Polish Continuers 2023 HSC exam pack (archive)

Conversation

Students should:

• be prepared to communicate on 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
• express ideas and opinions that justify their point of view by providing depth and insight in their responses rather than only giving short pre-prepared responses
• 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
• use Polish 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
• use compound and complex sentences. For example, Maria Curie-Skłodowska jest dla mnie ogromna inspiracja i przykładem do naśladowaniaz wielu powodów.Jest jedyna kobieta i Polka, która otrzymała dwie nagrody Nobla. Jest to niezwykle wielkie osiągniecie, z którego - my Polacy - jesteśmy bardzo dumni; Zbigniew Religa dokonał pierwszego przeszczepu serca w Polsce i dlatego zapisał się w historii polskiej medycyny
• answer the questions with minimal hesitation, allowing the conversation to flow at a natural pace
• answer questions with relevant information and in some depth, for example, to communicate feelings, provide opinions and justify their responses. For example, Według mnie…, Sądzę uważam, jestem zdania, że…, Postać, powieść, problem oceniam następująco…, Moje stanowisko w tej sprawie jest następujące…, Oceniam pozytywnie, negatywnie…, Mam pochlebną (niepochlebną) opinię o tej postaci…, Według mojej oceny…, Mój werdykt jest następujący…,Opinia, jaką mogę wyrazić…, Moja ocena postaci (czynu) będzie…, Nie czuję się uprawniony do oceny, lecz…
• address the requirements of the question
• elaborate on their responses without extra prompts from the examiner. For example, Do tego wniosku doprowadziły mnie informacje jakie zdobyłam w trakcie przygotowań do egzaminu, n.p z książki Ewy Curie dowiedziałam się ze …
• use language structures and features effectively to enhance their responses. For example, Zbigniew Religa był wybitnym lekarzem i naukowcem, ponieważ dzięki swojej determinacji, osiągnął wielkie sukcesy w polskiej medycynie przeszczepu serca
• demonstrate excellent knowledge of a wide range of adjectives to describe places, people, situations and feelings, for example, unikatowy, niespotykany, wybitny, różnorodny, fantastyczne, trafne, intelektualne, emocjonalne
• use past, present and future tenses as required by the question
• conjugate a range of verbs and use the imperfective, perfective form of the verbs, for example, robil/zrobil, uczyl sie/nauczyl sie; pisal napisal; czytal/ przeczytal
• use correct syntax in affirmative sentences. For example, the verb first in the correct, conjugated form, then the rest of the sentence
• understand that personal pronouns can be omitted as the subject of the sentence is deduced from the ending of the verb
• use the reflexive form by placing się after the verb, for example, uczył się, zapomniał sie, obudził się
• use authentic and idiomatic expressions appropriately, for example, siedzieć jak na szpilkach, mieć nerwy ze stali, łamać sobie język, dawać za wygraną, mieć w głowie groch z kapustą, mieć w głowie chaos, wyglądać jak strach na wróble, papierkowa robota, niebo w gębie, palce lizać, jestem tak głodny, że zjadłbym konia z kopytami, mieć coś w małym palcu, nie kiwnąć palcem, pierwsze koty za płoty.

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding the repetition of the same phrases and expressions
• avoiding the use of inappropriate vocabulary or expressions not related to topic of conversation
• revising vocabulary, common phrases and idiomatic expressions
• using correct sentence structure
• avoiding the use of simple sentences only
• revising noun declensions and cases
• using correct form of conjugated verbs. 

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 topic
• 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 topic of in-depth study.

In better responses, students were able to:

• ensure that sources chosen were relevant to the topic of in-depth study
• use a wide variety of sources ranging from films, fiction, non fiction, documentries, poems, songs, interviews, novels, websites, articles and podcasts
• compare the validity and reliability of their texts
• draw conclusions and formulate their own opinions based on their research
• refer to their sources and comment on how each source contributed to their understanding of the in-depth topic. For example, Informacje te znalazłem w…, Wydarzenie to było dobrze opisane w…,wszystkie źródła były bardzo przydatne…? Najbardziej użyteczne było…
• discuss how their research impacted on their views and helped them gain a better understanding of the in-depth topic
• discuss their perspectives on the topic before and after their research
• develop analytical approach to texts studied rather than memorise information from the texts
• provide logical and well-structured responses to questions
• draw insightful conclusions regarding issues raised in their research
• show empathy and understanding especially when talking about controversional or challenging issues
• use specific vocabulary and expressions relating to the topic
• use complex sentences and suitable idiomatic expressions to strengthen and support their opinions
• respond using a high level of grammatical accuracy, sophisticated vocabulary and expressions
• manipulate the language effectively to support their ideas and justify their point of view.

Areas for students to improve include:

• referring to their sources without prompting from the examiner
• comparing and evaluating information rather than just recounting
• selecting suitable sources
• revising specific vocabulary suitable to discuss the in-depth topic.