Ancient History 2015 HSC exam pack (archive)

Cities of Vesuvius – Pompeii and Herculaneum

Part A

Questions 6 and 7

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

• providing accurate and relevant information about the streetscape of Herculaneum
• demonstrating knowledge of Source G (the mosaic) and including a range of other evidence of leisure activities.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

• understanding that Pompeii and Herculaneum are not exactly the same with regard to evidence
• linking specific evidence to support a discussion rather than simply listing leisure activities.

Part B

Question 8

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

• providing a clear response to the question and an argument that was cohesive and well structured
• providing detailed information, particularly about up-to-date conventions and views
• understanding all the elements of the question: ethics, study, time and change, and using examples to support each.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

• interpreting the sources more accurately
• using examples of own knowledge to support an argument.

Ancient Societies

Questions 9–18

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

• accurately identifying information relevant to the ancient society (part a)
• providing accurate descriptions of main features of an aspect of the ancient society (part c)
• using ancient sources, both archaeological and written, as evidence
• providing a well-structured and coherent response using historical terms and concepts.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

• providing accurate and relevant information on key historical terms and concepts in short-answer responses (part b)
• using a range of sources to explain what evidence reveals about the society (part d)
• focusing on specific wording in questions such as ‘significance’, ‘importance’ or ‘role of’
• attaining greater depth to responses through the incorporation of historical detail.

Personalities in Their Times

Questions 19–30

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

• accurately identifying a range of information relevant to the question, providing a detailed description and using sources as evidence
• making a critical judgement about the usefulness of the quotation and integrating this into the response
• identifying a wide range of issues relevant to the question to support a judgement or evaluation
• integrating information from ancient and contemporary sources to support an argument.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

• referring to information from relevant sources in part (a) of the question to support a response
• referring to the quotation in part (b) and other sources as directed in the question
• writing an appropriate amount relevant to the value of the question
• interpreting the quotation in part (b) and assessing it for reliability, rather than merely trusting its veracity.

Historical Periods

Questions 31–47

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

• directly answering the question and, where appropriate, addressing relevant issues from across the entire historical period
• demonstrating comprehensive and accurate historical knowledge and understanding and making detailed reference to a range of relevant archaeological and written evidence
• demonstrating a comprehensive knowledge of the historical period and using appropriate historical terms and concepts.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

• directly addressing the factor identified in a ‘to what extent’ question before identifying and evaluating other factors
• avoiding a narrative response that is of marginal relevance to the question or includes substantial amounts of material that is irrelevant to the parameters of the question
• integrating sources appropriately as evidence to support an argument, rather than simply naming the source or attributing sources incorrectly
• including relevant and accurate historical information
• writing responses that are structured and of appropriate length to adequately address issues raised by the question and incorporating a range of historical terms and concepts.