Japanese Continuers 2025 HSC exam pack

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
• manipulate 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:

• speak clearly with excellent pronunciation, syntax, register and intonation
• answer the questions with minimal hesitation, allowing the conversation to flow at a good pace
• answer questions with relevant information and in some depth, for example, to communicate feelings, provide opinions, justify their responses and provide the perspectives of others
• manipulate language to address the requirements of the question
• respond in full sentences, including using compound and complex sentences
• demonstrate excellent knowledge of a wide repertoire of vocabulary
• accurately use tenses as required by the context of the question
• create language spontaneously in unfamiliar situations
• use a wide variety of grammar structures accurately, effectively and naturally
• use tenses (verbs/adjectives), particles and grammar structures accurately
• speak with confidence using the past, present and future tenses correctly
• make comparisons effectively and accurately
• use complex structures, for example, tekureru, temorau, teageru and relative clauses
• understand the nuance of difference between structures, such as temiru, you ni suru, you ni, tame ni, ta hou ga ii, nakereba naranai, deshou, kamoshirenai and use the structure appropriate to the context
• communicate effectively without the use of highly specialised vocabulary or using English by employing circumlocution strategies, for example, the noun kankei no shigoto
• use authentic expressions, for example, sou desu ne, zannen desu ga, and jitsu wa
• use an appropriate register for an examination and remain consistent in their use of this register
• recognise the different meanings between words which sound similar, for example, yasai/yasui/yasashii, kusai/kyuusai, kawaii/wakai, nihongo/nihon, tsukaimasu/tsukurimasu, eigo/eiga, otousan/otutosan, seikatsu/seifuku.

Areas for students to improve include:

• ensuring they are familiar with all interrogatives, for example, doko de, itsu, itsu kara, dare to, naze, and doushite
• providing depth and authenticity in responses
• reducing the use of prepared responses
• engaging in appropriate conversation topics
• using transitive and intransitive verbs correctly,for example, hajimeru/hajimaru, tamere/tamaru
• using particles accurately, for example, shourai (no particle) sangatsu ni
• distinguishing between and conjugating i adjectives and na adjectives correctly
• responding to questions in a timely manner without the overuse of aizuchi, English filler words or announcing that they will reattempt a response during their exam
• speaking in the polite masu/desu register, and not in plain form, as is appropriate for a language examination with a teacher
• increasing the accuracy of senior grammar structures, for example, which structures require the te form, plain form, 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, goro/gurai, yasui/yasashii, shakai/kaisha
• ensuring they are familiar with vocabulary relevant to their personal world and do not use English words
• pronouncing katakana words clearly as Japanese words, for example, herushii, karee, topikku, bijinesu
• ensuring kanji compound words are pronounced correctly, for example, shigatsu, maitsuki, rainen
• distinguishing between long and short vowel sounds, for example, yume/yuumei
• using grammatical structures correctly in context, for example, hoshii/~tai
• avoiding long lists, for example, all subjects studied or every pet
• speaking fluidly to reduce pauses in responses
• learning how to respond appropriately if they do not know the answer
• attempting all questions where possible
• asking for the questions to be repeated, rather than skipping them.

Students should:

• make notes in the Candidate’s Notes column on the right 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:

• articulate the likelihood of Toshi following Mayumi’s suggestion clearly, including details of Mayumi’s suggestions and Toshi’s responses (Q4)
• summarise the two concerns by writing one succinct line per concern (Q5)
• analyse text, rather than only translating the text (Q6)
• distinguish clearly between different experiences and points of view (Q7)
• demonstrate understanding of more complex vocabulary items, for example, raku (Q7)
• demonstrate understanding of the text content and the use of language (Q8)
• refer to language techniques by giving examples and explaining them clearly (Q8)
• accurately translate from the text, including the statistics (Q8).

Areas for students to improve include:

• using English words such as ‘calligraphy’ and ‘exercise’ to show their understanding of the text (Q4)
• providing all relevant information
• demonstrating depth of understanding of the text (Q7)
• ensuring the English meaning or explanation is included when Japanese words are quoted (Q8)
• writing legibly.

