2015 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 2015 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 2015 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:
- identifying that a worker's performance suffers if work/life balance is not maintained (Q16a)
- identifying strategies that a business could implement to help workers maintain work/life balance (Q16b)
- identifying an advantage and a disadvantage of using email for business communication (Q17a)
- recognising the need to ensure an appropriate tone is used in business email communication (Q17b)
- identifying the risks of storing personnel records in electronic formats (Q18b)
- identifying TWO current environmental issues applicable to the business services industry and outlining how these issues can be addressed (Q19b).
Candidates need to improve in these areas:
- recognising that a worker's personal life can also be affected (Q16a)
- recognising that email communication must be proofread carefully for style, format and accuracy (Q17b)
- identifying a classification system suitable for organising personnel records and providing a justification (Q18a)
- addressing all aspects of the question (ie creation, maintenance and removal) and relating the answer specifically to personnel records (Q18c)
- understanding how emerging technologies have affected work practices in the business services industry (Q20).
Section III
Candidates showed strength in these areas:
- demonstrating some understanding of work health and safety legislation
- recognising the importance of complying with work health and safety legislation
- identifying safe work practices and procedures, for example, evacuation drills.
Candidates need to improve in these areas:
- using industry terminology
- understanding the relationship between a health and safety committee and the compliance with work health and safety (WHS) legislation
- including relevant workplace examples that link the role and responsibilities of a WHS committee to compliance of WHS legislation.
Section IV
Candidates showed strength in these areas:
- understanding the importance of providing quality customer service
- providing responses that are of appropriate length.
Candidates need to improve in these areas:
- including workplace examples that are Business Services related
- improving the structure and flow of extended responses.
NSW Government