Italian Continuers 2020 HSC exam pack

Conversation

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 Italian to ask for repetition and/or clarification of the question.

In better responses, students were able to:

• use idiomatic expressions appropriately
• use structures such as mai and faccio (activity) da...
• provide depth in their answers and justify their responses
• use a range of connectives, such as dunque, quindi, insomma, magari
• deliver their responses with authenticity and fluidity
• use a range of tenses, move between tenses during a response and manipulate the subjunctive and hypothetical correctly
• elaborate on their responses without extra prompts from the examiner
• understand the tense in the question and conjugate it appropriately in the response
• correct themselves if they realise they have made a pronunciation or grammatical errors.

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding English syntax when providing complex sentences
• using correct auxiliary and agreement with verbs that take essere in the perfect tense, for example, siamo stati
• using correct irregular verbs in the perfect tense, such as scelto; conosciuto; preso
• correctly using the third person singular and plural of the verb in their responses
• using the verb piacere correctly in the past tenses, for example, mi piaceva/mi piacevano/ mi sono piaciuti
• correctly using reflexive and reciprical verbs, for example, ci siamo conosciuti, mi sono divertito
• using direct and indirect pronouns correctly
• using time expressions correctly,such as 2 anni fa, da 3 anni, fra un mese, per una settimana
• using correct, authentic pronunciation and intonation
• using idiomatic expressions correctly  
• manipulating the grammatical structure of the question to conjugate the verb correctly in their response.

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: 

• recognise key vocabulary, for example, non ho tempo (Q2), caccia al Tesoro (Q3)
• identify the tone of the speakers
• explain how Marco has changed by relating cause and effect (Q1)
• explain both favours asked of Alessandro (Q2)
• provide correct events and link these events to the correct time by correctly identifying key vocabulary, for example, presentazione, cinematografica and linguaggio (Q3)
• correctly identify Vincenzo’s personality traits (Q4)
• identify the argument, that is that pollution has a negative impact on the environment so Luca should catch the train and not ask for a lift (Q5)
• identify the context and purpose which was to reassure students that it is normal to feel anxious and worried about exams and the future (Q7)
• identify the decisions, including returning to live in the country as she found life in the city too frenetic (Q8)
• discuss Mirella’s move to the city, the move to the country AND her motivations, as well as understand most of the ‘decisions’ (Q8).

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding repeating the same idea/point to fill the space
• using the space provided as a guide for the elements required for a comprehensive answer
• providing correct events and times, as often answers did not match or a completely incorrect event was given due to a cognate presentazione cinematografica without linguaggio (Q3)
• understanding of vocabulary such as caccia al tesoro as this wasoften misunderstood or not understood at all (Q3)
• understanding the finer nuances in multiple choice questions (Q6)
• focusing more on answering the question and claiming that Federica’s arguments were unsuccessful without explaining why (Q5)
• focusing on only one part of the speech or recounting what the speaker said without discussing the purpose (Q7)
• focusing on all aspects of the question as some students did not understand that Mirella made more than one decision (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 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:

• clearly paraphrase and identify opinions relevant to responses
• identify how listening to music helps students study better and improves memory, ascoltare musica…può aiutare a migliorare le capacità di apprendimento degli student (Q9b)
• understand the meaning of the phrase un collo di bottiglia (Q9c)
• isolate information from the text that was relevant to the question and formulate succinct and comprehensive responses
• identify the use of irony in pleading for tourists to come to Venice, the use of language features ,such as the first person plural, the imperative and vocabulary, such as scoprire, piccolo angoli nascosti, incantati.

Areas for students to improve include:

• explaining or paraphrasing Italian quotes rather than including them in their response
• interpreting the text rather than translating it when formulating their response
• covering all aspects of the question (Q9d)
• providing or including the idea of ‘enhancing learning’ (Q9d)
• providing a comprehensive explanation of the difference between the two opinions, which included that Prof Fedele had no problem with music in the classroom (Q9d)
• reading over their response to confirm that information is not repeated across several answers
• developing their analysis of language and how it is used by the author for effect
• making a comment on the quote and expanding on the effect of the issue (Q10b)
• addressing the author’s attitude in their responses and fully explaining the carri armati (tanks) metaphor (the only noise one hears in the night is the sound of the wheels of the suitcases which the author likens to that of a tank) (Q10c).

Part B

Students should:

• respond to the question asked in relation to the text
• read the entire text 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:

• adhere to the word length and respond to all cues creatively and in depth, referring to Chiara wasting money, the influence of bloggers, recycled clothing and Chiara not having enough money to go on a holiday
• sustain a high level of grammatical accuracy throughout their response,
• address all the cues and link them together cohesively with a good range of structures and conjunctions, such as inoltre, per di più,per dire la verità, da una parte…dall’altra, ovviamente
• organise ideas into paragraphs
• manipulate a range of structures creatively and authentically
• elaborate on cues, especially direct cues, such as Ma ti sembra giusto?!, L’importanza che diamo agli influencer è meritata?

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding copying phrases directly from the text rather than paraphrasing from the stimulus given
• giving equal importance to cues
• practising dictionary skills so as to identify the correct meaning of some verbs, such as risparmiare and indossare, instead of salvare and vestire instead when referring to the nonno’s outfit
• avoiding translating from English into Italian
• avoiding the overuse of idiomatic expressions and/or using them in the wrong context
• reading the text carefully and addressing all parts of the question.

5 mark question

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:

• fully demonstrate what their friendship means to them
• give specific reasons in response to the question
• adhere to the requirements of a message including beginning, ending and word length
• demonstrate knowledge of a variety of tenses
• maintain a high level of accuracy
• make use of authentic expressions
• avoid cumulative listing.

Areas for students to improve include:

• reading the question carefully and ensuring all aspects of the question are addressed
• avoiding superfluous content and/or irrelevant content.

10 mark question

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

In better responses, students were able to:

• address the text type of an article effectively, including features such as headings and sub-headings
• evaluate and provide reflection rather than description, focusing on the purpose of the task, that is evaluating either work experience (Q13a) or school excursion (Q13b) effectively
• engage the reader using a variety of techniques such as rhetorical questions and authentic expressions
• demonstrate the ability to use a variety of tenses accurately and effectively
• manipulate language appropriately.

Areas for students to improve include:

• ensuring that they are well-prepared to write in a variety of text types
• ensuring that they understand the features required of different text types, for example, an article as compared to a speech
• avoiding the over-use of idiomatic expressions and proverbs
• taking care with choice of vocabulary for context, for example, prendere/portare, imparare/insegnare, e/è
• using sentence and paragraph structures
• developing ideas appropriately and avoiding repetition.