German 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:

• manipulate the language to respond appropriately to the question asked
• use complete sentences with verb endings matching the subject
• provide extended responses using subordinate clauses and conjunctions with correct word order, in particular a weil clause
• use various tenses correctly, for example, the perfect tense using sein and haben as auxiliaries with correct past participles and the simple past war
• demonstrate a good understanding of many grammatical points including cases, adjectival endings, verb conjugation in the third person and plural, subject verb inversion and use of modal verbs.

Areas for students to improve include:

• responding in a full sentence or a complete phrase rather than giving single word responses
• elaborate and give information
• using a variety of tenses, especially the perfect tense with haben and sein
• using a range of vocabulary and sentence structures
• revising the questioning words wo, wer, wie, wann, warum so they are able to respond appropriately
• applying correct conjugation rules to verbs
• using correct pronunciation, especially for the cognates, such as Englisch, Universität, joggen, Deutsch
• using a variety of adjectives and avoiding repetition of same words and expressions
• using modal verbs where appropriate
• respond with the appropriate subject-verb form required by question
• avoiding only responding in the first person
• pronouncing the ‘n’in Wochenende
• learning the correct use and pronunciation of kochen, Küche and Kuchen
• revising thedifference between Hausafgaben and Hausarbeit and Nachtisch and Nachttisch
• knowing the verb gefallen and some words like Zukunft and Beruf.

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 all the necessary textual evidence to support their response
• choose only one response to multiple choice questions
• demonstrate understanding of sophisticated and specific vocabulary, for example, geschenkt (Q2), kostenlos (Q3), wenn as opposed to wann (Q3), herumlaufen (Q3), dass ich sauer war (Q7), mehreren (Q8), unterschiedlich (Q8), ausser (Q9)
• link the information in the texts to indicate global understanding
• provide opinion based on the information in the text.

Areas for students to improve include:

• transferring notes from the Candidates Notes column into their responses
• reading questions carefully and providing all the information required to answer the question
• giving an opinion if the question asks for one
• writing clear and concise responses
• ensuring their responses in English make sense.

Students should:

• read the whole text(s)
• address all parts of each question
• use the lines, table, chart and so on 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 and interpret vocabulary correctly to assist in providing detailed responses, including Buchdeckel (Q10a), sagt mir Bescheid (Q10b), doch gerade zürückgekommen bist (Q11a), Mehrheit, erreichen, entfernte, gerettet werden konnten, spenden (Q11b), mehrere, danach (Q12a), begeistert, beneidet, gelebt, hattet, böse, weggenommen, miteinander (Q12b/c), entlassen (Q13c), wütend, enttäuscht, egal, Allerwichtigsten, mir zu stimmen, gegen mich (Q13d)
• interpret tenses correctly, including the subjunctive
• make connections within the texts to provide opinion and justify them with details from the texts
• answer questions correctly based on the key words, for example, explain.

Areas for students to improve include:

• looking beyond the first meaning of a word in the dictionary
• writing clear sentences and checking that their English make sense
• attempting all questions and sections of the question
• identifying the key points or gist first, then looking up the vocabulary that is hindering their understanding
• not looking up every word
• ensuring they have answered the why or to what extent component of the question.

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.

In better responses, students were able to:

• correctly use conjunctions and subordinate clauses to make longer sentences
• make their text engaging by using a good variety of vocabulary and including some authentic German words or phrases, for example, es brennt mir auf der Zunge
• manipulate the language to suit the requirements of the task, for example giving an opinion
• use correct tenses, in particular perfect and imperfect tenses and vary the tenses appropriately
• use a variety of tenses, phrases and structures appropriate to the requirements of the question
• link their ideas and sequence them effectively
• use their dictionaries effectively
• show understanding of cases through the use of correct adjective endings
• conjugate verbs correctly, for example, bewundern, bewundere, habe bewundert.

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding repetition of words or phrases
• using a greater variety of tenses, vocabulary and structures
• writing to the required word length
• using their dictionary more effectively
• planning and sequencing their responses
• avoiding the use of English syntax
• using third person and plural prepositions with correct verb conjugation.