Russian 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 Russian to ask for repetition and/or clarification of the question.

In better responses, students were able to:

• respond spontaneously to questions asked
• respond in full sentences and use compound and complex sentences
• use appropriate vocabulary relating to the topic of conversation
• conjugate verbs in the correct tense depending on question asked, for example, После школы я буду поступать в университет
• demonstrate knowledge of linguistic features and structures and correct application
• make use of appropriate and meaningful idiomatic expressions, for example, Мы с сестрой живем душа в душу.

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding using inappropriate vocabulary or expressions not related to the topic of conversation
• learning vocabulary related to prescribed topics of the syllabus
• 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 Russian, for example, Эльки и Пишки
• avoiding using English words, phrases and expressions
• revising use formal and informal registers
• 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
• 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
• 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
• using published sources rather than just relying on stories told by family members and friends
• avoiding recounting information learned from their sources without expressing an opinion
• relying on their general knowledge to respond to questions
• manipulate 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
• avoiding having too many sources.