Heritage Korean 2015 HSC exam pack (archive)

Characteristics of better responses:

• a thorough analysis of information, ideas and experiences, using a variety of sources from a range of contexts was included
• detailed and perceptive references to the texts studied, including information on their reliability and usefulness, were made
• candidates connected their research findings to their ideas and experiences
• candidates justified their points of view which were supported with examples
• candidates actively participated in the interview and engaged effectively and consistently with the examiner without hesitation or pauses
• information and ideas were presented with a high level of grammatical accuracy, a range of vocabulary and sentence structures, and a high level of fluency and correct pronunciation.

Characteristics of weaker responses:

• basic information or common knowledge was presented without evidence of research and the chosen topic was treated superficially
• candidates used prepared responses which had little relevance to the question being asked
• candidates made few or limited references to the texts studied
• information was presented with a low level of grammatical accuracy and with many pauses
• incomplete sentences and/or a mixture of formal and informal forms with some use of English vocabulary were used.

Characteristics of better responses:

• candidates demonstrated a perceptive understanding of the texts, with appropriate examples provided to support answers
• language was manipulated competently to encourage participation in the competition (Q2)
• information from both texts was used and manipulated to produce a persuasive email to the mother (Q3)
• the ideas and issues presented in the diary entries were identified and used effectively to write the speech (Q4)
• candidates demonstrated a clear understanding of how applicable the lyrics were to today's Korea (Q5)
• candidates responded appropriately and effectively to the values, language and role of appearance as presented in the Blog entries
• a clear understanding of the purpose and audience was evident.

Characteristics of weaker responses:

• a translation of the text was provided rather than responding to the question
• candidates did not address all aspects of the question
• a limited understanding of purpose, context and audience was shown
• a limited reference to the texts was made
• candidates used general knowledge  rather than information provided in the stimulus text.

Characteristics of better responses:

• candidates addressed the chosen question
• the selection of register was appropriate to the audience, purpose and context
• ideas and information were sequenced  and the response was structured coherently and effectively
• candidates showed evidence of understanding the issues being presented in the question.

Characteristics of weaker responses:

• responses made limited use of information relevant to the question
• responses were poorly structured and contained many errors in both vocabulary and language structures
• some responses were unnecessarily long and included irrelevant pre-learnt texts and/or contained numerous errors and inaccuracies.