Community and Family Studies 2025 HSC exam pack

Students should:

• read the question carefully to ensure that they do not miss important components of the question
• have a clear understanding of key words in the question and recognise the intent of the question and its requirements
• use the first page of the extended response answer booklet to develop a plan to assist with the logical sequencing of information
• engage with what the question is asking rather, than presenting a pre-prepared response
• relate to the question throughout the response, rather than just at the beginning
• sustain their judgements, where applicable, throughout the response with a clear connection to the question
• use relevant syllabus concepts and terminology, where applicable, to support their response
• communicate ideas and information using relevant examples
• present a logical and cohesive response that addresses the question
• review their response to ensure that it addresses question requirements.

Question 21

In better responses, students were able to:

• describe the advantages of using quantitative data in a research project clearly, for example, quantitative data is easy to compare as it uses numbers like percentages or ratings
• describe limitations of using quantitative data in a research project clearly, for example, quantitative data cannot give reasons or feelings behind the numbers
• use examples of quantitative data collection and the results it can provide, for example, surveys asking for numerical answers
• address all aspects of the question, describing more than one advantage, for example, easy to interpret, ability to see the data in a graphic display, such as a bar graph or table, and more than one limitation, for example, lack of depth to responses, inability to know the reasons for responses.

Areas for students to improve include: 

• describing the meaning of the advantages and limitations they identify
• using specific examples, rather than general information
• demonstrating understanding of forms of quantitative data, for example, numerical graphs and tables or close-ended questions in questionnaires.

Question 22

In better responses, students were able to:

• draw relevant information from the graph, for example, statistics and trends in the 60–69 years age group where females are the leading primary carers at around 22%, and females are the leading carers in all age groups
• refer to both age and gender with reference to the graph
• provide relevant reasoning for the age and gender of primary carers, for example, the significant number of females in the age bracket of 50–70 years working part-time/retired, and in the 80+ years age group that there are more male carers than in other age brackets, possibly due to spouses caring for each other.

Areas for students to improve include:

• making explicit reference to the graph, rather than communicating general knowledge about why people become carers
• demonstrating understanding of the key word ‘account’ and providing relevant reasoning for both age and gender determinants of primary carers, for example, suggesting why there are higher rates of females than males, or why rates of young carers were lower than those in the 60–69 years age bracket
• addressing both age and gender, for example, there were fewer males in all age groups, and in the 0–19 years age bracket, the carer rates were low, possibly due to young people being care recipients, attending school, university or work, rather than acting as primary carers.

Question 23

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide a relevant community organisation
• link the community organisation to the rights of the applicable group, for example, supporting the rights of homeless people to have clean clothing and regular connection with others
• link the concept of advocacy to how rights are supported by the community organisation.

Areas for students to improve include:

• using an example of a specific community organisation, rather than describing what can be done in the community generally or through a government organisation
• referring directly to the rights of the group, rather than focusing on specific needs and wellbeing, for example, the right to work and the right to receive health care
• providing specific links to how the community organisation supports the rights of the group, for example, the Matthew Talbot Hostel providing homeless people with access to necessities, such as shelter, food, water and safety.

Question 24

In better responses, students were able to:

• address how to reduce sample bias, for example, conducting the questionnaire when all Year 12 students were present, making the sample fair
• address how steps would improve reliability and validity, for example, giving clear written instructions would improve reliability, as all students would receive the same directions, and the data collected would match the aim of the research to improve validity
• address integrity, respect, and privacy, for example, organising for students to complete the questionnaire in a calm and private environment to help maintain respect and protect privacy
• justify organisational improvements, for example, printing a sufficient number of copies of the questionnaire and using a quiet environment, or conducting the questionnaire online, to improve reliability and ensure all students can complete the questionnaire in the same conditions.

Areas for students to improve include:

• providing justification for suggested solutions, for example, explaining how printing more copies may improve validity or reliability
• linking steps to ethical issues, such as respect and privacy, when justifying how to improve the process
• demonstrating understanding of research quality, for example, providing supporting reasons why avoiding sample bias using consistent instructions and collecting data in a respectful way strengthens the integrity of the research.

Question 25

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate clear understanding of syllabus key words, for example, location, opening hours, staffing, confidentiality, and explain how these aspects affect access to services
• provide examples specific to rural and remote families with clear links to impacts on the families, for example, long travel distances, limited transport, lack of staff, reduced privacy
• show depth by integrating clear, realistic examples, such as, long distances to health care services limit a rural family’s access to support, where the need to drive for over 90 minutes to reach a paediatric specialist makes it difficult to attend appointments and can result in a child missing early diagnosis, which can negatively affect physical and emotional wellbeing.

