HELPFUL HINTS FOR HSC
AGRICULTURE 2016
MR CONNORS
MANILLA CENTRAL SCHOOL
PRESIDENT NSW ASSOCIATION
AGRICULTURE TEACHERS, HSC MARKER
• ANSWER THE QUESTION!!!!! DO NOT JUST DUMP DOWN INFORMATION
BE VERY FAMILIAR WITH SYLLABUS – google
hsc agriculture syllabus
KNOW WHAT ALL THE WORDS MEAN IN THE SYLLABUS
QUESTIONS ARE DEVELOPED FROM SYLLABUS DOT POINTS
Students learn about:
Soil, nutrients and water
1.
chemical and physical characteristics of soil
1.
1.
the role of soil nutrient cycles in Australian
agricultural systems including the nitrogen cycle and
the carbon cycle
Students learn to:
1.
describe chemical characteristics of a
soil including soil pH, ion exchange
capacity, soil carbon and nutrient status
1.
describe physical characteristics of a
soil including soil structure, texture,
porosity and bulk density
1.
perform a first-hand investigation to
analyse and report on the physical and
chemical characteristics of a soil
1.
illustrate the nitrogen cycle and the
carbon cycle
1.
research using secondary sources the
importance of microbes and
invertebrates in decomposition and
nutrient cycling
the role of microbes and invertebrates in the
decomposition of organic matter
Name
Identify
Recall
Outline
Define
Describe
Explain
Discuss
Compare
Demonstrate
Classify
Apply
What is it?
What is it?
What is it?
What does
it do?
What does
What does it do?
it do?
What does
it do?
What does
it do?
What does
it do?
What does
it do?
How does it
How does it do it?
do it?
How does it
do it?
How does it
do it?
How does it
do it?
How does it
do it?
Similarities
Similarities and
and
Differences
Differences
Similarities and
Differences
Similarities and
Differences
Similarities and
Differences
Similarities and
Differences
What does it lead to?
What does it lead to?
Advantages and
Disadvantages
Advantages and
Disadvantages
How well does it do
it / to what extent?
How well does it do
It / to what extent?
Judgment
(positive / negative;
beneficial / harmful; valid
/ invalid).
Judgment
(positive / negative;
beneficial / harmful;
valid / invalid).
Analyse
Predict
Critically Analyse
Assess
Distinguish
Evaluate
Justify
Critically Evaluate
Propose
Recommend
Conceptualise
Essential idea of topic
Summarise
Appreciate
What is it?
What is it?
What is it?
What is it?
What is it?
Why is this information
important for life? :
mine ? / others?
How does this help
answer a question?
What does it lead What does it lead
What does it lead to?
to?
to?
Advantages and
Disadvantages
Advantages and
Disadvantages
How well does
it do it / to what
extent?
How do the concepts
interrelate?
LINKING WORDS
for instance
for example
including
also
for instance
therefore
in addition
for example
because however
similarly
therefore
thus
as a result
leading to
BAND
1
1-2
2-3
3-5
also
in addition
similarly
therefore
because
however
( Higher order answers consist of everything that comes before it.)
5–6
therefore
because
for instance
• ANSWER THE QUESTION!!!!! DO NOT JUST DUMP DOWN INFORMATION
BE VERY FAMILIAR WITH SYLLABUS – google
hsc agriculture syllabus
KNOW WHAT ALL THE WORDS MEAN IN THE SYLLABUS
QUESTIONS ARE DEVELOPED FROM SYLLABUS DOT POINTS
This can’t be turned into evaluate how farmers
Students learn about:
Students
learn to: to
can manage plant production
systems
Soil, nutrients and water
overcome
environmental
constraints
1.
chemical and
physical characteristics
of soil
1.
describe chemical characteristics of a
1.
1.
the role of soil nutrient cycles in Australian
agricultural systems including the nitrogen cycle and
the carbon cycle
soil including soil pH, ion exchange
capacity, soil carbon and nutrient status
1.
describe physical characteristics of a
soil including soil structure, texture,
porosity and bulk density
1.
perform a first-hand investigation to
analyse and report on the physical and
chemical characteristics of a soil
1.
illustrate the nitrogen cycle and the
carbon cycle
1.
research using secondary sources the
importance of microbes and
invertebrates in decomposition and
nutrient cycling
the role of microbes and invertebrates in the
decomposition of organic matter
• ACCESS BOS HSC SUPPORT MATERIAL – PAST HSC PAPERS AND SAMPLE
ANSWERS – Be careful because sometime marking guidelines and sample
answers are very concise and you should be prepared to write more in the
HSC.
