Design and Technology 2019 HSC exam pack

Students should:

• write the plans during the process and not after the completion of the project
• present the proposal and management section as a plan of the future direction
• ensure that the project reflects the original need as outlined at the beginning of the folio and the process reflects design decision making
• consider the management of the folio in terms of the marking process
• focus on outlining the product, system or environment that the student intends to make and not consider alternative projects.

In better projects, students were able to:

• develop the folio under the syllabus headings, making evidence clearly accessible.

Areas for students to improve include:

• using twelve point font size and the recommended style
• maintaining the 80-page limit
• keeping media presentations to a maximum of six minutes
• providing media evidence of successes and failures that were difficult to verbalise
• avoiding the repetition of work
• understanding that small-scale pictures or text in the folio reproduced as A4 copies for display purposes are included in the folio page count and therefore may render the folio oversize
• ensuring that the font size and sketches are not too small so that the marker can easily read the text and see the images.

Students should:

• develop research that links to the project, system or environment being produced
• maximise the development of the design
• include evidence of the evolution of the product, system or environment and this should be seen in the creativity, sketching, model making, testing, experiments and refinements related to the solution presented.

In better projects, students were able to:

• clearly identify practical skills used
• demonstrate a depth of knowledge to manipulate items within their skillset, as opposed to items that have been downloaded or outsourced. This is specifically evident in applications and architectural presentations
• clearly identify their own work as opposed to what the program may have generated from inbuilt functions.

Areas for students to improve include:

• ensuring that passwords for accessing to student work are clearly identified
• ensuring that the language and images used and any violent content in media presentations is appropriate for the general viewing audience
• having laptops plugged into chargers.

Students should:

• be concise and focus on evaluating statements
• be succinct, offering information that relates directly to solving the problem they are trying to address
• show the relationship between the proposal and the presented items
• outline the process of design undertaken
• ensure that the folio tells the story of the student’s progression and the creation of a solution to the need they identified in the proposal.

In better projects, students were able to:

• design, research, test and clearly relate the results to determining a solution to the need
• draw conclusions that aid in the development of the solution or in the final product.

Areas for students to improve include understanding that:

• full pages of small font, minimum line spacing and tiny pictures is a poor way of communicating
• the addition of diaries, surveys and printable materials in the media presentation could make the project oversize.

Students should:

• plan and structure both short answer and extended responses
• utilise a variety of examples to support their responses, ensuring that each example is relevant to the question
• review their responses to ensure all the elements of the question(s) have been addressed
• continue to develop their understanding of the key words ‘explain’ and ‘analyse’ to provide greater depth and breadth to their responses.

Question 11

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify two different methods of evaluation (a)
• specifically relate the method of evaluation to the effective design of the product (b)
• provide relevant example(s) to describe how this process occurred within the context of the evaluation method (b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• reading the question carefully to avoid unnecessary reference to the Major Design Project rather than providing reference to the specific methods of evaluation
• detailing specific examples of how the evaluative process benefits the design of the product
• referencing appropriate products to support and or frame their responses.

Question 12

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide a discussion about technology and how it is used in the design process
• highlight positive and/or negative impacts as a result of the technology utilised.

Areas for students to improve include:

• identifying the different influences that technology can have on the design process
• using relevant examples in their response
• developing an understanding of the characteristics and features of how evaluation aids the product of a design
• developing a better understanding of the key word ‘describe’ by providing characteristics and features and ‘discuss’ by providing the points for and/or against to demonstrate a deep understanding of the influence of technology, linking its impact on the design process.

Question 13

In better responses, students were able to provide:

• a description of a number of social trends and clearly show how design practices have evolved
• detailed examples of how changing social trends impacted on the design practices.

Areas for students to improve include:

• providing specific examples of social trends and demonstrating an understanding of how these influence design practice.
• developing a better understanding of social trends and elaborating their responses to make the relationship between the social trend and the design practice evident
• planning responses so they are more cohesive and sustained.

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate a detailed understanding of factors that determine the success or failure of innovative designs
• demonstrate an understanding of what may contribute to successful innovation
• provide a wide range of examples to support their response, ensuring that each example is relevant to the question
• logically and cohesively identify the factors that determine the success or failure of an innovative design and provide analysis by articulating the implications.

Areas for students to improve include:

• developing an understanding of a wide range of successful as well as failed innovative designs
• demonstrating an understanding of the factors affecting innovation
• using appropriate and relevant examples to support the factors identified in the response
• developing a better understanding of the key word ‘analyse’ by drawing out statements and relating their implications to demonstrate a deep understanding of the factors determining success or failure of an innovative design
• planning and writing their responses on the lined pages only
• making reference to the rubric provided.