Hospitality 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 in the logical sequencing of information
• engage with what the question is asking, rather than presenting a pre-prepared response or simply rewriting the question
• relate to the question throughout the response, rather than just at the beginning
• demonstrate knowledge and understanding of HSC content from the syllabus
• communicate ideas and information using relevant workplace examples and industry terminology
• be prepared to address a range of industry issues
• demonstrate knowledge of employability skills relevant to various situations
• provide relevant annotations when including a diagram
• present a logical and cohesive response that answers the question
• review their response to ensure that it addresses the question requirements.

Question 16 (a)

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify one food safety program, for example, a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), and outline its purpose, for example, identifying and controlling food safety hazards.

Areas for students to improve include:

• outlining how one food safety program applies to a hospitality establishment. For example, HACCP assists to manage food safety hazards, by providing procedures for handling, preparing, storing, and serving food
• demonstrating understanding of the purpose of a food safety program as a written plan for how a hospitality establishment will manage food safety hazards, that includes procedures for handling, preparing, storing, and serving food, to identify and control risks at every stage of the food supply chain. 

Question 16 (b)

In better responses, students were able to:

• link the importance of a hospitality worker declaring information about their personal health to reducing the spread of transmissible diseases to workers and/or customers. 

Areas for students to improve include:

• stating the importance of a hospitality worker declaring a personal health issue
• providing a link between a hospitality worker declaring a personal health issue and the consequences for workers and/or customers.

Question 16 (c)

In better responses, students were able to:

• outline examples of specific vulnerabilities of customers, such as a customer having an anaphylactic allergy to peanuts
• outline a safe food-handling work practice that minimises risk to vulnerable customers, for example, correct use of colour-coded chopping boards, separate preparation areas for high-risk foods, thorough cleaning and sanitisation of equipment, utensils and benches
• provide an example of a specific food or meal that a vulnerable customer may order, and how the kitchen workers can apply safe food-handling practices to minimise risk to the customer.

Areas for students to improve include:

• identifying a specific vulnerability for a vulnerable customer
• making the link between the risk and safe food-handling work practices to ensure the safety of the customer
• providing an industry example to support their response.

Question 17

In better responses, students were able to:

• state the purpose of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW) clearly, that is, to provide a framework to protect the health, safety, and welfare of all workers and others in the workplace
• demonstrate understanding that the Act aims to prevent workplace injuries, illness, and fatalities by establishing clear duties and responsibilities for employers, workers, and other parties
• use relevant terminology, for example, duty of care, safe systems of work, and risk management.

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding vague statements such as ‘to keep people safe’ and elaborating on how the Act is designed to achieve this
• referencing the purpose of the Act specifically, rather than describing general workplace safety practices
• including specific references to key objectives of the legislation.

Question 18 (a)

In better responses, students were able to:

• outline the importance of quality assurance (QA) in a hospitality business to ensure consistent standards in products and services
• explain that QA helps maintain customer satisfaction, business reputation, and compliance with industry standards or regulations
• provide relevant examples of QA to support the response, for example, regular staff training, hygiene checks, or use of standardised recipes
• use relevant industry terminology, for example, service consistency, customer expectations, continuous improvement
• link the importance of QA to business outcomes like repeat customers, reduced waste, and improved efficiency.

Areas for students to improve include:

• stating why and how quality assurance impacts the business, rather than just making generic statements, such as ‘quality assurance is important for good service’.

Question 18 (b)

In better responses, students were able to:

• explain customer service strategies clearly and provide examples, such as active listening, positive body language, prompt service, personalised interactions
• distinguish customer service strategies for new customers, for example, welcoming introductions, explaining menu items, guiding them through processes, from strategies for regular customers, for example, remembering preferences, acknowledging loyalty, offering tailored recommendations
• use relevant hospitality industry terminology, for example, customer retention, service recovery, rapport building, customer experience.

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding broad or generic statements like ‘be friendly’ or ‘serve quickly’ without explaining how these actions contribute to customer service
• explaining the outcomes of the strategies, for example, how they increase satisfaction or encourage repeat business.

Question 19

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify essential components of a pre-service briefing, for example, the number of covers or a special customer request (a)
• identify what a waiter/service station is and outline why it is useful for providing efficient service (b)
• demonstrate understanding of applicable techniques for the scenario (c).

Areas for students to improve include:

• identifying what a pre-service briefing involves and providing examples of components (a)
• identifying what a waiter/service station is and describing the importance of it being well stocked (b)
• applying understanding about service techniques to the scenario, for example, using a tray or stacking plates (c).

