Modern Greek Beginners 2022 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
• avoid the repetition of the same vocabulary, phrases and expressions
• manipulate the language to fulfil the requirements of the question
• be prepared to be interrupted by the examiner
• read questions carefully and provide all relevant information required to answer the questions
• use Modern 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 question asked, for example, Ερώτηση: Τι σου αρέσει να κάνεις στον ελεύθερο χρόνο σου; Απάντηση: Μου αρέσει να παίζω ποδόσφαιρο με τους φίλους μου.
• use complete sentences with correct verb endings that match the subject, το σπίτι μου έχει έναν μεγάλο κήπο
• provide extended responses using subordinate clauses and conjunctions with correct word order, in particular clauses with ‘γιατί’ for example, μαθαίνω Ελληνικά γιατί θέλω να μπορώ να μιλάω με την οικογένειά μου στην Ελλάδα
• use the future tense correctly, Αύριο θα πάω στον κινηματογράφο με τους φίλους μου και θα δούμε μια κωμωδία
• use the simple past tense correctly, Το 2019 πήγαμε στην Ελλάδα.
• use cases, and adjectival endings correctly, μου αρέσουν οι κωμωδίες – έχω πολλούς συγγενείς στην Ελλάδα.

Areas for students to improve include:

• revising vocabulary and expressions relating to topics associated with the student's personal world
• responding in a full sentence or a complete phrase rather than giving single word responses, μου αρέσει το σχολείο γιατί έχω πολλούς φίλους
• paying attention to agreements between articles, nouns and adjectives, η κουζίνα είναι μικρή – το δωμάτιό μου έχει ένα μεγάλο παράθυρο
• avoiding responding only in the first person singular, τρώμε όλοι μαζί κάθε Κυριακή μεσημέρι
• responding with the appropriate tense form of the verb required by the question, for example, Ερώτηση: Τι έκανες το περασμένο σαββατοκύριακο – Απάντηση: Πήγα με τους φίλους μου στον κινηματογράφο
• using the verb ‘μου αρέσει’ correctly, μας αρέσει να πηγαίνουμε στη θάλασσα για κολύμπι – μας αρέσουν τα ελληνικά φαγητά.

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 text to indicate understanding
• demonstrate understanding of sophisticated and specific vocabulary, for example, φασαρία (Q4), εθνικά πάρκα, εμπειρία (Q9)
• identify the correct context of words, for example, φασαρία for noise as opposed to trouble or traffic (Q4)
• provide opinion based on the information in the text, for example, respond to the questions, ‘Justify your answer...’, ‘How likely...?’ and support their answer with relevant examples (Q7, Q9, Q10)
• deduce personality traits of the speaker and support these with references from the text (Q10).

Areas for students to improve include:

• transferring notes accurately from the Candidate's Notes column into their responses
• expressing their judgement and justification clearly (Q7, Q9, Q10)
• writing in clear and concise English
• ensuring the correct use of the dictionary to avoid misinterpretation of words, for example, τράπεζα – bank for τραπέζι– table (Q1) and γυμνάσιο – high school for γυμναστήριο – gymnasium (Q5).

Students should:

• read the whole text(s)
• address all parts of each question
• use the lines 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 the dictionary appropriately to find the correct meaning of the word(s) in context
• 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, for example, πιλάτες (Q11), μεταχειρισμένα (Q12), τροχαία (Q15), βραβείοκοινωνικής υπηρεσίας (Q16)
• place the words in the correct context, for example, είκοσι λεπτά – 20 minutes not 20 cents (Q11)
• identify the purpose of the text rather than translate the text (Q15c, Q16c)
• deduce personality traits of the speaker (Q13, Q16c) and support their response with relevant evidence from the text
• make connections within the text to provide a comprehensive comparison of the speakers (Q15).

Areas for students to improve include:

• using the dictionary effectively to find the correct meaning of words in the correct context, for example, μεταχειρισμένα – used instead of useful (Q12)
• writing in clear and legible sentences and checking that their responses are clear
• reading the whole text to gain a global understanding before answering questions
• 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
• interpreting texts, vocabulary and expressions correctly to make judgements about a person or a situation (Q13b, Q15c, Q16c)
• identifying the directive verb in the questions, for example, ‘explain’ (Q14) and ‘respond accordingly...’.

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, text message (Q17), postcard (Q18) and diary entry (Q19, Q20)
• correctly use conjunctions in their sentences and write the required word length
• manipulate language to suit the requirements of the task, for example, reflecting on a memorable event (Q18, Q19)
• link their ideas and sequence them effectively
• show understanding of adjective – noun agreement, for example, τα πιο όμορφα κτίρια, φτιαγμένα από ακριβά υλικά (Q20)
• show understanding of the past tense
• conjugate verbs correctly, for example, εμείς περιμένουμε, θέλω να πάω.

Areas for students to improve include:

• using the dictionary appropriately to find the correct meaning of words in the correct context, for example, using νασπουδάσω – to study instead of ναδιαβάσω – to read (Q17)
• planning and sequencing their responses
• ensuring that nouns, adjectives and cases agree
• avoiding anglicisms and translating literally, for example, να ακολουθήσω – to pursue instead of να καταδιώκω – to chase (Q20)
• revising and not confusing the letters of the Greek alphabet, for example, φ / δ / θ, χ / ξ, ψ instead of πσ
• revising the diphthongs and double consonants, for example, ει, αι, μπ, ντ, γκ.