Japanese Continuers 2020 HSC exam pack

Conversation

Students should:

• be prepared to communicate 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:

• understand the questions and vocabulary used, without needing the examiner to explain the meaning of some vocabulary
• engage well with the examiner
• use correct particles such as use of age and tense in verbs and adjectives
• correctly use te and tari forms and plain forms
• correctly conjugate i and na adjectives
• use 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 / temorau / teageru
• use kara and to omoimasu correctly
• use correct vocabulary for eigo/eiga, nihon/nihongo
• 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, communicate feelings, opinions, third person perspectives
• communicate their interest in the topics covered.

Areas for students to improve include:

• ensuring they are familiar with interrogatives, such as doko de, itsu, dare to, naze, doushite
• using time words accurately, for example, shourai (no particle) sangatsu ni
• using correct vocabulary items, such as kankei vs kenkou or tsukau vs tsukuru
• knowing the difference between (Noun) ga hoshii, and verb tai form, for example, arubaito wo shitai desu
• being careful not to overuse a izuchi or English hesitation words during their exam
• revising te form of verbs and conjugations
• speaking in the polite masu/desu register, not in plain formusing grammar structures correctly when expressing their interest, for example, ni kyoumi ga arimasu or kyoumi wo motsu you ni narimashita.

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 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
• avoid translating the text as part of their response.

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate appropriate depth of understanding
• demonstrate an excellent knowledge of vocabulary, including language related to directions and ordinal numbers
• demonstrate knowledge of sophisticated grammar structures, such as ~ koto ni narimasu, ~ you ni narimasu, ~ mitai
• address the requirements of the question by providing relevant details, rather than translations
• use specific examples from the text to support their ideas
• writing succinct answers
• understand katakana words, for example, rifoomu, kappuru, poteto
• understand more complex vocabulary, for example, nakusu, kareshi, mezurashii,sofubo, untenmenkyo, ikkai dake, me ga kayui, seki ga deru, kushami ga deru, okozukai, oboeru, machigaeru, warau
• interpret grammar structures correctly itsumo yori nagaku narimasu, de dekiteimasu,mitai, shita koto ga zenzen nai (have never done NOT don’t like at all), potential form of the verb, for example, derarenai, ikeru, oboerareru,
• identify the days of the week correctly kayoubi, kinyoubi, doyoubi.

Areas for students to improve include:

• listening to finer details of texts, for example, in Q1, “the practice is one hour longer” as opposed to “the practice is one hour long” and Q4, “Reiko will call back tomorrow”, as opposed to “Reiko is requesting Anna to call back”</li-->
• understand that Kenji did have a driver’s licence, but not a car and that Kenji was looking for a music related job, but that the conditions for this particular job were not suitable (Q6)
• understand that the students were divided into groups and each group only cleaned once a week (Q7)
• make a perceptive comparison of Tania’s and Masao’s view of cleaning by making reference to the teaching of responsibility (Q7)
• talk about how the speaker’s personal experience made her advice relatable to the students (Q8)
• thinking logically about what was heard in relation to the question, rather than structuring a response based on linking isolated vocabulary, for example, katakana words
• structuring concise responses ensuring ideas are articulated well
• discerning between pronouns to avoid ambiguous responses, for example, don’t assume the marker knows which “she” you are referring to when there are two females in the text
• writing succinctly, using the lines provided to guide the length of their responses
• avoiding quoting in Japanese.

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:

• translate the quotes when answering questions
• use the whole passage to inform their answers
• write their response in English without including chunks of Japanese written in parentheses
• consider the specific detail required to answer each question thoroughly
• determine the true meaning of オランダ as Holland/The Netherlands (Q9b)
• define/explain the term nikusen accurately (9c)
• focus on several ideas to write a substantially detailed answer (Q9d)
• understand the idea of nikusen as a concept/idea rather than a person/ album name/band name/performer/song/type of music (Q9d)
• provide a holistic understanding of how satisfied Rizumu is with nikusen and justify the benefits with strong references to the text (Q9d)
• demonstrate depth and breadth in their responses
• not directly translate the text but make astute and insightful conclusions and connections, for example, shift in personality/ behaviour to be more outgoing (Q10d)
• make accurate reference to the text when providing justification
• demonstrate an excellent knowledge of vocabulary, kanji and grammar structures to enable them to engage fully with the text.

