Chinese Beginners 2021 HSC exam pack

In 2021, due to COVID-19, the HSC examinations for some courses were cancelled or the requirements adjusted, and no HSC feedback is available.

Please refer to marking feedback previously published for this component.

Students should:

• read each question carefully
• make notes in the Candidate’s Notes column on the right-hand side of the page
• transcribe their response on to the lines, using the space provided for each question
• use the lines provided as a guide to the length of the response required
• ensure their responses are clear and address all parts of the question
• use their own words and respond in English
• avoid translating text as their response.

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify the key information from the audio texts, especially the key words needed for responses, for example, ‘new computer, fast internet’ (Q1); ‘grandma, Shanghai cuisine/restaurant’(Q3)
• demonstrate their ability to summarise the text, for example, ‘going to Canberra instead of Melbourne; taking a flight instead of train’ (Q4)
• address the question directly by giving reasons for Xiaoli’s poor exam performance for example, ‘she was late, did not finish the exam and got up late’ (Q5)
• respond to the questions and justify their responses with detailed information from the texts (Q7-8, Q10), for example, the reasons why people would be interested: ‘the weather condition, sightseeing, other highlights and discounted flight ticket’ (Q10).

Areas for students to improve include:

• using notetaking skills and summary skills
• providing adequate and appropriate information required by the questions
• using their own words rather than literal translations
• using a dictionary to understand the key words.

Students should:

• read the whole text(s)
• address all parts of each question
• use the lines, table and chart allocated for the response
• provide all necessary details to respond to the question fully
• support their responses with evidence from the text where required
• use their own words rather than giving a literal translation
• use their dictionary appropriately to find the correct meaning of the word(s) in context.

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate a thorough understanding of the texts
• identify all relevant information required for the questions (Q11, Q12b, Q14a-b), for example, ‘24-hour heated pool, coffee shop and cinema inside the library and bus stops’ (Q12b)
• draw conclusions with specific reference to the texts (Q13b, Q15a-b), for example, the experiences such as ‘learning Japanese language, culture and history, making many friends and doing lots of activities together’ have influenced the writer’s choice of career (Q13b)
• demonstrate the ability to analyse, compare and summarise (Q16).

Areas for students to improve include:

• using their own words rather than direct translation from the texts
• avoiding irrelevant information or personal details in their responses
• using dictionary effectively to identify the key words.

Students should:

• write to the word length required
• address the context, purpose and audience required by the question
• apply the conventions of the type of text indicated in the question
• use correct register consistently throughout their response
• use a range of tenses, sentence structures and a variety of vocabulary appropriately
• avoid repeating the same expressions throughout the response
• use the dictionary carefully to access vocabulary and expressions that are meaningful in the context of their response
• avoid listing
• edit their work.

In better responses, students were able to:

• use the correct text types
• organise ideas in a logical manner and sequence
• use a wide range of grammatical structures with high accuracy
• use extensive vocabulary and show high accuracy in writing characters
• use adjectives and conjunctions effectively.

Areas for students to improve include:

• directly addressing the required topic at first, instead of talking about something else
• staying on topic rather than providing irrelevant or unnecessary information
• providing depth in ideas, avoiding using rote-learnt responses
• avoiding using pinyin or English.