Italian Continuers 2022 HSC exam pack

Conversation

Students should:

• be prepared to communicate on a variety of topics relating to their personal world
• elaborate and provide relevant details to address the questions in a way that engages with the examiner
• express ideas and opinions that justify their point of view by providing depth and insight in their responses rather than only giving short prepared responses
• 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:

• elaborate on their responses without extra prompts from the examiner
• conjugate tenses appropriately
• recognise and use time expressions and structures correctly such as da quanto tempo...?
• use a range of vocabulary and connectives such as dunque, quindi, insomma, magari...
• use a range of moods and tenses and move between these during a response
• manipulate the conditional and subjunctive moods correctly
• correct themselves if they realise they have made an error.

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding English syntax
• using correct auxiliary and agreement with verbs that take essere in the perfect tense, for example, siamo stati,mi sono piaciuti
• using the correct irregular verbs in the perfect tense, for example, scelto, preso, conosciuto
• correctly using the third person singular and plural of the verb in their responses
• using the verb piacere correctly in all tenses and with different pronouns
• correctly using reflexive and reciprocal verbs, for example, ci siamo conosciuti
• using direct and indirect pronouns correctly
• using time expressions correctly, for example, due anni fa, da quattro anni, fra un mese, per una settimana
• using idiomatic expressions correctly in relevant contexts and avoid overusing them
• manipulating the grammatical structure of the question to conjugate the verb correctly in their responses
• using modal verbs correctly and making sure the verb following is in the infinitive
• using divertente, divertimento, and divertire correctly.

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:

• include all relevant details
• provide perceptive responses
• express ideas and main points clearly and articulate the finer details of the text
• demonstrate understanding of vocabulary, such as cuochi, concorso (Q1) una gita organizzata, fattoria (Q5) aborigena (Q7)
• demonstrate knowledge of first personal plural voice, for example, siamo, potremo, nostro (Q1)
• identify that communicating via text messages does not mean talking to the grandmother (Q3)
• identify what the mother learned in the conversation (Q3)
• identify that the speakers were already in Australia (Q5)
• identify the persuasive techniques the mother used with the son, for example, pleading, praising, pointing out (Q6)
• summarise what Alinta’s responses reveal about her, for example, social conscience (Q7b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding a repetition of the same idea or point to fill the space
• including all relevant details and considering the mark value
• listening for key words to ensure that all information is included
• ensuring that all aspects of the question are addressed
• relating details back to the question to ensure the information is relevant
• structuring concise, clearly expressed responses
• taking note of all the participants in the conversation, including the little brother (Q6)
• capitalising ‘Italian’ and ‘Aboriginal’.

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 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:

• provide comprehensive responses providing a detailed explanation of the quote rather than just providing a straight translation
• isolate information from the text that was relevant to the question and formulate succinct and comprehensive responses
• integrate translated text in their response to justify opinions
• include language features to support the content aspect in their responses, for example, state that rhetorical questions allow the reader to question the situation on hand (Q9e)
   
• consider the mark allocation of the question when producing their responses (Q8c)
• support reference to language features by giving examples in English from the text and the use of correct terminology (Q9e).

Areas for students to improve include:

• reading the questions to ensure that all aspects are addressed including analysis of language
• recognising the difference between ‘refer to text’ and ‘refer to language and content’ (Q8c, Q9e)
• referencing a specific aspect of the text rather than referring to whole paragraphs
• interpreting rather than translating the text when formulating a response
• considering the difference between rhetoric versus rhetorical questions, for example, ‘boycott ‘versus ‘sabotage’ (Q9c)
• including language features to support their response (Q9e) as emotive language was used to indicate the severity of the situation and elicit empathy from the reader
• including information that is directly relevant to the question not a repetition of a previous response
• reading over their response to confirm that information is not repeated across several answers
• commenting and expanding on the meaning of the quotes, for example, le scuole hanno deciso di intervenire and ha provocato un boicottaggio di certi prodotti italiani rather than including them in their responses.