Question 20

In better responses, students were able to: 

• demonstrate understanding of how under-extraction of a coffee shot can occur and what adjustment could be made to correct the problem (a)
• explain the possible impacts to the customer, for example, being upset, and to the business, for example, receiving negative reviews (b)
• explain the implications of poor/sound practice and failing to follow workplace-specific standards to the business (b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• linking the problem to a proposal to solve it (a)
• providing an example to support their response (b).

Question 21

In better responses, students were able to:

• apply understanding of both sequence and procedures in relation to a successful service period
• link sequence and procedures with the effect on service in their response
• provide specific industry examples relating to sequence and procedures to support their response.

Areas for students to improve include:

• identifying the importance of sequence to ensure that all components of service are met
• identifying the importance of food and beverage procedures relating to a service period to meet expectations and minimum standards
• providing industry specific examples in their response, for example, ensuring all guest meals arrive at the same time or upselling side dishes to a customer.

Question 22

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate understanding of the features of an á la carte menu, for example, individually priced items (a)
• explain the benefits to customers of the attendant knowing about the ingredients and preparation methods for dishes on the á la carte menu, for example, to clarify what the food preparation terminology means, to advise about ingredients that the customer does not like or cannot eat (b)
• demonstrate understanding of the roles and responsibilities of a food and beverage team during pre-service, service and post service (c).

Areas for students to improve include:

• demonstrating understanding of the differences between an á la carte menu and a set menu (a)
• focusing on customer benefits, rather than employee or business benefits with reference to the sample menu (b)
• providing detail regarding roles and responsibilities of a food and beverage team, rather than providing general information about the stages of service (c).

Question 23

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate knowledge and understanding of relevant workplace injuries and relate the implications of these to individuals, colleagues, family and friends, the business, the hospitality industry and the wider community. For example, an economic implication arising from a workplace injury could be additional wages costs for casual staff sourced to replace injured workers
• differentiate the impacts of the four types of costs
• provide specific industry examples and use industry terminology to support their response.

Areas for students to improve include:

• applying relevant knowledge and understanding to analyse the implications of each of the four types of costs
• distinguishing between the possible human, economic, social and organisational costs in their response
• referring to specific hospitality industry workplaces, for example, café, restaurant, hotel, rather than using generic terms, such as ‘workplace’ or ‘business’
• applying relevant hospitality terminology, for example, barista, chef, waiter, rather than generic terms, such as ‘staff’.

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 in the logical sequencing of information
• engage with what the question is asking, rather than presenting a pre-prepared response or simply rewriting the question
• relate to the question throughout the response, rather than just at the beginning
• demonstrate knowledge and understanding of HSC content from the syllabus
• communicate ideas and information using relevant workplace examples and industry terminology
• be prepared to address a range of industry issues
• demonstrate knowledge of employability skills relevant to various situations
• provide relevant annotations when including a diagram
• present a logical and cohesive response that answers the question
• review their response to ensure that it addresses the question requirements. 

Question 16 (a)

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify one food safety program, for example, a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), and outline its purpose, for example, identifying and controlling food safety hazards.

Areas for students to improve include:

• outlining how one food safety program applies to a hospitality establishment. For example, HACCP assists to manage food safety hazards, by providing procedures for handling, preparing, storing, and serving food
• demonstrating understanding of the purpose of a food safety program as a written plan for how a hospitality establishment will manage food safety hazards, that includes procedures for handling, preparing, storing, and serving food, to identify and control risks at every stage of the food supply chain. 

Question 16 (b)

In better responses, students were able to:

• link the importance of a hospitality worker declaring information about their personal health to reducing the spread of transmissible diseases to workers and/or customers. 

Areas for students to improve include:

• stating the importance of a hospitality worker declaring a personal health issue
• providing a link between a hospitality worker declaring a personal health issue and the consequences for workers and/or customers.

Question 16 (c)

In better responses, students were able to:

• outline examples of specific vulnerabilities of customers, such as a customer having an anaphylactic allergy to peanuts
• outline a safe food-handling work practice that minimises risk to vulnerable customers, for example, correct use of colour-coded chopping boards, separate preparation areas for high-risk foods, thorough cleaning and sanitisation of equipment, utensils and benches
• provide an example of a specific food or meal that a vulnerable customer may order, and how the kitchen workers can apply safe food-handling practices to minimise risk to the customer.

Areas for students to improve include:

• identifying a specific vulnerability for a vulnerable customer
• making the link between the risk and safe food-handling work practices to ensure the safety of the customer
• providing an industry example to support their response.

