Retail Services 2016 HSC exam pack (archive)
2016 Retail Services HSC exam paper
Marking guidelines
Marking guidelines are developed with the exam paper and are used by markers to guide their marking of a student's response. The table shows the criteria with each mark or mark range.
Sample answers may also be developed and included in the guidelines to make sure questions assess a student's knowledge and skills, and guide the Supervisor of Marking on the expected nature and scope of a student's response. They are not intended to be exemplary or even complete answers or responses.
Marking feedback
Select from the sections below to view feedback from HSC markers about how students performed in this year’s exam.
Use the feedback to guide preparation for future exams. Feedback includes an overview of the qualities of better responses. Feedback may not be provided for every question.
Feedback on written exam
Candidates showed strength in these areas:
- identifying non-verbal signs that would indicate to a salesperson that a customer is ready to purchase (Q16a)
- outlining how stock rotation can minimise loss of stock in a retail store (Q17a)
- identifying a limitation and a benefit of an identified security measure in a retail environment (Q17b)
- identifying features of opportunist theft in a retail environment (Q17c)
- outlining a suitable procedure to implement when responding to a hazard within the retail environment (Q19a)
- distinguishing between a manageable first-aid situation and an emergency situation in a retail environment (Q19b).
Candidates need to improve in these areas:
- outlining the concept of a customer-focused workplace and providing an appropriate example (Q16b)
- distinguishing between an internal customer and an external customer using appropriate industry examples (Q16c)
- identifying features of professional theft in a retail environment and how this is different to opportunist theft (Q17c)
- understanding different types of retail organisations such as a franchise and naming an appropriate example (Q18a)
- supporting answers with relevant retail examples and work practices
- understanding and using correct retail industry terminology.
Candidates showed strength in these areas:
- demonstrating knowledge of effective teamwork practices in a retail environment.
Candidates need to improve in these areas:
- explaining the benefits of effective teamwork practices to employers, employees and customers
- understanding and using correct retail industry terminology
- supporting answers with a variety of relevant retail workplace examples.
Candidates showed strength in these areas:
- outlining legislative requirements that need to be considered when labelling and ticketing merchandise (Q21a, Q22a)
- describing various strategies that could assist a retail employee to develop product knowledge (Q21b, Q22b)
- outlining legislative requirements that need to be considered when supplying Pharmacy Medicines and Pharmacist Only Medicines (Q23a)
- explaining how both raw food and frozen food should be handled and stored in a food selling environment (Q22c).
Candidates need to improve in these areas:
- supporting an answer with specific workplace examples relevant to the retail industry area of study
- describing workplace procedures suitable to lodge prescriptions for dispensing (Q23b)
- explaining how infection control strategies should be applied in a community pharmacy workplace (Q23c)
- explaining how general items and restricted items should be handled and stored in a retail general selling environment (Q21c).
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Retail Services syllabus
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