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VCAA Sample Questions Released For 2018-2022 Study Design

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Joseph41:
ATAR Notes user joshgoundar noted the other day that VCAA has recently released some sample questions for the new study design.

You can find the sample questions here.
Note that this is not a complete practice exam, and it's only an indication of how VCAA might assess the content (naturally, nothing concrete). But these questions are pretty significant, because from what I can see they mark a new sort of era of HHD. That might be overdoing it a little bit, but the new questions here are definitely a bit different to what we've seen in the past, and it's the best indication we've had yet from VCAA that things will be changing.

Let's take this question, for example:

'Climate change has greater implications for the health and wellbeing of high-income countries than for low-income countries.' To what extent do you agree with this statement? (8 marks)

I've never seen a question like this on a Health & Human Development exam before. I guess the point of this thread is to have a dedicated place to discuss the sample questions, potential solutions, how VCAA might be testing the content and so on. What do y'all think? :)

yearningforsimplicity:
Since I teach HHD now (very weird thinking that 7 years back, I was on this same board reading people's posts. Back then it was pretty dead though! :P), I was able to attend a seminar run by one of the HHD panel examiners who helped in creating the sample exam for this year - so just basing my response on the things that were mentioned in that seminar :)


* * They're going to be putting in more higher-order questions this year - things like 'evaluate', 'compare', 'outline' and move away from those easier lower-order questions that involve defining terms or listing/identifying concepts. There'll still be some of those easier type questions but way less than what we've seen in previous HHD study designs/exams. They want HHD to not be 'rote learning' anymore and really want ways to judge the higher level from the lower level students (this is why the 8-10 marker extended response Q has been added too!)

* There's going to be more visual related stimulus information - so all the same graphs, tables we've seen before but also the examiner said something about other visual stimuli being in there too - things like health infographics where students need to integrate and interpret information to write a written response. You can find examples of them online - e.g. https://nswmentalhealthcommission.com.au/resources/galleries/living-well-report-infographics/mental-health-and-aboriginal-communities - It's a similar skill to what's assessed in the  GAT Section A (where you've got all those random components and info bits on a page and you've got to write a written response integrating one or more elements but obviously in HHD they'd ask you a more specific Q in relation to the visual stimulus).

* There will be more questions where students need to link to key concepts and terms such as 'health and wellbeing', 'health status', and 'human development'. Not as much specific focus in this study design on the dreaded 'sustainable human development' :P

* Students are expected to use and adopt the new terminologies of this study design - call it 'factors', not 'determinants', 'health and wellbeing', not just 'health', and 'low and high income countries', not developing and developed.

* The 8 or 10 mark extended response can be a single question (as in the climate change Q above) or a part of a larger question (e.g. Q 8(d) ).

* Topics from Unit 3 and Unit 4 can be assessed together and even in the same question - so you need to be familiar with how different topics can be linked and basically don't expect the exam to be neatly divided into unit 3 and unit 4 sections
*
Overall, I think it should be okay! The topics themselves haven't become too difficult and everything feels a lot more connected! E.g. we study tobacco smoking as a health issue in unit 3 AOS 1 and then you've got the choice of studying a health promotion program for it later in Unit 3 AOS 2 - so it's like yes they are different topics but you're kind of drawing from a similar knowledge base - so it feels like you've learnt it before :)

No doubt, there's always a bit of anxiety at the start of a new study design. Just get yourself familiarised with the new topics, sample exam Qs, as well as how to link to concepts like health status, health and wellbeing, human development, etc. As always make sure you're practicing your questions and refining your answering technique and taking heed of instructional terms and mark allocation :) All the best guys! :D

Joseph41:

--- Quote from: yearningforsimplicity on April 17, 2018, 05:02:25 pm ---snip
--- End quote ---

Great post - thank you so much for this. :)

What do you think the trickiest part of the new study design will be to teach? Or just in general?

yearningforsimplicity:

--- Quote from: Joseph41 on April 18, 2018, 10:10:22 am ---Great post - thank you so much for this. :)

What do you think the trickiest part of the new study design will be to teach? Or just in general?

