Information Processes and Technology 2020 HSC exam pack (archive)

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
• 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 21

In better responses, students were able to:

• explain how active listening, conflict resolution, negotiation skills, interview techniques and/or team building can be used to resolve a disagreement (a)
• explain why an error in transmission had occurred, but was not detected (bi)
• describe the combination of conditions necessary for each level of (c).

Areas for students to improve include:

• knowing the difference between ‘Cyclic Redundancy Check’, ‘Parity’ and ‘Checksum’ (b).

Question 22

In better responses, students were able to:

• use the given scenario to demonstrate their understanding of the difference between internet and intranet technologies (a)
• outline the relevant technical issues when uploading photos to the website (b)
• describe suitable wired and wireless transmission including 3G or 4G wireless technology as well as optical fibre cable and twisted pair cable (c). 

Areas for students to improve include:

• understanding the difference between the relevant wired and wireless transmission mediums within this system (c). 

Question 23

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate their understanding of normalising a flat-file database (a)
• construct a schema including all relevant entities, attributes and relationships (b)
• design a complete and correct ‘SQL’ (c).

Areas for students to improve include:

• knowing and understanding the difference between a primary key and a foreign key (b)
• identifying relevant relationships between key fields (b)
• normalising data in a given database table (b)
• demonstrating their knowledge of relational and logical operators when constructing an ‘SQL’ (c).

Question 24

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide specific implications of the technology in the scenario on the lives of parents and employees (a)
• demonstrate their understanding of the key elements of the prototyping approach including a working model, testing, feedback and system adjustments (b)
• describe the relationships and connections that exist between ‘processing’ and ‘storing and retrieving’ (c).

Areas for students to improve include:

• differentiating between the changing nature of work for the parents and for the school employees (a)
• explaining how the prototyping approach would be used to gather feedback and develop the solution (b)
• using relevant Information Processes and Technology terminology and the relevant technology including hardware and software when providing an analysis of a system (c)
• demonstrating their understanding of the information process ‘processing’ within a given system (c).

Question 25

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate their understanding of batch processing and support their response with a valid example (a)
• clearly articulate how Online Analytical Processing can be used in a TPS with a valid example (b)
• demonstrate an understanding of data validation and relate that understanding to the sample user interface (c)
• provide advantages and disadvantages when using the grandfather, father son backup method (d)
• provide an explanation of data accuracy, data security and data integrity as those concepts relate to a given scenario (e).

Areas for students to improve include:

• providing and justifying a suitable situation in which batch processing is used (a)
• developing an understanding of a range of technical aspects related to Transaction Processing Systems including Online Analytical Processing and its function (b)
• demonstrating their understanding of the difference between data validation and data verification (c)
• articulating the processes involved in the grandfather, father, son backup method and supporting their response with specific advantages and disadvantages (d). 

Question 26

In better responses, students were able to:

• differentiate between line and pie charts and provide clear and valid examples (a)
• demonstrate their understanding of intelligent agents by describing their purpose (b)
• identify and discuss issues relating to the use of data mining, providing issues both for and against (c)
• describe how the diagram provided shows how an expert system works (d)
• explain how the formulas work and connect (e)
• describe how the IF and VLOOKUP formulas work (e)
• explain the need for some cell references to be absolute (e).

Areas for students to improve include:

• including suitable examples of both types of graphs (a)
• demonstrating their understanding of the purpose of an intelligent agent rather than how it works (b)
• demonstrating a deep understanding by providing points for and against when discussing issues that could arise the use of data mining (c)
• demonstrating an understanding of the components of an expert system and how they work together to produce a result (d)
• knowing how IF and VLOOKUP formulas work in specific spreadsheet examples (e).

Question 27

In better responses, students were able to:

• support their written response with a block diagram for an automated manufacturing system (a)
• provide the difference between underdamping and overdamping (b)
• explain how each actuator operates and can be used as well as provide appropriate example of their applications (c)
• provide a well-structured response with points for and against the automation of the chocolate factory (d).

Areas for students to improve include:

• describing the purpose, function and design of a block diagram and providing a well-designed example (a)
• clearly articulating the purpose and difference between underdamping and overdamping, including accurate and appropriate examples of each method (b)
• providing an explanation of how each actuator can be used, how they operate and including an appropriate example of their applications (c)
• identifying and discussing a range of issues from the automation of the chocolate factory, including points both for and/or against (d)
• providing advantages and disadvantages of the use of Drone-RFID and Barcode technologies with reference to whether these systems are human or machine centred systems (e). 

Question 28

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide examples of morphing and distorting used in multimedia (a)
• compare two techniques used to compress image files, for example, the technique used to compress a bmp to a jpg (b)
• demonstrate a clear understanding of how linear, hierarchical and non-linear layout can be used in a storyboard with an example of each from the scenario provided (c)
• explain how visual headsets can be used in a driving simulation system (d)
• explain the emerging information technology used in the creation of the system (e).

Areas for students to improve include:

• demonstrating a clear understanding of the difference between morphing and distorting (a)
• demonstrating an understanding of suitable compression techniques for image files (b)
• clearly identifying examples, using diagrams, of the different storyboard types within the proposed website solution (c)
• applying their understanding of headsets and speakers to a specific system (d)
• demonstrating their knowledge and understanding of the authoring software, communication and different technologies that may be used to create virtual world multimedia system (e).