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2013 Notes from the Marking Centre – Community and Family Studies

Introduction

This document has been produced for the teachers and candidates of the Stage 6 Community and Family Studies course. It contains comments on candidate responses to the 2013 Higher School Certificate examination, highlighting their strengths in particular parts of the examination and indicating where candidates need to improve.

This document should be read along with:

• the Community and Family Studies Stage 6 Syllabus
• the 2013 Higher School Certificate Community and Family Studies examination
• the marking guidelines
• Advice for HSC students about examinations
• other support documents developed by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW to assist in the teaching and learning of Community and Family Studies in Stage 6.

Question 21(a)

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

• understanding the researcher’s role in protecting the privacy of the participants in a study
• outlining strategies to ensure the privacy of the subjects.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

• supporting their work with examples.

Question 21(b)

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

• understanding the researcher’s role in showing respect for the subjects of research
• understanding the process of research (part b).

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

• outlining strategies
• using syllabus terminology.

Question 22

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

• demonstrating understanding of one group within the community.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

• identifying the relationship between the group and the power it has in the community.

Question 23(a)

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

• understanding terms such as qualitative and quantitative
• providing examples of methods of research such as interviews, case studies and questionnaires.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

• providing examples to support the response.

Question 23(b)

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

• identifying various ways to present quantitative data.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

• moving beyond just listing ways to present data
• providing specific examples.

Question 24

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

• understanding the needs of one group
• understanding the societal structures available to groups to meet their needs.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

• providing judgement about the effectiveness of societal structures.

Question 25

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

• understanding cultural and gender differences
• understanding the importance of setting limits for children.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

• understanding the consequences of setting limits for children in parenting and caring.

Question 26

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

• understanding the issues for the aged
• making the relationship between access to resources and issues faced by the aged.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

• understanding syllabus terminology
• giving relevant examples.

Question 27

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

• understanding the effect of the age of the parent on parenting
• providing relevant examples.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

• making the link between the effect and the parent–child relationship.

Question 28

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

• demonstrating knowledge of birth technologies such as IVF and GIFT
• understanding the social implications of birth technologies.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

• understanding the legal implications of birth technologies
• understanding the difference between biological parenting and social parenting.

Question 29(a)

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

• identifying two relevant pieces of legislation related to children
• supporting the answer with relevant examples.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

• correctly identifying specific legislation.

Question 29(b)

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

• identifying rights that apply to young people
• supporting the answer with relevant examples.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

• understanding the rights of parents
• identifying rights by law
• providing a description, rather than just listing rights.

Question 29(c)

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

• understanding that the Aged Care Act is in place to protect the aged.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

• having knowledge of superannuation and the Aged Care Act.

Question 30(a)

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

• identifying computer crimes
• using examples of technologies that have led to computer crimes.

Question 30(b)

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

• explaining how young people are more comfortable in accepting technology
• providing examples.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

• understanding the relationship between how and why the availability and acceptance of technology varies
• addressing more than ONE factor in terms of availability and acceptance of technology.

Question 30(c)

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

• identifying the components of paid work
• identifying the positive and negative implications of technology on paid work
• giving examples of paid work.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

• identifying the components of unpaid work
• relating the positive and negative effects of paid and unpaid work to wellbeing
• giving examples relating to technology.

Question 31(a)

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

• understanding the various ways in which individuals perceive work
• understanding a variety of significant influences on how individuals perceive work
• relating responses to the wellbeing of the individual.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

• relating how significant influences affect how individuals perceive work
• providing relevant examples
• understanding the meaning of terms like ‘perception’ and ‘influence’.

Question 31(b)

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

• understanding both historical and contemporary views of work
• understanding the differences in gender and work between the two time periods.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

• providing detail in explanations of characteristics and features of both historical and contemporary views of work
• supporting the response with examples.

Question 31(c)

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

• identifying some components of workers compensation and WorkCover
• recognising the relationship of the components of each structure and the implications of each one on efficient work practices
• understanding the implications of workers compensation and WorkCover on both the employer and employee
• providing examples of workplace safety components and workplace injuries.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

• understanding the specific components of workers compensation and WorkCover.