2014 Notes from the Marking Centre – Aboriginal Studies
Introduction
This document has been produced for the teachers and candidates of the Stage 6 Aboriginal Studies course. It contains comments on candidate responses to the 2014 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 Aboriginal Studies Stage 6 Syllabus
- the 2014 Higher School Certificate Aboriginal 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 Aboriginal Studies in Stage 6.
Section I – Social Justice and Human Rights Issues
Part A – A Global Perspective
Candidates showed strength in these areas:
- understanding key course issues and concepts
- using sources and graphs (Q.6, Q.7 and Q.10)
- integrating sources effectively into responses (Q.6 and Q.7)
- understanding Aboriginal initiatives and strategies.
Candidates need to improve in these areas:
- explaining the effect of the Freedom Rides on the status of Aboriginal peoples (Q.8)
- identifying appropriate Aboriginal initiatives/strategies (Q.9)
- linking Aboriginal initiatives/strategies to social or political and/or economic status (Q.9)
- making reference to stimulus material (Q.10)
- understanding the importance of education in addressing social justice issues (Q.10).
Part B – A Comparative Study
Questions 11 to 16
Candidates showed strength in these areas:
- identifying the main issues that affect Aboriginal peoples (part (a))
- demonstrating knowledge and understanding of programs and initiatives used by Aboriginal and other Indigenous peoples (part (b))
- assessing the effectiveness of programs (part (b)).
Candidates need to improve in these areas:
- referencing Australian and international Indigenous communities appropriately – see syllabus for support
- analysing or referencing Aboriginal/Indigenous programs and/or the communities.
Part C – Global Perspective and Comparative Study
Question 17
Candidates showed strength in these areas:
- making reference to two communities and two of the topics
- focusing on socioeconomic status, disadvantage and having a clear understanding of the term ‘racism’.
Candidates need to improve in these areas:
- naming an Australian Aboriginal community
- linking issues in the topics to the two communities
- correct use of terminology – see syllabus for support
- ensuring that the focus is post-1960 (note: the HSC course focuses on legislation, policy, legal decisions and current events from the 1960s)
- avoiding a narrative approach
- using evidence to support a response rather than making generalisations.
Section II
Question 18 – Research and Inquiry Methods
Candidates showed strength in these areas:
- identifying different types of traditional Aboriginal knowledge (part (a))
- identifying research methodologies (part (b))
- demonstrating understanding of the need to respect Aboriginal cultural knowledge when conducting research and acquiring information (part (c)).
Candidates need to improve in these areas:
- differentiating between methodologies and Traditional Aboriginal knowledge
- linking cultural knowledge to aspects of research.
Section III
Question 19 – Aboriginality and the Land and Question 20 – Heritage and Identity
Candidates showed strength in these areas:
- referring to the sources to link the key elements of the question (part (a))
- explaining various responses – Aboriginal, non-Aboriginal and government – to the struggle for Land Rights (part (b))
- focusing on one particular community (part (b)).
Candidates need to improve in these areas:
- providing an explanation rather than a narrative (part (a))
- demonstrating understanding of the significance of the Tent Embassy (part (a))
- ensuring that if they refer to more than one community, they do so without reducing the depth of the response (part (b))
- ensuring that the focus is post-1960 (note: the HSC course focuses on legislation, policy, legal decisions and current events from the 1960s)
- providing examples of Land Rights events
- assessing/analysing where required.
NSW Government