German Extension 2017 HSC exam pack (archive)

Students should:

• present and develop a good and coherent argument, supported by well-explained ideas and information on the topic
• maintain effective control of the German language and sustain a coherent and logical structure to express their opinions on the chosen question
• present their monologues with some degree of fluency and use a range of vocabulary combined with sound sentence structure
• take care to construct a logical argument that fully explains their position, rather than attempting to change the question to meet pre-constructed arguments
• adhere to the time limit that is specified for this examination, which is approximately 3 minutes.

Students can prepare for this examination by:

• reading/listening texts relevant to the prescribed issues
• including sufficient information to fully address the topic
• avoiding the repetition of ideas
• presenting ideas in a logical sequence
• ensuring their point of view about the topic is clearly expressed
• avoiding the repetition of grammatical structures
• ensuring accuracy with grammatical structures, particles and tense
• avoiding overuse of pre-learnt phrases that do not directly answer the question.

In better responses, students were able to:

• develop a well-structured argument with an introduction, main body and conclusion
• speak without repetition
• adopt a clear stance, either agreeing or disagreeing with the statement, or stating both sides of the argument
• respond with correct, complex language structures and a wide variety of vocabulary.

Students should:

• have a clear idea of how to respond to the writing questions in Section II and make use of the set text type and the required register appropriately
• be consistent with the use of 'du', 'ihr' and 'Sie'
• leave time to check for spelling mistakes and for grammar accuracy
• remain within parameters of the film and resist inventing back stories for the characters
• show precision with the fine detail of case endings and verb agreements.

Response to Prescribed Text

In better responses, students were able to:

• explain the importance of the gathering and that Zofia wanted to use the occasion to convince her brother to leave the camp and move in with her (Q1 (a))
• express clearly how the relationship between Herr K and Sven evolved in the set extract, giving a range of examples as substantiation (Q1 (b))
• explain the various techniques used by the director to portray the change in mood and are concise and avoid repetition (Q1 (c))
• show a good understanding of how the influence that the past has on the present was reflected through the characters of Zofia and Herr K. They were perceptive and drew excellent links to the film as a whole (Q1 (d))
• put themselves into the position of the character of Herr Herold to respond appropriately to (Q2)
• use the extract as stimulus in order to explain what the Begegnungsstätte meant to Herr Herold. They avoid recounting the story and weave the ideas from the extract effectively into their interview, whilst still answering the set question, giving Herr Herold an authentic and plausible voice. They use grammatical structures accurately; are consistent with register and use a range of vocabulary (Q2).

Writing in German

In better responses, students were able to:

• address all elements of the question; focus on learning from mistakes, and not just from past experiences, in order to be able to deal better with challenges in the future
• use appropriate text type and register and show understanding of the audience
• use a wide range of vocabulary and structures for good effect
• show a clear line of argument, substantiated by relevant personal and global examples and avoid repetition.