Primary Industries 2020 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 the examinable units of competency 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
• present a logical and cohesive response that answers the question
• review their response to ensure that it addresses the question requirements.

Question 16

In better responses, students were able to:

• complete mathematical calculations demonstrating multiple steps (a (i),a (iii))
• show working for the calculation plus the correct answer (a (i), a (iii))
• structure responses providing a definition of legal obligations with an example, such as carrying out chemical applications according to the label, separately to a definition of ethical obligations with an example, such as using pain relief when conducting animal management activities (c).

Areas for students to improve include:

• demonstrating mathematical skills showing multiple steps (a)
• checking all working using a calculator
• answering the question showing the calculations, for example, how many full tanks calculation = 24.24, so the answer is 25 tanks (a(iii))
• using correct industry terminology, for example, nozzles, output (b)

Question 17

In better responses, students were able to:

• predict a weather condition using the stimulus, for example, windy (a)
• state why they selected the weather condition (a)
• state appropriate methods of conveying/communicating weather and justify the effectiveness of the selected methods, for example, listening to a regional radio station for local weather reports as this is effective as farmers can listen to the radio as they work (b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• demonstrating knowledge of the key word 'justify'
• providing clear and concise responses.

Question 18

In better responses, students were able to:

• state the hazard or risk before identifying, for example, the hazard could be carbon monoxide fumes, the risk, poisoning (a)
• describe control measures to prevent this incident recurring, for example, modifying the shed to increase ventilation (b)
• outline ways of monitoring and recording the incident and relating these to the requirements of the workplace, for example, isolate until control measures can be put into place (a, b, c)
• link directly to the scenario (a, b, c)
• demonstrate a thorough understanding of workplace monitoring and reporting (c).

Areas for students to improve include:

• ensuring the answer relates to the scenario, that is, the response must relate to the employee (a)
• improving their understanding of a hazard and its risk of harm (a)
• improving the response as a description rather than an outline or list (b)
• outlining monitoring and recording rather than first aid treatment.

Question 19

In better responses, students were able to:

• use information from the stimulus provided to choose which product is most advantageous (a)
• recognise that withholding periods need to be in full days and source information from the stimulus (b)
• provide explanations of more than one implication, for example, loss of reputation of the industry when chemical residues have been found (c).

Areas for students to improve include:

• extracting relevant data from the provided stimulus (a, b)
• clearly linking cause and effect of the implications (c).

In better responses, students were able to:

• correctly identify work practices, for example, spraying chemicals, ploughing a paddock
• provide detailed positive and negative environmental impacts associated with each named work practice, for example, ploughing can have a positive impact as it improves aeration and water filtration, whereas a negative impact is destroying soil structure.

Areas for students to improve include:

• structuring the response to clearly answer the question
• providing relevant primary industries specific examples
• providing a link between work practices and the potential environmental impacts positive and negative, for example, ploughing a paddock can result in erosion as the groundcover is removed; however, it could improve water infiltration rates.

Question 21

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate clear and concise identification methods with relevant examples, such as ear tags, ear notching or freeze branding (a)
• identify a named chemical, such as Q-Drench (b)
• relate the procedure to a named disease or illness and provide a thorough, logical and correct procedure for the application of a specific chemical including procedures for planning, treatment, monitoring, recording (b)
• outline more than one method (a)
• account for more than one procedure (b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• expanding on the detail in their responses (a)
• providing relevant and current industry examples (a)
• addressing the question using the specific chemical named in the response (b)
• providing several steps in procedures used to treat a specific sick or diseased livestock (b)
• accounting for the planning of the treatment, for example, by including target identification, use of labels and SDS, chemical selection, calibration (a, b).

Question 22

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate clear and concise identification methods with relevant examples(a)
• identify a named chemical, such as Fortune 500 (b)
• relate the procedure to a named plant pest, disease or disorder and provide a thorough, logical and correct procedure for the application of a specific chemical including procedures for planning, treatment, monitoring, recording (b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• naming the identification feature, for example, leaf edge – serrated or smooth, fibrous roots and single first leaf for a monocotyledon (monocot) and its method of identification, for example, use Weed App on a mobile phone (a)
• naming the specific chemical and relate it to how to treat a pest, disease and disorder (b)
• accounting for the planning of the treatment, for example, by including target identification, use of labels and SDS, chemical selection, calibration (a, b).