Areas for students to improve include:

• providing statements about the syllabus key words specific to rural and remote families
• linking the syllabus key word(s) directly to rural and remote contexts, for example, long travel distances, lack of transport, or limited nearby services link to the key word ‘location’, rather than giving general statements that could apply to any group
• showing a clear cause and effect relationship by explaining the aspect of the service directly affecting families’ access, for example, distance, opening hours, staffing, delayed treatment, increased cost, or reduced wellbeing.

Question 26

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate clear understanding of two research methods, for example, interview and observation
• provide reasons for why the research method is suitable or unsuitable, for example, it does not provide qualitative data, it is time consuming
• demonstrate understanding of the research requirements of the topic and connect the reason for suitability to the research topic, for example, the topic requires qualitative data, but the method does not provide qualitative data.

Areas for students to improve include:

• providing examples to justify the reasons for suitability or unsuitability, for example, if only qualitative data can be collected, this may limit the ability to fully explore adult opinions
• making a clear judgement about the suitability of the research method in relation to the specific requirements of the research topic.

Question 27

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide specific and relevant examples of culture, customs and traditions that can influence parenting or caring
• explain clearly the influence of the culture, customs and traditions on parenting or caring, giving reasons why a parent or carer may be impacted, or their role may change
• demonstrate understanding of cultures, customs and traditions with accurate descriptions and detail about each.

Areas for students to improve include:

• demonstrating the effect of the influence on parents or carers separately
• providing detailed and explicit reasoning for the effect on parenting or caring, using course terminology, for example, authoritarian, instead of strict
• identifying more than one example and ensuring examples are specific to culture, customs and traditions, rather than just parenting practices.

Question 28

In better responses, students were able to:

• define a foster parent clearly, for example, a social parent who has temporary care of a child
• provide formal and informal supports assisting foster parents to satisfy a duty of care, for example, Centrelink Carer Allowance is a formal support, neighbours who have been checked for probity may be informal supports
• provide explicit links between the type of support and the way it satisfies duty of care, for example, financial support from Centrelink Carer Allowance assists a foster parent to fulfil their duty of care by providing money to purchase healthy food and access medical care to ensure health needs are met.

Areas for students to improve include:

• demonstrating understanding of all aspects of the question, including foster parent, types of support and duty of care
• linking examples to a foster parent
• classifying types of support as formal and informal, rather than listing services.

Question 29

In better responses, students were able to:

• correctly name and describe relevant legislation for the chosen group, for example, the Anti-Discrimination Act, the Aged Care Act, the Disability Discrimination Act and the Marriage Amendment Act
• justify the extent of the legislation clearly, and address the equity issues faced by the chosen group
• identify specific members within the chosen group who are positively impacted by the chosen legislation.

Areas for students to improve include:

• using the correct terminology for specific legislation, rather than referring to laws using general terms
• incorporating clear and specific equity issues the group may experience
• identifying different members within the chosen group to demonstrate an understanding of diversity.

Question 30 (a)

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate understanding of a women’s refuge
• describe the role a women’s refuge plays in supporting women and their families.

Areas for students to improve include:

• demonstrating understanding that a women’s refuge is a secure, temporary accommodation for women and children escaping domestic and family violence.

Question 30 (b)

In better responses, students were able to:

• incorporate specific details of travel restraint legislation, for example, a child up to 6 months old should be secured in an approved rearward facing restraint, a child from 6 months to 4 years is to be secured in a rear/forward facing child restraint with inbuilt harness, and a child from 7 years to 16 years may have a booster seat
• link relevant legislation and government agencies to the protection of children’s safety when travelling in a vehicle
• provide specific examples of government agencies with a role in protecting the welfare of children when travelling in a vehicle, for example, Kidsafe, Transport NSW
• provide detailed information regarding different types of travel restraints.

Areas for students to improve include:

• identifying specific legislation and government agencies with a role in travel safety for children in vehicles
• stating how specific legislation and government agencies protect children while they are travelling in a vehicle, for example, travel restraint legislation.

Question 30 (c)

In better responses, students were able to:

• make valid judgements about the effectiveness of government legislation and entitlements in place to address current issues for the aged
• provide specific legislation clearly linked to the aged, for example, the Aged Care Act 2024, Age Discrimination Act 2004 and entitlements, for example, age pension, seniors card
• provide specific examples of issues for the aged with links to wellbeing, for example, housing security impacting economic and emotional wellbeing.

Areas for students to improve include:

• ensuring links are made to influences on wellbeing
• incorporating specific government legislation and initiatives, rather than referring just to ‘government legislation or initiatives’
• providing clear judgements on how specific government legislation and entitlements impact issues affecting the aged.

