Chinese Continuers 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:

• 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:

• grasp the important points from the text, for example, ‘吃水饺’ (Q1)
• include all necessary information in their response, for example, ‘$25 per kilogram’ (Q2)
• provide specific information, for example, ‘Mr Zhang was injured, he needs to rest in bed for two weeks and he is old and lives by himself’(Q3)
• support ideas with detailed reference to the text (Q5-7), for example, ‘Lanlan enjoys a sporty and family-oriented lifestyle as she plays golf, kicks balls and rides bike with her family’ (Q6)
• construct their response in a clearly and logically structured way, for example, students used 'initially dad was … then …’ to show the changes in the father’s attitude (Q7)
• demonstrate the ability to identify the language techniques like rhetorical questions, listing, personal example and high modality language (Q8), and analyse their effects with reference to the text.

Areas for students to improve include:

• listening for the key information, for example, ‘go to the park for a walk’, ‘play basketball’ and ‘eat dumplings’ (Q1)
• paying attention to finer details of the texts, for example, ‘Australian steak’ as opposed to ‘meat’; ‘Asia butcher’ as opposed to ‘beef supermarket or Saturday market’, and ‘25 dollars per kilogram’ as opposed to ‘25 yuan or just $25’(Q2)
• explaining in depth and breadth, avoiding responding to only one main point (Q5)
• avoiding misunderstanding the text, for example, in Question 5, some students thought that Ailin is resentful of her grandmother or rebels against her. In Question 8, some students mistook ‘getting a part-time job’ for ‘going to China’
• avoiding simply translating some information from the text without mentioning the language techniques (Q8).

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
• 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:

• understand more complex vocabulary like 现代化 (Q9a) and 机器人 (Q9b)
• analyse clearly and coherently the reasons to discontinue the relationship, for example, communication breakdown, lack of consideration and very different interests, with relevant examples (Q9c)
• identify the correct information and respond to the question with details, for example, ‘he is told to do the homework immediately’ and ‘Xiaoming left the school’ (10a)
• accurately comprehend the meaning of the quotation in the question and provide correct information like ‘poor academic results and lack of confidence’ (10b)
• refer to both diary entries and include detailed reference and explicit explanation of ‘impact’ (10c)
• logically analyse Ms Chen’s personalities with extensive reference to the text and include a range of personalities, such as ‘perceptive, empathetic and considerate’ (10d).

Areas for students to improve include:

• being able to infer the meaning of unfamiliar experience from the context (10b)
• avoiding direct translation when answering (10c)
• using more specific adjectives of personalities when answering a 6-mark question instead of just some general descriptions such as ‘kind’, ‘good’ and ‘caring’.
• avoiding repetition when answering (10d)
• ensuring the reference to the text is relevant and supports the argument.

Part B

Students should:

• read the whole text in order to respond fully to the question
• plan effectively to organise their thoughts, paying attention to context, purpose, and audience, and the type of text required in question
• respond to the question asked in relation to the text
• 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
• provide a creative and authentic response in relation to the text and question
• use the appropriate register throughout the response
• use a variety of vocabulary and expressions and a range of grammatical structures
• edit their work to ensure clarity of the response.

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate excellent understanding of the text and provide appropriate responses, such as ‘上网看视频，学做饭’，‘我可以教你怎么做饭’
• provide good advice, such as ‘合理安排时间’，‘见朋友放松自己’ to the questions in the text ‘where can I find the time to do these things?’ and ‘Can you tell me the good ways to reduce pressure and maintain healthy?’
• coherently and comprehensively respond to all points in the text.

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding rote-learnt answers
• responding to details of the text
• paying attention to the text type
• avoiding using their own name when signing off the email.

Question 12

Students should:

• address all parts of the question
• use the appropriate register and conventions of the type of text
• commence and conclude appropriately
• use the correct tense for the requirements of the question
• sequence their response logically for maximum effect
• use the dictionary effectively by selecting vocabulary to suit the context
• adhere to the suggested word length
• proof-read and edit their work.

In better responses, students were able to:

• write the text appropriate to the purpose with correct text type – a note
• include the weekend activities and link to reasons for gratitude, for example, 我到你们家的时候， 你们教我做很多新的菜，（让我）不但更了解中国文化，而且可以自己做中国菜。…… 谢谢你们教我怎么用筷子，怎么做饺子
• ask questions to cue return of gesture, for example, 下个周末你们有空吗？我请你们去我最喜欢的中国饭馆吃中国菜
• use a variety of grammar patterns, for example, 你们知道我和兰兰觉得学习压力越来越大，这个旅行让我们好好放松，不想着学习.

Areas for students to improve include:

• reading the question carefully to be able to identify the audience, for example, some students thanked friends or their own parents instead of their friend’s parents
• avoiding using the rote-learnt responses which are not suitable for the question
• avoiding directly copying the text from the reading section of the exam booklet
• avoiding incorrectly using 了 to indicate the past tense, for example, ‘让了我住… 我的经历是了非常好’
• expressing ideas with authentic Chinese instead of word-by-word translation from English, for example, I had so much fun! 我有很多玩！

Question 13

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
• adhere to the suggested word length
• proof-read and edit their work.

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide relevant information such as economic benefits and local culture to explain ‘The importance of travelling in Australia’ (13a)
• analyse insightfully the importance of friendship, such as mutual support and good connection in the future
• include a range of language features in the speech, such as rhetorical questions, parallelism and idioms
• construct original texts using complex language structures.

Areas for students to improve include:

• using the correct and complete text type of a speech
• using a variety of vocabulary correctly instead of repeating the same expressions
• identifying the correct context and audience.