French Continuers 2018 HSC exam pack

In better responses, students were able to:

• communicate naturally and engage with the question, providing opinions and justifications
• manipulate language accurately using a variety of tenses, vocabulary and complex grammatical structures
• understand questions and provide relevant and extended answers
• communicate with good intonation and pronunciation
• deliver responses with a steady flow of speech.

Areas for students to improve include:

• accurate verb conjugation when describing events in the past, present and future
• using a wide variety of vocabulary to avoid repetition of common basic words
• providing opinions and justifications for every answer; even when not asked
• avoiding Anglicisms
• attending to correct adjective and adverb position in sentences
• using direct and indirect pronouns
• speaking regularly to improve the flow of responses and to decrease hesitation.

Students should:

• read the question carefully and answer succinctly
• write clearly and legibly
• organise their ideas logically
• take notes in the Candidate’s Notes column and transfer all relevant information onto the answer space
• select the information that you need to include carefully, identifying whether content and/or language analysis is required
• avoid transcribing the whole script
• re-read and edit answers if necessary at the end
• provide accurate details including numbers and statistics.

In better responses, students were able to:

Questions 6–8

• clearly identify each speaker’s attitude towards the environment, giving relevant examples and noting changes in attitudes throughout the text (6)
• clearly identify various feelings of the speaker towards her grandfather, linking each feeling to a well-chosen example from the text (7)
• state the extent to which the speaker was satisfied with the changes to his area, giving careful and thorough reasons to support his view, including both positive and negative aspects of his position (8).

Areas for students to improve include:

• listening to past papers with the transcript
• looking at past papers to familiarise themselves with the type/length of texts and the type of questions and responses required
• being prepared to summarise the main ideas to demonstrate global understanding
• listening regularly to news and media in French
• being aware of the requirements of different question types, such as ‘how’, ‘explain’, ‘compare’
• being familiar with a range of language features and their effects in various texts
• listening to a broad range of authentic texts.

Students should:

• always respond in English
• justify and provide evidence for all observations with relevant examples from the text
• ensure they use their dictionary effectively to check the meaning of words, paying particular attention to false cognates, for example assister, saut à la corde
• provide all relevant information for each question, drawing from the whole text
• provide an appropriate level of analysis for the question
• state ideas clearly/structure responses logically
• read all the questions first to avoid overlap in responses
• use the marks awarded to a question as a guideline for the response
• write clearly and give detail(s) where necessary
• use lines provided as a guide to length of response
• highlight keywords for in-depth understanding of question and adhere to text
• re-read and edit their responses to ensure they make sense if time permits
• ensure their response actually addresses the question.

In better responses, students were able to:

• give responses that were clear and relevant to the question
• provide all relevant details
• support each observation with clear evidence from the text
• not provide the same evidence for multiple questions
• express their points succinctly in English
• provide an appropriate level of analysis for the question
• identify the main point(s) and provide relevant examples with depth
• avoid direct, confused translations and provide depth to their responses
• avoid repetition
• demonstrate a thorough knowledge of vocabulary and language structures.

Areas for students to improve include:

• highlighting key words in the questions
• practising a variety of question types
• reading a variety of authentic French texts for meaning; searching for false cognates
• being aware of words which have multiple meanings
• developing a diverse knowledge of vocabulary and expressions
• developing accurate dictionary skills and becoming familiar with the dictionary – that is, how to navigate and use its information effectively
• practising a variety of question types meeting the outcomes outlined in the syllabus
• being alert to words which have two or more meanings – homonyms and cognates
• being familiar with different letter styles and the formal way of signing-off a letter in French.

Students should:

• read the English instructions carefully
• read the French stimulus carefully
• use their dictionary to check meaning of unknown words
• identify and highlight all ideas in the stimulus
• plan their response before writing
• avoid using language from the stimulus to express their ideas
• develop their responses by addressing each idea, giving reasons and explanations
• organise their ideas into distinct paragraphs
• use language that is appropriate to the type of text
• re-read their responses to ensure the English instructions have been followed
• proofread and edit their responses carefully.

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate an excellent understanding of the whole text by addressing and developing all relevant ideas from the stimulus
• acknowledge the problem faced and write responses that give advice to their friend and explain their reasoning for this advice with well-developed and relevant ideas
• avoid copying phrases from the stimulus
• organise their ideas into paragraphs
• demonstrate a thorough knowledge of vocabulary, tenses and language structures
• sustain a high level of accuracy throughout their responses
• communicate their ideas in authentic and appropriate language.

Areas for students to improve include:

• practising reading and responding to a variety of text types
• practising writing responses of approximately 200 words
• developing a diverse knowledge of vocabulary applicable to different types of text
• developing accurate dictionary skills and becoming familiar with the dictionary – how to navigate and use its information effectively.

Students should:

• write their response within the word limit
• give detailed descriptions rather than broad statements
• use their dictionary to look up key unknown vocabulary
• write appropriately for the specified audience
• manipulate language as authentically as possible
• structure ideas coherently and meet the requirements of the instructed text type.

In better responses, students were able to:

Questions 12

• clearly express their ideas within the word limit
• write coherently and link their experience with their feelings
• demonstrate a good command of the conjugation in a variety of tenses
• use appropriate and authentic French expressions.

Questions 13

• demonstrate an excellent understanding of the task, that is, reflecting on personal successes or life in Australia
• sequence ideas coherently and effectively with well-selected and relevant details within the word limit
• meet the requirements of an interview and engage with the specified audience
• demonstrate accuracy and consistency of fundamental language structures
• show a wide range of structures in correct and authentic French
• show a strong command of past tenses and the interrogative form
• address both topics authentically and refrained from trying to manipulate the questions to fit a rote-learned answer.

Areas for students to improve include:

• revising their grammar
• developing their dictionary skills
• completing past HSC papers
• practising a wide range of types of text
• proofreading their work in order to minimise the number of errors.