SCOTTISH QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY

MARKERS REPORT FORM

SUBJECT: 040-12 Engineering Knowledge - General

DATE: 16th October 2023

General Comments on Examination Paper

The pass rate is very good compared to previous examinations this year, but it is not unusually high historically.
Although many candidates who passed scored well, there were others who only just made it so if the average
mark could be improved then there would be less borderline passes and indeed failures.
The comments below are intended to outline how that can be improved.

Interpretation of the question can be a problem, with candidates not fully understanding the difference between
‘state’, ‘describe’ and ‘explain’. The marking schedule usually indicates that and if a question is being awarded
two marks for example, then a very brief answer may possibly get one mark but it is very unlikely it will get two.

General Comments of Specific Examination Questions

Question 1
This is an example of the above comment. A large number of candidates stated the properties rather than
described, which got them half marks.
For example in part (a) if you answer with ‘Strength is the ability to resist the application of force without rupture’
you get one mark. If you then say, ‘The force may be tensile, compressive or shear’, you pick up the second mark
and so on.

Question 2
Varying answers, some very good sketches and some very poor. Most candidates described a main engine
jacket water cooling system and some still said that the master controller took its signal from the jacket water
inlet instead of the outlet. I made this comment the last time this question came up.

Question 3
No problems, the only minor comment is that for part (d) you have state the effects if the thrust clearances are
both too small and too great, you have to define what incorrect is.

Question 4
A popular question and a lot of candidates scored highly.

Question 5
This has been up a few times before and a lot of candidates scored highly but some were vague as in check this
and check that, and others mentioned dry dock jobs. It should be assumed that the ship is in the water.

Question 6
A number of candidates scored highly, most drew good well annotated sketches for part (a) but some lost
marks thereafter. For part (b) most candidates stated that the LP switch cut the compressor out when the
pressure dropped but then never said that it cut in again when the pressure rose.
Part (c) the question says state, with reasons, but a lot of candidates never gave reasons so lost a mark or two,
depending on how good their stated answers were. Faulty HP switch is not an acceptable answer, it has to be a
system fault.

Question 7
Again, two marks are available and two reasons were expected. It wasn’t too detrimental since candidates
giving one reason for the first four parts and an explanation for part (b) scored six marks.

Question 8
Part (a) was well answered but part (b) was poor which was surprising at this level. A number of candidates
repeated the answer to part (a) and stated that fire would go out since it was starved of fuel and air. Many said,
correctly, that they would operate the smothering system after a head count. A few mentioned boundary cooling
but never said where it would come from and only a couple of candidates said they would start the emergency
generator and emergency fire pump to supply boundary cooling.

Question 9
Very few answered this since it was a new question. One candidate got nine marks and three got eight but most
scored badly as they had no idea how the phase sensitive detector worked. Some drew the old spinning disc type
reverse power relay. Enough said, hopefully candidates will be better prepared for the next it comes up as it surely
will, no need to practice the old sketch any more.

Question 10
A few candidates did very well with this question but most could only provide two causes or factors for parts (b)
and (c).

Question 11
Most candidates scored decent marks although a number of candidates got the regulations mixed up with the
safety devices and ended up repeating themselves. Part (c) is more about continuity of supply.

Question 12
No problems many candidates scored highly.

Question 13
Few candidates answered this question and most that answered it did well.

Question 14
Most candidates did very well. Some candidates went into overkill with the information to be supplied to the
drydock, it was supposed to be essential information in part (a).
Part (b) Some candidates went down the road of check this and check that, as in ‘check the rudder’. A long list of
‘check this’ will get less marks than five items where the detail of the inspection/maintenance is specified.
I was surprised at the fact that so few candidates mentioned shipside valve overhaul. Sea suction and overboard
discharge valves are essential to hull integrity and since they can only be opened up in drydock, should have been
a priority answer, especially for an engineer.