Serbian Continuers 2019 HSC exam pack (archive)

Listening and Responding

Students should:

• make notes in the Candidate’s Notes column on the right-hand side of the page
• respond in English or Serbian as required by question
• read the question carefully and respond to all parts of the question
• support their responses with relevant evidence from the text
• transcribe their response on to the lines, using the space allocated beneath the question
• use the number of lines as an indication of the required length of the response
• support their responses with reference to relevant content and language, using their own words
• avoid translating the text as part of their response
• edit their responses to ensure clarity of meaning.

In better responses, students were able to:

• understand that the announcement was promoting an art exhibition and not a photography exhibition (Q1a)
• understand that Jelena is trying to reassure and calm Nehad about his situation with Dejan (Q2a)
• demonstrate that Nehad is angry and upset about being let down by his friend, for example ‘I was worried about him’; ‘I was speechless’; ‘I was disappointed’; ‘One call from him could have avoided this headache’ (Q2b)
• understand the ‘responsible’ aspect of Natasha’s personality (Q3a)
• refer to the text to support how well Dragan tried to persuade Natasha to go to Belgrade for a holiday, for example, ‘this is your chance’; ‘a great opportunity’; ‘we have wanted to see it for some time now’; ‘I am telling you we shouldn’t miss it’; ‘we will have a great time, I promise’; ‘we will have an awesome time’ (Q3b)
• provide both the mother’s and son’s views with references from the text (Q4b)
• provide evidence from the text to show how the exciting and joyous atmosphere was created, for example, ‘thick with electricity’, ужарена атмосфера; ‘beating in time with my heart’, моје срце куца у ритму; ‘like I am on a merry-go-round’, вртим се у круг као на вртешци; ‘the roar is deafening’, Усхићени навијачи су нас надгласали (Q5b)
• address both the ‘language’ and ‘content’ aspect of the question to explain how the organiser convinces the audience to participate, for example, за памћење, незаборавна, богата (Q6b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• revising vocabulary and using the dictionary appropriately, for example, to find the meaning for art exhibition (Q1a)
• reading the whole text to identify the purpose of the interview (Q6a)
• identifying the techniques and language of persuasion (Q6b).

Reading and Responding – Part A

Students should:

• read the title, questions and the whole text before responding
• use only the lines or space beneath the question for the response
• support their responses with reference to content and language, using their own words
• be succinct in their responses, addressing the relevant details required by the question and avoiding repetition
• focus on key words in the question, for example, ‘how’, ‘why’, ‘explain’, ‘justify’ and respond in relation to the context of the text
• read the whole text in order to demonstrate understanding of relevant information and ideas
• identify the key issue(s) and provide examples to substantiate their response when asked to analyse or evaluate information
• draw a conclusion or justify a point of view using their own words
• provide a succinct response of main points or ideas when asked to summarise
• avoid providing a literal translation of text
• use the dictionary appropriately to find the correct meaning of the word(s) or expressions in context.

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide evidence from the text to support the author’s impression of Uncle Peter (Q7b)
• identify and compare migration experiences of Serbians who came to Australia in the past to those who have come more recently, for example, in the past Serbian migrants were poor and uneducated, took on hard manual labour and could not speak English whilst recent migrants often have tertiary education, take jobs that do not involve hard, manual labour and have already studied English (Q7c).

Areas for students to improve include:

• understanding that providing a comparison involves more than just identifying differences.

Reading and Responding – Part B

Students should:

• respond to the question asked in relation to the text
• read the entire text in order to respond fully to the question
• use the conventions of the type of text required by the question
• demonstrate understanding of the whole text in their response and not just respond to questions asked in the text
• focus on all relevant information and key points raised in the text in order to respond to comments made, requests for advice, issues discussed and observations made
• use the appropriate register throughout the response
• provide a creative and authentic response in relation to the text and question
• use a variety of vocabulary and expressions and a range of grammatical structures
• edit their work to ensure clarity of the response.

