Japanese Beginners 2019 HSC exam pack

Students should:

• be prepared to talk about a variety of topics relating to their personal world
• answer the question asked rather than presenting pre-prepared responses
• 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 the repetition of the same vocabulary, phrases and expressions
• manipulate the language to fulfil the requirements of the question
• respond using the correct tense required in the context of the question
• be prepared to be interrupted by the examiner
• use Japanese to ask for repetition and/or clarification of the question.

In better responses, students were able to:

• manipulate language effectively and accurately to address the question asked
• respond to the question’s key word(s) and elaborate responses using relevant and appropriate information
• use conjunctions such as, ‘soshite, demo, dakara, sorekara’, to link ideas
• use a wide range of vocabulary and sentence structures to suit the topic of conversation
• use tense and particles correctly
• respond in complete sentences
• provide clear, confident and fluent responses, with correct pronunciation and intonation.

Areas for students to improve include:

• understanding of words in the question, such as ‘dare, itsu, doushite, dochira, doko, douyatte, donogurai and donna’
• not confusing the following words: ‘imasu/arimasu, ikimasu/kimasu, otousan/otoutosan, otousan/okaasan, chuugoku/chuugaku, eigo/eiga, nihongo/nihon’
• understanding how to use the correct form of the verb/adjective/noun before some grammar structures such as, verb stem + ‘tai’; plain form + to ‘omoimasu’; past plain form + ‘atode/koto ga arimasu’; plain form verb + ‘maeni/tsum’.

Listening

Students should:

• read each question carefully
• make notes in the Candidate’s Notes column on the right-hand side of the paper
• transcribe their response on to the lines, using the space provided for each question
• use the lines provided as a guide to the length of the response required
• ensure their responses are clear and address all parts of the question
• use their own words and respond in English
• avoid translating text as part of their response
• edit their work.

In better responses, students were able to:

• recognise key vocabulary, for example, yotsu (Q2), nete, tsukarete, wasurete (Q3), migi, hidari, futatsume (Q4), kouban, nakusu (Q5), hikouki, tomaru (Q6), shukudai, yasashii (Q7), undo suru, uru, dekakeru (Q8), tokui, dentouteki, sagasu, tetsudau (Q9), hone wo oru, okanemochi (Q10)
• making sure important detail is included, for example, four sushi bento (Q2)
• distinguish between words like ‘saifu’ and ‘seifuku’ (Q5),
• follow directions well to mark correct destination on map (Q4)
• summarise the purpose of the message succinctly (Q5)
• ensure their responses are clear and concise, and address all parts of the question without adding a lot of unnecessary information
• identify Kenji’s personality as diligent and/or hard working rather than smart as the reason for his frequent library visits (Q7)
• summarise all of the main points of the text succinctly (Q8)
• identify that the purpose of the announcement was to recruit volunteers as opposed to inviting people to attend the event (Q9)
• provide justification of how likely Ken was to achieve his career goal, with strong supporting evidence (Q10).

Areas for students to improve include:

• becoming more familiar with pronunciation of Australian city names
• reading the question carefully and answer only what is required, for example, purpose/most likely outcome/why
• improving their knowledge of vocabulary, including basic number systems
• using the dot points when the question requires
• developing the skill of summarising. Only students who summarise the information in questions asking for a summary will be awarded the full four marks (Q8)
• understanding of relative clauses (Q9)
• using the information in the text to form their own conclusion or opinion (Q7).

Reading

Students should:

• read the whole text(s)
• address all parts of each question
• use the lines, table and/or chart allocated for the response
• provide all necessary details to respond fully to the question
• support their responses with evidence from the text where required
• use their own words rather than giving a literal translation.

In better responses, students were able to:

• recognise key vocabulary and kanji, for example, hanabi (Q11), komaru,shinpai,  (Q12), natsu (夏), suzushii, bokujoo, anzen (Q13), hataraku, jikan (時間), shuumatsu (週matsu ), kenkou, sagasu (Q14), seikatsu, wakai, kenkou   (Q15)
• use their dictionary effectively to find the correct meaning of words in the context they were used
• use Australian style dates correctly, for example 31December as 31/12 NOT 12/31(Q11a)
• provide a perceptive explanation of why Ms Tanaka contacted the teacher, including both her apology for not being able to attend the interview and a request for the teacher to contact her if there are any concerns (Q12a)
• explain Mrs Tanaka’s disappointment by referring to both emails in their response (Q12b)
• summarise all of the main points of the text succinctly (Q13b)
• identify nuances in texts through recognition of grammar structures, for example -masen ka (Q13), tsumori (Q14) and nda (Q14)
• provide a comprehensive explanation of why Yoko is the most likely person to help John, referring to information from all chatroom comments in their response (Q14b)
• explain that Yoko’s mother ‘works in’ and does not ‘own’ a hotel (Q14b)
• infer meaning from the text not just translate (Q15c)
• avoid the inclusion of irrelevant detail from common knowledge to answer the question (Q15c)
• demonstrate a thorough understanding of katakana
• take note of the spaces for writing their answers and not add extra bullet points in summary questions.

Areas for students to improve include:

• ensuring a better understanding of katakana
• ensuring a better understanding and recognition of kanji, in particular cities and the islands of Japan
• improving awareness of language features, for example language of persuasion and invitation
• improving the skill of summarising to provide succinct responses when required
• time management as many students failed to complete Q15
• learning the difference between common boys’ and girls’ names to avoid confusion.

Writing in Japanese

Students should:

• write to the word length required
• address the audience, purpose and context required by the question
• apply the conventions of the type of text indicated in the question
• use correct register throughout the response
• use a range of tenses, sentence structures and a variety of vocabulary
• sequence their response in a coherent and logical way
• avoid repeating the same expressions throughout the response
• use the dictionary carefully to access vocabulary and expressions that are meaningful in the context of their response
• avoid listing
• edit their work.

In better responses, students were able to:

• communicate relevant ideas relating to pet care (Q16)
• structure the content concisely within the specified character limit (in 100 ji) (Q16)
• manipulate language creatively to express less predictable ideas (Q17 and Q18/19)
• use past tense of verbs, adjectives and nous consistently (Q17)
• select appropriate vocabulary, for example, tsumetai for cold food (Q17)
• use and include the correct salutations or appropriate letter/email opening and closing comments (Q17 and Q18)
• demonstrate cultural knowledge and understanding (Q18)
• write about their preparations for the exchange not about what they want to do (Q18)
• manipulate language effectively when comparing aspects of Australian life with Japan (Q19)
• use correct conjugation of i and na adjectives
• use relative clauses effectively
• use syllabus kanji correctly
• write with a high level of grammatical accuracy
• write consistently in either polite or plain form
• structure content in a logical and coherent manner, making appropriate use of paragraphs and conjunctions.

Areas for students to improve include:

• developing a thorough understanding of how to use the plain form, including with structures such as plain form + to omou, past plain form + ato de
• using the past tense of i and na adjectives
• linking adjectives correctly
• using particles correctly
• including a greater range of vocabulary, expressions and grammar structures in their response
• writing hiragana and kanji correctly rather than using Chinese simplified characters
• avoiding mistakes in the writing of hiragana, for example correct use of dakuten, long vowels and doubling of consonants
• following genkojoyoshirules
• refraining from copying chunks of text from the reading section
• using correct particles.