Primary Industries 2024 HSC exam pack

Students should:

• carefully read the question and answer all components of the question
• 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
• 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 and relate to industry examples
• demonstrate knowledge of employability skills relevant to various situations
• provide relevant annotations when including a diagram
• present a logical, cohesive and comprehensive 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:

• correctly identify the signal heading and active constituent (a)  
• show step-by-step working for the calculation and provide the required chemical amount in litres (b)
• provide a thorough explanation, supported with examples, of the importance of complying with manufacturer's instructions in a chemical application context. For example, The chemical label will provide details of the appropriate PPE to wear when mixing and applying the chemical. Not only is it against the law not to follow these directions, but the user risks serious injury to themselves such as chemical inhalation, poisoning and burns (c).

Areas for students to improve include:

• demonstrating knowledge of the components of a chemical label
• performing basic mathematical calculations (division and multiplication) and showing working in their response
• demonstrating knowledge and understanding of chemical compliance and providing a description of industry examples.

Question 17

In better responses, students were able to:

• clearly distinguish between an incident and an emergency, providing examples to support their answer. For example, an incident is an event that is generally non life-threatening or causes minor injury/impact/disruption, such as having a headache from heat exposure and not drinking fluids, whereas an emergency is something that is potentially life threatening and/or causes major impact, such as a bushfire threatening the workplace requiring evacuation (a)
• show how the colour of a sign indicates the level of danger/hazards in a workplace, with reference to examples such as blue signs indicating the PPE that should be worn in a particular area/workplace/activity, whereas red and black signs or yellow and black signs can indicate direct hazards in the workplace, such as poisons or risk of electrocution (b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• distinguishing between an incident and an emergency and providing suitable examples for each (a)
• demonstrating knowledge of workplace signage colours related to danger/hazards and the specific meaning of each colour (b).

Question 18

In better responses, students were able to:

• correctly state environmental hazards of dam construction, for example loss of natural habitat from clearing, the corresponding environmental impacts, such as death and displacement of native fauna, and a suitable solution to reduce the impact, for example capture and relocate native fauna before clearing commences (a)
• correctly identify a government agency related to environmental compliance, for example, the Environmental Protection Authority,  and describe its role in ensuring environmental compliance, for example education, raising awareness, undertaking legal proceedings, enforcing relevant Acts/legislation.

Areas for students to improve include:

• identifying specific environmental hazards associated with environmental sustainability (a)
• providing more detail when outlining the environmental impact and ensuring it is directly related to the environmental hazard (a)
• providing feasible solutions in relation to environmental hazards (a)
• describing the role of a specific government agency that ensures environmental compliance and providing a tangible example of its role (b).

Question 19

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify 2 causes of the conflict between Sarah and the team leader, such as Sarah arriving late without explanation and the team leader embarrassing/confronting Sarah in front of the team (a)
• describe a consequence of the inappropriate workplace behaviours for both Sarah and the team leader, such potential downturn in productivity, division in the team or a workplace harassment case (b)
• provide a number of strategies to reduce the conflict between Sarah and the team leader and elaborate as to how/why these strategies will reduce the workplace conflict. For example, Sarah and the team leader could attend a resolution meeting run by an independent party to reduce conflict by providing a safe and formal way for them to express their concerns and discuss ways to move forward (c).

Areas for students to improve include:

• stating causes of the conflict rather than outcomes of the conflict, for example, Sarah feeling upset (a)
• elaborating on the response to extend it beyond an outline or statement, such as Sarah will be upset, to a description of the consequences for the workplace of Sarah being upset (b)
• expanding on the stated management strategy to show how the strategy could resolve the workplace conflict (c).

Question 20

In better responses, students were able to:

• clearly outline a method used to identify individual livestock, for example ear tags with an animal’s name or number on them (a)
• provide requirements for reporting and recording in livestock management and show the impact these have on animal health and welfare. For example, farmers must report potential exotic diseases on their property, such as Foot and mouth disease to support action from the authorities to reduce the spread of disease and protect the industry (b)
• explain in comprehensive detail the importance of proper selection, use, maintenance and storage of equipment in the treatment of livestock and provide specific examples for each aspect. For example, using the right equipment to shear a sheep leads to greater efficiency and reduces negative animal welfare impacts such as stress and potential injury. Proper maintenance and storage ensures equipment functions correctly and is protected to improve its longevity. For example, chemical application equipment must be washed, clean and stored in a dry and protected area to stop hoses becoming brittle and washers failing (c).

Areas for students to improve include:

• providing information about a a method used to identify individual livestock, rather than just listing a method, for example ‘ear tag’ (a)
• providing more details about why recording and reporting are important in relation to animal health and welfare (b)
• providing an explanation and specific examples relating to the importance of the selection, use, maintenance and storage of equipment in the treatment of livestock rather than general primary industries examples (c).

Question 21

In better responses, students were able to:

• clearly identify and outline a method used to identify a type of plant, for example printed plastic tags with the species name and photo attached to the plant (a)
• provide requirements for reporting and recording in relation to controlling plant pests, diseases and disorders. For example, in nurseries, records of treatments used to control pests, diseases and disorders should be kept because, if a treatment proves to be ineffective, it could indicate chemical resistance is occurring and an alternate chemical is needed (b)
• provide a comprehensive explanation of the importance of proper selection, use, maintenance and storage of equipment in the treatment of plant pests, diseases and disorders and provide specific examples for each. For example, using the right equipment to prune plants leads to greater efficiency and reduces negative impacts such as injury to the plant and potential disease entry points. Proper maintenance and storage ensures equipment functions effectively and is protected to improve its longevity. For example, sterilising cutting shears between plants prevents disease spread and proper maintenance and storage of knapsack sprayers avoids the nozzles becoming blocked or deteriorating which reduces coverage of the plant so the pest/disease may not be controlled (c).

Areas for students to improve include:

• outlining the method used to identify a type of plant, rather than just naming it (a)
• providing more details about why recording and reporting are important in relation to the treatment of plant pest, diseases and disorders (b)
• providing an explanation and specific examples relating to the importance of the selection, use, maintenance and storage of equipment in the treatment of plant pest, diseases and disorders rather than general primary industries examples (c).

In better responses, students were able to:

• justify comprehensive contingency and long term plans for the property in relation to the immediate weather conditions (contingency plans) and long term forecast (long term plans). For example, a contingency plan could include using a weather map to identify a drop in temperatures, increased winds and rain to determine when to shed sheep, move them to less exposed paddocks, and/or move them to paddocks that have shelter belts/wind breaks to reduce the risk of death from wind chill for young lambs, weak and old stock. A long term plan could include storing feed as hay, silage or grain for drought feeding livestock when pastures deplete due to the lack of rain if hot and dry conditions are forecast for the next 2 years.

Areas for students to improve include:

• relating the weather conditions to the plan using specific examples
• justifying strategies rather than stating or describing them
• providing greater depth relevant to the mark value of the question.