Design and Technology 2020 HSC exam pack

Students should:

• present the proposal section as a plan of the future direction of the project and then manage the process
• ensure that the project reflects the original need as outlined at the beginning of the folio and that the process reflects design decision making and design development
• consider the layout of the folio in terms of the marking guideline order
• focus on developing the product, system or environment intended and not consider alternative projects
• clearly identify the problem in the first paragraph of the folio
• write time, action and finance plans prior to the process and not after the completion of the project.

In better projects, students were able to:

• develop the folio using the syllabus headings, making evidence clearly accessible
• ensure the project’s intentions are immediately evident so the marker has a clear expectation of what evidence of a process of design could be presented.

Areas for students to improve include:

• using the equivalent of Times New Roman 12 point font size or larger
• maintaining the 80-page limit and preferably 80 single-sided A4
• keeping media presentations to a maximum of six minutes, providing clear instructions for markers
• presenting media evidence of successes and failures when they are difficult to verbalise
• avoiding the repetition of work in photos or media presentations
• understanding that reproducing many small pictures or text from the folio as A4 copies for display purposes or stills in a media presentation could breach the folio page count and therefore may render the folio oversize
• ensuring that sketches and images are not so small so that the marker cannot be easily read.

Students should:

• develop research that links to the project, system or environment being produced
• maximise the developmental sketches and annotations 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 tests, experiments and practical skills and link them to decision making to enhance the design
• demonstrate a depth of knowledge to manipulate items within their skillset, as opposed to items that have been downloaded or outsourced, especially in applications and architectural presentations
• clearly identify their own work as opposed to what the program may have generated from inbuilt functions, in particular in digital projects.

Areas for students to improve include:

• removing time outs or ensure that passwords for accessing 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 evaluative statements, including a cause, an effect and an impact
• be succinct, offering information that relates directly to solving the problem they proposed as their need
• show the relationship between the proposal and the presented package
• outline the process of design undertaken, highlighting functional, aesthetic, social and environmental issues
• ensure that the folio tells the story of the project’s progression and the creation of a solution to the need 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 or problem
• draw conclusions that aided in the development of the solution

Areas for students to improve include understanding that:

• full pages of 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:

• read the question carefully to ensure that important components of the question are not missed
• have a clear understanding of key words in the question and recognise the intent of the question and its requirements
• engage with any stimulus material provided and refer to it in the response
• communicate ideas and information using relevant examples
• expect to perform some mathematical functions, interpret data/graphs/tables and assess information for accuracy, reliability and/or validity
• consider using graphical solutions if appropriate
• show full and clear working out for all questions involving calculations
• review their response to ensure that it addresses the question requirements.

Question 11

In better responses, students were able to:

• apply their knowledge and understanding of the role of Intellectual Property (IP) Australia and how designers protect their IP using appropriate examples, such as a trademark for logos/branding, Registered Designs for shape/style (a)
• clearly describe by identifying the characteristics and features of BOTH the positive AND negative design features of ONE reusable cup only (b)
• show the relationship between environmental factors and social acceptance of reusable cups evidenced through the use of relevant examples, such as waste, landfill, polluted waterways, sustainability that leads on to changing consumer practices and ethics to recycle, reuse, purchase Keep Cups etc (c).

Areas for students to improve include:

• applying specific reference to the reusable cup designs and using correct and relevant IP terms, for example, Registered Design not copyright (a)
• identifying the relevant design features of the reusable cups and showing the relationship clearly between a feature and its purpose, for example, a rubber grip to reduce dropping/burning (b)
• make the link evident through the use of cause and effect statements; between environmental issues and social acceptance rather than looking at the parts in isolation (c).

Question 12

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify and explain by making the relationship evident and the link clear between technological advancements in production and changes in design such as CAD/CAM, Rapid Prototyping leading to the miniaturisation of parts, and more complexity in product parts/shape
• describe multiple, relevant examples of the features and characteristics of the positive changes in design, for example, greater accuracy, efficiency, faster production
• make clear how the shift in technological developments has affected and influenced the process in modern design and the manufacture of products
• provide relevant examples of technological advancements, such as computer-controlled machines, that influence new and improved designs.

Areas for students to improve include:

• understanding the terminology used in the question and using this accurately, such as production techniques
• using relevant information that relates to production techniques rather than communication or collaboration during the design development phase
• avoiding statements ‘makes faster, better design’, without relating it to the new technology or the production technique.   

In better responses, students were able to:

• show a comprehensive knowledge of the rights AND the responsibilities of designers when designing identified product examples, such as drones and autonomous cars
• provide relevant examples which have a very clear link between the designer and the product
• explain the impact and draw out the implications of the rights AND responsibilities by using linking terms including ‘as a consequence’, ‘furthermore’ and ‘as a result’
• demonstrate clear knowledge of relevant examples and could draw upon these to support their responses
• articulate what the rights of the designer are and provide specific examples, such as legal issues, the right to protect and own their intellectual property, safety related to design, manufacturing, usage and disposal of the product, not stealing ideas, patents, copyright and trademarking
• articulate the responsibilities of designers and provide specific examples ,as ethics, cultural sensitivity, diversity, gender selection, GMO; environmental sustainability, for example, forward planning of design and resource management, life-cycle analysis, products that are safe to manufacture, use and dispose of, repurposing
• provide specific examples of implications, such as recalls of unsuccessful or poorly researched products that impacts on the financial success of the company, faulty phone battery prevented air travel which damaged the reputation of the company.

Areas for students to improve include:

• writing in full sentences using a paragraph structure
• including relevant examples that relate well to both rights AND responsibilities
• addressing all parts of the question, including both rights AND responsibilities and providing examples to move to higher mark ranges
• providing implications or knock on effects, to cause and effect statements to demonstrate analysis
• recognising that the rights and the responsibilities must to relate directly to the designer and not the design.