Italian Beginners 2021 HSC exam pack

In 2021, due to COVID-19, the HSC examinations for some courses were cancelled or the requirements adjusted, and no HSC feedback is available.

Please refer to marking feedback previously published for this component.

 Students should:

• read each question carefully
• make notes in the Candidate’s Notescolumn 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:

• identify correct multiple choice (Q2) and completing table (Q5) using information from text
• specify the move to another city (Q6a)
• listen for contextual clues and tone of voice, for example, che bella idea, papà (Q6)
• identify the specific verbs and who did the action to answer the question correctly, for example, non posso venire a prenderti…, prendi il treno (Q3) (this was mixed up with who was supposed to be catching the train)
• address all aspects of the question, for example, provide more than one reason for both of Tommaso’s career options not being appropriate, for example, firefighter – scared of heights and not wanting to miss nonna’s lunches, nurse – scared of blood and not having studied biology (Q9)
• make thorough and distinct comparisons of both point of views, for example, Flavia thinks it’s graffiti, whereas Giacomo thinks it’s a message and identify all correct information (Q10).

Areas for students to improve include:

• comparing the speakers’ voices thoroughly when asked to make comparisons and ensuring the response is well balanced and not one sided (Q.10)
• making sure not to get the speakers mixed up and confuse what each speaker says and believes, for example, Flavia and Giacomo (Q10)
• understanding key vocabulary, for example, ho paura delle altezze, vigile del fuoco (Q9)
• avoiding picking a word they hear and understand and make an answer from it, for example, un lavoro fisico was mixed up with studying physics (Q9)
• listening for context and not just focusing on cognates, for example, delfini (Q2)
• avoiding translating words from the dictionary and making no connection to the context, for example, una vacanza a casa meaning in their own city (Q7)
• being familiar with verb tenses to properly understand time references, for example, hai studiato biologia? (Q9).

 Students should:

• read the whole text(s)
• address all parts of each question
• use the lines, table, chart etcetera 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:

• accurately identify the purpose of the text and that they are looking for a musician (Q11)
• identify the need for a driver’s license and a car, that the candidate needed to be over 18 years of age and able to play both acoustic and electric guitar (despite use of classico to describe acoustic) (Q11)
• provide two primary reasons for Claudia’s move and answer clearly and concisely (Q12b)
• demonstrate their knowledge of the past tenses (perfect and imperfect) in their understanding of the notion of parents looking after the kids and recognising the timeframe and related description of residences/living circumstances (Q12b)
• identify four different elements that made the café unique and that the photos were of monuments around the world and the waiters were also from many different countries(Q13a)
• clearly stating whether Teresa is likely to return to the café and provide evidence to that effect, for example, the lack of discounts for students, it’s too far (Q13b)
• demonstrate a global understanding by not focusing on the information chronologically but rather piecing together information throughout the entire text (Q13b)
• identify the two genres that Giorgio did not like and substantiate their decision and the electronic feasibility and preferred length of book (Q14a)
• identify character traits and reference these traits in the text, for example, Corrado is adventurous because he likes exploring and is arrogant because he describes himself as handsome (Q14b)
• identify all the required elements for volunteers, for example, patience, language skills (Q15a)
• cover all points relating to history of the program including involvement of parents, best friend, missed opportunities and regrets, and also mental and physical benefits for kids and socioeconomic benefits to all kids from this program (Q15b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• focusing on descriptions rather than reasons and being familiar with the past tenses in relation to residence description (Q12b)
• clearly stating yes or no and providing substantial evidence to support their response (Q12b)
• being familiar with topic vocabulary so as not to misunderstand the location of café and facilities available (Q13a)
• focusing on one area of uniqueness rather than holistic view of differences (Q13a)
• misreading the question, for example, ‘LESS likely’ was missed despite it being in capitals, and discussing only one genre (Q14a)
• providing links to the text in their response and not just make up a story (Q14b)
• misinterpreting the website, for example, concluding that Sport Insieme was the name of the website (Q15c).

 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:

• appropriately address context, purpose and audience, for example, address a family member by providing them with a variety of tasks and chores to complete (Q16)
• attempt a variety of language structures, for example, modal verbs, conditional tense
• use a wide range vocabulary (Q16)
• address their parents correctly, recount with good structure and creativity what happened using the past tense (Q17)
• use a variety of tenses as required and a good range of vocabulary and expressions (Q17)
• address all elements of the question and address the audience appropriately, for example, a group of Year 7 students (Q18) and a neighbourhood youth group (Q19)
• use paragraphs to organise their ideas coherently
• focus on context rather than talking about themselves, for example, providing advice or suggestions (Q18)
• use a variety of vocabulary and expressions
• correctly use a range of tenses and grammatical structures
• demonstrate creativity in the development of the speech and incorporate relevant information
• use more complex grammatical structures.

Areas for students to improve include:

• focusing on the use of verb conjugations and modal verbs instead of using infinitives
• ensuring correct spelling, for example mamma e papà (Q17)
• choosing the correct auxiliary verb when using the past tense, for example, sono andato and not ho andato (Q17)
• addressing all elements of the question including the correct audience
• editing their work to check agreements and conjugating verbs
• using auxiliaries correctly
• organising their work into paragraphs
• using the dictionary correctly, for example, scatola used for you can, fuoco used for focus
• taking care to use correct spelling.