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2011 HSC Notes from the Marking Centre – Agriculture

Contents

Introduction

This document has been produced for the teachers and candidates of the Stage 6 course in Agriculture. It contains comments on candidate responses to the 2011 Higher School Certificate examination, indicating the quality of the responses and highlighting their relative strengths and weaknesses.

This document should be read along with the relevant syllabus, the 2011 Higher School Certificate examination, the marking guidelines and other support documents developed by the Board of Studies to assist in the teaching and learning of Agriculture.

General comments

Teachers and candidates should be aware that examiners may ask questions that address the syllabus outcomes in a manner that requires candidates to respond by integrating their knowledge, understanding and skills developed through studying the course. It is important to understand that the Preliminary course is assumed knowledge for the HSC course.

Candidates need to be aware that the marks allocated to the question and the answer space (where this is provided on the examination paper) are guides to the length of the required response. A longer response will not in itself lead to higher marks. Writing in excess of the space allocated may reduce the time available for answering other questions.

Candidates need to be familiar with the Board’s Glossary of Key Words, which contains some terms commonly used in examination questions. However, candidates should also be aware that not all questions will start with, or contain, one of the key words from the glossary. Questions such as ‘how?’, ‘why?’ or ‘to what extent?’ may be asked, or verbs may be used that are not included in the glossary, such as ‘design’, ‘translate’ or ‘list’.

Section I

Part B

Question 21

  1. Better responses identified a market specification and quantified it in relation to an identified market. Lower-scoring responses generally identified either a market specification and/or a market.

  2. Some candidates limited their responses to one marketing chain and/or one marketing option.

    Better responses identified the start and end point of two marketing chains and different marketing options.

    Weaker responses were those that provided simplistic marketing chains with start and end points only.

  3. Better responses were those that described a particular advertising/promotional campaign in detail and made a judgement on the outcome of the campaign.

    Weaker responses made general comment about the benefits of advertising/promotional campaigns without reference to a particular campaign. Some responses described a advertising/promotional campaign but made no judgement on its success.

Question 22

  1. In better responses, candidates indicated fluctuations in interest rates and demonstrated why farm management decisions were affected by them.

    In mid-range responses, candidates identified how this change affected management decisions.

    In weaker responses, candidates identified that a change in interest rates occurred over time.

  2. In better responses, candidates demonstrated an understanding of the different levels of organisation represented in the agribusiness sector and linked them to the family farm.

    In mid-range responses, candidates generally compared family farms with other types of structures, often corporate farms.

    Weaker responses described details of family farms. Many students did not seem to understand what is meant by the term ‘agribusiness sector’, thinking it was a single corporate entity.

Question 23

In better responses, candidates understood the land classification system and related this to profitability and sustainability, both now and in the future.

In mid-range responses, candidates understood the land classification system but did not relate this to profitability and sustainability, OR did not understand the land classification system but could relate a classification system that affects farmers’ profit and/or sustainability of the farm.

In weaker responses, candidates had some knowledge of land classification but could not relate it to profitability and/or sustainability.

Question 24

  1. Many candidates interpreted yield as the number of cauliflowers.

  2. In better responses, candidates accurately plotted a column graph for each treatment against yield. Graph axes were correctly labelled with units and the scale was appropriate.

    In weaker responses, candidates either plotted a line graph, failed to label axes, or featured an incorrect scale for yield.

  3. Most candidates identified an improvement in the experiment.

    In better responses, candidates related the improvements to environmental factors that were not controlled in the original experiment.

    In mid-range responses, candidates identified the problems but did not relate them to environmental factors.

    In weaker responses, candidates identified experimental methods, for example randomisation and standardisation, but did not relate them to the problems in the experiment.

Question 25

  1. Most candidates identified that the inorganic fertiliser treatment had a reduced grain yield.

    In better responses, candidates provided a more detailed answer; for example, explaining that nitrogen fertiliser promoted vegetative growth at the expense of reproductive growth.

    Candidates scoring in the middle range identified a possible reason for this reduced grain yield, such as using a fertiliser that specifically targets vegetative growth.

    In weaker responses, candidates inferred that the unfertilised treatment was the control in this experiment.

  2. Many candidates did not recognise that the biosolid fertiliser produced the highest grain yield. In some responses, candidates identified market resistance to the use of this product or contamination as a possible issue for farmer safety or the environment. Many candidates cited cost as a reason for not using biosolids. Examples of costs could include the need for bulk-handling equipment and storage facilities.

    In better responses, candidates identified biosolids as producing the highest grain yield, but not necessarily being the most profitable option due to the additional costs that outweighed the value of the yield increase. They also explained how higher costs could have been generated.

Question 26

  1. Most candidates identified pigs as monogastrics and/or cattle and sheep as ruminants, OR identified a difference between the digestive processes of pigs and cattle/sheep.

    In better responses, candidates linked the difference between monogastrics and ruminants to an appropriate digestive process that resulted in higher methane production in cattle and/or sheep.

  2. The majority of candidates identified a change in energy and protein requirements or a way to adjust feed for an animal.

    In better responses, candidates explained a change in feeding practices or a change in protein or energy requirements, and linked these adjustments well to the different production stage requirements of an animal.

