Italian Continuers 2025 HSC exam pack

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
• manipulate 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:

• 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 Italian in their responses to address the requirements of the question
• 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 knowledge of a wide repertoire of vocabulary, for example, conoscersi (to get to know each other), instead of incontrare (to meet)
• use tenses as required by the question accurately
• use idiomatic expressions appropriately, for example, 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)
• use a range of connectives, including dunque (therefore), quindi (so), insomma (in short), and magari (maybe)
• deliver their responses with fluidity
• use a variety of tenses in the indicative form, moving between them smoothly, and manipulate the subjunctive and conditional moods correctly, particularly in hypothetical statements
• understand the tense in the question and conjugate verbs accordingly 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:

• using Italian syntax when constructing complex sentences to ensure grammatical accuracy
• quoting numbers correctly
• using synonyms for words they find challenging, for example, purtroppo (unfortunately) instead of sfortunatamente (unfortunately)
• 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, for example, scelto (chosen), conosciuto (known), and preso (taken)
• using the imperfect tense consistently
• demonstrating knowledge of the future tense
• using the correct forms of the third person singular and the plural of verbs in their responses
• using the verb piacere (to like) in past tenses accurately, for example, as mi piaceva (I liked), mi piacevano (they liked), and mi sono piaciuti (I liked them)
• using reflexive and reciprocal verbs correctly, 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)
• using Italian expressions rather than Anglicisms or direct translations, for example, using un ricordo rather than una memoria for a memory, and understanding the difference between incontrare (to meet) and conoscere (to know).

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.

In better responses, students were able to:

• address the question directly and provide context to show understanding
• use evidence from the text to justify their point of view effectively, particularly when responding to the likelihood of events (Q4, Q5)
• include all relevant details in their responses (Q4, Q6)
• paraphrase and link ideas to demonstrate a thorough/perceptive understanding of the text, for example, the father's responses to his daughter were important, rather than just what she says in trying to persuade him (Q5)
• respond to the directive terms in the question effectively, for example, ‘how likely’ requires a judgement (Q5) and ‘compare' requires similarities and differences (Q6)
• focus specifically on one speaker's perspective rather than transcribing all content, for example, it was about Matteo's feelings and therefore his mother's comments were less relevant (Q8).

Areas for students to improve include:

• including all relevant details and considering the mark value of each question as a guide to the depth of their response
• demonstrating an understanding of common vocabulary used in context, for example, palestra (gym) (Q6), cuffie/cuffiette (headphones/earphones) (Q8)
• taking care with the translation of false cognates, for example, studio medico (doctor's office) (Q2), festeggiare (to celebrate) (Q5), mille volte (1000 times), in forma (fit) (Q6)
• understanding numbers in Italian to confidently translate them in context.

Students should:

• 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
• 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 responses that offer a detailed explanation, rather than simply presenting a translation
• isolate relevant information from the text and formulate succinct responses that directly address the questions
• identify various language features and provide examples in a succinct and coherent response
• provide sufficient detail in response to the question
• identify what the purpose of the text is, for example, to inform, to persuade, to entertain
• identify that Australian beaches are famous for the waves that attract surfers and beachgoers from all over the world and that the sharks are dangerous (Q9b)
• understand that trampolino di lancio is a launchpad and not a trampoline in this context (Q10a)
• summarise and/or paraphrase Luca's point of view (Q10b)
• identify Giulia’s opinion on the topic with relevant reference to content and language (Q10c)
• explain all aspects of the quote, and understand that Sofia agreed more with Giulia than with Luca (Q10d)
• understand the quote a un certo punto (at a certain point), demonstrates that Giulia agreed with Luca to a certain point (Q10d)
• sequence their ideas coherently and effectively.

Areas for students to improve include:

• interpreting the text rather than translating it directly when formulating their responses
• including information that is directly relevant to the question, rather than repeating points already made in previous responses
• ensuring clarity and conciseness by reading over their responses to confirm that information is not duplicated across several answers
• understanding that the question requires comparison of lifestyles, not beaches (Q9c)
• recognising that information can come from the entirety of the text when making a comparison (Q9c)
• identifying language techniques and supporting them with examples from the text (Q10c).

Students should:

• read the whole text to respond fully to the question
• plan effectively to organise their thoughts, paying attention to context, purpose and audience, and to 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 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 an original response
• develop ideas, manipulate language structures and use a range of verb 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:

• developing responses using their own words
• developing responses using Italian vocabulary and grammatical structures
• using the dictionary where needed
• consolidating grammar such as modal verbs, past tense, agreements and definite articles
• editing responses to ensure correct spelling.

Question 12

Students should:

• read the question carefully and 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
• adhere to the suggested response length
• proofread and edit their work.

In better responses, students were able to:

• address all parts of the question
• use the appropriate register and conventions of the type of text, for example, a family member does not require formal language nor expressions like Distinti saluti/ Cordiali saluti (Yours faithfully, Kind regards)
• engage the reader using a variety of tenses accurately and creatively, for example, Non ci crederai? Non sto nella pelle, non potresti mai immaginare quello che è successo oggi? (You won't believe it, I'm jumping out of my skin with excitement, you would never believe what happened today?)
• maintain a high level of accuracy throughout their responses.

Areas for students to improve include:

• using a variety of tenses, for example, vuoi venire (do you want to come), mi piacerebbe se tu venissi (I would like it if you came), vorresti partecipare? (Would you like to participate?)
• incorporating idiomatic expressions appropriately
• adhering to writing conventions, for example, addressing the note to a family member
• demonstrating an understanding of grammar structures such as model verbs, articulated prepositions, verb tenses and spelling.

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 relevant to the requirements of the question
• adhere to the suggested response length
• proofread and edit their work.

In better responses, students were able to:

• focus on the range of reasons and advantages of moving out of home, rather than simply describing these experiences (Q13b)
• use persuasive language
• demonstrate sophistication in grammatical structures
• write creatively
• commence and conclude their responses appropriately
• engage the reader using a variety of tenses accurately and creatively
• maintain a high level of accuracy throughout their responses.

Areas for students to improve include:

• using the dictionary correctly to identify vocabulary relevant to the question, for example, affittare una casa/appartamento (renting a house/apartment)
• using accurate grammatical structures and vocabulary in Italian, rather than English syntax and Anglicisms
• using a range of tenses to enhance their responses
• incorporating idiomatic expressions relevant to the context
• engaging the reader by linking ideas coherently and addressing all parts of the rubric
• addressing the question with ideas relevant to the context to maintain originality in their responses, rather than using pre-learned passages and repetition
• sequencing and structuring ideas in a logical manner to enhance clarity and flow.