Students should:

• read the title, the questions and the whole text before responding
• use only the lines or space beneath the question for their response
• support their responses with reference to content and language, using their own words
• give succinct responses, addressing the relevant details required by the question and avoiding repetition
• focus on key words in the question, for example, ‘how’, ‘why’, ‘explain’, ‘support’, and respond in relation to the context of the text
• identify the key issue(s) and provide examples to substantiate their response
• draw a conclusion or support a point of view using their own words
• provide a succinct response of the 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 word(s) or expressions in context.

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify that the writer bought a coat (Q9a)
• recognise the potential form (Q9b)
• demonstrate an understanding that the writer’s expectations were to use Japanese, that people would be impressed and to make friends
• identify how the writer feels in diary entry 2 and reference both content and language technique (Q9c)
• identify and explain the change in the writer’s tone (Q9d)
• identify that Japanese people have the same motivation as the writer when it comes to practising the language that they study (Q9d)
• explain language use with relevant examples (Q9d)
• understand advanced grammar structures correctly (Q10)
• give specific details in their responses (Q10)
• answer the questions, rather than only providing references from the text (Q10).

Areas for students to improve include:

• structuring concise and articulate responses
• reading of katakana words (Q9a)
• recognising the difference between tsukaimasu and tsukurimasu (Q9b)
• understanding potential form, for example, hanasete (Q9b)
• understanding and identifying language techniques (Q9c)
• using correct tense in their responses
• referencing how the tone changed by including the previous tone and subsequent tone (Q9d)
• writing legibly
• accurately writing numbers. For example, 6 jikan han is 6.5 hours, not 6.30 hours, shu 3 kai is 3 times a week, not the 3^rd day (Q10).

Students should:

• read the whole text to respond fully to the question
• plan effectively to organise their thoughts, paying attention to context, purpose and audience, as well as the type of text required by the question
• use the conventions of the type of text required by the question
• demonstrate understanding of the whole text in their response
• focus on all relevant information and key points in the text to respond to comments made, requests for advice, issues discussed, and observations made
• provide a creative and authentic response in relation to the text and the question
• use the appropriate register throughout the response
• 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:

• understand and relate Mr Miura’s experience during the tour, including key details from Email 2. For example, attended a morning tour, the boat delay, the inability to see the fish, missing or broken equipment, the lack of a vegetarian option, issues with the instructor (Suzuki), and their request for compensation
• plan and write concise information in the required ji length
• use grammatical structures accurately while demonstrating a genuine command of the language
• maintain a clear, logical flow of ideas to enhance overall coherence.

Areas for students to improve include:

• ensuring they read the question carefully, ‘You have participated in the tour’, and use information from both the advertisement and Email 2 to write Email 1.
• checking their use of tense, as the question required the response to be written in the past tense. Many students wrote the email in the present tense thinking they had not yet participated in the tour.
• using plain form accurately
• avoiding adding information that is not relevant to the text
• ensuring they use the name in the text, in this case, ‘Miura’.

Question 12

Students should:

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

In better responses, students were able to:

• address their host family correctly
• answer all elements with some creativity
• use polite form without mixing it with plain form
• use a variety of grammar structures and vocabulary.

Areas for students to improve include:

• spelling basic words in hiragana and katakana accurately. For example, hosuto famirii and konnichiwa (wa as ha), gomennasai
• using authentic and culturally appropriate expressions in Japanese. For example, hosuto no gokazoku e, not starting with konnichiwa or ogenkidesuka
• using the correct register to address the host family, in this case, polite form is better
• revising the potential form, for example, kaeru koto ga dekimasen instead of kaeraremasen.

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

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate they could write in the correct text type
• write using a variety of senior structures and complex grammar
• write with correct kanji and kanji compounds
• organise ideas using conjunctions.

Areas for students to improve include:

• incorporating embedded questions
• using speech conventions. For example, there is no need for a title or sign off at the end
• ensuring they address their audience accurately
• incorporating their own reflections
• checking okurigana, kanji and kanji compounds
• using a range of senior structures and vocabulary.