Armenian Continuers 2020 HSC exam pack (archive)

Students should:

• be prepared to communicate on a variety of topics relating to their personal world
• answer the question asked rather than presenting pre-prepared responses
• express their ideas and opinions and justify their point of view
• elaborate using a variety of vocabulary, phrases and expressions suitable to the question asked
• use a range of tenses and be prepared to reflect on the past, present and future
• manipulate the language to fulfil the requirements of the question
• avoid the repetition of the same vocabulary, phrases, expressions and grammatical structures
• be prepared to be interrupted by the examiner
• use Armenian to ask for repetition and/or clarification of the question.

In better responses, students were able to:

• elaborate using refined vocabulary and complex sentence structures
• respond applying authentic pronunciation and intonation
• express their point of view about aspects of their personal world and provide examples to support their comments.

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding simple, monosyllabic responses
• repeating the same vocabulary, expressions and grammatical structures to respond to a range of questions.

In preparation for the Discussion

Students should:

• choose a topic that has good quality reference texts and sources available
• prepare for the discussion by referring to at least three texts in their research
• ensure that one of the texts used in their research is a literary source.

During the Discussion examination

Students should:

• support their discussion with evidence from the texts that they have sourced
• express and justify opinions and points of view on the in-depth study topic
• reflect on their research findings to help them express opinions or develop new perceptions about their in-depth topic
• manipulate language to respond in a coherent and logical way to the questions asked
• use a variety of relevant vocabulary, grammar, sentence structures and expressions
• avoid responding with pre-prepared responses that do not address the question asked
• avoid relying on general knowledge about the topic of in-depth topic.

In better responses, students were able to:

• refer to their sources to support the content and the main message they want to convey about their in-depth topic in the discussion
• provide specific information about their topic and express their opinions about it
• avoid general statements that did not relate to the topic of in-depth study.

Areas for students to improve include:

• choosing sources that address the issue(s) of the topic chosen as their in-depth study and its intended argument
• referring to their sources to support their opinions and ideas
• providing details to elaborate on any idea, perspective and opinion
• avoiding presenting a speech about their in-depth study.

Students should:

• make notes in the Candidate’s Notes column on the right-hand side of the page
• read the question carefully and respond to all parts of the question
• support their responses with relevant evidence from the text
• transcribe their response on to the lines, using the space allocated beneath the question
• use the number of lines as an indication of the required length of the response
• support their responses with reference to relevant content and language, using their own words
• avoid translating the text as part of their response.

In better responses, students were able to:

• complete the list in the correct order as requested by the question (Q1)
• include in their response that part of the excitement felt by the interviewer was also because Mrs Aramian was someone who had been appointed to a high government position (Q3a)
• provide the range of feelings that Mrs Aramian has about her new job (Q3b)
• compare the speakers’ views on their holiday plans, including both the aspects that the speakers agreed on regarding their holiday as well as the areas where they had differences of opinion (Q6).

Areas for students to improve include:

• reading the question carefully to address the key requirements of the question, for example ‘… in the order in which the tasks need to be done’ (Q1)
• avoiding writing long paragraphs when the question is asking to complete a table with some dot points (Q1)
• being guided by space provided and marks allocated to the question for length of response
• referring to their notes in the Candidates’ notes
• avoiding adding irrelevant information that does not answer the question
• ensuring that the dictionary meaning matches the context in which vocabulary or expressions are used.

Students should:

• read the title, questions and the whole text before responding
• use only the lines or space beneath the question for the response
• support their responses with reference to content and language, using their own words
• be succinct in their responses, addressing the relevant details required by the question and avoiding repetition
• focus on key words in the question, for example, ‘how’, ‘why’, ‘explain’, ‘justify’  and respond in relation to the context of the text
• read the whole text in order to demonstrate understanding of relevant information and ideas
• identify the key issue(s) and provide examples to substantiate their response when asked to analyse or evaluate information
• draw a conclusion or justify a point of view using their own words
• provide a succinct response of main points or ideas when asked to summarise
• avoid providing a literal translation of text
• use the dictionary appropriately to find the correct meaning of the word(s) or expressions in context.

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide an explanation of the last sentence and not just re tell the events in the text that led to Grandpa Arshak feeling that he has lost his place in the world (Q7a).

Areas for students to improve include:

• responding to key words in the question, for example ‘why’, ‘compare’, ‘explain’
• misspelling words or names that are in text, for example ընկերներ when referring to the friends that grandpa Arshak missed.

Students should:

• respond to the question asked in relation to the text
• read the entire text in order to respond fully to the question
• use the conventions of the type of text required by the question
• demonstrate understanding of the whole text in their response and not just respond to questions asked in the text
• focus on all relevant information and key points raised in the text in order to respond to comments made, requests for advice, issues discussed and observations made
• use the appropriate register throughout the response
• provide a creative and authentic response in relation to the text and question
• use a variety of vocabulary and expressions and a range of grammatical structures
• plan effectively to organise their thoughts, paying attention to purpose, audience, context and the type of text required in question
• edit their work to ensure clarity of the response.

In better responses, students were able to:

• respond using the correct register when writing a letter to a principal of a school
• address all the issues raised by the supervising teacher and give their perspective on the issues
• provide justifications or explanations regarding the issues raised
• use appropriate vocabulary and expressions to support their view on the issues raised
• structure their response using paragraphs to assist clarity of meaning
• express their ideas in a logical sequence.

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding copying sentences from the stimulus text as part of their response
• avoiding rephrasing ideas from the text and presenting them as their own
• using correct register, for example using formal language to address the principal
• using correct verb tenses
• avoiding including irrelevant information that does not address the main issues raised by the supervising teacher.

Students should:

• read the question carefully and address all parts of the question
• plan their response to ensure a clear structure and sequence
• use the appropriate register and conventions of the type of text required
• commence and conclude appropriately
• manipulate the language to suit the requirements of the task
• use a variety of tenses, phrases and structures appropriate to the requirements of the question
• proofread and edit their work 
• adhere to the suggested word length.

In better responses, students were able to:

• apply the appropriate text conventions of an article (Q9) or an interview (Q10)
• use the language of reflection (Q9)
• provide examples to support the stance that cultural events like an Armenian film festival are important (Q9)
• ask appropriate questions for an interview with a former student (Q10)
• illicit information regarding the student’s success after school (Q10)
• use their own words and expressions to address the question.

Areas for students to improve include:

• using their own vocabulary and sentences to respond to question
• using appropriate register, for example formal or informal language
• avoiding using Armenian suffix to create a word, for example կարդողներ rather than using the dictionary to find the correct word կարդացողներ (Q9)
• avoiding writing long sentences with no punctuation.