Arabic Continuers 2018 HSC exam pack

Conversation

Students should:

• be well prepared and give responses which demonstrate the ability to elaborate and express or justify an opinion
• answer questions with relevant information and opinions
• communicate in Modern Standard Arabic, and be prepared to talk and elaborate using a variety of ideas
• avoid the use of pre-prepared responses that do not answer the questions
• have the ability to provide good reflections and opinions in some depth.

In better responses, students were able to:

• respond to a variety of questions in some depth with high confidence and fluency
• demonstrate a strong ability to maintain a conversation
• respond to the question with an appropriate level of depth
• use a variety of grammatical structures and linking words which allow the language to flow naturally and effectively
• deliver their responses confidently using effective pronunciation and intonation.

Areas for students to improve include:

• applying the correct relative pronouns, for example الذي، التي، اللذان، اللتان،
• using fillers and connectives effectively and appropriately, for example  لكنَّ، أمَّا، بالإضافة إلى، بالرغم من
• using tenses correctly (past, present and future)
• expanding and elaborating on their responses; particularly relating to questions that require comparison, for example مارأيكَ.......؟ مارأيُكِ.....؟، قارن/قارني ما بين....؟
• providing reflective responses, for example عندما كنت صغيراً........والآن ......... وبعد سنة من الآن
• demonstrating accuracy in the use of pronouns, prepositions, verb conjugations and adjective agreements, for example السنة التالية، الأشجار التي، الأشياء التي
• manipulating language in a range of context and topics
• using correct prepositions and connectives, for exampleأيضاً, ثم , بعد ذلك , بالإضافه إلى ذلك و.

Listening and Responding

Students should:

• read all questions in English before listening to the items in Arabic
• respond specifically to the requirements of the question and not simply translate segments of texts that relate to the question
• use the Candidates’ Notes column to make notes and ensure all relevant information is incorporated into the final response
• use the time between the playing of each text to re-read and understand the requirements of the question asked
• use the time given at the end of the paper to read over their responses to ensure they are meaningful and not contradictory
• refrain from simply retelling information from the text and avoid use of irrelevant phrases
• present their ideas coherently and effectively while ensuring that the response is well-structured and the ideas flow logically
• include a variety of appropriate and relevant vocabulary and structures
• develop a response which clearly addresses the requirements of audience, purpose and context
• become critical listeners by differentiating between facts and opinions in order to make a clear judgement about the information presented in a specific context
• phrase their responses so that they convey their intended meaning.

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify specific information used in order to persuade the audience in Question 3
• display a sound understanding of the elements that contribute to a dilemma. In this case, it involved summarising the main ideas and stating Wissam’s inability to compromise in Question 4
• demonstrate the ability to provide a thorough explanation and analysis with references to the text in Question 6
• justify their opinions and/or infer points of view, attitudes or emotions from language and context with a good analysis of well-selected textual references. For Question 7, this involved addressing how is Faris trying to convince Salma?
• display a comprehensive understanding of how relevant the text is to a given audience by thoroughly analysing and interpreting specific information from both perspectives in order to draw conclusions for Question 8
• demonstrate a clear understanding of the requirements of the question through the presentation of relevant information
• provide information based on general and specific details of the text
• interpret how the purpose of persuasion is achieved through a great analysis of the text.

Areas for students to improve include:

• learning how to respond to questions that require thorough analysis and interpretation in order to infer a point of view or attitude or draw conclusions
• focusing on providing relevant information to the requirements of the question
• providing a good analysis of the perspective of the speaker rather than relying on direct translation of the text
• analysing both the content and the language used with the purpose of persuasion
• avoiding providing a translation only where deep analysis and interpretation is needed to evaluate the relevance of a speech to an audience.