Question 27

Most candidates identified a control to manage an animal pest or disease or to infer an IPM program for an agricultural enterprise, by providing examples such as:

  • a strategy to control blowfly strike in sheep
  • farmers can crutch mules and apply chemicals.

Other responses identified methods to control an animal pest and linked this to an IPM program. Many candidates, while understanding the concept of IPM, failed to link methods of control, for example biological, mechanical and cultural methods, correctly and appropriately to the specific example of animal pest or disease. A number of candidates responded by naming an animal pest instead of animal host, for example rabbit, heliothis and pig, and related this to an IPM program and associated management strategies.

In better responses, candidates provided a judgement on the IPM program and supported this well with two or more examples of management strategies to control an animal pest or disease.

Weaker responses named a plant disease.

Question 28

  1. In better responses, candidates demonstrated links between the sustainability issue and the features of a method to ensure greater sustainability of a farming system. Most candidates provided the characteristics and features of a strategy that farmers use to manage sustainability of water for agricultural production.

    In weaker responses, some candidates had difficulty in translating the actions from a catchment response to that of an individual farm. Candidates simply identified a strategy related to sustainability. Responses such as ‘pumping from a creek’ or ‘using a bore’ failed to attract marks unless a candidate provided some further link to sustainability, such as matching the extraction of water to the recharge of aquifers.  Many students confused reliability of supply with sustainability of supply.

  2. This question elicited a wide range of responses with a large number of students responding to soil degradation in a generic sense, rather than correctly interpreting the question that required a response to an identified soil degradation problem. The majority of candidates understood the concept of soil degradation.

    In better responses, candidates described at least two practices that contribute to a named degradation problem. They also described a procedure and its effect, and why this would alleviate the problem.

    In weaker responses, candidates identified a problem, practice or procedure only. Most candidates attempted the question.

Section II

Question 29

    1. In better responses, candidates named and outlined two ways of producing biofuel, usually bioethanol and biodiesel, using agricultural crops.

      In mid-range responses, candidates named and outlined one way of producing biofuel from agricultural crops.

      In weaker responses, candidates gave a general statement about biofuel production.

    2. In better responses, candidates described biofuel production and understood sustainable and efficient use of carbon. They also made a judgement based on the criteria described in their answer.

      In mid-range responses, candidates showed a good description of biofuel production with respect to the sustainable and efficient use of carbon; however, some struggled to make an evaluation.

      In weaker responses, candidates made some mention of the sustainable use of carbon or were able to make a general statement about biofuel production.
  1. In better responses, candidates clearly identified the components of a biotechnology research trial. They addressed multiple components, such as trial methodology, design and conclusion, as well as justified the relationship between these components in a clear and concise manner.

    Candidates scoring in the middle range demonstrated only a basic knowledge of a study or presented only some information relating to the components of a research study.

    In weaker responses, candidates analysed a biotechnology but did not include a research study.

Question 30

    1. Few candidates identified that the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) related to air pressure. In better responses, candidates stated that the SOI was based on differences in air pressure between Tahiti and Darwin.

    2. Most candidates identified and described an essential effect of one of the causes of El Ninõ (drier climatic conditions) and La Ninã (wetter climatic conditions). However, very few provided an extensive recall of all the processes that cause El Ninõ (cold sea temperatures, weak winds and high air pressure) and La Ninã (warm sea temperature, strong winds and low air pressure).
  1. Most candidates described some management strategies, but not all evaluated the effectiveness of these strategies. A number of candidates did not distinguish between climate variability and seasonal weather changes when they discussed examples of management strategies.

    In better responses, candidates described at least two strategies that are relevant to managing climatic variation, such as selecting plants and animals that are suited to variable climatic conditions, and developing more water-efficient irrigation systems. They also discussed positive and negative aspects of the strategies and made a judgement. The best responses provided a reasoned judgement that drew on the positive and negative aspects of the management strategies to weigh up the merits of these strategies.

    In weaker responses, candidates identified one or more management strategies such as irrigation or provision of shelter to livestock, but did not provide detail about how the strategy related to managing climate variability.

Question 31

    1. Most candidates identified or outlined two or more reasons for conducting research, such as possible environmental effects, sustainability and animal welfare issues.

      In better responses, candidates described at least two reasons for conducting research in this context. They outlined the need for research and worked out its scope and utility in the agriculture industry.

      In weaker responses, candidates identified one or two reasons for conducting research, such as safety, cost-effectiveness, or the efficiency of a developing technology.

    2. Most candidates identified or outlined two or more reasons for a technology to not be widely adopted, such as its availability, market demand, cultural or religious factors, competitor technologies, or its reliability.

      In better responses, candidates described two or more reasons for a technology to not be widely adopted, by providing examples such as genetically modified varieties of crops.

      In weaker responses, candidates identified one or two reasons for a technology to not be widely adopted or accepted, such as a lack of a funds, skills or information. Only a few candidates ended up saying that a technology was ‘not needed’. This response was not considered valid unless it was explained in context.
  1. Most candidates discussed recent developments in computer-related technologies, such as NLIS, and showed the benefits of this technology and how it was used to monitor agricultural production.

    In better responses, candidates showed how a computer-related technology monitored the production system and linked the associated management practices with the example.

    In weaker responses, candidates gave a very broad description of the technologies and did not really focus on monitoring and managing the factors associated with agricultural production.
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