2015 Notes from the Marking Centre – Tourism, Travel and Events
Introduction
This document has been produced for the teachers and candidates of the Stage 6 Tourism, Travel and Events 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 Tourism, Travel and Events Curriculum Framework Stage 6 Syllabus
- the 2015 Higher School Certificate Tourism, Travel and Events 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 Tourism, Travel and Events in Stage 6.
Section II
Candidates showed strength in these areas:
- identifying the promotional benefits of emerging technologies
- realising that impacts can be both positive and negative
- providing numerous examples of energy efficiency
- understanding the benefits of social media to promotion and advertising
- identifying social media that allows for feedback and comments
- listing procedures to minimise damage to the environment
- understanding environmentally sustainable practices
- providing examples of environmental strategies
- demonstrating knowledge of AFTA and ecotourism
- understanding ecotourism accreditation
- understanding the role of WHS bodies
- describing safety signs
- giving examples of feedback collection methods.
Candidates need to improve in these areas:
- understanding the word ‘compliance’ and providing industry-specific examples
- using examples that relate specifically to the Tourism, Travel and Events industry
- identifying specific types of technology used in the industry
- providing examples of emerging technology rather than examples of old technologies such as television
- differentiating between a strategy and a procedure
- providing a greater range of examples and not concentrating on just one, for example, recycling
- understanding the term ‘accreditation’
- demonstrating knowledge of a range of industry bodies
- generalising rather than giving specific examples and detail
- understanding the importance of staff feedback for improved customer service
- identifying complaints as feedback.
Section III
Candidates showed strength in these areas:
- listing a variety of geographic features
- knowing the climate and geographical features of South Australia
- identifying the location of South Australia
- identifying Adelaide as the capital and gateway of South Australia
- providing details of the Barossa Valley, Lake Eyre and Kangaroo Island.
Candidates need to improve in these areas:
- knowing where the capital city is located in South Australia
- describing locations accurately
- accurately listing tourism products
- demonstrating knowledge of South Australia
- providing details of attractions or sites
- recognising cultural, environmental and social areas of significance
- avoiding confusion with attractions from Victoria
- including facts rather than generalised comments.
Section IV
Tourism stream
Candidates showed strength in these areas:
- providing relevant industry examples for selling techniques
- understanding selling as a process
- demonstrating industry knowledge
- understanding selling benefits to clients
- listing a wide range of workplace knowledge
- linking the importance of workplace knowledge with customer service and a professional business
- providing strong examples of product knowledge
Event stream
Candidates showed strength in these areas:
- using event industry terminology such as bump in and bump out
- detailing lists of information relating to an event set-up
- identifying more than one phase in event staging
- differentiating between on-site and off-site registration
- identifying details familiar to a marathon event.
Candidates need to improve in these areas:
- detailing industry-specific registration systems such as Eventspro, Summit, Ivvy
- knowing how different registration methods affect the event-management team
- providing a logical order of event staging phases.
NSW Government