Information and Digital Technology 2019 HSC exam pack (archive)

Students should:

• refer to the scenario in the question when completing their response
• use appropriate industry specific terminology
• include relevant annotations when using a diagram to justify or explain their response
• identify the key words in the question and answer in an appropriate format.

Question 21

In better responses, students were able to:

• correctly outline types of direct and indirect discrimination such as discrimination based on gender, race or disability with an example of each.

Areas for students to improve include:

• provide relevant examples corresponding to the type of discrimination, such as gender, unequal pay, racial.

Question 22

In better responses, students were able to:

• use relevant industry terminology in their response, for example, Graphical User Interface (GUI) in (a) and control panel or display settings in (b)
• describe more than one way of optimising an operating system (b), for example, software or system upgrades, new hardware.

Areas for students to improve include identifying:

• relevant functions of operating system (a)
• and providing features of optimising an operating system (b).

Question 23

In better responses, students were able to:

• justify maintenance strategies for example, scheduling a virus scan and cleaning of hardware in order to maintain the reliability of desktop computers (b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• outlining causes for a tablet shutting down or running slowly (a).

Question 24

In better responses, students were able to:

• name a relevant platform that is popular with teenagers, such as various forms of social media, and justify the choice (a)
• outline relevant motion paths such as storyboarding (b)
• provide the benefits of collaboration in the planning process, for example, sharing of ideas from a wide range of backgrounds and show how this could lead to benefits such as increased productivity (c).

Areas for students to improve include:

• justifying a suitable publishing platform (a)
• developing their understanding of morphing in animation (b)
• describing the benefits of collaboration in the planning process (c).

Question 25

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify and justify the chosen hardware component, for example, graphics card, RAM (a)
• outline considerations for an output format with appropriate reasoning (b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• demonstrating an understanding of various hardware components and how they impact on the performance of software (a)
• outlining output formats using industry terminology, for example, by outlining the output file formats AVI, MP4 and GIF (b).

Question 26

In better responses, students were able to:

• describe multiple scene layouts and how they are used by animators using industry specific terminology.

Areas for students to improve include:

• understanding how scene layouts relate to digital animation, for example, adding depth or background image layers.

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify and describe the features and differences of 2D and 3D digital animations (a)
• use correct industry terminology to describe character animation techniques (b)
• describe a variety of character animation techniques (b)
• draw and label four storyboard layouts - title screen, character selection and stand-alone sequences such as player interaction and or cut scenes (c)
• identify and describe creative principles (c)
• relate the creative principles to the designs of each storyboard (c)
• justify the choice of creative principles used in their design (c).

Areas for students to improve include:

• using relevant industry terminology to describe the features (a)
• explaining how the identified features of 2D and 3D digital animations differ (a)
• describing a variety of techniques used in character animation, rather than general animation techniques (b)
• using industry terminology to describe character animation techniques (b)
• identifying creative principles  (c)
• justifying the use of each of the identified principles used in the storyboard design (c).

Question 24

In better responses, students were able to:

• explain the purpose of an expansion slot with a relevant example such as a graphics card (a)
• identify relevant technical factors such as the number and type of RAM already installed (b)
• list the required steps to safely perform installation, justifying why these steps are being recommended (c).

Areas for students to improve include:

• referring to relevant technology rather than providing generalised information (a)
• providing relevant factors for compatibility (b)
• providing technical justifications for recommendations (c).

Question 25

In better responses, students were able to:

• use precise technical terminology when conveying their answers
• clearly identify item(s) that should be included in a service agreement, such as the types of equipment covered (a)
• clearly identify two benefits of documenting the initial setup (b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• ensuring that items are identified distinctly and not providing similar or repeated areas of a service agreement (a)
• providing more varied benefits of documenting the initial setup (b).

Question 26

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide details and examples of the causes of data loss and how to minimise its possibility in a SOHO network, for example, backups, uninterrupted power supplies
• relate explanation back to the scenario in the question
• use industry terminology to support their explanations.

Areas for students to improve include:

• clearly explaining, with examples, how the possibility of data loss can be minimised in a SOHO network.

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide a range of strategies to gather information (a)
• comment on a range of installation issues, clearly referring to the requirements and timelines (b)
• justify both the selection and placement of required equipment in the context of the questions and provide clear diagrams (c).

Areas for students to improve include:

• providing strategies relevant to the collection of information regarding network requirements (a)
• relating responses to real world considerations, for example, minimal disruption to normal business activities (b)
• providing sufficient information in diagrams and justifying the placement of required equipment (c).

Question 24

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate their understanding of how both text editors and word processors are used to create a webpage (a)
• outline common issues found when testing a variety of browsers (b)
• describe the benefits and provide justifications of using external cascading style sheets (c).

Areas for students to improve include:

• using relevant software terminology rather than providing generalised information (a)
• providing relevant issues (b)
• understanding the benefits of using external cascading style sheets and their impact on webpages (c).

Question 25

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide justification for using two different form components, such as radio buttons and drop down boxes, relevant to the scenario (a)
• recommend an appropriate chart, for example pie chart or bar graph, and justify its use (b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• using the correct terminology for the form components, for example, radio buttons, drop down boxes (a)
• avoiding general comments such as a pie chart is easier to read, instead provide a more technical reason such as pie charts show the percentages of choices (b).

Question 26

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide more than one clear explanation, for example of speed and/or ease of access, and not just naming advantages
• refer to the new software features as specified in the question and relate them to the scenario.

Areas for students to improve include:

• responding to the given scenario rather than using generalised answers
• justifying advantages by providing reasons such as online help being more up to date.

In better responses, students were able to:

• outline the benefits of both templates and version control in the production of reports (a)
• describe how to transfer the file to a server in San Francisco and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the method chosen (b)
• justify at least two strategies for both the security and protection of data relating to the scenario (c).

Areas for students to improve include:

• understanding the benefits of version control during the production of reports (a)
• referring to the scenario in their response (b)
• justifying one good strategy for both security of data and the protection of data rather listing lots of strategies with no justification (c).

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide a wide variety of recommended strategies using relevant industry examples
• clearly demonstrate the link between the strategies, showing cause and effect
• write in a structured and organised format, with specific industry terminology and knowledge
• dissect the question to address all of the components
• identify collaborative and cloud computing tools to minimise the impact on a project
• identify document management/file management/time management/project management tools that could be recommended to avoid delays in the project
• identify work practices such as contract employment and outsourcing
• structure the response to address the scenario
• link the scenario to Work Health and Safety/ergonomic in the workplace resulting in recommendations for injury avoidance and preventative measures
• demonstrate rich contextual knowledge of the Information and Digital Technology industry.

Areas for students to improve include:

• not including answers that were in breach of Anti-Discrimination and Industrial Laws
• ensuring ideas are developed in a structured answer
• including relevant industry terminology
• providing detailed strategies, rather than a list
• responding to the given scenario rather than generalised answers
• providing subject specific industry standards or knowledge relevant to the question.