Retail Services Curriculum Framework – 2009 HSC Specimen Examination Paper
Retail Services (240 Indicative Hours)
Introduction
This package contains:
- a specimen examination paper for the 2009 Higher School Certificate examination in Retail Services
- a mapping grid, showing how each question in the examination relates to the units of competency and to the performance bands
- sample marking guidelines for questions in Section II and III
- the performance band descriptions for Retail Services, which have been modified to reflect the changes in the revised syllabus.
The examination for the Retail Services 240-hour VET course is optional, but is required of students who wish this subject to contribute towards a Universities Admission Index. The HSC examination in Retail Services consists of a two-hour written paper worth 80 marks. The total marks gained by a student on the paper are then converted to a mark out of 100.
This specimen paper has been produced in accordance with the Board’s Principles for Setting HSC Examinations in a Standards-Referenced Framework, published in Board Bulletin vol. 8, no. 9 (Nov/Dec 1999).
Questions are based on three areas:
- the examinable units of competency for the course
- the minimum prescribed learning contained in the HSC requirements and advice for each examinable unit of competency
- the associated employability skills for Certificate II in Retail.
The paper as a whole is structured to allow for appropriate differentiation of student performance at all levels on the performance scale. The paper has been designed so that students have a clear understanding of what they are required to do in each question, and in working through the paper. Where key words such as ‘discuss’, ‘analyse’, and ‘explain’ appear in questions, they have been used consistently in accordance with the Board’s Glossary of Key Words.
This specimen paper is one example of the type of examination that could be prepared within the specifications in the revised Retail Services syllabus (approved October 2007). The range and balance of competencies tested in HSC examinations in 2009 and subsequent years may differ from those addressed in the specimen paper. In subsequent examinations, the style and structure of the questions may differ from those in this specimen paper.
There are a number of points to note in considering the Retail Services specimen paper:
- The number of questions in Section II may vary from year to year. However, marks in this section will always total 35.
- A rubric at the beginning of Section III indicates the criteria that will be used to assess responses to the question. These criteria are in addition to criteria specific to each question.
- The format of Section III of the examination differs from that of the previous syllabus. In Section III of the paper there are four questions. Students must attempt two of these questions. The first question in Section III is compulsory for all students. There are three other questions, one on each of the streams. Students must attempt one of these questions.
- In December 2008, the Board of Studies approved changes to the examination specifications for a number of courses, including minor changes to Section III of the Retail Services HSC examination. These changes will be implemented for the 2010 HSC cohort. Details of the Board’s decisions are available on the Board’s website at http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/