French Continuers 2023 HSC exam pack

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, 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 French 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 good 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
• accurately use tenses as required by the question
• elaborate on their responses without extra prompts from the examiner
• respond in full sentences, using compound and complex sentences
• demonstrate excellent knowledge of a wide repertoire of vocabulary such as j’apprecie or ça m’épanouit, rather than j’aime
• use the correct preposition with verbs and places such as j’ai décidé d’aller à Londres en Angleterre
• use the negative such as je n’ai jamais visité la France, j’ai décidé de ne pas étudier l’année prochaine.

Areas for students to improve include:

• listening to the question asked rather than only hearing a key word and providing a pre-prepared answer that does not match the question
• avoiding repetition of the same vocabulary and structures in different answers
• avoiding the use of two conjugated verbs in a row such as je veux voyagerai rather than je veux voyager
• speaking clearly so the ending of words and sentences can be heard
• using matières rather than sujets and bâtiments or l’établissement rather than facilities
• learning vocabulary specific to the student’s life such as their parents’ jobs and hobbies
• understanding the difference and when to use pour, pendant and depuis and à cause de and parce que and grace à
• avoiding the pronunciation of the last consonant in words such as beaucoup and temps
• learning the difference between and use of direct object pronouns and indirect object pronouns, such as je lui ai dit and je le fais.

Students should:

• make notes in the Candidate’s Notes column on the right-hand side of the page
• read the question carefully and respond to all parts of the question
• support their responses with relevant evidence from the text
• transcribe their response onto the lines, using the space allocated beneath the question
• use the number of lines as an indication of the required length of the response
• support their responses with reference to relevant content and language, using their own words
• avoid translating the text as part of their response.

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide a higher level of detail in their responses
• demonstrate an excellent understanding of key words such as ‘explain’ and ‘summarise’
• be specific in translating from French into English, for example, un stage is a work placement/internship, not a job (Q2)
• identify that the speaker is not likely to hire the said company (Q4)
• answer the question with a holistic approach demonstrating understanding of key vocabulary and inference in text
• express blame/frustration on parents with clear examples, plus identifying the brothers’ advice that Maëlla strongly disagrees with (Q7)
• identify the difference between the past and present tense (Q8)
• understand that ‘change’ means ‘an old situation’ versus a ‘new situation’ and know that evidence needs to be paired (Q8).

Areas for students to improve include:

• providing more inference and explanation
• developing a broad vocabulary
• answering ‘justify’ questions correctly by stating the technique, providing an example and giving an explanation
• paraphrasing in English instead of French to demonstrate understanding of the texts (Q2)
• transferring all parts of notes across from Candidates’ Notes section
• identifying more clearly why she is grateful to Ben (Q3)
• understanding false cognates, for example, stage (work placement, training) (Q5)
• understanding negatives other than ne …pas (not), for example, ne …que (Q4) and words such as la grève (strike), la conseillère d’orientation (career advisor), déposer (to drop off)
• using specific vocabulary, not just general ideas, for example, non-alcoholic drinks, boss with a tomato allergy, doesn’t really like seafood alternative (Q4)
• providing concise answer to ‘summarise’ question (Q6)
• familiarising themselves with French names, for example, Océane is a girl (Q8)
• naming the profession (Q8).

Students should:

• read the title, the questions and the whole text before responding
• use only the lines or space beneath the question for their response
• support their responses with reference to content and language, using their own words
• be succinct in their responses, addressing the relevant details required by the question and avoiding repetition
• focus on key words in the question, for example, ‘how’, ‘why’, ‘explain’, ‘justify’ – and respond in relation to the context of the text
• read the whole text in order to demonstrate understanding of relevant information and ideas
• identify the key issue(s) and provide examples to substantiate their response when asked to analyse or evaluate information
• draw a conclusion or justify a point of view using their own words
• provide a succinct response of main points or ideas when asked to summarise
• avoid providing a literal translation of text
• use the dictionary appropriately to find the correct meaning of the word(s) or expressions in context.

In better responses, students were able to:

• outline the name of the forum which was ‘Help for the Parents’ and identify what Annie’s problem was (Q9a)
• include comparisons between the two contributors’ opinion on the child’s behaviour and use conjunctions effectively to demonstrate this, for example ‘on the one hand’ (Q9b)
• accurately translate, for example, recognising that perspicace means perspicacious/clear-sighted (Q9c)
• recognise and account for the degree of sensitivity offered by Laëtitia’s comment over and above that of Florian’s and Alban’s (Q9c)
• link Laëtitia’s comment back to Annie’s desire to help her son without offending him (Q9c)
• state both the fact that Denise won an award for innovation and that she is the head of an ecofriendly fashion house (Q10a)
• state the technique, provide an example and give an explanation (Q10d).

Areas for students to improve include:

• providing English translations of French quotes in their answers
• analysing rather than just copying the text
• considering the context of words before translating them and checking the meaning of words such as une boîte (a box) , gâté (spoiled), fils (son, not daughter)
• answering implied questions, for example, clearly stating what the forum is (Q9a)
• understanding expressions such as tout comme (just like) (Q10)
• identifying correct gender according to first name, for example, Denise refer to a female whereas Denis refers to a male (Q10)
• mentioning that Denise Lambert overcame the difficulty of starting a business (Q10c)
• providing a range of language techniques rather than repeating the same ones (Q10d).