In better responses, students were able to:

• write in a formal register in their letter of application to Energy Serbia, for example, Поштовани господине/поштована госпођо …  Јављам се поводом Вашег огласа... С поштовањем
• write in a formal register when requesting further information by email to Maja Pavlovic
• provide details of their academic results
• provide evidence of their fluency in the languages they speak
• use persuasive language to support their suitability for the job, for example, можете бити сигурни да ... , уверен/уверена сам да испуњавам све услове за посао, Сигуаран сам да су моје квалификације, знање неколико страних језика и ентузијазам бити од велике користи вашој фирми
• use the correct personal pronoun Ви written with capital В instead of ти in formal address and communication, for example Обраћам Вам се поводом огласа ...
• use the past, present and future tenses correctly, for example, past tense: дипломирао сам, завршио сам, студирала сам; present tense: тренутно радим, волонтирам, говорим три језика; future tense: ... да ћете размотрити моју молбу, биће ми задовољство
• use a variety of verbs to express opinions/expectations, for example, сматрам, верујем, убеђен сам, надам се.

Areas for students to improve include:

• responding to the entire text
• ensuring their response is legible
• addressing the employer appropriately rather than using Драги господине/драга госпођо
• learning case endings and negation, for example, не пише, не чита.
• addressing specific job criteria in text
• avoiding including information irrelevant for job application
• organising ideas in paragraphs
• avoiding the use of informal language in a formal letter.

Writing in Serbian

Students should:

• read the question carefully and address all parts of the question
• plan their response to ensure a clear structure and sequence their response logically for maximum effect
• use the appropriate register and conventions of the type of text required
• use the conventions of the style of writing required by the question
• commence and conclude appropriately
• use language appropriate for the context, purpose and audience of the question
• support their ideas and opinions with appropriate examples
• manipulate the language to suit the requirements of the task
• use a variety of tenses, phrases and structures appropriate to the requirements of the question
• use the dictionary effectively by selecting vocabulary to suit the context
• proof read and edit their work
• adhere to the suggested word length.

In better responses, students were able to:

• use the conventions of giving a talk to a live audience (Q9)
• address the audience/members of the school’s Serbian club appropriately, for example, Драги ученици/ Поштовани чланови српског клуба (Q9)
• apply the techniques of persuasion to build credibility in your leadership qualities in order to convince members to vote for you, for example Моје искуство у организацији спортских турнира, изложби, позоришних представа, креативних радионица, чини ме одличним кандидатом за ову позицију (Q9)
• use persuasive language to charm the audience, for example, Надам се да ћу заједно с вама учинити све да овај клуб постане синоним за добро дружење, креативност и место за учење нових вештина (Q9)
• apply the past, present and future tenses correctly in the context of the speech, for example, past tense: организовао/ла сам, био/била сам; present tense: желим да привучем, волим, мислим да сам, предлажем; future tense: биће ми задовољство, организоваћу, даћу све од себе (Q9)
• use the diary text type conventions, for example, Драги дневниче (Q10)
• compare and contrast the positive and the negative aspects of city life and rural life, for example, људи на селу живе ... , а људи у граду ... , позитивне стране живота на селу су … , негативне стране су …  Живот на селу може бити квалитетан као онај у граду, а чини ми се и далеко опуштенији и лепши. Има село и своје мане, кад је реч о школама, болницама, запослењу (Q10)
• reflect on their own and their family members’ experiences regarding a lifestyle change, for example, Моји родитељи су задовољни, али ја нисам... мојој сестри се не свиђа живот на селу ... За разлику од града где смо све морали да купујемо, овде на селу имамо воће и поврће произведено у нашем воћњаку. (Q10)
• use devices like a rhetorical question, for example, to emphasise the beauty of rural life: Kako je sue drugacije? to convey surprise/delight with life on the farm and their new experiences, for example, Лепо живети на селу. Не свиђа ми се живот у граду and Да ми је неко пре три месеца рекао да ћу да хвалим село, рекла бих да је луд! (Q10)
• apply different tenses appropriate to the context of the diary entry, for example, past: ишли смо често у биоскоп, present: осећам се задовољно,помажем мами у башти, future: родиће трешње ускоро (Q10).

Areas for student to improve include:

• addressing the intended audience
• persuading the audience throughout the speech (Q9)
• evaluating and reflecting on the lifestyle change (Q10)
• applying the conventions of punctuation to ensure clarity of meaning
• using paragraphs to structure and organise their writing
• writing consistently and entirely in either Cyrillic or in Latin script
• avoiding repetition through their writing.