Reading and Responding

Part A

Students should:

• consider all parts of the question and the implications of each one before answering
• avoid repetition of information and ensure that detail is provided in the appropriate question part
• identify where content from the text is sufficient to answer a question, and where interpretation is required in addition to content, followed by supporting evidence from the text
• understand that where a quote appears in a question, an interpretation should be given in the response, with a justification for its use by including textual references
• understand the importance of addressing both similarities and differences when establishing a comparison.

In better responses, students were able to:

• interpret relevant details related to Marwan’s personal beliefs from the text to support their opinion and draw conclusions for Question 9b
• analyse relevant textual details effectively to infer an attitude through a thorough interpretation of the similarities and differences in point of views of Nizar and Suha for Question 9c
• make the connection between the choice of title and the first paragraph that implies the hidden meaning and author’s intention in Question 10a
• summarise key information from texts appropriately to respond succinctly to a question, particularly for Questions 10b and 10c
• give reasons and use textual references effectively to justify a point of view or an opinion embedded in the use of the given statement for Question 10d
• analyse and evaluate in a perceptive way the textual and language references used by the author as a means of persuasion in order to draw logical conclusions for Question 10e.

Areas for students to improve include:

• elaborating on ideas presented to convey the intended meaning rather than simply listing information
• analysing information using inferential skills where students are required to identify the hidden meaning implied by the author
• establishing a thorough comparison where all similarities and differences in attitudes are clearly analysed in a coherent way. It is essential to use descriptive language and appropriate adjectives for the attitudes relating to Nizar and Suha and justify the answer with appropriate textual references.

Reading and Responding 

Part B

Students should:

• read the text provided (James’ email) in depth to identify the general idea and the specific details of the text
• identify the issues and ideas of the text that require a response or advice, ensuring that the response is structured in a coherent and cohesive manner
• develop a well-structured response which logically addresses the requirements of audience, purpose and context
• express and explain their ideas in a creative and accurate way within the question requirements
• justify an opinion within the requirements of the task, not based on their own experiences and opinions.

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify most elements covered in the stimulus text
• elaborate their ideas and information
• reply to the stimulus text with relevant information and good control of vocabulary and language structure
• organise their ideas into appropriate paragraphs
• communicate their ideas using authentic and appropriate language.

Areas for students to improve include:

• understanding the requirements of the task
• paying attention to the specific details presented in the text
• organising information and ideas in a logical sequence
• focusing on the task itself and the required ideas and elements
• formulating a response with some creativity and elaboration using their own expressions and refraining from copying the ideas directly from original text.

Writing in Arabic

Students should:

• demonstrate an excellent understanding of the task and the purpose of the task
• write responses which demonstrate the ability to elaborate and express or justify an opinion
• provide reflections and opinions in some depth
• use the correct tenses in their responses.

In better responses, students were able to:

• reflect on the most disappointing aspects of the camp with authenticity and some creativity for Question 13a
• emphasise the most beneficial aspects of the new voluntary program by using sophisticated vocabulary and language expressions for Question 13b
• use creative and reflective expressions such as, كأنما ألتقي بكوكب جديد مفعم بالحياة والطاقة الإيجابية التي كنت بحاجة إليها، كانت تأسرني مثلما تأسر الزنبقة النحلة بين وريقاتها، ينتشلني من مستنقع الإحباط
• address the question authentically with relevant information
• write appropriately for the specified context, purpose and audience
• use a variety of grammatical structures, such as using past tense to reflect on their experience
• adopt exclamatory sentences that express strong feeling and thoughts, eg يا ليت يعود بي الزمن، هل حقاً!؟ يا لها من كذبه! لم أر كارثة كهذه في حياتي!

Areas for students to improve include:

• reading the question thoroughly to address the requirements of the task
• utilising reflective expressions and phrases rather than recounting events
• producing the correct text type
• using fillers and connectives effectively and appropriately لكنَّ، أمَّا، بالإضافة إلى، بالرغم من
• using tenses correctly, including past, present and imperative
• expanding and elaborating on their responses.