Question 17

In better responses, students were able to:

• state the purpose of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW) clearly, that is, to provide a framework to protect the health, safety, and welfare of all workers and others in the workplace
• demonstrate understanding that the Act aims to prevent workplace injuries, illness, and fatalities by establishing clear duties and responsibilities for employers, workers, and other parties
• use relevant terminology, for example, duty of care, safe systems of work, and risk management.

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding vague statements such as ‘to keep people safe’ and elaborating on how the Act is designed to achieve this
• referencing the purpose of the Act specifically, rather than describing general workplace safety practices
• including specific references to key objectives of the legislation.

Question 18 (a)

In better responses, students were able to:

• outline the importance of quality assurance (QA) in a hospitality business to ensure consistent standards in products and services
• explain that QA helps maintain customer satisfaction, business reputation, and compliance with industry standards or regulations
• provide relevant examples of QA to support the response, for example, regular staff training, hygiene checks, or use of standardised recipes
• use relevant industry terminology, for example, service consistency, customer expectations, continuous improvement
• link the importance of QA to business outcomes like repeat customers, reduced waste, and improved efficiency.

Areas for students to improve include:

• stating why and how quality assurance impacts the business, rather than just making generic statements, such as ‘quality assurance is important for good service’.

Question 18 (b)

In better responses, students were able to:

• explain customer service strategies clearly and provide examples, such as active listening, positive body language, prompt service, personalised interactions
• distinguish customer service strategies for new customers, for example, welcoming introductions, explaining menu items, guiding them through processes, from strategies for regular customers, for example, remembering preferences, acknowledging loyalty, offering tailored recommendations
• use relevant hospitality industry terminology, for example, customer retention, service recovery, rapport building, customer experience.

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding broad or generic statements like ‘be friendly’ or ‘serve quickly’ without explaining how these actions contribute to customer service
• explaining the outcomes of the strategies, for example, how they increase satisfaction or encourage repeat business.

Question 19

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate a clear understanding of the benefits of pre-operational safety checks using succinct language and industry terminology (a)
• demonstrate how teamwork affects workflow specific to a hospitality business (b)
• describe possible consequences of failing to follow a standard recipe, using succinct language and industry terminology (c).

Areas for students to improve include:

• making clear references to industry practice (a)
• including consequences for both the customer and the business in their response (c)
• communicating ideas using industry terminology (c).

Question 20

In better responses, students were able to:

• outline the implications of including the extraction fans in the cleaning regime, for example, better air flow and ventilation in the kitchen (a)
• explain more than one factor that needs to be considered when plating food (b)
• use specific plating technique examples and industry terminology to support their response, for example, stacking foods to create height can enhance the visual appeal of the dish (b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• understanding that the extraction fans remove smoke and grease from the kitchen to improve safety
• using industry terminology to support their response
• providing examples of plating techniques, rather than of hygiene.

Question 21

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide clear industry examples explaining how cleaning impacts the overall service of a hospitality establishment
• use specific industry terminology to explain how food hygiene and safety impacts cleaning practices within an establishment
• outline multiple impacts and include several industry examples. 

Areas for students to improve include:

• providing at least two detailed and specific industry examples to support explanations of cleaning and food hygiene, for example, a chef must clean a yellow chopping board to remove Salmonella bacteria before and after food preparation.

Question 22

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate understanding of the features of an á la carte menu, for example, individually priced items (a)
• explain menu adaptations for the sample menu to suit both dietary requirements, for example, gluten free, and requests, for example, sauce on the side (b)
• explain the importance of mise en place for each of the preparations, giving examples of the elements of preparing, cooking and presenting the two dishes (c).

Areas for students to improve include:

• demonstrating understanding of the differences between an á la carte menu and a set menu (a)
• referring to the sample menu in the question to explain adaptations to dishes to meet dietary requirements and requests (b)
• including the mise en place tasks for preparing, cooking and presenting both menu items (c).

Question 23

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate knowledge and understanding of relevant workplace injuries and relate the implications of these to individuals, colleagues, family and friends, the business, the hospitality industry and the wider community. For example, an economic implication arising from a workplace injury could be additional wages costs for casual staff sourced to replace injured workers
• differentiate the impacts of the four types of costs
• provide specific industry examples and use industry terminology to support their response.

Areas for students to improve include:

• applying relevant knowledge and understanding to analyse the implications of each of the four types of costs
• distinguishing between the possible human, economic, social and organisational costs in their response
• referring to specific hospitality industry workplaces, for example, café, restaurant, hotel, rather than using generic terms, such as ‘workplace’ or ‘business’
• applying relevant hospitality terminology, for example, barista, chef, waiter, rather than generic terms, such as ‘staff’.