German Continuers 2020 HSC exam pack

Students should:

• be prepared to communicate on a variety of topics relating to their personal world
• answer the question asked rather than presenting pre-prepared responses
• express their ideas and opinions and justify their point of view
• 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 Wie bitte/Wiederholen Sie bitte to ask for repetition and/or clarification of the question.

In better responses, students were able to:

• engage with all questions and elaborate confidently
• demonstrate a wide repertoire of vocabulary
• show mastery of a variety of language structures
• deliver a mixture of pre-learned and off-script material that sounded natural
• use authentic pronunciation and intonation
• reply to questions using natürlich, bestimmt, leider nicht, eigentlich schon/nicht, before replying in more depth.

Areas for students to improve include:

• being prepared to speak in depth about their given answers
• thinking about what they would say to possible questions across the topic areas
• revising the correct use of past tense, especially verbs taking the auxiliary sein
• being sure to use the full range of grammatical structures available especially tense, correct case and word order
• avoiding simple adjectives, such as gut, cool and especially geil
• knowing when to use gehen and fahren
• applying the correct use of the dative case with mit, von and seit, and especially the endings for plurals
• reviewing the correct use of comparative forms such as älter, traditionneller, unabhängiger
• avoiding the use of the definitive article for professions such as ich will Arzt werden
• differentiating between Glück haben and glücklich sein/sich interessieren für and ein Interesse haben an/gestresst and stressig
• knowing that meine Familie is singular.

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 on to 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 all the necessary textual evidence to support their response
• respond succinctly within the allocated space while including all necessary details without repetition of the same points
• summarise key points when required without including any unnecessary detail (Q4)
• describe emotions and character traits of speakers when feelings are expressed or when speakers reveal something about themselves, for example, he feels embarrassed, she is self-centred (Q5, Q8)
• look for commonalities as well as differences and provide a balanced comparison when describing two speakers in questions where the views of different people are expressed
• interpret and analyse rather than simply retelling the story.

Areas for students to improve include:

• using the Candidate’s Notes section effectively
• using their dictionary correctly
• ensuring that their responses are succinct and do not include extra information that is not required in order to answer the question
• proof reading their responses so that they are plausible and not contradictory.

Students should:

• read the title, questions and the whole text before responding
• use only the lines or space beneath the question for the 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:

• understand that @emil23 posted to this blog to seek ideas
• understand that @richard27 ignored or misunderstood Emil’s requirements (Q9b)
• understand the vocabulary “laut Hannah”, “auskommen”, “Freiheit/Freizeit” “auswandern”
• demonstrate their understanding that the quote referred to the fact that “the only thing missing from life in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) was freedom. Everything else was available” (Q10d).

Areas for students to improve include:

• answering the questions rather than relying on just translating the text
• looking carefully at the text rather than just using knowledge of the time in history
• avoiding giving information about the GDR which was not included in the text and which was therefore irrelevant.

Students should:

• respond to the question asked in relation to the text
• read the entire text in order to gain an overview and then respond fully to the question
• use the conventions of the type of text required by the question
• demonstrate understanding of the whole text in their response and not just respond to questions asked in the text
• 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
• use the appropriate register throughout the response
• provide a creative and authentic response in relation to the text and question
• use a wide variety of vocabulary and expressions and a broad range of grammatical structures
• avoid lifting chunks of the stimulus text without appropriate adaptation
• plan effectively to organise their thoughts, paying attention to purpose, audience, context and the type of text required in question
• edit their work to ensure clarity of the response.

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify the key points of the text and demonstrate an excellent understanding of the whole text by addressing all the key points in depth, including:
  • the father’s apology for his extended business trip and missing the concert again
  • the father’s complaint about aspects of his job
  • the father’s suggestion of a family holiday and his desire to relive childhood memories
  • the mother’s increased workload and her need for a break.

Areas for students to improve include:

• engaging and responding with appropriate detail and emotional response such as empathy for the father’s work situation and expressing disappointment at, or forgiveness, for the fact that he missed the concert yet again
• acknowledging his reasons for suggesting the holiday, for example, his happy childhood memories and his need for peace and connecting with nature
• recognising and describing the mother’s workload and giving suggestions for a way of pampering her.

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
• proof read and edit work
• adhere to the suggested word length.

In better responses, students were able to:

• use a range of expressions and structures appropriate to the context of the question
• manipulate language structures with high accuracy
• use vocabulary creatively and authentically to express their ideas.

Areas for students to improve include:

• planning the response for a clear sequence of ideas
• avoiding the inclusion of irrelevant information and ideas.

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
• proof read and edit their work
• adhere to the suggested word length.

In better responses, students were able to:

• manipulate language authentically to reflect or persuade the respective audience
• sequence and structure their response effectively
• use a wide variety of relevant vocabulary and structures.

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding the inclusion of irrelevant pre-learnt material
• planning the response logically to meet the requirements of the task
• ensuring that the response addresses the purpose of the task, that is to reflect or persuade rather than describe
• avoiding anglicised syntax and structures.