German Continuers 2016 HSC exam pack

Characteristics of better responses:

• communication was fluent and authentic, with in-depth responses to a range of questions
• engagement with the questions was effective across a range of syllabus topics
• consistently relevant ideas and information were presented, demonstrating a strong knowledge of vocabulary and a range of grammatical structures
• pronunciation and intonation was authentic.

Characteristics of weaker responses:

• communication was at a basic level, with simple structures and vocabulary
• responses were minimal and covered a limited range of syllabus topics
• ability to manipulate language was limited, often with frequent pauses and errors
• examiner’s questions were frequently misunderstood
• reliance on English syntax and Anglicism were evident.

Characteristics of better responses:

• all relevant details based on the texts were provided
• information was interpreted correctly
• dictionaries were utilised well and correct context of vocabulary was checked, such as eglocker as relaxed/easy-going rather than loose and Geschichte as history, not stories (Q 6 and Q7)
• succinct and well-developed answers were provided, showing a perceptive understanding of the texts
• a critical opinion was formed and judgement was provided when required.

Characteristics of weaker responses:

• only generalisations were used to answer the more interpretive questions
• vocabulary, such as freundlicherweise, Thema, Rollenspiele, verwenden, Klima, Sprache, kämpfen, Geschichte, Online-Lexikon, vorlesen, erfinden, überprüfen, Einträge, veröffentlichen, locker, IT Beraterin, bereichern, Aufgabe was incorrectly translated
• the entire text was merely recounted
• a critical opinion was not provided when required
• German words were used in inverted commas, without giving the English meanings
• answers or parts of the answer were given in German rather than in English.

Question 8

Characteristics of better responses:

• clear understanding that the two girls had different memories of their holiday experience in Rome was evident
• quotes were translated into English or were explained clearly.

Characteristics of weaker responses:

• there was confusion regarding who wrote which email, even though each email had the writer’s name at the bottom
• some words, such as jammern, umsonst , ausgeschlafen, nicht eine einzige gute Erinnerung were misunderstood.

Question 9

Characteristics of better responses:

• it was clearly understood that the text was about migrant families and changes in German society, that Herr A had qualifications which weren’t recognised and that Herr B moved to the German countryside
• a perceptive response was given rather than just a direct translation (Q9d).

Characteristics of weaker responses:

• confusion as to who gave advice to whom was evident
• it was assumed that the co-workers helped Herr A with his German
• the same information was repeated in different questions
• it was misunderstood whether Herr A or Herr B had qualificationssome words were misunderstood, for example, kürzlich, Freiheit, integriert, außerhalb der Arbeitsstunden, meinen Kollegen beizustehen, unabhangig davon, sparsam, Chef, aufs Land zu ziehen, Not am Mann, Niveau, leisten.

Question 10

Characteristics of better responses:

• the key issues within the stimulus text were addressed
• the appropriate text type was used
• context, purpose and audience were addressed
• a good understanding of the whole passage was demonstrated through elaboration and creativity/depth in relation to each of the relevant issues
• information was linked, as required by some aspects of the stimulus
• ‘relevance’ was sustained throughout the response, reflecting the ‘tone’ of the stimulus passage
• elaboration and justification was provided
• clear structure was evident, with paragraphing helping to keep focus on the requirements of the task
• text length satisfied the requirements of the task – approximately 200 words

Characteristics of weaker responses:

• pre-learnt and often irrelevant material appeared to be added in order to satisfy the requirement of the word count
• only some of the focus areas were addressed, often without elaboration or exploration of the idea
• copying lines or paraphrasing from the text without developing the idea was evident
• depth, creativity, elaboration or engagement in relation to the issue/area addressed was lacking
• aspects of the focus areas were misunderstood
• language was weak and problems were evident with word order, reflexives, genders of nouns, past tense
• spelling and verb/subject agreement were poor
• register was inconsistent throughout the text, eg, du, ihr, euer
• responses which were very short did not satisfy the required word limit and did not allow for the development of ideas
• the dictionary was poorly utilised
• Anglicisms were used.

Question 11

Characteristics of better responses:

• text was appropriate to purpose, context and audience
• the correct text type, a letter, was used
• a good explanation was given regarding the chosen flatmate over other applicants
• the new flatmate was described with regard to a variety of characteristics and interests, for example, sports and leisure activities, work and/or study and how these matched the writer’s own lifestyle and interests.

Characteristics of weaker responses:

• focus was on flatmate’s physical appearance or simplistic characteristics
• the explanation why the flatmate was chosen remained unclear
• irrelevant aspects or ideas were included
• lack of control of vocabulary and language structures was evident, for example, Mitbewohner/Mitbewohnerin, die Miete teilen, sich interessieren für, ähnliche Interessen haben, wir haben vieles gemein
• reliance on a dictionary was evident, resulting in poor wording and incorrect meaning.

Question 12

Characteristics of better responses:

• a good attempt to persuade the audience was demonstrated
• a clear awareness of audience and text type was evident
• the audience was addressed in the correct register
• a good command of a variety of structures and idioms was demonstrated
• a number of ideas were outlined as reasons why parents should become more involved for example, zu wenige Eltern helfen in der Schule, Elternausschuss, Kontakte/Freundschaft mit andern Eltern, Hilfe in der Schulkantine und bei Musik-und Sportprogrammen, finanzielle Spenden etc; or if ‘school life’ was interpreted more narrowly to mean supporting children in their school life, a number of other ideas were explored, such as Es ist wichtig, dass Sie am Schulleben Ihres Kindes teilnehmen, weil Schüler besonders in der 12.Klasse viel Stress in der Schule haben. Deshalb brauchen Ihre Kinder Ihre Unterstützung!
• a well-sequenced and coherent response , structured into paragraphs, was provided.

Characteristics of weaker responses:

• there was little persuasion in the text, and at times only a description of what a routine school day looks like for a student at this school
• focus was on a narrow aspect of the question, for example, the plea to become more involved in school life was interpreted as ‘parents need to help their children with their homework’
• a wrong or inconsistent register was used (informal singular)
• irrelevant rote-learnt material was included
• over-reliance on a dictionary was evident, resulting in unintelligible sentences.