French Beginners 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:

• read each question carefully
• make notes in the Candidate’s Notes column on the right-hand side of the page
• 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.

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide specific details, for example, ‘dislike button’ in (Q5)
• identify correct multiple-choice answer by identifying grandmother (Q2)
• complete the table using points, not sentences (Q3)
• provide evidence from the text to support statements, for example, (Q5) the button wasn’t chosen because it would lead to bullying
• directly answer the question, that is, not simply translate information from the text
• identify the gist and supporting detail in the text
• comprehend negatives, for example, ne…jamais, ne…plus
• comprehend comparatives, for example, plus, moins, aussi, autant
• identify the significance of collection (Q7),Cest mon petit paradis…Explain what is unique about the flight (Q8) vous aurez l’illusion de partir en voyage … and justify how likely Marc is to work from home (Q9) merci tu me rassures.

Areas for students to improve include:

• developing their breadth of vocabulary
• translating words in context, for example, impatient does not mean uncompassionate in Q3
• providing evidence from the text to support an opinion
• answering the questions in English, including quotes, that is, do not write in French
• developing their oral comprehension of similar sounding words, for example, les patients, la passion, impatient
• identifying the key word in the question
• developing their knowledge of noun-verb pairs, for example, rencontre vs rencontrer, promenade vs promener
• understanding the futur proche in spoken texts.

Students should:

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

In better responses, students were able to:

• understand the gist and supporting detail in the text
• provide all relevant details to support their answer, for example, (Q10) where Luc was, with whom, and what time he would come home. (Q11) identify that Brabionique produced prosthetics/artificial limbs
• identify similarities and differences in questions asking for comparison (Q12a)
• avoid repeating information from previous responses
• identify significance, for example, refer to the impact of the superhero design vs simply stating it has a superhero design (Q11b)
• summarise effectively by identifying the main ideas in the text and not providing extra detail
• use the key terms when writing their response, for example, compare, explain, summarise.
• provide a clear summary of the issues (Q13)
• provide a clear comparison of se defriender and infox (Q14).

Areas for students to improve include:

• using the dictionary for unknown words, for example, les bras means arms not bras
• recognising the allocated marks for a question are indicative of the depth of response required, for example, a 3-mark question requires more depth than a 2-mark question
• ensuring an understanding of 24-hour time
• providing all relevant information
• accurately translating vocabulary in context, for example, identify that seniors referred to the elderly, not senior high school students (Q12)
• providing clear detail from the text to support the response, for example, ‘He’s at Laure’s’ (Q11).

Students should:

• write to the word length required
• address 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
• 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
• plan their composition prior to writing.

In better responses, students were able to:

• write consistently with the appropriate register, such as, level for formality, for example, addressing a teacher with vous not tu
• conjugate verbs correctly in a variety of tenses
• use expressions to structure the composition, for example, d’abord, en plus
• accurately express the idea of dropping a subject in Q15, for example, arrêter d’étudier, ne pas vouloir continuer
• include socially expected expression, for example, apologise to the teacher for dropping the subject in Q15
• develop a coherent narrative
• create compound sentences using conjunctions, for example, and, but
• use lepassé composé and l’imparfait appropriately
• enrich the text with authentic expressions
• use the recent past, that is, venir de + infinitive
• use the futur proche (near future)
• use the pronoun y accurately, for example, j’y suis allé.

Areas for students to improve include:

• conjugating verbs in a variety of tenses
• practising noun-adjective agreement, for example, un bon cours
• practising negative structures, that is, consistently put pas in a ne…pas construction
• ensuring they choose the most appropriate translation for the context, for example, distinguish between nouns and verbs emprunter vs’ emprunte
• writing appropriately for the text type, that is, include relevant conventions, such as salutations/leave-taking
• understanding infinitive constructions, for example, verbs of taste: j’aimerais + infinitive, modal verbs: je voudrais + infinitive do not take a preposition
• practising possessive adjectives, that is, mon/ma/mes, for example, merci pour tu compréhension should be ta compréhension
• spelling words with the correct accents, for example, past participles regardé, donné
• understanding the difference between dimanche and le dimanche
• understanding false cognates, for example, attendre = to wait for, assister à = to attend
• conjugating the passé composé with the correct auxiliary verb, that is, avoir or être.