To tie together what I’ve been talking about in my previous posts, here’s a compilation of some questions and example answers. I’ve also included the rationale for the answers to demonstrate how how you can apply your content and skills to get full marks.
Post written by Zobia Khan (9th in the state PDHPE and 16th in the state Biology). See all articles first and personally get in touch with our state rankers here
Question 1 — Core 1 Short Answer
Describe how the use of epidemiology can be limiting when measuring the health status of Australians? (4 marks)
Answer:
Although epidemiology provides valuable statistics on the rates of illness and death in a population, it is limited in many aspects when used as a measure of health status.
Epidemiology does not reveal the reasons behind the trends shown in the data nor is it able to measure the effect of various determinants of health (for example sociocultural and individual factors). The best we can do is make educated guesses about why a certain disease is widespread or a particular group has poor health.
Also, epidemiology has been criticised for focusing predominantly on physical health issues meaning that the equally important domains such as social and emotional health are overlooked. For example, there is much less data available on the patterns of depression in the population when compared to CVD statistics.
Additionally, although epidemiology may tell us how many people have a disease it does not tell us the impact it has on their quality of life, as every individual is not affected in the same way or to the same extent.
Another consideration is that the data collection itself may be limited if, for example, people don’t take part in surveys/censuses or minority groups are overlooked.
Rationale:
- The introductory statement sets up the response by very briefly outlining what epidemiology consists of and asserting that it does have limitations.
- The rest of the response then describes these various ‘limitations’ (4 points in total — this is on the safe side for a 4 marker).
- The points are ordered by putting the strongest/most detailed ones first and the briefest ones towards the end. This is good practice as it ensures that the marker is impressed with your response from the very start.
- Including examples is VITAL. Considering that this is a 4 marker, not all of the points made are illustrated with examples but there should be at least 2 specific ones.
- Again since it’s a 4 marker, a concluding statement/link is not necessary and would be more time efficient to skip.
Question 2 — Core 1 Long Response
Assess the impact of a growing and ageing population on the health system and services (6 marks)
Answer:
The continually increasing population of Australia combined with the rising life expectancy has contributed to an ageing and growing population. This will have a significant impact on society and economy, particularly the health system and services.
As the proportion of elderly people increase, chronic disease and disability prevalence will also increase. Conditions such as CVD and arthritis, for example, become more prominent in older age groups. This will put a great burden on the health system with more people needing care and services such as beds, finance, nursing homes and other aids.
Without a parallel increase in service delivery, this has the potential to lead to longer waiting times and higher costs for the wider population when accessing healthcare. This may also adversely affect health care in rural and remote areas where the quality and quantity of services may decrease due to the overall shortage.
Additionally, members of the health service workforce (such as doctors, nurses and carers) are among some of the oldest workers in Australia and as the population continues to age, they will retire. This may result in a shortage of workers to deliver services to meet the increased demand.
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Another impact on the health system will be the increased need for a wider range of services to cater to the different needs of our increasingly diverse elderly population. Individual contexts will have to be taken into account for example, providing both nursing homes and at-home carers.
To deal with Australia’s ageing population, the government will need to increase funding to to health initiatives targeted at the elderly. The work of community groups and volunteers will also become increasingly important. Health professionals will need to promote healthy ageing so that more elderly people are able to live with better quality of life, consequently lessening the burden on the health system.
Thus we can see that the ageing population has the potential to place a significant strain on the health system and services, however certain steps can be taken to reduce the negative impact.
Rationale:
— The introductory statements provide some general background about this ‘growing and ageing’ population and specify the ‘health system and services’ as the focus areas for this response. Also, mentioning that there will be a ‘significant’ impact partly addresses the ‘assess’ component of the question.
— Different points are split into separate paragraphs to provide structure and flow to the response (necessary for a 6 marker).
— An understanding of the area of the syllabus being addressed is demonstrated by incorporating key phrases from the relevant syllabus dot points such as ‘chronic disease and disability’, ‘health system and services’, ‘demand for health services’, ‘workforce shortages’, ‘health service workforce’, ‘carers and volunteers’ and ‘healthy ageing’. This also works as a sort of checklist, ensuring you don’t miss anything.
— As we are asked to ‘assess’ the impact, it is important to provide an indication of the extent and nature of the impact and also to justify any conclusion that you come to. In this response, we have asserted that yes there could be a negative impact but this could potentially be limited, and also provided different points (illustrated with specific examples) to demonstrate this.
— The concluding statement is very important here to tie all your arguments together and link back to the question. While it isn’t necessary to list all your points again (this isn’t English!), you should give the indication that you have reached your conclusion after considering these different points (‘thus, we can see that…’). ‘Significant’, ‘potential’, and ‘negative’ help to drive home the assessment that the question asked for (such adjectives are necessary here for the marks).
Question 3 — Core 2 Short Response
Explain the psychological strategies that a ballet dancer could use to prepare for an upcoming performance. (3 marks)
Answer:
To manage anxiety prior to the upcoming performance, the dancer could employ relaxation techniques such as yoga and progressive muscular relaxation. This will help to calm nerves, dispel anxiety and aid better sleep and will thus ensure a higher mental beginning point for the performance.
The dancer could also utilise mental rehearsal by visualising a successful performance in her mind, focusing on the movements being performed. This will create confidence and a feeling of familiarity with the routine.
While training, the dancer can use concentration skills, such as centred breathing. This will help to maintain focus and reduce distraction.
Finally, they may also find it helpful to set goals in the lead up to the event, for example completing a certain number of practice sessions. This will give a sense of achievement and will prevent anxiety from feeling overwhelmed.
Rationale:
— No introductory or concluding statement was included here as there are only a certain number of lines for 3 marks and you need to get straight into your examples.
— It’s an ‘explain’ question so although you don’t need any sort of evaluation or judgement, it is important to link each point back to the question. This is done by briefly describing how each technique may benefit performance (‘This will help to…’)
— This answer includes all 4 psychological strategies mentioned in the syllabus however you do not need to mention them all for full marks (3 is a safe bet).
— Once again, examples are extremely important. Just naming a technique straight from the syllabus does not show understanding!
So hopefully these examples give you an idea of how you should be answering questions for the best mark possible. Feel free to ask any questions in the comments, whether about this post or just PDH in general :)
Post written by Zobia Khan (9th in the state PDHPE and 16th in the state Biology)
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