Armenian Continuers 2023 HSC exam pack (archive)

Conversation

Students should:

• be prepared to communicate on a variety of topics relating to their personal world
• elaborate and provide relevant details to address the questions in a way that engages with the examiner
• express ideas and opinions that justify their point of view by providing depth and insight in their responses, rather than only giving short pre-prepared responses
• 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:

• speak clearly with excellent pronunciation, syntax, register and intonation
• answer the questions with minimal hesitation, allowing the conversation to flow at a good pace
• answer questions with relevant information and in some depth, for example, to communicate feelings, provide opinions and justify their responses
• address the requirements of the question
• elaborate on their responses without extra prompts from the examiner
• respond in full sentences, using compound and complex sentences
• use language structures and features effectively to enhance their responses, for example, Մանկութիւնը մի թռչուն է, թելով կապուած մեր սրտերից …
• demonstrate excellent knowledge of a wide repertoire of vocabulary, for example, աշխարհահայաց, Հնապահպանութիւնշ, ճարտարարուեստշ, շրջահայաց
• respond using tenses as required by the question
• use authentic and idiomatic expressions appropriately, for example, Ձեռքերդ դալար, և Անուշ լինի.

Areas for students to improve include:

• limiting long pauses when responding
• practising reading aloud with authentic pronunciation and intonation
• responding using clauses and full sentences rather than single words to express ideas and opinions.

Discussion

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:

• ensure that sources chosen were relevant to the topic of in-depth study
• compare the validity and reliability of their texts
• refer to their sources and comment on how each source contributed to their understanding of the in-depth topic
• discuss how their research impacted on their views and helped them gain a better understanding of the in-depth topic
• develop an analytical approach to texts studied rather than just memorise information from the texts
• provide logical and well-structured responses to questions
• come to insightful conclusions regarding issues raised in their research
• use specific vocabulary and expressions relating to the topic
• use complex sentences and suitable idiomatic expressions to strengthen and support their opinions.
• respond using a high level of grammatical accuracy, sophisticated vocabulary and expressions
• manipulate the language effectively to support their ideas and justify their point of view.

Areas for students to improve include:

• choosing topics from syllabus prescribed topics
• avoiding having too many sources and referring to them superficially
• expressing a point of view rather than just listing facts without comments
• discussing the pros and cons of the issues raised in their research
• avoiding using only websites as sources of research.

Listening and Responding

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:

• state that the purpose of the announcement was to inform the listeners of the new date for the postponed concert, including important information regarding how to upgrade tickets already purchased and also when new tickets could be purchased (Q1)
• explain that the mother’s initial joy at her son having received an offer of a teaching position turned to disapproval when she realised her son was going to work in a remote village (Q2a)
• outline the attributes and qualities of the son as a highly motivated, enthusiastic, committed and determined teacher who sees his appointment as an opportunity to help students who haven’t had a physics teacher for 3 years (Q2b)
• identify the newly built football stadium and the international boxing competition as the two main items on the itinerary (Q3a)
• identify that Sona is interested in art and culture as she suggests visiting the museum of old carpets. She is also interested in fitness as she wants to visit the modern gym near the stadium and very interested in food and traditional cuisine(Q3b)
• identify that the New Year traditions of the family were getting together, giving gifts and playing games, for example, ընտանիքի հետ ժամանակ անցկացնելը, նուէրներ տալ և խաղեր խաղալ (Q4a)
• explain the reasons for Lilit’s objections to the usual plans for New Year, for example, Նոր Տարուայ գիշերը անցկացնել ընկերների հետ որոնք նաւապտույտի տոմսակ են գնել: Ձանձրացել է ամէն տարի նոյն ձևով տօնելուց (Q4b)
• present the advantages of the kindergarten set out by the wife, for example, մատչելի գին, մօտ ամուսինի աշխատանքին, յաւելեալ դասընթացքներ, ոստիկանութեան և այլ ծառայութիւնների հետ համագործակցութիւն, հոգատար մօտեցում ու հանգիստ մթնորլոտ: Նա ուրիշ տեղ այս զգացումը չի ունեցել (Q5)
• explain how the speaker used varied language features and emotive language to encourage his audience to participate in the project, for example, իւրահատուկ առիթ, ինչ մեծ պատիւ, մեր քաղաքի ու մեզ համար: Հռետորական հարց, Պատկերացնում էք, աշխարհը մեզ պիտի ճանաչի: Պատասխանատուութեան է հրաւիրում, Մենք կարիք ունենք, մենք բոլորս պարտաւոր ենք (Q6).

Areas for students to improve include:

• re-reading and editing responses to ensure that sentence structures and expressions written in either Armenian or English are accurate
• ensuring that they refer to both content and language when required by the question
• avoiding long, unpunctuated sentences and paragraphs.

Reading and Responding – Part A

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:

• identify that the reason that motivated Nareg to start the conversation was his concern for the Armenian language being undermined by people using the Latin/Roman script and foreign words instead of using the Armenian script and Armenian words and expressions (Q7a)
• explain that Shushan conveys her disagreement with Nareg’s view forcibly and aggressively (Q7b)
• identify the language features, including the tone, that Shushan employed to convey her perspective (Q7b)
• compare and contrast Tigran’s and Vanuhi’s views on the topic of discussion, identifying that both bloggers agreed that there was a problem regarding using foreign words in Armenian but they differed in what should be done about it. Tigran has a more tempered view whilst Vanuhi puts the blame on language specialists and academics (Q7c).

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding general comments and expressions
• ensuring they support their response with reference to the text
• comparing and contrasting views and ideas expressed by the three writers including all the opinions.

Reading and Responding – Part B

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 the question
• edit their work to ensure clarity of the response.

In better responses, students were able to:

• show understanding of both the email and announcement in the stimulus text
• refer to the grandson’s intent in writing to the grandmother
• respond from the grandmother’s perspective regarding the grandson’s suggestion
• show whether the grandmother was for or against the proposal of selling her possessions and the reasons why
• refer to the grandmother’s possessions and associated memories
• use effective language features such as metaphors, similes, idioms in their response, for example, ես իմ հայրենիքս հինգ մատիս պէս գիտեմ
• use language appropriate for a grandmother writing to her grandson.

Areas for students to improve include:

• using the conventions of an email
• referring to issues raised throughout the whole text
• reading the text carefully before responding.

Writing in Armenian

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
• use the dictionary effectively by selecting vocabulary to suit the context
• proofread and edit their work
• adhere to the suggested word length. 

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate thinking and reflection of a young person’s life at 18 (Q9), for example, մտահոգուիլ ինչու՞ եթէ չենք գիտեր ինչ պիտի պատահի ..., նպաստել են քո մտքին ու արժեքներին ...
• refer to the past as well as hopes and aspirations for the future (Q9)
• describe the events of the opening night of the uncle’s new restaurant (Q10)
• reflect on what went well and what could have been done differently (Q10). 

Areas for students to improve include:

• maintaining the format of a blog throughout their response the blog (Q10)
• avoiding repeating the same vocabulary, phrases, sentences and expressions throughout the response.