Croatian Continuers 2024 HSC exam pack (archive)

Section 1 – 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:

• identify that diving/snorkelling was the activity planned for the day (Q1a)
• provide the reasons why Rijekawas chosen by both Lea and Martin as the place to meet (Q2a)
• demonstrate a clear understanding that the two friends have different interests and provide details regarding what each wants to do when in Rijeka (Q2b)
• align the language Vera uses to describe the many changes and hardships she has endured that have resulted in her giving up the market stall after many decades. These students provided examples that were relevant and highlighted Vera’s experiences (Q3b)
• understand 24-hour time (Q4)
• refer to both content and language to show understanding of how Karla explains the changes in her life. These students supported their response with relevant examples of the language that Karla used to get her message across to the listeners (Q6b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding long unpunctuated sentences and paragraphs
• avoid including information that may be common knowledge but is not in the text, for example, castles in Rijeka (Q2b)
• avoid recounting informationfrom the text when the question requires response to show how language is used to describe (Q3b) or to encourage (Q5b)
• revising basic vocabulary and spelling, for example, the months of the year in Croatian (Q4)
• avoid using English in questions where Croatian is required in the response.

Section 2 – 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 understand all relevant information and ideas
• identify the key issue(s) and provide examples to substantiate their response when asked to justify
• 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:

• provide textual examples to support why the event was ‘a great triumph’, for example, ‘The atmosphere was like a carnival’, ‘All the fruit was picked’ (Q7b)
• compare the messages in the two texts (Q8)
• use words or expressions of comparison in their response, for example, ‘compared to’, ‘on the other hand’, ‘while text 7 is about harvesting, text 8 is about preserving’ (Q8)
• include similarities, such as cultural and traditional aspects, as well as differences in both texts in their comparison (Q8)
• understand and communicate that the overall message of both texts is ‘avoiding food wastage’ (Q8).

Areas for students to improve include:

• reading the text carefully to avoid misunderstanding content and including information that is not in text, for example, 'Fruit was frequently going out of date', 'protecting the fruit' (Q7a,b)
• avoid retelling or summarising information rather than answering the question
• avoid drawing conclusions that are not supported by the content of each text.

Section 2 – Reading and Responding – Part B

Students should:

• respond to the question asked in relation to the text
• read the entire text 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 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 question
• edit their work to ensure clarity of the response.

In better responses, students were able to:

• use the correct text conventions of a diary entry written from the point of view of Lucija
• use Croatian creatively and authentically to engage the reader, for example, jedva sam čekala..., gužva je bila strašna..., ako ti sa ne ispričam, puknut ću..., nisam se bunila...novi skriveni restoran...
• use a wide range of vocabulary, for example, prvi su mi dojmovi ...
• use paragraphs effectively.

Areas for students to improve include:

• responding to all elements in the stimulus texts as required by the question
• avoid listing information in the text
• using appropriate vocabulary suitable to the topic of the text
• avoiding the repetition of the same words or phrases, for example, poslje, poslje toga, prvi dan, drugi dan …
• using the range of complex sentence structures in Croatian grammar and a range of vocabulary
• avoid responding with pre-learnt expressions that are irrelevant to the text.

Section 3 – Writing in Croatian

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:

• write using the text conventions of a script of an interview (Q10) and a formal letter (Q11)
• use correct register for an interview (Q10)
• give examples of experiences of the work-from-home arrangement, for example, radim od kuće već skoro četiri godine ..., da ti iskreno kažem ... (Q10)
• provide both positive and negative aspects of working from home
• use Croatian creatively and authentically to engage the reader, for example, bogatstvo koje se ne smije zanemariti ..., poučno iskustvo ..., jedna je moja primjedba ..., bili su obečavajuć ..., Sve u svemu ... (Q11)
• use language features such as simile and metaphor, for example, diše kao vatra, a kultura je gorivo za tu vatru...
• use a wide range of vocabulary appropriate to the task
• include ideas relevant to the topic of a cultural heritage festival, for example, traditional costumes,folkloric dancing, food, music, handicrafts, musical instruments(Q11)
• evaluate the success of the festival, giving both positive or negative aspects and giving suggestions for improvements
• use a variety of tenses, phrases and structures appropriate to the requirements of the question
• use paragraphs effectively.

Areas for students to improve include:

• using the correct text conventions of a script of an interview (Q10) and formal letter (Q11)
• using a wide range of vocabulary rather than repeating the same words, phrases and sentences throughout the text, for example, overuse of the word, dobro (good)
• using correct case in Croatian and correct spelling of words
• avoid using English
• including authentic Croatian phrases and idioms
• using a range of language features such as similes, metaphors, descriptive words, phrases, sentences and expressions.