Information and Digital Technology 2024 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 answer booklet for an extended response 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
• relate to the question throughout the response rather than just at the beginning
• ensure each extended response answer is completed in a separate writing booklet
• demonstrate knowledge and understanding of HSC content from the syllabus
• communicate ideas and information using relevant workplace examples and industry terms
• be prepared to address a range of industry issues
• demonstrate knowledge of employability skills relevant to various situations
• include relevant annotations when including a diagram.

Question 16

In better responses, students were able to:

• outline two distinct strategies with supporting examples, for example, planning their work tasks and taking breaks away from their workstation (a)
• demonstrate professional workplace communication procedures, for example, negotiating with the manager for scheduling changes instead of ‘refusing to work’ (a)
• detail a specific information and communication technologies (ICT) skill relevant to the workplace and its positive impact on the employees needs in another workplace (b)
• describe how foundational ICT skills advantage an employee's ability to quickly learn new skills (b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• responding to the question specifically within the context of the ICT industry
• demonstrating appropriate workplace communication techniques, for example, negotiating with manager on working hours and duties (a)
• recognising the focus of the question was an advantage for the employee and not the employer (b).

Question 17

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide a specific workplace example such as two-factor authentication via short message service (SMS) or mobile phone (a)
• demonstrate how two-factor authentication can strengthen data security, for example, if a threat actor had a password, they would still need a second layer of authentication to access data (a)
• explain two distinct strategies to minimise data loss with direct reference to the company, for example, the company implementing a differential backup policy and a maintenance management plan for the software and hardware on the server (b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• referencing back to the scenario rather than using a personal example, for example, gaming two-factor authentication (a)
• outlining clearly how two-factor authentication improves data security (a)
• recognising onsite and offsite backup are the same strategy despite being different locations (b)
• understanding that preventing hardware failure is another strategy to minimise data loss in the future (b).

Question 18

In better responses, students were able to:

• recommend getting work health and safety (WHS) feedback after training, for example, surveys (a)
• provide ways of improving WHS training, for example, make the training interactive, fun and use different mediums (a)
• focus on the impact to the business, for example, productivity will slow down or halt until investigations are complete and workplace practices are reviewed (b)
• distinguish between immediate impact and future impact on the business, for example, when an employee is injured, productivity will stop and may not pick up again until work returns or another person is trained (b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• making sure the entire question is read, missing the last word of the question changes the entire context of the question (a)
• describing the impact on the business and workplace, not the employees (b).

Question 19

In better responses, students were able to:

• follow the logic of the flowchart
• correctly apply the relational operators when determining the total, for example, age < 13 or age > 65 (a)
• use correct pseudocode standards, for example, capitalising keywords and indentation (b)
• convert the flowchart into a pre-test or post-test loop, for example, REPEAT … UNTIL no more people, or, WHILE no more people …. ENDWHILE (b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• completing a walkthrough of the flowchart on paper, writing down all the steps required to calculate the total (a)
• indenting the statements inside the decision and repetition control structures (b)
• using the correct pseudocode keywords and in the correct format (b)
• planning your algorithm before committing it to the answer space (b).

Question 20

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide a variety of advantages and disadvantages for both on-site and off-site digital storage (a)
• separate the advantages and disadvantages for on-site storage from the advantages and disadvantages for off-site storage (a)
• articulate the consequences to the business, for example, paying ongoing royalty fees to the original author (b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• using sub-headings, such as, on-site (advantages, disadvantages) and off-site (advantages, disadvantages) to ensure all components of the question have been addressed (a)
• developing the response, for example, ‘you will be sued’ could be better described as ‘the company could face financial loss in court costs’ (b)

Question 21

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide an example of formal feedback such as annual employee performance review (a)
• provide an example of informal feedback such as in a staff meeting or in an email (a)
• describe the steps an employee should carry out to deal with a complaint from an angry client in order, for example, staying calm, asking open-ended questions to understand the issue, recording all concerns and getting advice from their supervisor if needed (b)
• relate the scenario to the Information and Communication Technology industry, for example, a negative review on their website (b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• understanding that formal and informal feedback is different to formal and informal language (a)
• recognising that the question relates to communication and dealing with the situation (b).

In better responses, students were able to:

• comprehend the scenario and apply skills and knowledge to each section with correct industry terminology and specific technical examples
• plan the response with reference to specific examples such as a privacy impact assessment (a)
• describe strategies a team should consider when the work of a project needs to be planned, for example, a Gantt charts help the team to identify tasks and the time required to complete them. These tasks can then be allocated to staff with the most expertise (b)
• demonstrate an understanding of innovation and working in industry, for example, evaluate the prototype via running testing team workshops and providing opportunity for the client and their targeted customer base to review the prototype to provide feedback via a survey or forms (c).

Areas for students to improve include:

• separating and labelling answers for each part, for example, 22a, 22b, 22c
• developing responses in line with the verb in the question, for example, outline, describe and explain
• reflecting on strategies to help the team plan their work with creative brainstorming of what needs to be done and what has already occurred (b)
• linking back to the scenario, for example, as the prototype is being designed for customers to place orders it would be viable for targeted customers to be invited to provide feedback on the ideas presented in the prototype (c).

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify and describe suitable strategies related to the scenario and justify its use in protecting company data, for example, two-factor authentication, levels of permission and penetration testing
• use correct terminology and provide specific technical examples, for example, penetration testing and white hat hacking
• link to the scenario of the workplace, for example, an IT service provider and their customers.

Areas for students to improve include:

• recognising that protecting the server from physical assault, for example, preventing access by unauthorised individuals by installing locks, security, offsite storage, is not a method to stop cyber attackers
• explaining a strategy companies could use to improve cyber security and justifying its use, not just identifying and describing the features of the prevention method
• relating the response to workplace examples and using precise industry terminology appropriate to the question to demonstrate  an understanding.