2013 Notes from the Marking Centre – Business Services
Introduction
This document has been produced for the teachers and candidates of the Stage 6 Business Services 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 Business Services Curriculum Framework Stage 6 Syllabus
- the 2013 Higher School Certificate Business Services examination
- the marking guidelines
- advice for candidates attempting VET examinations
- 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 Business Services in Stage 6.
Section II
Candidates showed strength in these areas:
- knowing all the features of a telephone message and the consequences for a business of not leaving a complete message (Q.16)
- understanding that there are many benefits of using an electronic diary and the importance of time management (Q.17)
- identifying factors that influence customer needs
- explaining the relationship between interpersonal skills and the accurate exchange of information (Q.18)
- understanding how workplace policies and procedures contribute to a cooperative workplace (Q.19).
Candidates need to improve in these areas:
- linking the implications and consequences of poor telephone procedures to the running of a business (Q.16)
- understanding the need for a contingency plan when planning the execution of an important task (Q.17)
- using correct terminology (Q.18)
- identifying a variety of purposes served by workplace policies and procedures and how they contribute to a cooperative working environment (Q.19).
Section III (Q.20)
Candidates showed strength in these areas:
- understanding the importance of security
- considering each discrete part of the collecting, processing and maintaining of information with a relevant business services workplace example
- analysing the link between implementing the described procedure and security
- analysing the relationship between handling information and security.
Candidates need to improve in these areas:
- supporting their analysis with relevant business services workplace examples
- using industry-specific terminology
- describing a number of differing procedures used in an office when obtaining, processing and maintaining information.
Section IV
Candidates showed strength in these areas:
- knowledge of Work Health and Safety
- outlining costs relating to workplace injuries
- linking workers’ responsibilities to the Work Health and Safety legislation
- explaining a range of strategies and supporting them with a range of relevant office workplace examples.
Candidates need to improve in these areas:
- understanding the costs of workplace injuries
- understanding workers’ responsibilities under the Work Health and Safety legislation.
NSW Government