Dutch Continuers 2023 HSC exam pack

Conversation

Students should:

• be prepared to communicate on a variety of topics relating to their personal world
• elaborate and provide relevant details to address the questions in a way that engages with the examiner
• express ideas and opinions that justify their point of view by providing depth and insight in their responses rather than only giving short pre-prepared responses
• elaborate using a variety of vocabulary, phrases and expressions suitable to the question asked
• use a range of tenses and be prepared to reflect on the past, present and future
• manipulate the language to fulfil the requirements of the question
• avoid the repetition of the same vocabulary, phrases, expressions and grammatical structures
• be prepared to be interrupted by the examiner
• use Dutch to ask for repetition and/or clarification of the question.

In better responses, students were able to:

• speak clearly with excellent pronunciation, syntax, register and intonation
• answer the questions with minimal hesitation, allowing the conversation to flow at a natural pace
• answer questions with relevant information and in some depth, for example, to communicate feelings, provide opinions and justify their responses
• address the requirements of the question
• elaborate on their responses without extra prompts from the examiner
• respond in full sentences, using compound and complex sentences
• use language structures and features effectively to enhance their responses, for example, Als ik een goede ATAR behaal, dan zal ik …, ik wilde me meer zelf ontwikkelen, ik vond het zo leuk, dat …, mensen in Nederland zeggen gewoon wat ze denken
• demonstrate excellent knowledge of a wide repertoire of vocabulary, for example, linksbuiten,bink, bebost, rijksoverheid, aan de andere kant van de wereld, uit mijn dak gaan, ik zou 10x eerder op het strand wonen, dan op de piste
• use tenses as required by the question, for example, Mijn aa ko zal dat minder leuk vinden, Ik heb veel vrienden gemaakt, mijn vader zou het heel leuk vinden, als ik het nieuws kijk, kan ik het allemaal verstaan, toen ik jonger was …, daar word ik goed betaald, denk ik …, ik kwam naar Australië toen ik 6 jaar oud was
• use authentic and idiomatic expressions appropriately, for example, Dat vind ik maar niks, Dat lijkt mij wel wat, dat ga je natuurlijk super missen!Hier moet ik even aan wennen! De eerste keer op reis in m’n eentje.

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding articles, for example, het film instead of de film
• revising conjugations of verbs, for example, Mijn ouders zeg instead of Mijn ouders zeggen
• avoiding literal translations from English to Dutch, for example, iedereen kan Engels instead of idereen weet Engels; ik doe mijn best instead of ik aa ko mijn best; mijn ouders duwden me altijd een beetje instead of dwongen me altijd een beetje
• revising words and expressions, for example, ik aa kook goeie geld which should be ik verdien ook goed geld; het winkelcentrum, bankrekening
• using correct word order, for example, eigenlijk ik heb …
• using Dutch for school subjects, for example, maatschappijleer en cultuur, economie, wetgeving, bijwerken
• using prepositions appropriately, for example, ik verdien er geld mee
• finishing appropriately instead of ending with … ja … ja … dus ja …of zo
• avoiding responding with single words such as ja or leuk or dus
• using correct hebben or zijn as the auxiliary in the perfect tense, for example, wij zijn hier allemaal naar toe verhuisd not wij hebben …
• using connecting words accurately, for example, sinds ik 5 was
• revising a wide range of appropriate vocabulary and expressions relating to their personal world such as daily routines, family, study and hobbies. 

Discussion

In preparation for the Discussion

Students should:

• choose a topic that has good quality reference texts and sources available
• prepare for the discussion by referring to at least three texts in their research
• ensure that one of the texts used in their research is a literary source.

During the Discussion examination

Students should:

• support their discussion with evidence from the texts that they have sourced
• express and justify opinions and points of view on the in-depth study topic
• reflect on their research findings to help them express opinions or develop new perceptions about their in-depth topic
• 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
• avoid relying on general knowledge about the topic of in-depth study.

In better responses, students were able to:

• ensure that sources chosen were relevant to the topic of in-depth study
• compare the validity and reliability of their texts
• refer to their sources and comment on how each source contributed to their understanding of the in-depth topic
• discuss how their research impacted on their views and helped them gain a better understanding of the in-depth topic
• develop analytical approach to texts studied rather than memorise information from the texts, for example, De bronnen bieden verschillende inzichten over het leven van de prinses
• provide logical and well-structured responses to questions, for example, De discriminatie in Nederland en Australië is van een verschillende soort. In Nederland …
• come to insightful conclusions regarding issues raised in their research, for example, Ik heb geleerd dat de oorlog een grote invloed heeft gehad op het verloop van hun levens
• use specific vocabulary and expressions relating to the topic, for example, broeikasgassen,geaardheid
• use complex sentences and suitable idiomatic expressions to strengthen and support their opinions, for example, Ik wil meer leren over de klimaatverandering, want er is nog veel te doen om de verwarming te bestrijden, wist er niet veel over, omdat …, het liet ook zien dat …
• respond using a high level of grammatical accuracy, sophisticated vocabulary and expressions
• manipulate the language effectively to support their ideas and justify their point of view.

Areas for students to improve include:

• discussing the similarities and differences of information in texts, and using information to draw conclusions about the topic
• learning more sophisticated, complex vocabulary about the topic rather than relying on general vocabulary, for example, lage zeespiegel instead of het land is lag
• using the definite article appropriately, de or het, for example, het zeeniveau is gestegen
• using correct ending of adjectives before the noun, for example, een heel klein land instead of hele Kleine, ons leven instead of onze
• avoiding literal translations such as vind uit when meaning erachter komen, in het publieke oog when meaning de publieke belangstelling
• avoiding the use of English words and expressions, for example, gaten in de weg instead of ‘pot holes’, in het nieuws instead of ‘in the news’
• using correct relative pronouns, for example, dat hem dan beïnvloed, dingen, die je graag wilt horen
• applying correct word order
• conjugating verbs appropriately
• revising use of prepositions and articles.