Areas for students to improve include:

• providing more detail in responses
• learning the names of the countries that don’t sound like their English equivalent
• understanding the grammar structure nanimoshinai vs nanimoshinaide
• understanding of the verb tsukuru in the ~tari、~tari form such as tsukuttari
• understanding of the verb tsukau in the kata form, for example, tsukaikata
• reading the question carefully to formulate your answer based on the question words
• defining terms to clarify your answer
• learning smaller words like dou and sugu
• ensuring responses are specific and not make overriding statements that they think are enough evidence
• making sure they understand vocabulary within context, for example, otonashii
• not drawing conclusions based on general assumptions about Japanese society.

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
• plan effectively to organise their thoughts, paying attention to purpose, audience, context and the type of text required in question
• edit their work to ensure clarity of the response.

In better responses, students were able to:

• understand the text type (email) and the participants in the text, for example, Mr Tanaka, yourself, parents
• write the reason/s why they want to live in the countryside
• write that he/she is either a university student in Osaka or is working in Osaka
• write that he/she is interested in renting a cheap apartment or house (not buying) and why
• write about Jiritsuteki na seikatsu
• write about what they could do for the country town
• manipulate language authentically and creatively
• meet the requirement of ji (approximately 400 ji).

Areas for students to improve include:

• using the correct text type (letter vs. email)
• including more detailed responses, particularly the reason why they want to live in the countryside
• using correct grammar and vocabulary
• avoiding including irrelevant information
• avoiding copying from the text.

Writing in Language

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
• proofread and edit work
• adhere to the suggested word length.

In better responses, students were able to:

• write a note about something that happened to someone else, not themselves
• express their ideas authentically, for example, someone ga something suru no o mimashita
• provide an opinion/comment on the act of kindness
• write in plain form consistently
• use a wide range of advanced language structures, vocabulary and kanji authentically, for example, ~te ageru, te kureru, te morau, te shimau, relative clauses.

Areas for students to improve include:

• using the correct text type (note, not diary entry)
• using appropriate vocabulary such as otoshiyori notf Furui hito, roujin,
• using syllabus kanji
• using the correct language structures for the context such as ta-form (past plain form), ~nagara, ~aida, ~uchini
• using correct conjugations, for example, ~kunaru, ~ninaru.

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
• proofread and edit their work
• adhere to the suggested word length.

In better responses, students were able to:

• address purpose and context effectively and creatively with good reasoning and depth
• write in a letter format
• compare and justify
• use authentic vocabulary and structures with a high level of accuracy
• demonstrate a great control of plain form and persuasive language
• structure ideas cohesively and coherently with a range of linking words
• use prescribed Kanji and correct Katakana and Hiragana spelling
• use particles and tense correctly
• use intransitive and transitive verbs correctly (Q13b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• addressing context and purpose (to give information and persuade by giving reasons)
• using grammar correctly, for example, -to omoimasu / -dato omoimasu, -kara / da kara, te and tari forms, correct negative plain form of arimasu:nai: NOT aranai
• writing Kanji correctly and using Kanji in the correct context
• writing an original and creative text in a structured manner
• using genkoyoushi (squared paper) correctly
• ensuring that spelling is accurate, for example, long vowels and double consonants in words such as issho ni instead of isshou ni, ryokou, gakkou
• using particles and tenses correctly
• not using the particle no between verbs and nouns or adjective and nouns, for example ikuhouga ii NOT iku no hou ga ii or chigau kuni NOT ‘chigau no kuni’
• using prescribed Kanji correctly, for example Kanji for common words such as suki, nihon, tabemono, tsukuru
• writing with the correct greetings in letters, for example, beginning the letter with [Ken san] he and ending with [Keiko]yori.
• addressing the task requirement (Q13a: I know you want to travel in Australia… (Q13b) I’ve heard you are thinking of moving to Australia etc)
• some students wrote in an essay format; first of all, secondly, as a conclusion etc, which is not suitable for a letter to your friend
• writing without relying on a dictionary.