--- End quote ---

I don't think there's a specific topic that's actually super difficult - but just getting students accustomed to these new higher-order key skills like evaluating and comparing topics is what I think will be the most difficult thing this year. E.g. if I were to put a Q about *comparing* the dietary advice given by Dietary Guidelines with Nutrition Australia, I know a lot of students would be a bit confused about how to answer that - as compared to if they were just asked to distinguish between or define those models. But on the other hand, It's not like we haven't had these questions in previous study designs - so it's nothing new tbh! It's just that this new study design will most likely have a slightly higher proportion of those types of questions than before.

And now with these 'to what extent do you agree' type questions, students actually have to be able to evaluate topics in a bit more depth. In a subject that's already so content-heavy, this makes things seem a bit more difficult. Broaden your learning if something's not making sense from the textbook. Sometimes you understand more from watching a 2 min clip on HIV/AIDS impact in low-income countries, as compared to reading a page about it in your book. These little things may give you an 'edge' when it comes to these new higher-mark questions.

 I think if you can just link back every topic to health and wellbeing, health status or human development, you should have most bases covered. Anyway, almost every 'difficult' or higher mark question in HHD comes back to testing these key skills :)

joshgoundar:
Hey guys,
I am a current hhd student and with the exam coming up in only a few weeks, I have came up with answers to the hhd sample questions and was wondering if anyone could give me some feedback on my responses, with the new study design having significant changes, there is a lot we don’t about what VCCA expect for the extended response questions.
In no way, is this quality responses, I am just a student. 

