Japanese Continuers 2023 HSC exam pack

Conversation

Students should:

• be prepared to communicate on 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
• express ideas and opinions that justify their point of view by providing depth and insight in their responses rather than only giving short pre-prepared responses
• 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:

• speak clearly with excellent pronunciation, syntax, register and intonation
• answer questions with minimal hesitation, allowing the conversation to flow at a good pace
• address the requirements of the question and elaborate without extra prompts from the examiner
• demonstrate excellent knowledge of a wide repertoire of vocabulary
• accurately use tenses (verbs/adjectives), particles and grammar structures
• respond in full sentences and use compound and complex structures, for example, tekureru / temorau / teageru and relative clauses
• understand the nuance between structures such as temiru / you ni suru, you ni / tame ni, ta hou ga ii / nakereba naranai, deshou / kamoshirenai and use structures appropriate to the context
• answer questions with relevant information and with detail, for example, to communicate feelings, opinions, justify their responses and provide the perspectives of others
• communicate without the use of highly specialised vocabulary or relying on English by employing circumlocution strategies, for example, (noun) kankei no shigoto
• use authentic expressions, such as, sou desu ne, zannen desu ga, and jitsu wa
• use an appropriate register and consistently speak in polite form.

Areas for students to improve include:

• understanding all interrogatives, such as, doko de, itsu, itsu kara, dare to, naze, and doushite
• avoiding the use of pre-prepared responses
• using transitive and intransitive verbs correctly, for example, hajimeru / hajimaru
• using particles accurately, for example, shourai (no particle), sangatsu ni
• conjugating i adjectives and na adjectives correctly
• reducing aizuchi or English hesitation words during the examination
• speaking in the polite masu / desu register and not in plain form
• increasing the accuracy of senior grammar structures, for example, the te form, plain form and verb stems
• using correct vocabulary, for example, eigo / eiga, nihon / nihongo, tsukau / tsukuru, chuugakkou / chuugoku, tetsudai / tasukeru, hitori / jibun, koto / mono, yakunitastu / benri, iru / aru
• using vocabulary relevant to their personal world and not using English words
• pronouncing katakana words clearly as Japanese words, for example, herushii, karee, topikku, bijinesu.

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:

• demonstrate understanding of more complex vocabulary, such as, musume (Q1), ueru, shizen, tanoshimu, sagasu (Q4), kyoukasho, ireru, hitsuyou (Q5)
• demonstrate understanding of advanced grammar structures, in particular, relative clauses and the potential form
• link the daughter’s birthday as the reason for the mother coming to Kyoto (Q1)
• include all relevant information why the building is unique (Q3)
• correctly identify the target audience and demonstrate an understanding of the event (Q4)
• summarise the advantages and disadvantages of the randoseru rather than translating the text (Q5)
• use appropriate adjectives to describe the father’s personality (Q7)
• refer to the appropriate part(s) of the text and interpret the text correctly
• make correct inferences based on evidence provided in the text.

Areas for students to improve include:

• providing all relevant information
• structuring concise and articulate responses that are edited
• ensuring handwriting is clear and legible
• limiting the length of responses to the spaces provided
• adhering to the question requirements, for example, identifying the target audience rather than describing the event (Q4), avoiding translating and writing long responses when the question asks for a summary (Q5)
• understanding the difference between ‘muda’ and ‘muri’, and ‘ryokin’ and ‘ryokan’
• using the Candidate’s Notes regularly and checking vocabulary.

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 tehoshii hito and katakana words
• provide more detail and include only relevant information in the response
• choose the correct section of the text that related to the question sequence
• translate words such as donodon, motto, murri, dake and tada
• understand potential forms and relative clauses
• recognise that contextual words such as kono  website wa … comment ga dekiru is a key sentence to indicate a necessary search for details
• use the words ‘employer’ and ‘employee’ correctly
• integrate appropriate details from the text effectively in a structured the response
• include positives and negatives when evaluating a text
• understand that ‘kiro’ means kilometre and the difference between kyuuryou and kyuuryoku
• write clearly and legibly
• provide an analysis of the language when required
• state the reason why Mr Nakayama made the application
• identify language devices and describe them using words such as, ‘emotive’, ‘simile’, ‘assertive’ or ‘metaphor’, not just outline his passionate response
• articulate the idea that Mr Nakayama’s past success is indicative of future success (Q10).

Areas for students to improve include:

• reading the text carefully and identifying information specific to the question
• understanding relative clauses
• avoiding the use of Japanese in a response unless specifically asked
• using information from the text only
• translating words in kanji correctly.

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:

• correctly address the audience (Japanese teacher) and consistently use polite form
• respond to all or most key points in the text and give some realistic suggestions/solutions for improvements
• include details of the reasons to improve each activity
• acknowledge the activity that was successful and that it did not need any improvements
• include relevant ideas to give the response authenticity and flair
• use conjunctions, senior grammar/sentence structures, kanji and correct spelling with hiragana/katakana.

Areas for students to improve include:

• using the correct kanji/word for ‘last year’s’
• using their own words rather than copying from the text
• reading the text carefully to avoid misunderstanding, for example, ‘laughed at the sumo costume’ is a positive reaction, not making fun of it.

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

In better responses, students were able to:

• use sophisticated grammar structures that are mostly accurate
• write creatively and authentically, linking the reason why they need help and their language skills
• use appropriate verbs such as okiwasureru, kaesu, sagasu, ~te kureru, motte kuru
• use appropriate expressions such as 'doo shitara ii?'
• use prescribed kanji accurately.

Areas for students to improve include:

• having knowledge of Japanese transport systems, for example, shinkansen
• understanding the difference between kaeru and kaesu
• using katakana correctly
• using correct particles - ni/de, ni/wo
• knowing the difference between ~nagara and ~ teiru aida.

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

In better responses, students were able to:

• link and sequence ideas
• write about authentic experiences, with reflections on their own experiences
• understand the context of the questions
• understand the difference between an excursion and a school trip.

Areas for students to improve include:

• understanding different text types, for example, knowing how to write a reflection, not a recount
• reading the question carefully and understanding the requirements of the task
• clearly sequencing and using a range of conjunctions
• using authentic expressions.