Japanese Continuers 2019 HSC exam pack

Conversation

Students should:

• be prepared to talk on a variety of topics relating to their personal world
• answer the question asked rather than presenting pre-prepared responses
• express their ideas and opinions and justify their point of view
• elaborate using a variety of vocabulary, phrases and expressions suitable to the question asked
• use a range of tenses and be prepared to reflect on the past, present and future
• manipulate the language to fulfil the requirements of the question
• avoid the repetition of the same vocabulary, phrases, expressions and grammatical structures
• 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 variety of grammar structures accurately and effectively to address the question asked
• use correct particles
• use correct tense with verbs and adjectives
• use ‘te’ and ‘tari’ forms and plain forms correctly
• conjugate ‘i’ and ‘na’ adjectives appropriately
• respond in the correct tense and speak confidently in the past, present and future tenses
• use the particle ‘ni’ after a general time word correctly
• use ‘kara’ when using ‘nazenara ’
• include the negative ending when using ‘amari ’ and ‘zenzen ’
• make comparisons effectively and accurately
• use ‘tekureru / temorua / teageru ’
• use ‘kara ’ and ‘to omoimasu ’ correctly
• use correct vocabulary for ‘eigo/eiga, nihon/nihongo ’
• manipulate language effectively to address the question asked
• answer questions with relevant information and in some depth
• use a range of perspectives
• speak confidently and fluently with excellent pronunciation and appropriate intonation
• use authentic expressions such as ‘sou desu ne ’, ‘zannen desu ga ’, ‘jitsu wa ’
• use an appropriate register for an examination
• speak across a range of topics in depth
• draw on the appropriate depth of ideas in responses, for example, communicated feelings, opinions, third person perspective
• communicate their interest in the topics covered
• use a variety of grammatical structures so that responses sound natural.

Listening and Responding

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 on to 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:

• recognise key vocabulary, for example, natsu, sugiru (Q1), baiten, satou (Q2), shinsek,i sewa (Q3), chika, denki (Q4), shimau, tsugi, sagasu (Q5), kimeru, jidai, hanbun (Q6), jidouhanbaiki, kikai, shurui (Q7), kaeru, shenshu, kiken (Q8)
• identify the lifestyle and provide a logically structured, succinct response with the key evidence from the text (Q3)
• demonstrate an understanding of generational conflict, that is, young people not wanting to compromise on their lifestyle and wanting to make their own decisions (Q6)
• show a thorough understanding of the benefit of being able to select from the range of products depending on their mood (Q7)
• make a clear reference to the extent to which Ken and Keiko liked the vending machines, ie the fact that Ken and Keiko liked the vending machines for the purpose of buying food and drink, but not for the purpose of buying luxury items (Q7)
• provide a detailed summary of pros and cons (Q7)
• translate jidouhanbaiki accurately into English as ‘vending machine’ (Q7)
• show perceptive understanding of the reasoning behind Masaru’s frustration with changing the time for only a (short) 3 month period (Q8)
• identify that Masaru’s argument for not changing the time (the potential impact on well-being and sleep patterns), was referring to the general public and not to Masaru personally (Q8)
• demonstrate an understanding of both arguments, providing details on benefits as well as disadvantages (Q8)
• support their responses with reference to relevant content and language, using their own words and providing detailed information
• structure responses logically to clearly answer the question
• demonstrate an excellent knowledge of vocabulary and grammar structures.

Areas for students to improve include:

• backing up statements with reference to the text
• analysing what was said, instead of responding with isolated key vocabulary and katakana words
• answering the question directly rather than simply rewriting the question
• ensuring that the Japanese word in the question is translated into English accurately (Q7)
• learning English terminology to describe the extent, such as, to a great extent, to some extent (Q7)
• clearly demonstrating the change in Masaru’s opinion, that is not convinced/ somewhat/ convinced by Hana’s arguments (Q8)
• improving their mastery of vocabulary
• cross-checking their understanding of expressions in the dictionary
• understanding that any information written in the Candidate's Notes section will not be marked
• attempting each question to the best of their ability, even if knowledge of vocabulary is limited.

Reading and Responding

Part A

Students should:

• read the title, questions and the whole text before responding
• use only the lines or space beneath the question for the 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
• read the whole text in order to demonstrate understanding of relevant information and ideas
• 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 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:

• recognise key vocabulary, kanji and katakana, for example, sabishii (Q9b), ryoukin, ripiito  (Q9c), mago, 元気 (Q9d), shippai, shujin, kiken (Q9e), semai, 物 (Q10a), shiawase, 思い出,古い物,suteru  (Q10b), riyuu, kakomarete, naosu, kankyou (Q10c), 近所,店,jishin (Q10d)
• identify that the text engages the reader through questioning (Q9a)
• clearly explain the type of service such as renting family or friends, and making reference to the time/term and discount (Q9c)
• place the negative information about the service in the right place (not Q9d, but Q9e)
• identify personality traits and give clear, correct and detailed examples from the text (Q10b)
• provide a correct translation of the quote riyuu ga chigaimasu ne (Q10c)
• support their answer focussing on both Mio and Hiroshi’s reasons, with evidence from the text (Q10c)
• provide a statement which indicated that Shoji’s circumstances were not generally reflected in the survey (Q10d)
• justify their response with a detailed comparison of the survey results and Shoji’s circumstances, including similarities and differences (Q10d)
• demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of vocabulary, grammatical structures and kanji in the text
• effectively use information from the text to support their answers.

