Japanese Beginners exam papers
Japanese Beginners 2022 HSC exam pack
2022 Japanese Beginners HSC exam papers
Japanese Beginners HSC Exam paper - transcript - audio 2022
Marking guidelines
Marking guidelines are developed with the examination paper and are used by markers to guide their marking of a student's response. The table shows each question and the criteria with each mark or mark range.
Sample answers may also be developed and included in the guidelines to make sure questions assess a student's knowledge and skills, and guide the Supervisor of Marking on the expected nature and scope of a student's response. They are not intended to be exemplary or even complete answers or responses.
Marking feedback
Select from the link(s) below to view feedback about how students performed in this year’s examination.
Use the feedback to guide preparation for future examinations. Feedback includes an overview of the qualities of better responses. Feedback may not be provided for every question.
Feedback on practical examination
Oral examination
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 the 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 Japanese to ask for repetition and/or clarification of the question.
In better responses, students were able to:
- use a wide and sophisticated range of language accurately and authentically
- provide relevant answers to unexpected questions
- use a range of tenses consistently
- expand responses with relevant details, without providing monologues
- provide clear, confident and fluent responses.
Areas for students to improve include:
- delivering responses confidently and ensuring sentences are complete and articulated clearly
- conjugating verbs, adjectives and nouns in the correct register
- including a range of grammar structures in responses
- ensuring affirmative and negative parts of speech are conjugated correctly
- ensuring foreign words are pronounced authentically
- ensuring the correct form of the verb is used before particular grammar patterns, for example, using the plain form affirmative before mae ni; using the past plain form before ato de
- understanding question words such as dare, itsu, doushite, dochira, doko, douyatte, donogurai and donna
- being consistent with tense
- using the correct particles.
Feedback on written examination
Section I
Listening
Students should:
- read each question carefully
- make notes in the Candidate’s Notes column on the right-hand side of the page
- 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.
In better responses, students were able to:
- identify a wide range of vocabulary, for example, nyuugaku
- differentiate between details in a more complex text to eliminate incorrect multiple-choice alternatives
- understand the difficult structure hoteru ni zutto inakereba naranai and not translate as ‘the hotel is unavailable’
- demonstrate their understanding that the waitress made a mistake by bringing a chicken pizza, but because the chef had gone home, they could not make another pizza (Q7)
- understand that the speaker would not return to the restaurant and instead go to the restaurant next door (Q7)
- understand that John’s feelings had changed throughout the experience and provide evidence from the text to support these changes (Q8)
- demonstrate their understanding that John had met his girlfriend at Club Activities and that he was now sad to be leaving Japan (Q8)
- clearly demonstrate that Yumiko will quit her job and provide evidence (Q9)
- understand that Yumiko is working at the restaurant rather than being a customer (Q9)
- identify that as a result of the speaker’s experience, he will now change his study plans from Law to Foreign Languages (Q10)
- understand the vocabulary and demonstrate understanding of her experience during the Tokyo Olympics (Q10)
- clearly demonstrate the issues with using the internet for communication in foreign languages and the importance of studying languages (Q10).
Areas for students to improve include:
- revising vocabulary in relation to months, times and dates
- understanding directions and vocabulary specific to directions
- providing both sides of a situation in responses, for example, they didn’t go to Okinawa, but decided to go to Hokkaido instead (Q5)
- understanding the plain form style of speech
- understanding connections between key words and texts and not jumping to conclusions
- ensuring responses clearly address key words, for example, occupations, verbs, bukatsu
- developing effective dictionary skills in case an unfamiliar word is needed rather than guessing the meaning
- understanding where the conversation is taking place to assist with the overall understanding of the text
- increasing the range of vocabulary used.
Section II
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 to the question fully
- 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:
- note key words in questions, for example, ‘details’ (Q11, Q12b)
- understand katakana, for example, Robotto (Q12)
- understand that ‘summarise the approach’ could include evaluative words such as ‘engaging’ and ‘boring’ rather than detailing everything mentioned in the text (Q13)
- understand that the meeting place was in front of the cinema, not before the movie (Q11)
- include appropriate detail in their response (Q14, Q15)
- effectively justify their argument, rather than just translate the text (Q15)
- distinguish between tenses in order to understand which sections of the text referred to the past, present and future (Q14)
- understand the word ‘only’ (Q14).
Areas for students to improve include:
- reviewing the kanji for money as 1000 was often confused with 100
- learning the kanji for ‘half’ (han) in times
- improve the art of summarising and evaluating
- reading for detail rather than just picking out isolated words and making assumptions (Q14, Q15)
- understanding how to justify an argument (Q15)
- including all relevant detail in the answer (Q14, Q15)
- using the information from the text to respond, rather than relying on a dictionary definition (Q14).
Section III
Writing in Japanese
Students should:
- write to the word length required
- address 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
- 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:
- include conventions of a message, indicating the recipient (Q16) and a casual email, indicating the sender and recipient (Q17)
- write using the plain form consistently to meet the context of writing to a close friend (Q17)
- structure their writing effectively using conjunctions; such as, demo, sorekara, dakara, sono atode
- structure their ideas to fit within the context of the question
- use a wide range of advanced grammar structures and vocabulary accurately
- describe a particular club activity that they themselves do (Q16)
- clearly explain that the place they suggest travelling to is a place they visit every year with their family (Q17)
- use a variety of kanji accurately when needed
- use the squared paper, genkou youshi, accurately.
Areas for students to improve include:
- understanding how to use the plain form and the plain negative form (Q17)
- using linking words correctly to sequence sentences and ideas
- structuring ideas succinctly, allowing advanced structures to be included in their writing (Q16)
- writing to demonstrate their understanding of the question, for example, specific activities that they do at their club (Q16) and the holiday destination and why they consider it is a good choice, using some adjectives
- editing their work to correct avoidable spelling and grammar errors
- using prescribed kanji in their writing
- using the squared paper, genkou youshi, accurately including the direction in which they are required to write.
HSC exam resources
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Japanese Beginners Syllabus
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