Agriculture 2021 HSC exam pack

Students should:

• read the question carefully to ensure that they do not miss important components of the question
• use relevant Agricultural terminology to improve the quality of the response
• have a clear understanding of key words in the question and recognise the intent of the question and its requirements
• engage with any stimulus material provided and refer to it in the response
• communicate ideas and information using relevant examples
• expect to perform some mathematical functions, interpret data/graphs/tables and assess information for accuracy, reliability and/or validity
• consider using graphical solutions if appropriate
• show full and clear working out for all questions involving calculations
• review their response to ensure that it addresses the question requirements.

Question 21

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify a common management practice that has impacted soil quality (a)
• indicate the features of the identified management practice that have led to how it has contributed to a soil degradation problem (a)
• provide clear cause and effect links between a relevant management practice that has alleviated soil degradation (b)
• address the whole question by providing specific reference to long-term sustainability, based on the benefits of the sustainable management practice (b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• outlining relevant management practices (a)
• providing a link between the management practice and the type of soil degradation problem it causes (a)
• addressing soil degradation specifically, rather than water quality or another type of environmental issue (a)
• making use of one management practice, showing clear links to how the practice alleviates the problem and ensures long term sustainability, rather than giving multiple practices with vague descriptions (b).

Question 22

In better responses, students were able to:

• distinguish between grasses and non-grasses and give accurate examples (a)
• give characteristics or features of grasses and non-grasses and state their role in a pasture mix (a)
• provide the purpose of each pasture type in the mix to address the role they play in the pasture, for example, grasses provide roughage which aids in ruminant digestion, legumes provide protein necessary for muscle development in livestock (a)
• provide accurate features of native plant species and points for/and or against their inclusion in a grazing system (b)
• discuss issues with the use of native plant species in a grazing system (b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• extending beyond listing features of grasses and non-grasses, consistently referring to a pasture mix, rather than providing the role of supplementary feed types in the diet, for example, hay and nutritionally balanced pellets or grain mixes (a)
• outlining the application of native plant species, to address their use in a grazing system (b).

Question 23

In better responses, students were able to:

• outline two features of linebreeding and one outcome of crossbreeding
• link the correct objective measurement scheme to why the producers choose this data for breeding, for example, EBV’S with Breedplan for better marbling, 100, 200, 400 day weight gains.

Areas for students to improve include:

• linking a crossbreeding program with an industry example for livestock
• avoiding confusing subjective measurements in a product specification like meat colour, weight with objective measurements in a breeding program
• linking objective measurement to use in a breeding program.

Question 24

In better responses, students were able to:

• distinguish the difference between processing such as pasteurisation (product - milk) of a farm product and on-farm operations such as feeding cattle (product - milk) (a)
• provide clear links between value adding using specific detail (monetary/ time saving) for one specific example linked to chosen farm product (b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• reviewing processing operations for a chosen farm product post-harvest such as homogenisation for product – milk (a)
• revising the reason for value adding a product (b).

Question 25

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide reasons for the use of market specifications in the promotion and sale of farm products (a)
• for a nominated farm product, provide characteristics and features of one market specification and provide methods of how to meet the product requirements at producer level (b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• reviewing the requirement for market specifications in the sale of a farm product (a)
• revising multiple methods to meet the market specification (b)
• providing detailed information for the market specification relevant to a named farm product (b).

Question 26

In better responses, students were able to:

• outline the signs or symptoms of a nominated pest/disease (a)
• provide a clear link between the pest/disease and its significance to the industry, for example, the control of the pest/disease costing producers money and time leading to lower returns and decreased product quality (b)
• identify an integrated pest management program for the chosen pest/disease which includes a range of control measure and provide clear judgements on the success of this program (c).

Areas for students to improve include:

• demonstrating an understanding of the pest/disease chosen and its impacts on the industry (b)
• developing an understanding of integrated pest management programs and the strategic use in controlling pest/diseases (c).

Question 27

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify the situations which cause fluctuation in the farm income and link them to decision making by giving examples and valid reasoning (a)
• outline the impact of high input costs on the decision-making process including some examples (a)
• give some features of gross margins and discuss the use in on-farm financial planning by giving some advantages and shortcomings (b).

Areas for students to improve:

• describe the impact of factors on decision making, rather than the impact of decisions on performance of the enterprise (a)
• understanding that gross margins are the tools of comparison, not the tools of whole farm budgeting (b).

Question 28

In better responses, students were able to:

• outline a reason why a published scientific research study was conducted (ai)
• describe in detail several conclusions and recommendations of a published scientific research study on a biotechnology including relevant technical detail (aii)
• show a clear and detailed understanding of examples of biofuel production, the tension with land use for food production and its impact on the intake and release of carbon (b).

Areas for students to improve:

• demonstrating an understanding of a published scientific research study for biotechnology, rather than personally researching a technology (ai, aii)
• familiarising themselves with recommendations, for example, conclusions of the research study (aii)
• being able to clearly articulate how named biofuels are created, as well as an understanding of the carbon cycle and land use conflicts for food or fuel production (b).

Question 29

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify a research study analysis and outline its purpose (ai)
• briefly outline the study and describe its findings, linked to the purpose of the study (aii)
• describe the recommendations of the study clearly linking to the situations studied (aii)
• demonstrate clear links between ruminants and greenhouse gas production, for example, rumen microbe’s breakdown cellulose to produce volatile fatty acids and methane produced as a by-product (b)
• clearly describe a range of strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ruminants such as selecting animals for faster growth rates and faster turn off times, reducing methane emissions (b).

Areas for students to improve:

• developing an understanding of a legitimate research study and its components (a)
• differentiating between general personal study of the option and a research study related to the option (a)
• developing an understanding of ruminant processes and linking these to greenhouse gas production (b)
• developing an understanding of a range of strategies that can be used to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ruminants and not from industry (b).

Question 30

In better responses, students were able to:

• clearly identify a research study and outline not only the aim, but why it was done, describing its conclusions and recommendations
• provide clear and comprehensive points for and/or against the developments in both robotics and biotechnology (b)
• include at least one relevant example in each of the technologies (b).

Areas for students to improve:

• distinguishing between a scientific research study and a students’ individual class research assignment or in-class experiment on a technology (a i/ii)
• studying a recent technology implementation (a i/ii)
• demonstrating a clear knowledge of what are biotechnologies and robotic technologies (b)
• ensuring autonomous drone functions are provided when using drones as an example of a robotic technology (b).