• MAKE SUMMARIES AND PRACTICE LOTS OF PAST PAPERS
• BE FAMILIAR WITH PAPER FORMAT
MULTIPLE CHOICE – 20 MARKS
CORE (9.1 AND 9.2) – 55 MARKS
ELECTIVE 9.3 – 25 MARKS
• MULTIPLE CHOICE – READ CAREFULLY
CROSS OUT OPTIONS THAT YOU KNOW ARE WRONG
ALWAYS COLOUR IN ONE OPTION – COLOUR IN WHOLE CIRCLE
MULTIPLE CHOICE INFORMATION MAY HELP WITH OTHER PART/S OF
PAPER?
LETS PUT IT INTO PRACTICE…….
Use the next few minutes to analyse the following dot point, then write down a few
possible exam questions they could write from this dot point……
Now write a possible answer (if it was work six marks)
Remember, evaluate means pros, cons and judgement ………………….
LETS PUT IT INTO PRACTICE…….
Now lets mark it. Pass your answer to the person next to you, and I’ll explain how
this will be marked for a 6 mark question.
Note the word range (this means plural, more than one), therefore ….
CORE – EXTENDED RESPONSE
MAY COMMENCE WITH AN EASIER (LOWER
BAND) QUESTION FOLLOWED BY A HIGHER
BAND QUESTION
ARROWS CAN BE
HELPFUL BUT CHECK
THEY ARE GOING THE
RIGHT WAY!
READ CAREFULLY AND
BREAK DOWN
QUESTIONS
DO NOT RE-WRITE
QUESTION !!
YOU CAN USE DOT POINTS FOR ‘NAME’ ‘IDENTIFY’ ‘LIST’ however, be
sure to expand to the best of your ability.
WRITE LOTS AND LOTS - markers will delete what is incorrect in
most cases
USE SUB-HEADINGS AND FOR EVERY GENERAL STATEMENT GIVE A
SPECIFIC EXAMPLE….QUESTIONS ARE DESIGNED TO BE GENERAL
IN NATURE BUT TO ANSWER WITH SPECIFICS
USE
DIAGRAMS
TO HELP
EXPLAIN
Mean=Average
Standard deviation=
The measure of how
spread out numbers are
SKIP QUESTIONS
AND COME BACK
TO THEM IF NOT
SURE – ALWAYS
TRY AND WRITE
SOMETHING!!
WRITE
ACCORDING TO
MARKS
TRY AND WRITE AS
MUCH OR MORE
THAN LINES
SUGGEST
KNOW WHAT YOUR ELECTIVE IS AND DO NOT BE TEMPTED TO ATTEMPT
ANOTHER…….. This will bring you unstuck.
USE 5 MINUTES READING TIME AT THE BEGINNING TO CHECK IF THERE IS
A “STUDY” QUESTION – YOU MUST WRITE ON YOUR STUDY FOR THIS
QUESTION!!!
ALLOW 45 MINUTES FOR THIS SECTION – YOU NEED TO HAVE THE TIME TO
BREAK DOWN QUESTIONS, PLAN YOUR REPSONSES AND WRITE LOTS!!!
Don’t cross anything out !
NEVER LEAVE
AN EXAM
EARLY!!
ALWAYS KEEP
WRITING – ADD
SPECIFIC
EXAMPLES
USE YOUR
KNOWLEDGE TO
APPLY TO A
CONCEPT – eg.
It might be a
diagram with
lettuces and you
have studies
wheat – the
concept will be
the same.
STUDY TECHNIQUES
• READ THROUGH CLASS MATERIAL, RE SUMMARISE IMPORTANT
COMPONENTS. ESPECIALLY SPECIFIC EXAMPLES SUCH AS YOUR PRODUCT
STUDY, IPM AND SOIL DEGRADATION EXAMPLES. Know this well, you will
need to access this info sometime throughout the exam.
• ACCESS BOS HSC SUPPORT MATERIAL – PAST HSC PAPERS AND SAMPLE
ANSWERS – Be careful because sometime marking guidelines and sample
answers are very concise and you should be prepared to write more in the
HSC.
• MAKE SUMMARIES AND PRACTICE LOTS OF PAST PAPERS
• Do the practice papers under exam conditions, this will help you prepare
your brain to stay focused for the full time of the exam.
• BE FAMILIAR WITH PAPER FORMAT
MULTIPLE CHOICE – 20 MARKS
CORE (9.1 AND 9.2) – 55 MARKS
ELECTIVE 9.3 – 25 MARKS