Polish Continuers 2024 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
• use a range of vocabulary, expressions and language structures to respond appropriately to the questions
• provide information, express and justify 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 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
• 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 good 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, emocjonalneuse past, present and future tenses as required by the question
• use the conditional tense where appropriate, for example, mógłbym, pojechałbym, zrobiłbym
• 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 modal verbs and phrasal verbs appropriately
• 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
• apply correct suffixes to nouns for the seven cases in Polish language declension
• 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
• revising vocabulary, common phrases and idiomatic expressions
• using correct sentence structure
• using a range of vocabulary and grammatical structures and avoiding the use of single words and simple sentences only
• revising noun declensions and cases
• revising correct application of suffixes
• using correct form of conjugated verbs
• using Polish words, phrases and expressions in responses, and avoiding the use of English
• revising use formal and informal registers.

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 topic of in-depth study
• reflect on their research findings to help them express opinions or develop new perceptions about their topic of 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 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
• used 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, for example, dostarozyto niemcy informacji na temat …, w … zrodle zralaztem o mele cvekunwsze informaye na temat … niz w … zrodle
• 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
• come to insightful conclusions regarding issues raised in their research
• show empathy and understanding especially when talking about controversional or challenging issues
• use appropriate expressions, for example, znalazłem tę informację   w …, dowiedziałem się   tego …, opisuję   to dobrze …, do źródła było bardzo przydatne, ponieważ …w …, najbardziej przydatnym źródłem było …, gdyż   ….
• 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
• use published sources or texts.

Areas for students to improve include:

• referring to their sources without prompting from the examiner
• comparing and evaluating information rather than just recounting lists of facts
• selecting suitable and reliable sources
• using specific vocabulary suitable to discuss topic of in-delth topic
• presenting general knowledge without expressing an opinion
• using published sources in their research rather than just relying on stories told by family members and friends.