2014 Notes from the Marking Centre – Earth and Environmental Science
Introduction
This document has been produced for the teachers and candidates of the Stage 6 Earth and Environmental Science 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 Earth and Environmental Science Stage 6 Syllabus
- the 2014 Higher School Certificate Earth and Environmental Science examination
- the marking guidelines
- Advice for students sitting for HSC science 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 Earth and Environmental Science in Stage 6.
Section I – Part B
Candidates showed strength in these areas:
- identifying divergent boundaries and outlining associated tectonic processes involved in a plate’s separation (ie convection currents, rift valley and/or sea floor spreading) (Q.21)
- using diagrams to describe difficult geological structures (Q.23)
- demonstrating understanding of the development of the Geological Time Scale by providing specific fossil examples (Q.26)
- providing key features of two international strategies, one for ozone reduction and one for tackling enhanced greenhouse effect (Q.27)
- identifying land management practices (Q.28)
- providing information about soils in Western Australia and the east coast of Australia (Q.29)
- identifying and describing a wide variety of appropriate environmental management practices, using data from the map and table to support their arguments, and providing a judgement (Q.30)
- annotating the stimulus material in the question to assist with planning the response (Q.24 and Q.30).
Candidates need to improve in these areas:
- identifying the main differences between intra-plate and plate boundary earthquakes, including an appropriate depth of earthquake focus (Q.21)
- linking compressional forces to mountain building and associated geological structures (Q.22)
- using the information (tables, graphs or data) given in the question (Q.22, Q.24, Q.27 and Q.28)
- integrating relevant examples to support points being made (Q.26)
- addressing the statement provided in the question (Q.28)
- providing information with a logical progression indicating either breadth or depth of knowledge (Q.30).
Section II
Question 31 – Introduced Species and the Australian Environment
Candidates showed strength in these areas:
- describing the features of quarantine (part (a))
- providing examples of successful biological controls (part (b))
- defining introduced species and providing specific examples of control strategies.
Candidates need to improve in these areas:
- providing specific detail and responding to the stimulus material given in the question
- demonstrating an understanding of the requirements to perform a valid and reliable investigation (part (d) (ii)).
Question 32 – Organic Geology – A Non-renewable Resource
Candidates showed strength in these areas:
- explaining cap rock, source rock and reservoir rock functions (part (a))
- describing the refining techniques for coal and petroleum (part (b))
- using the data from the table and the graph given in the question (part (c)).
Candidates need to improve in these areas:
- referring to the stimulus material given in the question
- organising the experimental sequence to include repetition and the name of the fuel.
Question 33 – Mining and the Australian Environment
Candidates showed strength in these areas:
- reading information from the given graph (part (c)).
Question 34 – Oceanography
Candidates showed strength in these areas:
- describing methods to date ocean floors (part (a))
- interpreting information from the given diagram (part (c))
- outlining the process of the origin of salinity in the Earth’s oceans (part (c)).
Candidates need to improve in these areas:
- referring to the given diagram and linking to specific knowledge (part (c))
- ensuring reliability by repeating the experiment (part (d))
- understanding principles of sustainability when applied to ocean systems (part (e)).
NSW Government