Students should:

• read the whole text in order to respond fully to the question
• plan effectively to organise their thoughts, paying attention to context, purpose and audience, as well as the type of text required by the question
• respond to the question asked in relation to the text
• use the conventions of the type of text required by the question
• demonstrate understanding of the whole text in their response
• focus on all relevant information and key points raised in the text in order to respond to comments made, requests for advice, issues discussed, and observations made
• provide a creative and authentic response in relation to the text and the question
• use the appropriate register throughout the response
• use a variety of vocabulary and expressions and a range of grammatical structures
• edit their work to ensure clarity of the response.

In better responses, students were able to:

• manipulate a range of tenses authentically and accurately
• address all aspects of the stimulus text, for example, referencing
• respond creatively to all points mentioned, including the fact that the uncle and aunt will pay for their nephew/niece’s plane ticket if needed
• mention that the nephew/niece is still planning on taking a gap year
• add depth by providing concrete examples and link the conditions of the post to real examples in their lives
• refer to the tone used by the uncle requesting help.

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding simplistic reference to ideas contained in the stimulus
• taking on the persona of the writer and creating a relationship with the recipient (uncle and nephew/niece)
• manipulating language accurately and including a broad repertoire of grammatical structures and vocabulary such as mettre de l’argent de côté (to save money)
• carefully checking for spelling of common French countries such as La Nouvelle-Calédonie, not La Néo-Calédonie, as well as words such as une année sabbatique (a gap year), un pays (a country), le travail (noun, work) versus travailler (verb, to work)
• reviewing prepositions after common verbs such as penser à quelqu’un (to think about someone), prepositions in front of countries, for example, en Nouvelle-Calédonie
• carefully checking of verb conjugations and the use of tenses, especially the verb vouloir (to want) and pouvoir (can) in the present tense, the conditional and future tenses, for example je serais versus je serai.

Question 12

Students should:

• address all parts of the question
• use the appropriate register and conventions of the type of text
• commence and conclude appropriately
• use the correct tense for the requirements of the question
• sequence their response logically for maximum effect
• use the dictionary effectively by selecting vocabulary to suit the context
• adhere to the suggested word length
• proofread and edit their work.

In better responses, students were able to:

• use their dictionary efficiently to check the meaning of a ‘school formal’ (un bal de fin d’année)
• create an authentic tone and use the correct register  tu (informal address for writing to a friend)
• convey that the message is to their best friend
• address all three aspects of the question that is, ‘unforeseen circumstances’, ‘unable to attend’, ‘school formal’
• include the idea of unforeseen circumstances.

Areas for students to improve include:

• ensuring agreement of adjectives with nouns, for example, je suis fier/je suis fière (I am proud)
• ensuring agreement of verbs with subjects
• using the imperative correctly
• knowing the gender of nouns
• avoiding anglicisms, for example, rater/manquer
• differentiating between reflexive and demonstrative pronouns, for example, le rendez-vous s’est bien passé versus c’est bien
• using homophones correctly, for example, ça and sa, -er ending verbs and past particples ending in -é, ces (these) versus c’est (it is).

Question 13

Students should:

• read the question carefully and address all parts of the question
• plan their response to ensure a clear structure and sequence
• use the appropriate register and conventions of the type of text required
• commence and conclude appropriately
• manipulate the language to suit the requirements of the task
• use a variety of tenses, phrases and structures appropriate to the requirements of the question
• proofread and edit their work
• adhere to the suggested word length.

In better responses, students were able to:

• respond with the correct text type and evaluate the pros and cons of living together
• use a variety of structures and a range of vocabulary as well as complex structures correctly
• demonstrate that they had a dilemma and elaborate on it
• stay on topic without too much digression
• use French expressions such as ‘devine quoi?’ (guess what) and quoi qu’il en soit
• use French idioms correctly, for example, ce n’est pas la mer à boire (it’s not asking for the impossible) or lacerise sur le gâteau (the icing on the cake)
• organise their writing into paragraphs to sequence ideas
• use the subjunctive mood correctly
• use a variety of expressions referring to opinions, for example, je pense que.

Areas for students to improve include:

• planning and structuring their answer, for example, by using sequencing words avant de (before), après avoir (after having) and au lieu de (instead of), d’une part et d’autre part (on the one hand, on the other hand)
• writing succinctly to get their point across and recognising that their response does not need to be extremely long to be good
• identifying the correct audience and consistently using the relevant register, in this case tu (informal version of ‘you’)
• avoiding the use of English words or anglicisms
• using correct gender for emphatic pronouns, for example lui instead of elle
• using si clauses correctly
• planning ideas in advance
• using relative pronouns qui and que correctly
• writing the date on the top right hand-side
• using the perfect tense with the correct auxiliary verb
• including accents
• reviewing the use of direct and indirect object pronouns
• placing adverbs correctly in a sentence, in general after the first verb, for example: je suis également d’accord avec toi or je suis aussi allé(e) en France
• understanding the key terms ‘evaluate’ (Q13a) and ‘reflect’ (Q13b).