Q1 Describe emotional health and wellbeing (2 marks)
The ability to recognize, understand and effective manage emotions and use this knowledge when thinking, feeling or acting
Q2 Describe an interrelationship between the spiritual and social dimensions of health and wellbeing. (2 marks)
If an individual has strong social bonds with others (social health and wellbeing) they are more likely to feel connected to society and thus promote a sense of belonging (spiritual health and wellbeing)
Q3 Selecting evidence from the sources presented and using your understanding of dietary change, draw conclusions about the impact of dietary initiatives on the health and wellbeing of Australians, and the challenges faced by organisations that are focused on bringing about dietary change in Australia. (10 marks)
Overall dietary initiatives have seen some success in encourage healthy eating, however multiple challenges have failed to be overcome, contributing to rising obesity rates. Some dietary initiatives have seen some progress in improving the diet of Australians, evident in Source 1, the Alfred Health’s nudge project which implemented a labelling system resulted in 77% people stating that it influenced their meal choice. More importantly, the program found a 26% increase in the consumption of ‘green’ (healthy and nutrient dense) meals, and a 17% decrease in ‘red’ (unhealthy and energy dense) meals, demonstrating the promotion of healthy eating. Hence, dietary initiatives have seen an increase in the consumption of nutrient dense foods, thereby promoting physical health and wellbeing. Additionally, the Australian Dietary Guidelines provides advice for Australians when it comes to their diet, for instance Guideline 3: Limit intake of foods high in saturated fat, added salt, added sugar and alcohol, hence when Australians follow the advice of Guideline 3 they are less likely to eat energy dense foods and thereby promote dietary change. However numerous challenges have bene presented and need to be overcome to bring about dietary change. This is evident, since in 1995 the total obesity rate was 18.7% which increased overtime to 27.9% in 2014/2015 (source 2). Such challenges include; personal preference most people prefer foods high in fat, salt and sugar as they are flavour enhancers and stimulate the taste buds and the brain’s reward system. Additionally, individuals most often do not have the willpower or commitment to change food intake and are unable to resist temptations of unhealthier food choices. Coupled, with the time inconvenience healthy foods have (e.g. preparation, cooking) individuals are less likely to consume healthy foods, and as a result, only 24% of women and 15% of men meet the fruit and vegetable guidelines (source 3) highlighting the detrimental impacts the challenges have in promoting healthier food choices.  Therefore, more effort and improvement in dietary initiatives is needed to overcome the plethora of challenges in bringing about dietary change in Australia.
Q4 ‘Climate change has greater implications for the health and wellbeing of high-income countries than for low-income countries.’ To what extent do you agree with this statement? (8 marks)
I mainly disagree with statement above, low-income countries experience greater implications for their health and wellbeing compared to high income countries due to climate change. Climate change impacts the quality of air and water, the availability of food and shelter, specifically rising sea levels cause an increase in salt in freshwater and thereby a reduction in the availability of fresh water, causing water scarcity and thus leading to water-borne illnesses such as diarrhoea negatively affecting physical health and wellbeing. Low-income countries do not have the money or resources to overcome water sacristy, whilst high-income countries are more likely to afford the resources to recover from such an event. Also, with climate change, extreme weather events are becoming more frequent, for instance natural disasters can increase homelessness leading to social isolation, negatively affecting social health and wellbeing. Low-income countries have lower levels of employment and education, thereby have limited health and social services, resulting in victims of natural disasters not being compensated and unable to overcome from such distress, negatively affecting mental health and wellbeing, whilst high-income countries have better access to health and social services and are more likely to receive support in such situations. Finally, changing weather patterns, has resulted in increasing temperature, contributing to crops being destroyed low-income countries have higher levels of food security, compared to high-income countries who have access to money and resources to combat climate change, and preserve crops whilst in low-income countries do not have access to such resources and as such are less likely to consume nutritious foods, negatively affecting physical health and wellbeing.
Q5a Describe the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). (2 marks)
The NDIS supports individuals with a significant or permanent disability under the age of 65 and their families over the individuals lifetime. The NDIS also support individuals with a disability to gain independence, involvement in their community, education, employment, through mainstream support such as installation of ramps in the house.
Q5b Analyse how the NDIS promotes health and wellbeing in Australia. Your response must include a discussion of access, equity and sustainability. (6 marks)
The NDIS entails an accessible healthcare system, evident with the NDIS providing individuals with a significant disability under the age of 65, access to community services and support (e.g. sporting clubs) thus individuals are able to develop meaningful social connections, thereby promoting social health and wellbeing. Additionally, the NDIS promotes equity by ensuring a fair health system as it provides additional financial funded supports, such as the installation of ramps to make the house wheelchair accessible, this instils fairness as it allows those who are disadvantaged due to disability have the resources to lead an ordinary life, such funds reduce the stress and anxiety of individuals, promoting mental health and wellbeing. The NDIS promotes sustainability, through he increased Medicare levy (2%) ensured adequate funds were met to maintain the NDIS, and thus individuals with a significant disability under the age of 65, can receive the support they need such as access to healthcare, thereby promoting physical health and wellbeing.
