Japanese in Context 2020 HSC exam pack (archive)

Students should:

• choose a topic for the Personal Investigation that is related to one of the issues set for study
• ensure they support their research using relevant and quality texts and sources
• discuss and substantiate a point of view effectively by providing evidence from their research
• reflect on their research findings to help them express opinions or develop new perceptions about their Personal Investigation
• reflect on their research findings to indicate how the research helped them to express opinion/change opinion or develop a new perception about the issue related to the Personal Investigation
• manipulate language to respond in a coherent and logical way to the questions asked
• use a variety of relevant vocabulary, grammar, sentence structures and expressions
• avoid responding with pre-prepared responses that do not address the question asked.

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the issue chosen for the Personal Investigation
• make references to a range of texts and sources which were chosen from more than one context
• speak fluently and confidently, providing well-structured responses to questions
• respond using a high level of grammatical accuracy and sophisticated vocabulary.

Areas for students to improve include:

• demonstrating more than a superficial understanding of the chosen topic
• responding directly to the question posed rather than relying on pre-prepared responses
• making clear references to the texts studied
• linking the chosen topic to a syllabus issue
• avoiding the incorporation of colloquial language and/or unsophisticated vocabulary into their text.

Students should:

• respond in English or Japanese as required by the question
• demonstrate their understanding of the issue(s) raised in the text
• include all relevant details and support their response with reference to the text
• use appropriate vocabulary, expressions and language to address the style of writing required by the question
• use appropriate register when responding in Japanese
• respond within the required word and/or character limit
• respond to the number of texts referred to in the question
• apply the conventions of the text type.

In better responses, students were able to:

• summarise the content concisely with relevant reference to the text in English (Q1)
• synthesise both texts effectively and include all relevant details (Q4)
• write an informative email using appropriate level of language (Q4)
• discuss the language features and techniques used in the article in order to convince the readers of the writer’s point of view on the topic of “being a global citizen” (Q5)
• identify the main ideas and synthesise both texts effectively to write a blog about the ideal workplace (Q6).

Areas for students to improve include:

• using accurate Kanji
• referring to both texts where necessary
• avoiding irrelevant/unnecessary information.

Students should:

• use the conventions of the style of writing required by the question
• use language appropriate for the context, purpose and audience of the question
• use a wide variety of vocabulary, sentence structures and prescribed words and/or characters
• structure the response in a logical and coherent manner
• support their ideas and opinions with appropriate examples
• respond in Japanese as stated in the question
• use appropriate register consistently throughout the response
• use vocabulary, expressions and structures relevant to the issue raised in the question.

In better responses, students were able to:

• include highly relevant ideas which were well-structured and sequenced
• provide valid examples and reasons to support ideas and opinions
• state successfully their own opinions on the topic of pop culture from foreign countries (Q7)
• discuss the influence on the Japanese national characteristics by having more foreigners living in Japan (Q8).

Areas for students to improve include:

• using accurate spelling, Kanji and grammar structures
• using appropriate language register, in particular the formal language register correctly and consistently
• demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of texts by including relevant ideas and information in responses
• sequencing for a logical flow of ideas and information
• successfully connecting the issue raised to their own context.