Modern Hebrew Continuers 2019 HSC exam pack

Conversation

Students should:

• be prepared to talk on a variety of topics relating to their personal world
• answer the question asked rather than presenting pre-prepared responses
• express their ideas and opinions and justify their point of view
• 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.

In better responses, students were able to:

• conjugate verbs to align with masculine, feminine, singular, plural subject of the sentence, for example

  • אני לוקח / היא לוקחת / אתם לוקחים / הן לוקחות

• agree adjectives to nouns in number and gender, for example

  • שני אחים ואחות אחת / שלושה חדרים

• use suitable prepositions in context, for example

  • לעזור ל... / להשתמש ב.../ לכעוס על...    

• include an appropriate verb before an infinitive, for example

  • התחלתי לחשוב / חייבים להילחם / רוצה להתקדם  

• respond using the correct tense, for example

  • הם נפגשו / הם נפגשים / הם יפגשו

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding using the same vocabulary, expressions and sentence structures
• providing extended, relevant responses to the question asked
• avoiding single word responses.

Discussion

In preparation for the Discussion, students should:

• choose a topic that has good quality reference texts and sources available
• prepare for the discussion by referring to at least three texts in their research
• ensure that one of the texts used in their research is a literary source.

During the Discussion examination, students should:

• support their discussion with evidence from the texts that they have sourced
• express and justify opinions and points of view on the in-depth study topic
• reflect on their research findings to help them express opinions or develop new perceptions about their in-depth study
• manipulate language to respond in a coherent and logical way to the questions asked
• use a variety of relevant vocabulary, grammar, sentence structures and expressions
• avoid responding with pre-prepared responses that do not address the question asked
• avoid relying on general knowledge about the in-depth topic.

In better responses, students were able to:

• use vocabulary, expressions and language structures appropriate to the in-depth study
• present a point of view and support it with evidence from the texts
• demonstrate a link between research and ideas or conclusions reached
• present a number of perspectives regarding their topic.

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding giving information that is general in nature
• responding with relevant information to address the question asked
• avoiding giving pre-prepared responses that do not answer the question.

Listening and Responding

Students should:

• make notes in the Candidate’s Notes column on the right-hand side of the page
• respond in English or Modern Hebrew as required by question
• 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.
• explain quotes from the text in the language required in the section.

In better responses, students were able to:

• understand that what was ‘unusual’ about the invitation was that the time and place of the invitation were dependent on the weather (Q1)
• understand the word for ‘a fine’ and explain that one of the conclusions reached by the speaker was that police should enforce the law and fine cyclists that don’t wear a helmet  (Q2b)
• understand that education has not been successful in encouraging cyclists to wear head protection. (Q2b)
• address both Shira’s point of view and feelings and give language examples from the text to support their response (Q3)
• respond in a succinct and concise manner when asked to ‘summarise’ (Q4)
• provide a comparison of the speakers’ point of view and explain ‘how’ each speaker used language, tone and emotive expressions to support their opinions (Q5)
• understand that the target audience were students who wanted something different and creative in a job (Q6a)
• take a stance as to whether Galit was likely to succeed in her proposed move to Canberra and support that stance with evidence from the text in a logical, coherent manner (Q7)
• provide evaluation of Galits’s actions, for example she is irresponsible as she has not repaid her debt to her brother; she is not independent as she did not take care of the house or herself while her parents were away.

Areas for students to improve include:

• addressing the key words of the question, for example ‘what is unusual about the invitation’ rather than giving a literal translation of all the options of time and place of invitation (Q1)
• avoiding giving the same answer for different parts of the question (Q2a,b)
• providing only the main points when asked to summarise (Q4)
• avoiding giving conflicting information in response, for example taking a stance that Galit is likely to succeed and then providing evidence against this stance in response (Q7).

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:

• include all the reasons that led to Yael’s decision to home school her son, including hearing Professor Ilan Goldberg lecture on the benefits (Q8a)
• include that as a practising teacher, Moshe was also personally offended that there are people who think they can just home-school without proper training and qualifications (Q8b)
• address the ‘extent’ that Liat agrees or disagrees with Yael’s choice (Q8c)
• understand Liat’s questions/concerns regarding a child’s development of social skills when home-schooled (Q8c)
• understand that the purpose of the brochure was to persuade/convince the reader to choose their tour(Q9a)
• provide good examples of the language used in the brochure to entice people to go on the tour, for example ‘a once in a life-time adventure’, ‘intoxicated by the special smell of the sea’, ‘we promise you a magical experience’, ‘unforgettable memories’ (Q(b)
• take a stance on ‘the extent’ that the tour is suitable for the couple (Q9c)
• understand that some of the strenuous activities on the tour would be unsuitable for the couple because they had health issues, (husband bad back and wife heart surgery) rather than because they were too old to participate (Q9c)
• provide details as to why some of the activities on the tour were very suitable for the couple (Q9c).

Areas for students to improve include:

• including all required parts of a response
• editing responses to ensure that essential information has not been omitted.

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
• avoid using phrases or sentences directly taken from the text
• edit their work to ensure clarity of the response.

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate understanding of both emails in their email written by Gila
• understand that the event was taking place on a train and that it involved getting their hair cut and donating the hair to women who had lost their hair because of medical treatment
• understand that Gila had concerns about getting her hair cut on a train
• refer to what happened with Ilana in Gila’s email and provide information about the need to change the date and how it involves Yuval.

Areas for students to improve include:

• reading both emails before responding as Gila.

Writing in Modern Hebrew

Students should:

• read the question carefully and address all parts of the question
• plan their response to ensure a clear structure and sequence their response logically for maximum effect
• use the appropriate register and conventions of the type of text required
• use the conventions of the style of writing required by the question
• use language appropriate for the context, purpose and audience of the question
• support their ideas and opinions with appropriate examples
• 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
• use the dictionary effectively by selecting vocabulary to suit the context
• proof read and edit their work
• adhere to the suggested word length.

In better responses, students were able to:

• write about something that their parents would not expect at all or was completely out of character and that would ‘greatly surprise them’ (Q11a)
• state their views about installing video cameras in schools and maintain their stance ‘strongly’ throughout the email (Q11b)
• write an email to the principal using a formal register (Q11b)
• use the language of persuasion to convince the principal to accept their views (Q11b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• addressing the key words in the question, for example ‘will greatly surprise them’ (Q11a)
• avoiding just recounting what happened during a year in Israel and not including anything ‘surprising’ in the email (Q11a)
• adhering to the required word length of the question.