Italian Continuers 2019 HSC exam pack

Conversation

Students should:

• be prepared to talk 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 Italian to ask for repetition and/or clarification of the question.

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide examples to support and justify their point of view and ideas
• use features and structures, such as mai  and faccio  (activity) and da appropriately
• use relevant idiomatic expressions to the context of the question asked
• use a range of connectives
• use a range of tenses and move between tenses during a response
• apply the subjunctive and/or the hypothetical where appropriate.

Areas for students to improve include:

• using the correct auxiliary avere or essere  when using the present perfect tense
• agreeing the past participle in number and gender with verbs that take essere  in the perfect tense, for example siamo andati
• revising irregular forms of past participles in the perfect tense, for example, conosciuto, preso
• using the verb piacere correctly in the past tenses, for example, mi piaceva/mi piacevano/mi sono piaciuti
• revising the conjugation of third person singular and plural of verbs in the range of tenses
• using idiomatic expressions correctly
• elaborating responses with appropriate examples
• manipulating the grammatical structure of their responses to suit the requirements of the question
• avoiding English syntax and anglicisms.

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:

• listen for specific information and identify relevant details
• demonstrate their global understanding as well as some detail (Q1-3,5)
• provide succinct and concise main points when asked to summarise (Q4)
• explain the speaker's feelings with detail (eg feeling of been excluded from certain roles as a result of her not being Italian) and provide references to the text (Q7)
• thoroughly compare the opinions of the two speakers by explaining the language techniques used and the connecting ideas.

Areas for students to improve include:

• revising vocabulary connected to the topic of work, transport and free time (Q1-3,5)
• avoiding inclusion of irrelevant details when asked to summarise (Q4)
• developing their ability to identify key vocabulary, expressions and structures that inform their global understanding of texts (Q6)
• understanding the requirements of answering a language and content question (Outcome 3.6/Q8)
• avoiding quoting in Italian unless the quote is also explained in English (Q8).

Part A

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 repeating information unnecessarily or providing irrelevant details
• 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:

• acknowledge they were responding to an article in a newspaper and they were targeting their advice to other students/lovers of Italian from country towns (Q9a)
• use grammatical clues and cultural knowledge to recognise that Frances/Francesca was a female (Q9b)
• clearly justify, without contradiction, the effectiveness of Frances’ strategies to “live Italian style” (Q9c)
• use appropriate vocabulary and sentence structures that are clear and concise
• paraphrase in English and not directly quote text in Italian
• summarise key points effectively, for example, make reference to “life” being constantly occupied, a life full of commitments (Q10c)
• extrapolate personality traits from the writer’s description of Generation Y and use perceptive language to describe the writer’s personality by providing evidence from the text for each personality trait (Q10d).

Areas for students to improve include:

• paraphrasing in English to translate the Italian quote in the question (Q9c)
• avoiding simply translating relevant points without explaining how they relate to the question (Q9c)
• editing of written responses to ensure clarity
• drafting longer responses before committing to a final answer, especially for the  more difficult questions
• deciding which information to include in a response to avoid overlapping.

Part B

Students should:

• respond to the question asked in relation to the text
• read the entire text, not just the instructions in order to 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 variety of vocabulary and expressions and a range of grammatical structures
• edit their work to ensure clarity of the response.
• In better responses, students were able to:
• respond to cues with relevant ideas or examples and elaborate them without going off task
• demonstrate the use of complex structures
• avoid English syntax
• respond with a clear sequencing of ideas and information
• manipulate a range of grammatical structures with varied vocabulary and expressions
• elaborate on the cues, especially direct cues, for example, Penso proprio che sarete tutti d’accordo, no?
• find the indirect cues and address them, for example, Di lavori ce ne sono tanti, basta avere voglia di lavorare; Questo sogno, però, non diventa realtà per tutti…
• know how to use a dictionary
• pay attention to vocabulary and expressions.

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding repetition of the wording of the text
• using phrases that link back to the text, for example, Ovviamente/Inoltre/Io direi che…Da una parte..dall’altra
• paraphrasing the content of text and elaborate it with ideas of their own, for example, it is insufficient to say sono d’accordo….
• linking ideas eg amicizia in the context of the working environment
• the inclusion of unrelated content
• the overuse of idiomatic expressions in inappropriate contexts
• translating literally from English to Italian by using English structures to express Italian meaning.

Question 12

Students should:

• address all parts of the question
• use the appropriate register and conventions of the type of text
• use authentic expressions
• 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:

• address a public audience using the appropriate register
• using a range of verbs suitable to the context, for example, affittare/ noleggiare.

Areas for students to improve include:

• using appropriate and accurate verb conjugations
• being concise, especially with respect to the word limit
• use their dictionary appropriately to find the correct meaning of the word(s) in context.

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
• not copy information from Reading Part A texts to include in their response.

In better responses, students were able to:

• use language of reflection when expressing feelings and concerns about leaving home or about an argument with a best friend
• use introspective and/or emotive language that is suitable for diary entries
• manipulate language and demonstrate excellent control of grammar, syntax and vocabulary.

Areas for students to improve include:

• plan their ideas to improve flow and structure
• identify audience, purpose and context in the question
• take care to use the dictionary effectively, for example, avoid using false friends such as argomento, eccitato,famiglia d'ospite.