Design and Technology 2023 HSC exam pack

Marking guidelines are developed with the examination paper and are used by markers to guide their marking of a student's response. The table shows each question and the criteria with each mark or mark range. Sample answers may also be developed and included in the guidelines to make sure questions assess a student's knowledge and skills, and guide the Supervisor of Marking on the expected nature and scope of a student's response. They are not intended to be exemplary or even complete answers or responses.

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Design and Technology HSC exam paper 2023
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Design and Technology marking guidelines 2023
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HSC Marking Feedback

Select from the link(s) below to view feedback about how students performed in this year’s examination.

Use the feedback to guide preparation for future examinations. Feedback includes an overview of the qualities of better responses. Feedback may not be provided for every question.

Feedback on practical examination

Major Design Project

Project proposal and management

Students should:

reflect the original need for the project consistently throughout the process of design and development and in all decision making
develop the proposal for the product, system or environment to be produced rather than other possible projects
develop time and action along with finance plans during the proposal and process, not after the completion of the project
present the proposal and management section as a plan for future direction
use the words in the marking headings personalised to your project to create your time and action plan
develop criteria for success in the proposal and develop consideration of design factors in the next section of the folio.

In better projects, students were able to:

state the purpose of their design solution and use this to guide their decision making throughout the folio
develop criteria for success that was used throughout the process of design and development to guide and evaluate the development of the project.

Areas for students to improve include:

showing a clear understanding about what they are trying to achieve
ensuring the text in mind maps, annotations and Gannt charts is clear to read
making all font sizes 12-point Times New Roman or equivalent
making time and action plans specific to the project.

Project development and realisation

Students should:

research and test in areas relevant to the intended product, system or environment
show the development of the design or concept through sketching, model making, testing and experiments in the evidence of creativity section
show how refinement of ideas leads to the solution presented
include evidence of the development of the product, system or environment.

In better projects, students were able to:

demonstrate the development of ideas with relevant research, sketching, prototypes, testing and evaluation
use a variety of suitable materials to prototype ideas
use easily sourced, low cost and sustainable materials like cardboard or calico to show initial concepts and then develop these into more robust materials as the design approaches its solution
show testing of the final design solution in its intended environment and/or with its intended target market.

Areas for students to improve include:

having initial idea generation to provide options for progressing the design
showing the evidence of how the project was produced
showing the links between idea generation and the selected design solution
using part of the 6-minute video to communicate parts of design development and decision making
using part of the 6-minute video to demonstrate the project in use
using 12-point Times New Roman font or equivalent
making all sketches clearly visible with a dark pencil, pen or equivalent
displaying all tests and prototypes for marking
using the 6-minute video to add information rather than duplicating what is in the folio.

Evaluation

Students should:

use language that shows reflection and analysis rather than telling the story of the project development
be succinct, offering information that relates directly to solving the problem or meeting the need
show the relationship between the proposal and the presented product.

In better projects, students were able to:

complete all four evaluation components
include succinct reflections and analysis in the 6-minute video
seek expert or target market evaluations where appropriate and analyse these
analyse specific impacts of the project on the environment rather than generalised statements
critically evaluate the performance and functionality through real testing of the solution.

Areas for students to improve include:

adding future directions from ongoing evaluations
providing more evidence of evaluations through testing and experimentation
providing evaluations that genuinely analyse the process and completed product, system, or environment.

Feedback on written examination

Sections II and III

General feedback

Students should:

read the question carefully to ensure that they do not miss important components of the question
have a clear understanding of key words in the question and recognise the intent of the question and its requirements
engage with any stimulus material provided and refer to it in the response
communicate ideas and information using relevant examples
expect to interpret data/graphs/tables and assess information for accuracy, reliability and/or validity
review the response to ensure that it addresses the question requirements.

Section II

Question 11

In better responses, students were able to:

identify and outline ONE relevant design factor or a factor that would impact innovation success
apply content knowledge and use an example to show the connection between the factor and success or failure.

Areas for students to improve include:

providing more than an identification of a factor
making the link evident between the factor and success or failure.

Question 12

In better responses, students were able to:

demonstrate understanding of ONE relevant social trend such as the increasing demand for remote work, growing emphasis on sustainability, fitness and active lifestyles
show the relationship between the social trend and the demand for innovative design solutions
support the response with a relevant example to highlight the social trend. For example, sustainable living is creating a demand for eco-friendly and sustainable products, reusable items, and products with minimal environmental impact.

Areas for students to improve include:

identifying a social issue to support the response
incorporating a real-world example to show understanding.

Question 13

In better responses, students were able to:

identify ONE relevant communication technique that could be used when presenting information. For example, video conferencing, instant messaging, virtual whiteboards and 3D modelling
relate the response specifically to presenting information to a client
explain more than one advantage of this communication technique and show the effect(s) of the communication method.

Areas for students to improve include:

using design specific communication methods. For example, interactive prototyping, rather than general methods such as active listening, concise messaging and appropriate body language
incorporating a real-world example to show understanding
showing cause and effect in the answer by using terms such as ‘this causes’, ‘results in’, ‘leads to’, ‘produces’, ‘brings about’.

Question 14

In better responses, students were able to:

demonstrate understanding of ONE specific technology such as smart devices, online learning platforms, apps, electric cars and virtual reality
address the information provided and show the relationship between lifestyle improvement and cost to both society and the environment
discuss in detail both the social and environmental costs of the specific technology referenced
demonstrate understanding of ‘lifestyle improvement’, such as instant communication, improved health and fitness, greater connectivity and more time efficient lifestyles.

Areas for students to improve include:

making reference to specific examples of lifestyle improvement
understanding both the social and environmental costs of the technology.

Section III

Question 15

In better responses, students were able to:

demonstrate a detailed understanding of the ethical and social implications for designers
use specific and relevant examples that relate to design, such as privacy and data security, the changing nature of work due to technological advancements and the cost of energy to support their analysis of implications
provide multiple relationships between ethical and social implications and the examples
provide both short- and long-term implications for designers
effectively incorporate the information in the stimulus
support implications with clear cause and effect statements
write in full sentences using appropriate paragraph structures.

Areas for students to improve include:

developing a cohesive response by using connective terms, full sentences, and paragraphs
using statements such as, ‘as a consequence’, ‘furthermore’ and ‘as a result of’, to draw out and relate further implications for designers when responding to world issues
using the suggested examples in the question, for example, health, food production and living conditions
drawing out the relationship between the TWO selected examples and the social and/or ethical implications for designers
referencing both social and ethical impacts.

Design and Technology 2023 HSC exam pack

Download Papers

HSC Marking Feedback

Feedback on practical examination

Project proposal and management

Project development and realisation

Evaluation

Feedback on written examination

General feedback

Section II

Question 11

Question 12

Question 13

Question 14

Section III

Question 15

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