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2013 Notes from the Marking Centre – Information Processes and Technology

Introduction

This document has been produced for the teachers and candidates of the Stage 6 Information Processes and Technology 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 Information Processes and Technology Stage 6 Syllabus
• the 2013 Higher School Certificate Information Processes and Technology 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 Information Processes and Technology in Stage 6.

Section II

Question 21

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

• recognising the need for a username and password to access the system
• understanding the role a system administrator plays in assigning privileges to user accounts
• comparing the two stated training methods
• understanding the advantages and disadvantages of the two stated training methods
• describing a range of technologies that are required for file sharing.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

• understanding that when it states ‘methods’ it is not necessarily referring to conversion methods
• relating their answer back to the scenario
• using specific terminology
• describing how the stated technologies are used in the given scenario
• ensuring they address all areas of the question.

Question 22

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

• identifying a variety of data types that needed to be collected for the system
• describing appropriate collection devices suitable for the system
• describing a DBMS and mobile application
• using technical language to describe the applications
• describing features of software and applications for the given scenario.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

• consistently linking the response to the scenario provided
• understanding the what, how and why of information processes
• providing some details for components that are identified.

Question 23

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

• creating a Gantt chart by interpreting specific criteria
• labelling tasks and time
• recognising and explaining the use of the wildcard
• understanding basic web design
• referring to a variety of features found on contemporary webpages such as drop down toolbars, calendars, radio buttons, text fields, check boxes, etc.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

• understanding the time frames involved
• addressing the use of the logical operator within the search string provided
• creating a balance between design elements such as space, headings, images, etc, and features such as radio buttons, dropdowns, etc.

Question 24

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

• producing diagrams with all the components required to establish an internet connection, including symbols showing the communication between the wireless devices and the central database
• constructing a schema which included all related tables with primary keys, foreign keys and relationships all correctly identified and labelled
• discussing the issues provided in the stimulus.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

• constructing labelled diagrams
• demonstrating an understanding of normalisation and relational databases
• discussing issues relevant to outsourcing.

Question 25

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

• identifying a strength and a weakness and relating it to an online ticketing system
• identifying and describing data quality
• describing real time processing and applying it to an automatic teller machine
• explaining why testing alternative procedures was necessary
• providing an example of an alternative procedure
• demonstrating an understanding of the correct shapes that need to be used in a data flow diagram.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

• explaining data quality and relating this to an example involving a transaction processing system
• providing a batch-processing example relating to an automatic teller machine
• articulating why alternative procedures for a transaction processing system need to be periodically tested
• describing the shift in the role of the residents and supermarket staff
• knowing the difference between a context diagram and a data flow diagram.

Question 26

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

• understanding the advantages of using graphs to represent data in spreadsheets
• understanding features of automated decision making
• understanding structured and unstructured decision making
• providing valid examples of unstructured decision making
• identifying some components of an expert system
• understanding the theory of forward and/or backward chaining
• providing examples of IF-THEN rules by interpreting the decision tree provided.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

• understanding the effects of automated decision making on participants
• understanding the difference between ‘users’ and ‘participants’
• providing valid examples of structured decision making
• distinguishing between structured and unstructured decision making
• understanding the role of the expert in developing an expert system
• understanding the effects of an event (the power failure) on the users of a system (the residents of the smart house)
• applying the IF-THEN rules to the scenario.

Section III

Question 27

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

• describing an application that uses a movement sensor
• identifying disadvantages for workers of an automated manufacturing system
• identifying the benefits for residents of the automated drip watering system over a manual system.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

• distinguishing between discrete and continuous processing
• describing how RFID could be used for inventory tracking
• using a refined block diagram and explaining the technical problems.

Question 28

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

• identifying multimedia display devices
• understanding general copyright principles
• understanding how multimedia devices might be adapted to cater for persons with sight impairments
• drawing a storyboard for a multimedia system with basic media elements.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

• understanding complex copyright issues that are beyond those normally encountered in a school multimedia project
• understanding the processes that occur in converting analog sound into digital data, especially the role played by hardware other than a microphone
• understanding the process of sampling analog sound
• understanding the various roles of team members in the development of multimedia systems
• annotating a storyboard.