French Continuers 2017 HSC exam pack

Students should:

• be well prepared and give responses which demonstrate the ability to elaborate and express or justify an opinion
• answer questions only with relevant information and opinions
• use a variety of sentence structures and vocabulary, such as je pense que; je crois que, je trouve, il est clair que, il est evident que
• attempt to answer all the examiner’s questions, whether expected or unexpected, and answer in depth.

Students can prepare for this examination by:

• focussing on demonstrating confidence and fluency, minimising the length of pauses between ideas
• demonstrating accuracy in the use of pronouns, prepositions, verb conjugations and adjective agreements, for example sur le train, en Sydney
• showing accuracy in subject, verb agreements, for example je jouons, mes amis est
• demonstrating the correct word order of adverbs and adjectives.

In better responses, students were able to:

• elaborating their answers by giving justifications, opinions and examples in a variety of tenses
• include a variety of simple and complex grammatical structures with few errors
• use a variety of linking words which allow the language to flow naturally and effectively
• communicate relevant information in response to a range of questions related to syllabus topics
• deliver their responses confidently using good pronunciation and intonation.

Students should:

• read the question carefully and address the key words to ensure their responses are relevant to the question
• answer succinctly
• follow the word limit as required by the question
• be guided by the space provided on the examination paper for length of response
• write clearly and legibly
• provide responses in English or French as required by the question
• justify and support responses with relevant examples from the text
• use the Candidates’ Notes column to make notes and ensure all relevant information is incorporated into the final response
• translate words in context, but avoid relying on translations only in their response
• structure and sequence their ideas and response in a logical and coherent manner
• use language that is appropriate to the text type
• re-read and edit responses, if there is time available
• read both the English and French instructions where applicable
• identify specific language devices supported by a relevant example from the text and an explanation of its effect in context in questions.

Students should expect:

• questions of increasing difficulty and length
• to respond with complete ideas
• to respond to questions that require them to give specific information as well as the general meaning
• a variety of question types, requiring insightful and perceptive understanding of the text
• questions requiring an understanding of both the content and language use of the texts
• to be able to analyse, evaluate, summarise, reflect, persuade, justify an opinion and draw comparisons and conclusions.

Students can prepare for this examination by: 

• being familiar with a range of language devices and their effects in various texts
• listening regularly to news and media in French
• reading widely authentic French texts
• developing a diverse knowledge of vocabulary, and being alert to words which have two or more meanings
• reviewing past HSC examination papers and practising a variety of types of questions
• listen to past HSC examination papers with the transcript
• developing efficient and effective dictionary skills.

In better responses, students were able to:

• take notes/dot points on first listening
• organise their ideas logically
• respond to the question fully rather than transcribing the whole text.

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide responses that are clear and relevant to the question
• clearly and logically provide the main information followed by the supporting evidence from the text
• avoid the use of repetition in their responses
• express their points succinctly in English
• demonstrate a thorough knowledge and understanding of vocabulary and language structures
• provide all relevant information for a question
• base their responses on specific information in the text
• provide only relevant information.

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate an excellent understanding of the whole text by addressing and developing the key ideas from the stimulus
• respond to, and develop both the main ideas and supporting details from the stimulus
• acknowledge the issues, write responses appropriately supported by well-developed and relevant ideas
• avoid using phrases from the stimulus
• organise their ideas into paragraphs
• demonstrate fluency by writing in a coherent manner with ideas that link to the topic
• demonstrate a thorough knowledge of vocabulary, tenses and language structures
• sustain a high level of accuracy throughout their responses
• communicate their ideas using authentic and appropriate language.

In better responses, students were able to:

• manipulate language authentically and address a specific question rather than using pre-prepared material
• demonstrate an excellent understanding of the task and the purpose of the task
• sequence ideas coherently and effectively
• meet the requirements of the text type and engage with the specified audience (for example, an article (Q12 and Q13))
• write effectively with well-selected and relevant details
• demonstrate knowledge of a wide range of structures using accurate and authentic French
• show a strong command of past tenses, the imperative, the future tense and the conditional demonstrate accuracy and consistency of the fundamental structures
• address both topics authentically with relevant information to the question
• write appropriately for the specified context, purpose and audience.