Areas for students to improve include:

• clearly pointing out how to improvethe service, not just listing its defects (Q9e)
• using the dictionary correctly to ensure the correct meaning is selected, for example, riyuu as ‘reason’, not ‘dragon’ (Q10)
• understanding of grammar structures such as hitsuyou na mono shika arimasen meaning ‘only having necessary items’ (Q10)
• providing reasons for all sides of an argument/ a situation when comparing
• selecting supporting details from relevant parts of the text
• improving knowledge of katakana and kanji
• reading the questions carefully and using the mark value to inform decisions about the depth required in the response.
• translating quotes into English.

Part B

Students should:

• respond to the question asked in relation to the text
• read the entire text in order to respond fully to the question
• use the conventions of the type of text required by the question
• demonstrate understanding of the whole text in their response and not just respond to questions asked in the text
• focus on all relevant information and key points raised in the text in order to respond to comments made, requests for advice, issues discussed and observations made
• use the appropriate register throughout the response
• provide a creative and authentic response in relation to the text and question
• 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:

• write consistently in either polite or plain form
• demonstrate their understanding of the text, including who purchased the dog and why this advertisement was a good fit for Jo
• use a variety of senior expressions and grammar structures with high accuracy
• write about two activities that Joe wants to do with Kaori, with supporting evidence
• write with a natural, coherent flow
• use conjunctions correctly
• follow text type conventions of a letter and include appropriate salutations, letter opening and closing statements.

Areas for students to improve include:

• using senior grammatical structures correctly such as tara, future tense, indicating intentions, making comparisons
• writing vocabulary correctly using syllabus kanji
• authentically using grammar such as kenko ni naru rather than kenko ga yokunaru
• reading the text and the question carefully.

Writing in Japanese

Question 12

Students should:

• 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
• avoid anglicisms
• proof read and edit work
• adhere to the suggested word length.

In better responses, students were able to:

• address purpose and context effectively and creatively by including all relevant details, for example, addressing the teacher, apologising and providing a reason for their absence
• use authentic vocabulary and structures that are culturally appropriate with high level of accuracy, for example, zannennagara gakkou wo yasumanakerebanarimasen deshita, sumimasen deshita
• demonstrate a good control of tense
• structure ideas cohesively and coherently　
• use prescribed kanji and correct katakana and hiragana
• manipulate language with some flair.

Areas for students to improve include:

• checking and editing past tense for verbs and adjectives
• practising to accurately conjugate negative verbs
• using kureru,morau and ageru accurately
• spelling words with long vowel and double consonant sounds accurately, such as shuuchuu, isshoni accurately
• using more syllabus kanji to demonstrate knowledge
• correct understanding of the correct application of nakerebanarimasen and tewaikemasen  
• correctly using intransitive verbs and transitive verbs, for example, ashi ga oremashita　
• counting days correctly, for example, futsukakan
• using nagara correctly.

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 appropriate to the requirements of the question
• proof read and edit their work
• adhere to the suggested word length.

In better responses, students were able to:

• follow text type conventions of a diary entry and include the date, the day of the week and a statement about the weather
• write consistently in the plain form
• evaluate pros and cons of both options (Q12 ,13)
• include a reflection in their response (Q12,13)
• outline a number of ideas that showed the benefits of staying at home or moving out (Q13) OR whether or not to go to university next year (Q13)
• use a wide range of language structures accurately
• use correct forms of verbs, adjectives and nouns consistently
• sequence and structure ideas coherently.

Areas for students to improve include:

• addressing context and purpose
• using grammar correctly, for example, -to omoimasu / -dato omoimasu, -kara / da kara
• using correct vocabulary and expressions, for example, zennin / minna, ie ni sumu
• writing original and creative text in a structured manner, following correct conventions for using genkouyoushi
• ensuring that spelling is accurate, including long vowels and double consonants in words such as issho ni instead of isshou ni
• using particles and tenses correctly
• using prescribed kanji correctly, such as 大学, 作る
• writing with the correct type of text, for example, -gatsu-nichi, noting that headings like nikki e and –yori are not appropriate
• evaluating pros and cons of university rather than writing about future plans (Q13b)
• planning their response before starting to write
• writing at the level of language they can control
• avoiding reliance on the dictionary which may result in poor wording and incorrect meaning.