Chinese in Context 2022 HSC exam pack (archive)

Interview

Students should:

• choose a topic for Personal Investigation that is related to one of the issues set for study
• ensure they support their research using relevant and quality texts and sources
• discuss and substantiate a point of view effectively by providing evidence from their research
• reflect on their research findings to help them express opinions or develop new perceptions about their Personal Investigation
• reflect on their research findings to indicate how the research helped them to express opinion/change opinion or develop a new perception about the issue related to the Personal Investigation
• 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.

In better responses, students were able to:

• make a very clear connection between the syllabus issue and the chosen topic
• demonstrate the breadth and depth of their research with the use of a variety of resources, including articles, songs and films
• respond to the examiner’s questions directly in a logical and well-structured manner
• support and substantiate a point of view effectively with appropriate, relevant and detailed references to the texts studied
• demonstrate strong ability to interpret information drawn from the research and provide thoughtful reflections on the research materials
• demonstrate a high level of language accuracy throughout the interview
• use expressions that show sophistication in the use of language, for example, ‘备受推崇’, ‘根深蒂固’, ‘尽自己的绵薄之力’
• speak with a clear voice and a calm manner using accurate pronunciation and intonation
• make an appropriate sound, such as ‘嗯……’ when more time is needed to gather ideas after a question in order to avoid examiners taking the silence as a sign of inability to answer the question.

Areas for students to improve include:

• choosing an appropriate research topic that is not too broad or too narrow
• avoiding choosing a topic that is irrelevant to the prescribed issue, for example, Issue 1: Young People and Their Relationships   Topic: 科技如何改变工作的性质?
• avoid responding with long and pre-prepared responses that do not address the question asked
• avoiding answering questions with generalised information or common knowledge without much support of resources
• avoiding the repetition of the same points throughout the interview
• when comparing the pros and cons, avoiding simply stating what the pros and cons are, but rather focusing on explaining why the benefits overweigh the downsides, or vice versa
• improving language use with more sophisticated vocabulary and formal expressions.

Students should:

• respond in English or Chinese as required by the question
• demonstrate their understanding of the issue(s) raised in the text
• include all relevant details and support their response with reference to the text
• use appropriate vocabulary, expressions and language to address the style of writing required by the question
• use appropriate register when responding in Chinese
• respond within the required word and/or character limit
• respond to the number of texts referred to in the question
• apply the conventions of the text type.

In better responses, students were able to:

• understand and write difficult phrases like ‘焦虑 and ‘新鲜感’ (Q2)
• include all detailed key information, for example, filling out the survey with reasons for agreeing on the proposal as well as concerns and suggestions (Q2)
• provide authentic and meaningful reflection on the information and ideas from the texts, for example, ‘…通过这些活动，学生们可以很好地了解到中国的风土人情和饮食文化’ (Q3)
• demonstrate an excellent understanding of the use of language features by identifying what the features are and explaining their effects (Q2)
• connect and contrast contemporary issues with traditional Chinese values, for example, ‘碰瓷’ and the loss of integrity (Q4)
• understand the main issues in the texts and provide clear and insightful reflections, for example, ‘advantages/problems of using smart chair’ (Q5) and ‘pursuing and promoting traditional Chinese music culture’ (Q6)
• use a variety of sentence structures and vocabulary with a high level of grammatical accuracy   
• provide a response which correctly addresses the purpose, context and audience.

Areas for students to improve include:

• responding to all main information and ideas
• paraphrasing difficult phrases instead of using pinyin, for example, use ‘天大的满足感’ for ‘欣慰’ (Q1)
• avoiding the use of irrelevant information, for example, ‘我虽然只回了中国三次……我每个星期六去上中文课’ (Q6)
• providing detailed information from both spoken and written texts (Q3)
• avoiding analysing the same language features and providing the same information as effects (Q4)
• avoiding repeating the same information in the introduction and conclusion
• not directly copying the text without any reflections and opinions
• working on accuracy in the use of vocabulary
• organising information and ideas coherently and logically.

Students should:

• use the conventions of the style of writing required by the question
• use language appropriate for the context, purpose and audience of the question
• use a wide variety of vocabulary, sentence structures and prescribed words and/or characters
• structure the response in a logical and coherent manner
• support their ideas and opinions with appropriate examples
• respond in Chinese as stated in the question
• use appropriate register consistently throughout the response
• use vocabulary, expressions and structures relevant to the issue raised in the question.

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate a deep understanding of the topics on ‘idolised celebrities’ (Q7) and ‘working four days a week’ (Q8) from different perspectives like causes, effects and solutions                                               
• express points of views clearly, critically and logically with all relevant information, for example, making comparison effectively from both positive and negative impacts (Q8)                  
• demonstrate sophisticated language skills using a variety of language features, idioms and complex sentence structures, for example, ‘好高骛远、脚踏实地、众说纷纭、名人像一盏灯照亮我们的生活，水能载舟也能覆舟, 近朱者赤,近墨者黑’                                                                       
• structure their writing with introduction, body and conclusion.

Areas for students to improve include:

• reading the questions carefully and paying attention to the text type                                                    
• substantiating a point of view with appropriate elaboration and logical explanations                            
• providing relevant information and ideas in a clear and logical manner                                           
• avoiding repeating the same information and ideas in the article                                                              
• minimising vocabulary, structural and grammatical errors                                                                        
• managing time effectively in order to avoid an incomplete response.