Chinese and Literature 2020 HSC exam pack

Part A

Students should:

• make notes in the Candidate’s Notes column and transcribe their answer on to the allocated lines
• respond in English
• use their own words and not translate segments of the text as part of their response
• refer to content and language if required by the question and give examples from the text to support their response
• address the key words in the question, for example ‘how’, ‘why’, ‘justify’, ‘analyse’ and provide relevant responses
• have a thorough knowledge of the prescribed themes and the related issues as well as the prescribed texts for study.

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify the father’s emotion (Q1a)
• explain clearly the reasons given by the daughter why it is not necessary to learn a foreign language (Q1b)
• identify relevant and appropriate information of the aural text and address all parts of the question comprehensively (Q1c)
• answer the question in clear and comprehensive English.

Areas for students to improve include:

• checking/referring to dictionary if unsure about the meaning in the question
• reading the questions carefully and giving relevant textual reference to support their response
• paying attention to spelling, grammar usage and language expression
• writing in essay format in their response (Q1c).

Part B

Students should:

• respond in Chinese as stipulated in the question
• use their own words and not translate segments of the text as part of their response
• demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the prescribed themes and the related issues raised in the texts
• support response with appropriate examples and textual references
• ensure their response provides all the relevant information to fully answer the question
• manipulate the language authentically according to the context, audience and purpose of the question
• apply the conventions of the type of text required by the question
• adhere to the suggested number of words and/or characters.

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify the positive values of women nowadays and the traditional male chauvinism in a logical and coherent response
• demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of Manager Zhou’s viewpoints in the text
• effectively compare and contrast the different views on women’s roles in the two texts
• discuss and analyse the issues raised in the texts rather than merely rewriting the content of the texts
• demonstrate excellent manipulation of language and sophisticated expression
• adhere to the correct format of the text-type (Diary Entry)
• use concise and effective language
• demonstrates critical thinking skills in their text analysis.

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding merely transcribing what has been heard
• demonstrating ability to synthesise information
• discussing both texts, not just one of them
• referring to the information in the texts instead of writing about their own personal experience
• adopting the writing style of a diary entry rather than a formal essay
• avoiding repetition of information
• including a reflection on the issue relating to the question
• using appropriate structures and paragraphing
• demonstrating a good control of language
• avoiding errors in vocabulary.

Part A

Question 3

Students should:

• respond in either English or Chinese as required by the question
• address all parts of the question
• identify the key issue(s) and provide examples to substantiate response when asked to analyse or evaluate information
• demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the prescribed texts, themes and prescribed issues
• use appropriate textual references to support their ideas and point(s) of view
• structure and sequence information and ideas in a coherent and logical manner
• have an excellent control of vocabulary and appropriate language structures
• avoid giving a literal translation of text(s) as part of the response
• use only the lines allocated for the question.

In better responses, students were able to:

• clearly state the father’s status in Feng’s family as a respectful and important figure, justifying their answers with Mrs Feng and Eva’s actions serving Mr Feng
• display a well-developed understanding of the concept using textual evidence discerningly
• respond confidently to the stimulus material and integrate the discussion into the response
• write appropriate topic sentences which contribute to a coherent structure
• use detailed and well-selected examples to demonstrate a perceptive understanding of how the texts are related to the concept
• use well-structured responses to show a sophisticated attempt to articulate the similarities and differences between the female images of Mrs Feng and Foluola.

Areas for students to improve include:

• enhancing specific reference to the whole chapters one to four of Chinatown as well as further analysis of the career limitations of overseas Chinese at the time
• ensuring the contents of the answer are faithful to the excerpt, and avoiding exceeding the content of the excerpt
• adopting relevant explanations in addition to listing relevant citations for analytical questions
• supporting ideas with evidence from the text
• avoiding using the same textual reference to answer multiple questions
• analysing the reasons behind the similarities and differences between the two female characters, instead of just listing textual references
• providing specific examples when describing key characters, to avoid using general statements such as Mrs Feng is a traditional Chinese woman.

Question 4

Students should:

• respond in either English or Chinese as required by the question
• address all parts of the question
• identify the key issue(s) and provide examples to substantiate response when asked to analyse or evaluate information
• demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the prescribed texts, themes and prescribed issues
• use appropriate textual references to support their ideas and point(s) of view
• structure and sequence information and ideas in a coherent and logical manner
• have an excellent control of vocabulary and appropriate language structures
• avoid giving a literal translation of text(s) as part of the response
• use only the lines allocated for the question.

In better responses, students were able to:

• analyse insightfully how the texts reflect the prescribed theme and issue
• provide sufficient relevant textual references to support the argument
• demonstrate a perceptive understanding of how the language techniques and features reinforce the idea that young people often disagree with traditional values
• present a logical and coherent argument which is well sequenced using topic sentences, conjunctions, and highly sophisticated language.

Areas for students to improve include:

• analysing how the texts reflect the prescribed theme and issue
• supporting the answers with relevant textual references, not just simply connecting trivial examples to the question
• developing the ability for analysing the texts, rather than recounting the stories in the texts
• explaining language techniques and features, rather than simply listing, to enhance the sophistication of analysis.

Part B

Students should:

• respond in Chinese only
• apply the conventions of the type of text required by the question
• take a stance on the issue(s) raised in the text and substantiate point of view with evidence from the text
• demonstrate understanding of whole text
• demonstrate an excellent control of vocabulary and appropriate language structures.

In better responses, students were able to:

• explicitly express the main concept, ‘career planning, whether you will find a job or start one’s own business’
• display a logical layout, including a clear introduction, main ideas and an effective conclusion
• identify and reflect on all the issues raised in the article, discuss with concise, persuasive and affirmative viewpoints
• employ highly developed analytical skills with appropriate textual references to support the main ideas
• display clear and effective argument using sophisticated expressions
• use the correct format for a letter.

Areas for students to improve include:

• clearly expressing opinions, arguing with concise and consistent viewpoints based on textual reference to support the main opinion and avoiding uncertain and contradictory analysis
• composing a coherent argument instead of only summarising, recounting or paraphrasing the content in the reading text
• covering all the viewpoints from the article rather than using partial textual references, or arguing from only one side of the reading text
• using the format of a formal letter throughout the writing task, including the editor’s title at the beginning of the letter, as well as final greetings, name and date at the end of the letter.

Students should:

• apply the conventions of the type of text required by the question
• maintain appropriate register throughout the script
• write perceptively on the issue(s) addressed in the question
• demonstrate originality in the development and sequence of information and ideas
• demonstrate an excellent control of vocabulary and language structures suitable to the issue(s) discussed in the response
• adhere to the word and/or character limit of the question.

In better responses, students were able to:

• address the given topic from various aspects, such as, the pressures an aging society inflicting to young people and the impact of these pressures on them (Q6）
• address the given topic with a definite and clear point of view that Chinese immigrants should or shouldn’t all live in the same area（Q7）
• develop a convincing, reasonable and logical argument
• demonstrate a variety of sophisticated vocabulary, grammar and sentence structures
• organise content of the articles coherently using transitional phrases and sentences
• consistently address the context, purpose and audience throughout their extended response
• employ a variety of language strategies such as metaphors, quotations and parallelism to develop an effective argument.

Areas for students to improve include:

• ensuring a deep knowledge of the topic and the relevant prescribed contemporary issues
• presenting the argument closely related to the question, rather than personal experiences
• starting a paragraph with a topic sentence and then expanding their response
• writing texts with a good control of vocabulary, grammar and language structures
• supporting their argument with relevant examples
• sequencing ideas and information in a logical and coherent manner.