Question 31 (a)

In better responses, students were able to: 

• demonstrate understanding of the difference between primitive and complex hardware technologies, for example, primitive technology is simple/basic with limited functions, complex technology is often multifaceted and more advanced in design
• use examples to demonstrate understanding of the difference between primitive and complex hardware technology, for example, primitive technology is a hammer, a basic device to hammer nails into wood using manpower, while an electric nail gun uses complex technology, including automated power, to hammer in the nails.

Areas for students to improve include:

• providing a description of the two technologies, rather than just listing examples. For example, primitive technology refers to simple, traditional tools and techniques, whereas complex technology refers to devices with multiple functions, rather than ‘primitive is a washboard, complex is a washing machine’
• clearly showing the difference between primitive and complex technologies.

Question 31 (b)

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate an understanding of rights and responsibilities, for example, rights are entitlements, responsibilities are behaviours the employee must display
• provide a detailed explanation with relevant examples in relation to the adoption of technology in the workplace and how it affects rights and responsibilities, for example, a forklift requiring users to obtain a license means an employee may have the right to training to use it safely. The employee has the responsibility to use the forklift in a safe manner to protect themselves and fellow workers.

Areas for students to improve include:

• covering rights and responsibilities as two separate terms
• providing examples for both rights and responsibilities
• linking the adoption of technology to rights and responsibilities, for example, where new technology is introduced into the workplace, such as a new computer system, employees have the right to receive education and training on the system, and the responsibility to complete all required training.

Question 31 (c)

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide clear examples of emerging transport and medicine technologies and explain how they influence people and communities, for example, the shift to electric vehicles and development of new vaccines
• make informed judgements by showing how emerging medical and transport technologies impact society, for example, robotic assisted surgery or AI-supported diagnostics can affect the health of people through accurate treatment, reduced recovery times and earlier access to specialised care
• make clear links to wellbeing, for example, linking robotic surgery to physical and emotional wellbeing through faster healing, reduced stress and greater confidence in treatment.

Areas for students to improve include:

• showing understanding of emerging technologies, for example, explaining that electric vehicles reduce emissions because they do not rely on petrol combustion
• linking the technology to aspects of impact
• highlighting emerging innovations, for example, self-driving vehicles, telehealth platforms or AI-supported imaging
• expanding on the influence of the technology by describing its impact on individuals or communities, for example, explaining how electric buses reduce local air pollution and support healthier community environments
• linking to how the emerging technologies impact the wellbeing of individuals.

Question 32 (a)

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide a description of rights and responsibilities and why they are important in the workplace, for example, employees and employers can work together to maintain safety, fairness and efficiency, which lead to improved relationships, higher productivity and positive workplace culture
• providing examples of rights and responsibilities, for example, the right to a safe working environment means Personal Protective Equipment is provided for hospitality workers handling hot equipment, and workers’ responsibility is to follow Work Health and Safety procedures, such as reporting hazards or using equipment correctly.

Areas for students to improve include:

• clearly distinguishing between rights and responsibilities and describing their importance
• using specific examples to support their explanations.

Question 32 (b)

In better responses, students were able to:

• explain how economic factors and technological developments influence changes in work patterns, with direct reference to specific patterns of work
• explain how economic factors, for example, a booming economy, inflation, recessions, have led to changes in work patterns, and support the explanation with relevant examples
• explain how technological developments, for example, computers, automation, robotics, artificial intelligence, have led to changing work patterns, using relevant examples to support the response.

Areas for students to improve include:

• developing understanding of economics referring to the broader economy, not personal finances or economic wellbeing, and how economic conditions influence the work patterns people adopt
• explaining how technological advances have changed work patterns for a range of workers
• including specific examples of different work patterns, for example, explaining that technology has enabled more people to work from home
• showing cause and effect with a range of examples to illustrate the knowledge of technology and economics as social factors.

Question 32 (c)

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate knowledge and understanding of shift work and part-time work patterns
• use syllabus terminology to discuss multiple roles being managed, for example, parenting, caring, volunteer, recreation, study, hobbies, leadership, work
• make judgements about the suitability of shift work and part-time work patterns for young people, using relevant examples to support the response
• make clear links to the impact that patterns of work may have on a young person's wellbeing.

Areas for students to improve include:

• demonstrating understanding of the characteristics and features of both part-time and shift work, for example, part-time work consists of a permanent work arrangement, less than 35 hours per week, with the same shifts allocated on set days and hours, and shift work often takes place outside normal business hours, but may attract higher pay conditions
• providing relevant examples that demonstrate knowledge and understanding of young people in these patterns of work
• making judgements about how the characteristics of each work pattern may impact a young person's ability to manage multiple roles
• using relevant and justified impacts on varied areas of wellbeing for young people.