Community and Family Studies 2017 HSC exam pack

Students should:

• only answer questions on one option question (containing three subparts) – for example,  Question 29 (a), (b), (c) or Question 30 (a), (b), (c) or Question 31 (a), (b), (c) – and that option should be the syllabus topic studied at school
• be familiar with and use relevant Community and Family Studies’ terminology to improve their responses
• address the key words – for example, explain, describe, propose, assess the extent, compare
• engage with the stimulus material – for example, graphs and tables – and use the material to support their responses
• if studying the option ‘Social Impact of Technology’, choose a piece of technology that easily allows examination of political, social and economic impacts.

Students should expect:

• questions to be of varying difficulty
• to support their responses using examples or proposed strategies that are relevant to the question’s context
• to link answers to wellbeing where appropriate
• to apply the rubric to Section II to whichever option question they answer.  

Students can prepare for this examination by:

• using past HSC exam papers and their marking guidelines to practise responses
• being familiar with the syllabus.

In better responses, students were able to:

• directly answer the question and provide information that was relevant to the question’s context  
• use examples that were relevant to the question’s context
• clearly address the key words in each question – for example, ‘assess the extent to which’.

Question 21

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify from the case study in the question that age and disability were the characteristics that affected the parenting roles, as identified in the syllabus
• explain and give relevant examples of formal support services that can assist first-time parents, and then link these to fulfilling their parental responsibilities. 

Question 22

In better responses, students were able to:

• define bias
• explain and demonstrate knowledge and understanding of ways in which bias can occur when conducting research
• provide links between bias and conducting research
• support their responses using relevant examples and terminology.

Question 23

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify and describe an inequity issue for their chosen group (part (a))
• propose more than one strategy relevant to the chosen group that could address the inequity issue (part (b)).

Question 24

In better responses, students were able to:

• clearly address the ‘assess the extent to which’ an organisation meets the needs of a selected group’s members in context, rather than just stating how it assists the group’s members
• provide detailed information on both the organisation and the needs of the group’s members
• link what the organisation does to satisfaction of the group members’ needs
• provide an explicit judgement on the extent to which the organisation assists in meeting the needs of the group’s members.

Question 25

In better responses, students were able to:

• clearly address the demands of the whole question – for example, consider the similarities of or differences between two research methodologies and apply these, supported with examples, to the full context in the question
• provide accurate and detailed information on two research methodologies, such as questionnaires and interviews
• compare the two research methodologies, using examples, and explain the similarities and differences between them
• link the research methodologies to the context of cultural diversity and provide examples, such as language barriers
• provide a clear judgement on the effectiveness of the methodologies.

Question 26

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate a detailed understanding of diversity between different groups
• make clear links between diversity and its effect on the educational needs of people with disabilities and in another group
• provide relevant examples to support their response.

Question 27

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide valid judgements on the extent to which the data in the table could be used to inform practice by care services
• make clear links to the data and provide relevant examples to support their answer and demonstrate an understanding of ‘inform practice’
• provide relevant examples to support their response.

Question 28

In better responses, students were able to:

• explain gender expectations based on traditional stereotypes
• demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of media stereotypes
• link media stereotypes to modern gender expectations of individuals in caring roles
• assess the effects of gender expectations and media stereotyping, separately, on individuals in caring roles
• apply their knowledge and understanding to a variety of caring roles instead of only traditional caring roles
• provide relevant examples to support their response.

General feedback

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the way in which society influences the wellbeing of individuals and families
• support their answers with content related to contemporary issues
• provide a logical and cohesive response, supported by relevant examples.

Question 29

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of the way in which legislation facilitates the peaceful resolution of disputes, and apply it to the specific demands of the questions in parts (a), (b) and (c)
• describe and explain Australian family law and adoption legislation
• communicate information about the different rights of young people and how the government regulates those rights
• provide a clear link between the role of government and the wellbeing of young people.

Question 30

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of a range of technologies in describing technological advancements
• demonstrate a good understanding of the term ‘hardware’ and use appropriate technology terminology
• link technology to the productivity of communities
• select a piece of technology that allows them to examine the political, social and economic effects of that technology
• provide a clear link between technology and the wellbeing of individuals.

Question 31

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide a detailed knowledge and understanding of both shift work and contract work, and of work entitlements for both genders
• explain the positive and negative aspects of both shift work and contract work, and describe the impact of work entitlements on both genders
• correctly identify and name workplace structures and legislation, and link these to the protection of the rights of young people in the workplace
• demonstrate an understanding of syllabus terms and correctly name entitlements
• provide a clear link between the conditions of the workplace and the wellbeing of young people.