Q6a From the table above, identify the cause of death that shows the greatest decrease between 1907 and 2000. Discuss how the biomedical and social models of health could have contributed to a reduction in death rates. (6 marks)
Infectious diseases has seen to have the greatest decrease between 1907 and 2000, evident in the table above in 1907 12.6% of deaths reduced to 1.3% in 2000. The biomedical model focuses on the physical or biological aspect of disease and illness, with the biomedical model there was advances in medical technology, resulted in the introduction of antibiotics, contributing to a decrease in infectious diseases such as pneumonia. Hence, the biomedical model is associated with the diagnosis, treatment and cure of diseases, and such efforts from this model has resulted in a reduction is deaths for infectious diseases. The social model of health considers the physical, sociocultural and political environment, focusing in prevention of diseases. The social model applies the principle ‘empower individuals and communities’ through education, for instance campaigns and advertisements on safe sex practises, saw a decrease in sexually transmitted infectious (such as HIV/AIDS) thereby contributing to a reduction in death rates for infectious diseases.
Q6b To what extent could low-income and middle-income countries improve their health status by implementing the actions of the ‘old’ public health system from countries like Australia? (6 marks)
To a moderate extent the actions of ‘old’ public health system can improve the health status of low and middle-income countries. The ‘old’ public health system focused on changing the physical environment to prevent the spread of disease. For instance, measures such as government funded water and sewage systems ensured people had cleaner water to drink, and better sanitation seeing a decrease in infectious diseases from 12.6% in 1907 to 1.3% in 2000, and thus decrease in mortality from infectious diseases. Also, improved housing conditions led to reduced respiratory conditions, evident in 1907 14.3% deaths due to respiratory conditions decreased to 8.9% in 2000 thus due to improved air quality resulted in decreased mortality from respiratory conditions. However, the ‘old’ public health system is limited and only focuses on the physical environment, not considering the impact of the social, economic and political environment, for instance low and middle-income countries have lower levels of access to healthcare, thereby are less likely to be tested nor scanned for pre-existing conditions which can result in conditions, such as cancers being left undiagnosed and thus result in higher mortality rates.
Q7a Describe two other examples of how individuals could take social action to improve health and wellbeing (4 marks)
Volunteer their time to assist in raising funds for a non-government organisation such as Oxfam Australia, these funds can be used to help those disadvantaged in the local community, receive necessary resources (water, food, healthcare) thereby promoting physical health and wellbeing.
Donate money to non-government organisation such as Oxfam Australia, and thus help them to continue their work, such develop an immunisation program for those in low-income countries thus children are less likely to be sick, and more likely to attend school, thereby these children will be less stressed and anxious about their futures promoting mental health and wellbeing.
Q7b The social action described above aimed to promote health and wellbeing. Justify Oxfam Australia taking social action for Indigenous health and wellbeing (3 marks)
Oxfam Australia taking social action is important as they are helping Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders who are extremely disadvantaged aims to achieve “Indigenous health equity” and thus through “providing long-term financial resources” Indigenous Australians are more likely to have access to healthcare, thereby promoting physical health and wellbeing.
Q8a What is meant by maternal mortality? (1 mark)
Maternal mortality refers to the death of a woman while pregnant, or within 42 of termination of pregnancy but not from accident or incidental causes
Q8b Collaborative action aiming to reduce maternal mortality is more effective when the collaboration addresses the relationship between SDG 3 and other SDGs.’ With reference to one other SDG, to what extent do you agree with this statement? (4 marks)
I completely agree with the above statement, action taken to end violence against woman and girls (SDG 5: Gender equality) will decrease sexual assault, and by achieving gender equality means more women will be educated, and thus educated women are more likely to marry later, and as such give birth at a later age, where there body is better equipped to carry a baby, thus resulting in reduced material mortality (SDG 3: Good health and wellbeing)
Q9 Use your understanding of the features of effective aid programs to evaluate the National Rural Drinking Water Supply Programme in promoting health and wellbeing and human development. (8 marks)
The National Rural Drinking Water Supply Programme is likely to be effective
Ownership; the local community is involved as they “maintain the pumps” by paying 5000 Fefa, which is used to buy spare parts an make repairs. Thus the villagers are acive in the aid they are receiving targeting the needs of the community- to supply safe drinking water.
Partnership; the program is funded “with the support of UNDP” whom help “increased the rural water supply rate” and thus stakeholders are involved in this program to ensure safe drinking water is supplied in the rural areas of Benin, in a sustainable manner, and as such there will be reduced stress and anxiety about drinking safe water, thereby promoting mental health and wellbeing.
The program ensures there is access to safe drinking water, thus reducing the chance of water-borne illnesses, such as cholera, promoting physical health and wellbeing.
The program results in children being more likely to attend school, with an education they can expand their choices, and thus more likely to receive meaningful employment, and thus develop to their full potential.

~thanks in advance~

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