ACARA v9 English close reading — Capitulare de Villis: Student answers ordered by achievement level (teacher feedback)

Overview

Below are the student responses from the Capitulare de Villis close‑reading test, ordered by achievement level (highest to lowest). Each entry shows: question summary, the student's answer, awarded score (out of 2), concise feedback, and a short suggestion for improvement or a model answer where helpful. Note: each item is worth 2 marks.

Top (full marks: 2/2)

1. Q2 — What must a steward do about ponds?
   Student answer: "stewards finding unused ponds must expand if practicable"
   Score: 2/2
   Feedback: Correct. Clause 21 requires building/expanding ponds where practicable. Good use of the term 'practicable.'
   Improvement: None needed; could add a short reason (increase production) for depth.
2. Q3 — When and what do stewards send to the king?
   Student answer: "at Christmas they make statements of fish sales, numbers of restocked fish, and profits plus labor costs (cl62)"
   Score: 2/2
   Feedback: Correct. Clause 62 requires an annual/accounting statement at Christmas listing incomes and relevant costs.
   Improvement: None required; clear and specific.
3. Q4 — Which workmen do stewards keep?
   Student answer: "skilled fishermen, skilled netmakers, (cl45)"
   Score: 2/2
   Feedback: Correct. Clause 45 lists fishermen, netmakers and other skilled workers.
   Improvement: Could add one or two more worker types from the clause for completeness.
4. Q7 — Where should ponds be kept or built, explain?
   Student answer: "assess site is ‘practicable’, water is clean and workers are reliable (cl21)"
   Score: 2/2
   Feedback: Good — identifies practicability, water quality and labour availability, which are the correct considerations.
   Improvement: None needed.
5. Q8 — What do stewards report come Christmas, why?
   Student answer: "they include geese firewood turnips smiths and fish (cl62)"
   Score: 2/2
   Feedback: Correct — the Christmas statement lists various incomes and supplies; naming examples is appropriate.
6. Q9 — What do stewards need to report by Christmas?
   Student answer: "need to report income from fishponds, eggs, wine, pigs and smiths (cl62)"
   Score: 2/2
   Feedback: Good and thorough list; correct clause reference.
7. Q10 — Important people for steward to keep on estate?
   Student answer: "Soapmakers maintain estate hygiene by crafting soap and blacksmiths create weapons for defence (45)"
   Score: 2/2
   Feedback: Good. Naming roles and explaining why they matter demonstrates understanding beyond recall.
8. Q11 — When do stewards sell fish and what action do they take after?
   Student answer: "If they sold all fish without restocking they break cl 65. They need to restock fish for breeding (65)"
   Score: 2/2
   Feedback: Correct and clearly stated: selling is permitted but restocking is required to preserve breeding stock.
9. Q12 — What may steward do with fish when king is away?
   Student answer: "may sell fish (cl65)"
   Score: 2/2
   Feedback: Correct and concise.
10. Q13 — Which workers must steward have for Christmas and everyday needs?
    Student answer: "netmaker, blacksmiths, shoemakers and fishermen (cl45)"
    Score: 2/2
    Feedback: Good selection and clause reference.
11. Q14 — Where should steward keep or build fishpond by Xmas?
    Student answer: "steward must build fishponds where ‘practicable’ (cl21)"
    Score: 2/2
    Feedback: Correct and succinct.
12. Q15 — If practicable what should steward do (clause 21)?
    Student answer: "check for fishpond expansion potential (cl 21)"
    Score: 2/2
    Feedback: Correct — that is the point of Clause 21.
13. Q16 — What should steward include in report for king?
    Student answer: "Fish stock numbers, quality of pond upkeep, and cost of fish (cl62)"
    Score: 2/2
    Feedback: Good; mentions quantities, upkeep and costs — which Clause 62 expects.

Full‑marks (likely correct) but score missing in source

1. Q17 — Why keep fishermen instead of hiring for each catch?
   Student answer: "more efficient and experienced and reliable staff (cl45)"
   Score: score not provided in source — teacher should mark as 2/2
   Feedback: This is a correct reasoning answer. Clause 45 expects maintaining skilled workers; the student explains benefits (efficiency, experience, reliability).
   Improvement: Could add a short example (e.g. consistent catch quality or lower long‑term cost) to strengthen explanation.

Partial credit (1/2) — needs revision

1. Q1 — When can fish be sold and what must be done after?
   Student answer: "fish sold when king gone, and profits go to military supply (cl 65)"
   Score: 1/2
   Feedback: Partly correct — the student correctly notes fish may be sold when the king is absent and that sold fish must be restocked (core of cl.65). However, the claim that profits go to 'military supply' is unsupported by the quoted clause here. Also the student omitted that sales and income must be recorded in the estate statement (see cl.62).
   Improvement / model answer (brief): "Fish may be sold when the king is away, but sold fish must be replaced/restocked so breeding stock remains (cl.65). Sales and income should be recorded in the estate statement at Christmas (cl.62)." Add only details supported by the clause.
2. Q5 — If you were a steward where would you place a pond?
   Student answer: "aquaculture focused near a field crop"
   Score: 1/2
   Feedback: Partly clear. Saying 'near a field crop' can be sensible, but the clause emphasises pragmatics: choose sites where building/expansion is practicable (water supply, land suitability, access to labour). The student did not explain why 'near a field crop' meets the clause's criteria.
   Improvement: Explain the reason: e.g. "Place ponds where water is available, the ground is suitable and workers can easily access them — near fields can be practical if those factors are met (cl.21)." Cite cl.21.
3. Q6 — Why should king care if garum is made with dirty hands? (cl21)
   Student answer: "lack of hygiene can result in contamination (cl 34)"
   Score: 1/2
   Feedback: The idea (hygiene risks and contamination) is correct, but the student cited the wrong clause (cl.34) while the question points to cl.21. Also they should briefly explain consequences (health risk, reputational damage, and economic loss).
   Improvement / model answer: "Because poor hygiene can contaminate garum, harming health and the product's reputation; the king must safeguard public health and estate produce (see cl.21)." Ensure the clause number supports the claim.

Unscored / Clarify

1. Q18 — If you could only sell half the pond this year how much would you restock so there is always stock for next year?
   Student answer: "restock half of total fish sold"
   Score: not provided
   Feedback: The phrasing is ambiguous and likely incorrect. If you sold half the pond (i.e. 50% of the stock), to maintain the original stock level you must restock the number of fish you sold — that is, replace the full amount sold (50% of the original stock). The student writes "half of total fish sold" which reads as restocking only 50% of what was sold (i.e. 25% of the original stock) — that would leave stock reduced.
   Improvement / model answer: "If you sold half the pond, you must restock the number sold (replace 50% of the original stock) so breeding stock remains for next year." Explain in numbers if helpful (e.g. pond had 100 fish; sold 50 → restock 50).

Summary & next teaching steps

• Most responses show good clause recall and use of specific evidence (many 2/2 answers). Praise accuracy and clause referencing.
• Common small errors: incorrect clause citation (Q1, Q6), unsupported inference about proceeds (Q1), and ambiguous quantitative reasoning (Q18).
• Teaching focus: reinforce checking clause numbers before citing, encourage students to state briefly why a practical decision is appropriate (linking to clause wording), and practice simple numeric replacement problems (e.g. replace the quantity sold).

If you want, I can prepare a corrected answer sheet with model answers for all 18 items, or a short mini‑lesson (5–10 minutes) to help students avoid the common mistakes above.