had small heads; and they had large legs, have been accepted but are more appropriate to levels one and two of the science curriculum where students group according to observable features rather than science-based classification. In order to classify at levels one and two students simply have to establish that a group exists, e.g., birds with small heads, and that a contrasting group, i.e., birds without small heads, also exists.

Some students responded without using relational processes (also called linking verbs). For example, instead of responding with They are native to NZ, they wrote native to NZ. While responses like this are correct, it is possible that these students are not aware how important relational processes (such as are) are to scientific classification.

Incorrect responses included: vary in colour; black and white to pure black; pink legs; orange eye-rings; long red bills; several; and aggressive.

None of the incorrect responses are specific to a particular topic, field, or academic discipline. For example pink legs uses everyday words even though the idea of pink legs is certainly not everyday. Red-orange eye-rings and long red bills contain a mix of both technical and everyday vocabulary, for example, eye-rings and bills are technical vocabulary but orange and long red are not. Several and aggressive may have been words students could not decode and/ or did not know the meaning of and therefore guessed to be technical. For more information on technical vocabulary, see Language of science.

As in iii) Text feature: Language for classifying, some students responded without using relational processes (also called linking verbs). For example, instead of responding with they have pink legs, they wrote pink legs. While responses like this are correct, it is possible that these students are not aware how important relational processes such as have are to scientific description.

Note that the word "nest" is usually used as a noun, e.g., birds lay their eggs in a nest. However, in science texts in particular, "nest" may also be used as a verb. 

Incorrect responses included: Variable oystercatchers do several things. Although "do" is a material process (a verb that expresses action), it does not describe what variable oystercatchers do. From discussion with these students it appears that they did not understand what was expected of them, and focused on the word "do" in the text because the task included the word "do".

A small group noted language that describes what predators do. Although appears, follows and chase are all used as material processes in this text, they do not describe what variable oystercatchers do. Students who responded in such a way have, however, shown an implicit understanding of which words express action and happenings. Understanding this concept is the most difficult part of f).

Incorrect responses: There were no incorrect responses – those who did not get h) correct did not attempt it.  In discussion with students it became clear that they were not able to analyse the text in order to decide if the text was written as if the action happened in the past, e.g., The predator usually followed and so was led away from the nest, if it was written as if the action is happening right now, e.g., The predator is following and so is being led away from the nest, or if the text is not linked to any particular time (timeless), e.g., The predator usually follows and so is led away from the nest.

Correct responses: Any section of the text can be used as an example of objective language. They are stocky can be justified as objective language since it is probably generally accepted that oystercatchers are short and sturdy birds. Therefore "stocky" would not be considered subjective, i.e., based on, or influenced by, personal feelings, tastes, or opinions. However, there was lively discussion on this point with some students able to justify "stocky" as a put-down; a mean thing to say; something you say when you don't like the way something looks.

Incorrect responses: There were no incorrect responses – those who did not get h) correct did not attempt it.

NOTE: Teachers who suspect a student may have guessed their response should insert several items of subjective language into "Variable Oystercatchers", then ask the students to identify the subjective language (i.e., the language that is not objective). For example, "They are stocky with red-orange eye-rings, long red bills, very strange looking pink legs… ", and "The predator usually follows (how stupid can you get!),and so is led away from the nest."