Modern Greek Beginners 2020 HSC exam pack

Students should:

• be prepared to communicate about a variety of topics relating to their personal world
• answer the question asked rather than presenting pre-prepared responses
• 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
• avoid the repetition of the same vocabulary, phrases and expressions
• manipulate the language to fulfil the requirements of the question
• respond using the correct tense required in the context of the question
• be prepared to be interrupted by the examiner
• use Greek to ask for repetition and/or clarification of the question.

In better responses, students were able to:

• manipulate the language to respond appropriately to the questions asked
• use complete sentences with verb endings matching the subject, for example, ναι, περνάμε καλά και παίζουμε ποδόσφαιρο μαζί
• provide extended responses using subordinate clauses and conjunctions with correct word order, in particular clauses with ‘γιατί ’ for example, γιατί θέλω να μπορώ να μιλάω Ελληνικά με την οικογένειά μου στην Ελλάδα
• use the simple past tense correctly, for example, πήγα στην Αθήνα και είδα τους συγγενείς μου
• use the simple future tense correctly, θα πάω διακοπές με την οικογένειά μου
• demonstrate good control of many grammatical points including cases, adjectival endings and verb conjugation, for example, μου αρέσουν οι κωμωδίες – το σπίτι μου είναι μεγάλο – η μαμά μου μαγειρεύει νόστιμα φαγητά – βλέπουμε ταινίες στην τηλεόραση.

Areas for students to improve include:

• revising vocabulary and expressions relating to the topics associated with the student’s personal world
• responding in a full sentence or a complete phrase rather than giving single word responses
• using grammatical structures appropriate to the question asked
• paying attention to agreements between articles, nouns and adjectives, for example, το σπίτι μου είναι μεγάλο – το δωμάτιό μου έχει ξύλινο πάτωμα  
• responding with the appropriate subject – verb form required by the question, for example, Πήγα στην Ελλάδα τον χειμώνα και είδα τα αξιοθέατα
• avoiding responding only in the first person, πηγαίνουμε μαζί στο γυμναστήριο
• using the verb ‘μου αρέσει’ correctly, for example, μου αρέσει η ελληνική μουσική – μου αρέσουν οι ταινίες δράσης.

Students should:

• read each question carefully
• make notes in the Candidate’s Notes column on the right-hand side of the page
• transcribe their response on to the lines, using the space provided for each question
• use the lines provided as a guide to the length of the response required
• ensure their responses are clear and address all parts of the question
• use their own words and respond in English
• avoid translating text as part of their response.

In better responses, students were able to:

• link information in the texts to indicate understanding
• demonstrate understanding of sophisticated and specific vocabulary, for example, χωρίςσύντροφο (Q4), επικοινωνείς (Q7), υπόσχεσαι (Q8)
• identify the correct context of words, for example, γραφείο for office as opposed to desk (Q3)
• provide opinion based on the information in the text, for example, identify Georgia's character and provide textual evidence to support their response (Q10).

Areas for students to improve include:

• transferring notes from the Candidate’s Notes column into their responses
• reading questions carefully and providing all the information required to answer the question
• giving an opinion if the question asks for one (Q10)
• writing clear and concise English
• ensuring that they use the English translation for some words, for example, aunty and uncle and not theia and theio. 

Students should:

• read the whole text(s)
• address all parts of each question
• use the lines, table, chart etcetera allocated for the response
• provide all necessary details to respond to the question fully
• support their responses with evidence from the text where required
• use their own words rather than giving a literal translation
• use their dictionary appropriately to find the correct meaning of the word(s) in context.

In better responses, students were able to:

• understand and interpret vocabulary correctly to assist in providing detailed responses, including, να κλείσω (Q11), βιβλιοθήκη (Q12), χώρος (Q13), χάλασε (Q13), Γαλλικά (Q14), ζωγραφική (Q14)
• identify the purpose of the text rather than translate the text (Q15a)
• make connections within the texts to provide opinion and justify them with evidence from the text, for example, refer to BOTH arguments presented by the two friends (Q15b)
• show a thorough understanding of how the speaker achieved her dream with some interpretation from the text (Q16c).

Areas for students to improve include:

• using their dictionary appropriately to find the correct meaning of words in the correct context, for example, βιβλιοθήκη for bookcase as opposed to library (Q12)
• ensuring they have answered the why and how components of the question instead of simply translating the text
• developing knowledge of a wide range of vocabulary structures by reading texts of interest
• writing clear sentences and checking that their English makes sense
• interpreting texts, vocabulary and expressions, correctly to make judgements about a situation or a person (Q14b, Q15b). 

Students should:

• write to the word length required
• address audience, purpose and context required by the question
• apply the conventions of the type of text indicated in the question
• use correct register throughout the response
• use a range of tenses, sentence structures and a variety of vocabulary
• avoid repeating the same expressions throughout the response
• use the dictionary carefully to access vocabulary and expressions that are meaningful in the context of their response
• avoid listing
• edit their work.

In better responses, students were able to:

• use the correct text types, that is, email (Q18) and article (Q19/20)
• correctly use conjunctions in their sentences and write the required word length
• manipulate language to suit the requirements of the task, for example, suggesting different types of cultural activities (Q18)
• use a range of different tenses, sentence structures and a variety of vocabulary
• link their ideas and sequence them effectively
• show understanding of adjective agreement, for example, έχει καστανά μάτια (Q17)
• conjugate verbs correctly, for example, εμείς θα χορέψουμε (Q18).

Areas for students to improve include:

• writing according to text type, for example, article (Q19/20)
• planning and sequencing their responses
• writing to the required word length
• including a greater range of vocabulary, expressions and grammar structures in their response
• avoiding anglicisms
• using their dictionary effectively
• revising and not confusing the letters of the Greek alphabet, for example, θ/δ, χ/ξ, γ/χ
• revising the diphthongs and double consonants, for example, ει, αι, μπ, ντ.