Portuguese 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 Portuguese 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
• 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
• address the requirements of the question
• elaborate on their responses without extra prompts from the examiner
• use correct subject-verb-object sentence structure, for example, Eu vou estudar Medicina respond in full sentences, using 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 language structures and features effectively to enhance their responses
• 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
• link ideas appropriately, for example, por exemplo, desta forma, na minha opinião
• demonstrate excellent knowledge of a wide repertoire of vocabulary, for example, o assunto é interessante, fascinante, incrível
• use tenses as required by the question, for example, Você já praticou algum esporte/desporto? Sim, já pratiquei…Não, nunca pratiquei …
• use authentic and idiomatic expressions appropriately, for example, está pipocando, 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:

• using a variety of vocabulary, sentences and expressions
• elaborating and providing relevant information in their responses
• using authentic idiomatic expressions that are not direct translations of English vocabulary, phrases and expressions into Portuguese, for example, Quando eu me candidatar à Universidade … instead of Quando eu aplicar para a Universidade …
• revising agreement of gender and number in singular and plural
• revising verbal and nominal agreement, for example, eu gosto de, ele gosta de, nós gostamos de, eles gostam de viagens divertidas
• conjugating verbs rather than just using infinitives, for example, eu leio instead of eu ler
• revising appropriate use of tense in context
• learning the different usage of verbs such as ser, estar and ter, for example, Eu tenho 18 anos rather than Eu sou 18 anos
• revising use formal and informal registers, for example, Eu estava muito animada! (formal) and Caramba! Eu tava muito animada! (informal)
• avoid using ‘false friends’.

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
• compare the validity and reliability of their texts, for example, by using vocabulary such as contudo, entretanto, todavia, por outro lado
• refer to their sources and comment on how each source contributed to their understanding of the in-depth topic
• discuss how their research impacted on their views and helped them gain a better understanding of the in-depth topic
• 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
• 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 texts used in research by their titles
• using appropriate websites for research
• avoid recounting information without expressing an opinion
• expanding vocabulary related to the topic of in-depth study
• avoid using English words and expressions.