Agriculture 2016 HSC exam pack
2016 Agriculture HSC exam paper
Marking guidelines
Marking guidelines are developed with the exam paper and are used by markers to guide their marking of a student's response. The table shows the criteria with each mark or mark range.
Sample answers may also be developed and included in the guidelines to make sure questions assess a student's knowledge and skills, and guide the Supervisor of Marking on the expected nature and scope of a student's response. They are not intended to be exemplary or even complete answers or responses.
Marking feedback
Select from the sections below to view feedback from HSC markers about how students performed in this year’s exam.
Use the feedback to guide preparation for future exams. Feedback includes an overview of the qualities of better responses. Feedback may not be provided for every question.
Feedback on written exam
Questions 21–24
Candidates showed strength in these areas:
- identifying the stages of growth in animals and their appropriate protein requirements (Q21b)
- identifying a farming technique that improves soil organic matter (Q22a)
- identifying elements of experimental design (Q23b)
- identifying strategies to reduce competition in crop production (Q24b).
Candidates need to improve in these areas:
- explaining why various food components are required in diets for ruminants (Q21a)
- clearly describing a program where community groups and government work in partnership to protect soil and/or water resources (Q22b)
- linking the results of experimental data to increased efficiency of production and/or maximising profitability (Q23c)
- explaining how management practices manipulate the process of photosynthesis to maximise plant production (Q24c).
Question 25
Candidates showed strength in these areas:
- identifying husbandry practice/s associated with a named animal production system
- outlining a way to reduce harm/stress to animals while performing a named practice.
Candidates need to improve in these areas:
- clearly indicating distinct animal husbandry practices
- describing how harm/stress to animals is minimised when performing a named animal husbandry practice, rather than justifying why the practice is performed
- focusing on key elements in the question, in this case stress and/or harm to animals.
Question 26(a)
Candidates showed strength in:
- outlining an example of an advertising or promotional campaign linked to a named product.
Candidates need to improve in:
- connecting a named promotional campaign to increased consumption of the product.
Question 26(b)
Candidates showed strength in:
- identifying market specifications for a named product and clearly linking each specification to a purpose such as meeting consumer demand.
Candidates need to improve in these areas:
- explaining two distinct market specifications and their purpose, rather than outlining off-farm product processing steps
- differentiating between value-adding and market specifications.
Question 26(c)
Candidates showed strength in:
- outlining two clear management strategies and linking each strategy to a quality factor of the named product.
Candidates need to improve in:
- establishing a connection between management strategies and the improvement of the quality of a farm product.
Question 27(a)
Candidates showed strength in these areas:
- providing benefits of vertical integration and linking these benefits to a relevant agricultural product/enterprise; for example, owning more than one step in the production chain allows the farmer greater control over the product quality to better meet market specifications/consumer demand.
Candidates need to improve in these areas:
- identifying key components and providing details of vertical integration.
Question 27(b)
Candidates showed strength in:
- indicating how an increase in demand for a farm product affects the financial decisions made by farmers
- providing a clear link between an increase in demand and the financial decisions made by farmers, for example, capital inputs.
Candidates need to improve in:
- understanding a farmer’s possible response to an increase in demand and appreciating the flow-on effects from this, such as an investment in new capital may increase the level of farm debt which could have an effect on future farming decisions.
Question 28(a)(i)
Candidates showed strength in these areas:
- providing reasons for research in the development of an agricultural biotechnology, such as, improved safety to humans, increased production, environmental impact.
Candidates need to improve in these areas:
- providing clear links to the effects of research on biotechnologies
- providing relevant examples of biotechnologies, such as genetically modified food and biofuels to support the response.
Question 28(a)(ii)
Candidates showed strength in these areas:
- describing a research trial, including design elements such as replication, randomisation and standardisation and linking these elements to the reliability of results.
Candidates need to improve in these areas:
- focusing on the design of a trial rather than implementation of biotechnology
- including trial components and understanding why these methodologies are used.
Question 28(b)
Candidates showed strength in these areas:
- demonstrating an awareness of common biofuels and the processes used to make them, such as fermentation of bioethanol and transesterification of biodiesel
- identifying cereal and oil crops and other biological material used for the production of biofuels.
Candidates need to improve in these areas:
- responding to the entire question by providing a discussion of both production and use of biofuels
- comparing biofuels and fossil fuels such as renewable verses non-renewable.
Question 29(a)(i)
Candidates showed strength in these areas:
- outlining a reason for research into climate variability, in particular, changing temperatures.
Candidates need to improve in these areas:
- demonstrating an understanding of the relationship between climate variability and management strategies
- communicating ideas using relevant examples and/or providing clear reasons for the need for research.
Question 29(a)(ii)
Candidates showed strength in these areas:
- describing a trial and/or the reliability of results
- linking an element of experimental design to the reliability of results.
Candidates need to improve in these areas:
- making the link between components of experimental design and the reliability of results in relation to a relevant research trial in climate variability or management strategies related to climate variability.
Question 29(b)
Candidates showed strength in these areas:
- providing examples of farming activities that influence the levels of greenhouse gases such as methane, carbon dioxide and/or nitrous oxide, and their effect on the atmosphere
- providing a discussion of strategies to reduce greenhouse gas output.
Question 30(a)(i)
Candidates showed strength in these areas:
- providing relevant examples of new agricultural technologies
- providing reasons for the need for research in the development of technologies such as robotics, global positioning systems, electronic identification systems and biotechnology.
Candidates need to improve in these areas:
- providing reasons for the design of new agricultural technologies and/or linking the effects of research on technologies
- communicating ideas using relevant examples or providing clear reasons for the need for research.
Question 30(a)(ii)
Candidates showed strength in these areas:
- describing a research trial and providing a clear link to at least one design element and the reason/s for its use.
Candidates need to improve in these areas:
- focusing on the design, rather than the implementation of a trial, including trial components such as replication, randomisation, standardisation, and demonstrating an understand as to why these methodologies are used.
Question 30(b)
Candidates showed strength in these areas:
- identifying a robotic technology available for use in agriculture
- providing points for and/or against a robotic technology and understanding the implications of the use of agricultural robotic technology in Australia
- providing a link between robotic technologies and crop and livestock production and/or welfare of the farmer and/or marketing
- providing advantages and/or disadvantages of robotic technology.
Candidates showed weakness in these areas:
- differentiating between robotic technology and general technology used in agriculture
- selecting a recent robotic technology used in the Australian agriculture industry.
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