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 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:

• meet the required word length and respond to all cues creatively and in depth
• sustain a high level of grammatical accuracy throughout their response
• interweave all the cues and link them together cohesively with a good range of structures and connectives in order to sustain flow of ideas, for example, per dir la verità, da una parte, per quanto riguarda l’anno sabbatico, inoltre, mi hai chiesto di parlarti di …
• organise ideas into paragraphs
• manipulate a range of structures creatively and authentically
• use idioms appropriately
• respond with the appropriate tone, for example, humour, complimentary, informative, emotive, for example, come sei fortunata!, so che i tuoi genitori sono severissimi, non sarà troppo isolato con duemila persone
• elaborate on all cues (direct and indirect) and react appropriately to the news that Em’s parents gave him/her permission to attend the festival, che bello che hai convinto i tuoi di lasciarti andare al festival…, non ci posso credere che hai convinto it tuoi
• reflect on Max’s past festival experience and make suggestions on what to take
• make reference to the gap year some years earlier taken by Max, for example, è stata un’esperienza indimenticabile and his/her finishing of university and not accepting a job offer, for example, non è stato facile rifutare l’offerta
• comment on the familiar relationship between Em and Max, for example, i miei ti salutano e mandano tanti baci a te e al resto della famiglia.

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding the copying of phrases directly from the text but rather, paraphrase the stimulus given
• giving equal importance to cues
• revising dictionary skills to choose appropriate words ifor the context, for example, macchinafotografica, not camera,ricordo, not memoria, scambiare, not scambio,decisione not digiuno
• organising ideas into paragraphs
• avoiding transliterating from English into Italian, for example, chi è gli amici con chi vai?
• avoiding the overuse of idiomatic expressions and the subjunctive in the wrong context
• proofreading and editing their work
• reading the text carefully and addressing all parts of the text and the question
• avoiding the inclusion of irrelevant content, for example, quando sono andata in Italia ho mangiato la pizza
• using a variety of tenses, phrases and structures appropriate to the requirements of the question
• understanding the difference between tenses, for example, past tense and imperfect tense, and future tense and conditional tense
• using the verb mancare correctly
• using idioms with avere, for example avere ragione not essere giusto
• using correct articles, noun adjective agreements, pronoun combinations
• conjugating verbs correctly; consideration must be given to verb endings, direct object pronouns
• avoiding spelling errors, for example, baci not bacci
• adhering to the suggested word length
• avoiding considering cues as a simple check list to agree or disagree but rather develop the points raised with information of their own. 

Question 11

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

In better responses, students were able to:

• write authentically and creatively
• develop ideas with a range of structures and tenses
• respond to all parts of the question, in particular, the weekend away and something unusual happens
• adhere to the requirements of the text type, that is, a diary entry
• demonstrate knowledge of a variety of tenses
• maintain a high level of accuracy.

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding English syntax
• learning how to use a dictionary
• structuring and sequencing ideas appropriately
• consolidating basic grammar such as reflexive verbs, articulated prepositions and the placement of pronouns
• using the correct auxiliary before the verb when writing the past tense.

Question 12

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:

• explain the activity and reflect on what school meant to them (a) and the lifestyle they are expecting in Italy (b)
• manipulate a range of tenses accurately and effectively
• present the ideas with authenticity
• commence and conclude appropriately, for example, buongiorno a tutti, grazie per avermi ascoltato
• address the text type of a speech
• engage the reader using a variety of techniques such as rhetorical questions and authentic expressions, for example, per queste ragioni
• demonstrate the ability to use a variety of tenses accurately and effectively.

Areas for students to improve include:

• reflecting on the lifestyle in Italy and not just recount or list a range of activities that were conducted (b)
• avoiding repetition and including a wide range of vocabulary
• using a clear sequence/structure to clearly convey meaning
• avoiding the overuse of idiomatic expressions and not linking them in context
• ensuring they understand the features required of different text types
• using correct sentence and paragraph structures
• ensuring they use the dictionary correctly
• avoiding errors in syntax, grammar and incorrect noun and verb agreements
• avoiding the use of pre-learnt information, for example, recounting an exchange trip that is not relevant to the question (b).