Portuguese Continuers 2022 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 Portuguese to ask for repetition and/or clarification of the question.

In better responses, students were able to:

• respond spontaneously to questions asked
• use correct subject-verb-object sentence structure, for example, Eu vou estudar Medicina
• respond in full sentences and use compound and complex sentences, for example, Eu gosto de sair com os meus amigos, porque… Se eu pudesse viajar para um país de língua portuguesa, iria/ia ao Brasil/a Portugal. Quando eu terminar a escola, irei/vou…
• use appropriate vocabulary relating to topic of conversation
• conjugate verbs in the correct tense depending on question asked, for example, Você já praticou algum esporte/desporto? Sim, já pratiquei…Não, nunca pratiquei…
• use modal verbs and phrasal verbs correctly, for example, Eu devo viajar no ano que vem/para o ano. Meu amigo foi embora da festa
• demonstrate knowledge of linguistic features and structures and correct application
• make use of appropriate and meaningful idiomatic expressions, for example, Deixou-me com a pulga atrás da orelha. Eu falei ao meu amigo para tirar o seu cavalinho da chuva.

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding using inappropriate vocabulary or expressions not related to topic of conversation
• learning vocabulary related to prescribed topics of the syllabus
• revising verbal and nominal agreement, for example, eu gosto de, ele gosta de, nós gostamos de, eles gostam de viagens divertidas
• revising correct sentence structure with compound and more complex sentences
• conjugating verbs correctly, especially applying correct conjugation to verbs of motion
• translating vocabulary and expressions literally from English to Portuguese, for example, Quando eu me candidatar à Universidade… instead of Quando eu aplicar para a Universidade…
• avoiding using English words, phrases and expressions, for example, Eu estudo Food Tech na escola. Well, eu gostaria de ter um break depois da escola
• revising use formal and informal registers, for example, Eu estava muito animada! (formal) and Caramba! Eu tava muito animada! (informal)
• avoiding using ‘like’ frequently throughout the examination
• responding to questions such as ‘Why?’ by expressing an opinion or justification
• avoiding single word responses and long pauses.

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:

• use complex sentences and suitable idioms and proverbs to strengthen their opinions
• analyse and evaluate information about their topic
• use specific vocabulary pertaining to their topic of in-depth study
• use phrases, expressions and idiomatic expressions to support their ideas and opinions, for example, Eu acredito que… Eu concordo com o Texto 1… Eu discordo do Texto 2 …
• demonstrate knowledge of the issues aligned with their topic of in-depth study
• present and explain the relevance of their in-depth topic
• compare the differences in the information from their texts, for example, by using vocabulary such as contudo, entretanto, todavia, por outro lado
• question the reliability of the sources
• justify how their research impacted on their views and helped them gain a better understanding of the in-depth topic
• come to insightful conclusions regarding issues raised in their research
• reflect critically
• manipulate the language to present their point of view and arguments
• use published sources or texts.

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding depending on unreliable websites for their research on the topic of in-depth study
• avoiding recounting information learned from their sources without expressing an opinion
• relying on their general knowledge to respond to questions
• manipulating their responses to meet the requirements of questions asked
• avoiding mentioning sources at the beginning of the discussion and then not referring to them to support their ideas or opinions
• avoiding listing facts without expressing a point of view
• discussing the issues raised in their research
• avoiding quoting incorrectly from texts.
• avoiding working on in-depth study as a class project
• using published sources rather than just relying on stories told by family members and friends
• avoiding having too many sources.