Design and Technology 2015 HSC exam pack

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

• understanding the criteria to produce a successful project and providing some supporting information that links to the intended project
• presenting time and action plans that have a secondary consideration of the original plans.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

• meeting the page limit requirement
• understanding that diaries do not need to be provided as part of the project folio
• not exceeding the viewing time for the multimedia parts of the folio and not including photographs that may be printed as part of the project folio
• including a supporting discussion that is relevant and specific to the intended project, with clear links to relevant actions
• developing projects that do not cause real or potential damage or harm.

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

• providing evidence of realisation in either a table, or a flow chart showing logical steps, including photographs
• documenting progressive design development
• presenting evidence of practical activity using photographs
• applying some testing and experimentation with relevance to the project.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

• providing evidence of the design process
• communicating the design process through a ‘3D’ form, for example, using models or prototypes rather than just writing text
• conducting genuine experimentation and testing that indicates specific purpose and future directions in design development
• providing more than images or ideas located from an internet search when communicating a project design.

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

• understanding the functional and aesthetic aspects of the project
• including positive and negative considerations of the project and the relevant relationship to the proposal in the final evaluation.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

• highlighting ongoing evaluation throughout the development of the project
• communicating clearly when attempts to evaluate took place
• using multimedia in the evaluation process
• understanding and focusing closely on the impact upon society and the environment.

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

• identifying WHS practices that are relevant to the production of the lamp prototype (Q11)
• considering the development of the prototype in terms of at least one of these areas: the research of materials, safe manufacturing procedures and the testing of suitable materials (Q11)
• understanding different ways that information storage devices can be used (Q12)
• demonstrating knowledge of some legal issues (Q13).

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

• understanding the difference between teamwork and collaboration and incorporating relevant uses of information storage devices in these contexts (Q12)
• providing legal issues relevant to the context of the question (Q13)
• supporting a response with clear examples (Q13).

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

• understanding aspects of designing and producing products associated with sustainability
• showing some understanding of the challenges and/or opportunities that designers face when designing and producing sustainable products.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

• developing a deeper understanding of sustainable design practices
• providing relevant examples of sustainable products
• understanding design and production-related activities that have a clear link to sustainable products
• ensuring that both opportunities and challenges are addressed in the response.