French Beginners 2019 HSC exam pack

Students should:

• be prepared to talk about a variety of topics relating to their personal world
• answer the question asked rather than presenting pre-prepared responses
• provide information, express ideas and comment on their personal world
• be prepared to respond to questions from a different perspective
• avoid the repetition of the same vocabulary, phrases and expressions
• manipulate the language to fulfil the requirements of the question
• respond using the correct tense required in the context of the question
• be prepared to be interrupted by the examiner.

In better responses, students were able to:

• vary their structures, for example, j’aimerais, je voudrais, j’ai l’intention de, je pense que, ce serait formidable
• use a variety of connectives to allow their responses to sound more fluent and authentic, such as, ensuite, après, puis, donc, alors
• use pronouns to add variety to their responses, for example, je l’adore, j’y suis allé, avec eux/lui
• respond to questions requiring comparative structures
• manipulate the tenses in their responses using past, present, future, imperfect and conditional, for example, D’habitude je vais en ville avec mes amis mais le weekend dernier j’ai promené mon chien au parc
• manipulate other language features such as adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, comparatives, and negative structures to express ideas and opinions successfully across a range of topics.

Areas for students to improve include:

• using possessives appropriately and applying third person and gender agreement, when talking about family and friends
• applying correct grammatical structures to respond to the question
• using correct pronunciation to ensure clarity of meaning
• using a variety of grammatical structures and vocabulary appropriate to context of response
• avoiding repetition of vocabulary and formulaic expressions irrespective of the question asked
• avoiding single word responses, for example, oui or non.

Students should:

• read each question carefully
• make notes in the Candidate’s Notes on the right hand-side of the paper
• transcribe their response on to the lines, using the space provided for each question
• use the lines provided as a guide to the length of the response required
• ensure their responses are clear and address all parts of the question
• use their own words and respond in English
• avoid translating text as part of their response
• edit their work.

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide all the details required to address all parts of the question
• respond giving only relevant details to address the question
• write correct phone numbers (Q3)
• understand tenses
• use their dictionary to find the correct meaning for the context.

Students should:

• read the whole text(s)
• address all parts of each question
• use the lines, table and/or chart allocated for the response
• provide all necessary details to respond fully to the question
• support their responses with evidence from the text where required
• use their own words rather than giving a literal translation or use French words from the text
• use their dictionary appropriately to find the correct meaning of the word(s) in context.

In better responses, students were able to:

• use dictionaries effectively to translate the meaning of words in proper context, for example, some frequent mistranslations included: écran (sunscreen vs screen); temps (weather vs time); croissant (croissant vs rising); peu fiable (a little unreliable vs a bit reliable); essayé (essay vs tried)
• refer to the text to support their response rather than just giving personal opinions
• draw on the features of a text type to help answer the question accurately, for example, the objet of an email will point towards the topic or purpose of the email (Q13)
• explain ‘how is Mathis likely to feel’ by providing evidence from the text (Q14b)
• demonstrate understanding of vocabulary and language structures in texts.

Students should:

• write to the word length required
• address the audience, purpose and context required by the question
• apply the conventions of the type of text indicated in the question
• use correct register throughout the response
• use a range of tenses, sentence structures and a variety of vocabulary
• sequence their response in a coherent and logical way
• avoid repeating the same expressions throughout the response
• use the dictionary carefully to access vocabulary and expressions that are meaningful in the context of their response
• avoid listing
• edit their work.

In better responses, students were able to:

• state the reason they couldn’t make it to the cinema in the succinct style of a message (Q16)
• include a range of tenses accurately and appropriately to suit the question
• use diverse language structures and vocabulary consistent for a journal entry (Q17)
• use authentic expressions, for example Quel dommage and Quel Bonheur.
• apply correct linking words to express ideas and information
• conjugate verbs correctly and use appropriate tense for the context of the question, for example passé compose, conditionel, futur proche and/or futur simple
• agree adjectives to nouns in number and gender
• use correct pronouns pronouns, for example direct and indirect object pronouns, y and en, as
• use consistent register for the audience, for example vous form for addressing classmates (Q18, 19)
• adhere to text type conventions of an email, with an appropriate beginning and ending and addressing the correct audience (Q18,19)
• select the appropriate word for the context, such as séjour = a stay (noun) vs rester = to stay (verb)
• be aware of faux amis, for example travailler vs voyager, la chance vs l’occasion
• use correct spelling of names.