Italian Continuers 2024 HSC exam pack

Conversation

Students should:

• be prepared to communicate about 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
• use a range of vocabulary, expressions, and language structures to respond appropriately to the questions
• provide information, express ideas, and comment on their personal world
• be prepared to respond to questions from a different perspective
• be prepared to respond to questions that relate to past, present, and future aspects of their personal world
• avoid repetition of the same vocabulary, phrases, and expressions
• manipulate the language to fulfil the requirements of the question
• 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:

• speak clearly with excellent pronunciation, syntax, register, and intonation
• answer the questions with minimal hesitation, allowing the conversation to flow at a good pace
• provide relevant answers with depth, communicating feelings, providing opinions, and justifying their responses effectively
• manipulate their responses to address the requirements of the question
• elaborate on their responses without needing extra prompts from the examiner
• respond in full sentences, using both compound and complex sentence structures
• use language structures and features effectively to enhance their responses, for example, adverbs such as certamente (certainly), sicuramente (surely), and estremamente (extremely)
• demonstrate excellent knowledge of a wide repertoire of vocabulary, such as conoscersi (to get to know each other) instead of incontrare (to meet)
• accurately use tenses as required by the question
• use authentic and idiomatic expressions appropriately, such as sogno nel cassetto (a dream in the drawer)
• use structures such as mai (never), faccio (+ activity), and da (+ verb) phrases like da vedere (to see) and da fare (to do)
• provide depth in their answers by justifying their responses effectively
• use a range of connectives, including dunque (therefore), quindi (so), insomma (in short), and magari (maybe)
• deliver their responses with authenticity and fluidity, showcasing their linguistic proficiency
• use a variety of tenses in the indicative form, seamlessly moving between them, and manipulate the subjunctive and conditional moods correctly, particularly in hypothetical statements
• understand the tense in the question and conjugate verbs appropriately in their responses
• self-correct when they realise they have made an error, demonstrating awareness of their language use.

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding English syntax when constructing complex sentences to ensure grammatical accuracy
• using the correct auxiliary verb and ensuring proper agreement with verbs that take essere (to be) in the perfect tense, for example, siamo stati (we were)
• correctly employing irregular verbs in the perfect tense, such as scelto (chosen), conosciuto (known), and preso (taken)
• using the correct forms of the third person singular and plural of verbs in their responses.
• accurately using the verb piacere (to like) in past tenses, such as mi piaceva (I liked), mi piacevano (they liked), and mi sono piaciuti (I liked them)
• correctly using reflexive and reciprocal verbs, for example, ci siamo conosciuti (we met) and mi sono divertito (I had fun)
• using direct and indirect pronouns correctly to enhance the clarity of their responses
• applying time expressions accurately, for example, due anni fa (two years ago), da tre anni (for three years), fra un mese (in a month), and per una settimana (for a week)
• avoiding direct translations or anglicisms, such as using giocare sport (to play sport) or una memoria (a memory) instead of un ricordo (a memory).

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 onto 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:

• address the question directly and use the text to justify their point of view effectively
• include all relevant details in their responses
• provide perceptive responses that go beyond mere translation of the text
• express ideas and main points clearly while articulating the finer details of the text
• make consistent, appropriate, and accurate use of pronouns to ensure clarity in their responses, for example, he/she, him/her (Q3, Q6)
• give a context statement at the beginning of their response, such as mentioning the desire to go to a robot pizzeria (Q8) or to get a tattoo on her wrist (Q3)
• respond directly to the questions asked rather than translating the text, for example, providing a clear answer to ‘What is the purpose?’ (Q4), ‘Explain the reactions …’ (Q6), and ‘How likely …’ (Q8)
• link language techniques to the content and purpose or effect of the technique, referring to more than one example of language techniques used (Q8).

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding the repetition of the same idea or point simply to fill space
• including all relevant details and considering the mark value of each question
• using the candidates' notes effectively, ensuring these are referred to when writing responses
• relating details back to the question to ensure that the information provided is relevant
• structuring concise and clearly expressed responses without unnecessary elaboration
• demonstrating an understanding of common vocabulary used in context, such as polso (wrist), tatuaggio (tattoo), schiena (back) (Q3), and sagra (festival), festa (celebration), contadini (farmers) (Q4)
• taking care with the translation of false cognates, such as barba (beard) and delusa (disappointed) (Q6), riunione (meeting), paese (country), storia (story), concorso (competition) (Q7), igienico (hygienic), bancone (counter), and novità (novelty) (Q8)
• reading the questions carefully, especially regarding the text type and topic (Q2)
• focusing specifically on one speaker’s perspective to answer questions appropriately, for example, analysing Gemma’s opinion and her likelihood of accepting Vincenzo’s invitation by referring specifically to the language techniques used by Gemma (Q8).

Part A

Students should: (leave unchanged)

• read the title, the questions, and the whole text before responding
• use only the lines or space beneath the question for their 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
• 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 the 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 that offer a detailed explanation rather than simply presenting a straight translation
• isolate relevant information from the text and formulate succinct and comprehensive responses that directly address the questions
• identify various language features and provide examples while maintaining a succinct and coherent response
• consider the mark allocation of the question when crafting their responses to ensure they meet the expected depth and detail
• identify all necessary details, such as using the phrase ‘I couldn’t take it anymore’ (Q9b) effectively in their answers
• link Irene’s decisions to her ultimate happiness, rather than merely recounting the story, referencing the text, and justifying her decisions (Q9d)
• understand the statement, ‘that it is difficult to spot a student’s own work’ and its implications for academic integrity (Q10b)
• grasp the concept of AI ‘allowing us to focus on more intellectual and useful pursuits’ and reflecting on its impact (Q10c)
• support references to language features by giving examples in English from the text while using the correct terminology (Q10d).

Areas for students to improve include:

• recognising the difference between ‘refer to text’ and ‘refer to language and content’, ensuring responses reflect both aspects appropriately
• interpreting the text rather than translating it directly when formulating their responses to demonstrate deeper comprehension
• including information that is directly relevant to the question rather than repeating points already made in previous responses
• reading over their responses to confirm that information is not duplicated across several answers, ensuring clarity and conciseness.

Part B

Students should:

• read the whole text in order to respond fully to the question
• plan effectively to organise their thoughts, paying attention to context, purpose and audience, as well as the type of text required by the question
• use the conventions of the type of text required by the question
• demonstrate understanding of the whole text in their response
• focus on all relevant information and key points raised in the text to respond to comments made, requests for advice, issues discussed, and observations made
• provide a creative and authentic response in relation to the text and the question
• use the appropriate register throughout the response
• 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:

• engage with the text and offer original ideas
• develop ideas with a good manipulation of structures and tenses
• adhere to the requirements of the text type, for example, an email
• maintain a high level of accuracy.

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding copying verbatim from the stimulus text
• avoiding English syntax
• knowing how to use a dictionary, for example, understanding that una presa di corrente is not a PowerPoint presentation
• consolidating basic grammar such as modal verbs, present tense, agreements, and articulated prepositions
• editing responses to ensure correct spelling.