Serbian Continuers 2022 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
• 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.

In better responses, students were able to:

• describe all activities during the event, for example, cleaning the town’s beach, park and playground, fixing and renovating benches in the park (Q1)
• explain why David’s mother was reluctant to allow her son to get a dog. For example, living in an apartment is unsuitable for dogs, the hard work required to look after a dog, noise may cause trouble with neighbours and that it may be left to her to look after the dog based on past experience with David’s pets (Q2a)
• identify that the speech took place at a teacher graduation ceremony (Q3a)
• explain how the speaker delivered her message referring to content, such as the challenges and hard work at night, and use of emotive language, such as ‘helping young people to realise their dreams’, and use of rhetorical question ‘Isn’t that a privilege?’ (Q3b)
• fill in the table with all relevant information, for example, еминентни уметници, припрема хране, такмичење у припремању пасуља, такмичари (Q4)
• explain that the award was named after Branko Copic because he was a significant Serbian writer whose literary works were a pleasant childhood memory (Q5a)
• identify all criteria for the competition, for example, competition open to 14-18 years old High School students, the story length (250-500 words) and the topic of childhood (Q5b)
• summarise all the benefits of attending the Youth Coding Hub succinctly (Q6).

Areas for students to improve include:

• reading questions carefully and identifying the key words before answering questions, for example, ‘describe’ (Q1, Q5b), ‘why” (Q2a, Q5a), ‘how’ (Q2b, Q3b), ‘summarise’ (Q6b)
• avoiding rephrasing or translating the text rather than answering the question in their own words
• practising note taking while listening to the texts and using these notes appropriately in their answers.

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:

• identify Katarina’s feeling and connect them to the issues presented in her diary (Q7)
• refer to Stephan’s childhood experience, the significance of basketball in Serbia, the role of his neighbours and boys from the block, and explain how Stephan uses language to express his passion for basketball. These students were able to explain in English expressions: најлепша успомена из детињства, највећа страст,у нашим генима и нашим венама, Јесте ли их икада видели празне (Q8).

Areas for students to improve include:

• focusing on key words in the question, for example, ‘explain how Katarina feels …’(Q7)
• referring to both language and content if directed in the question (Q8).

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
• plan effectively to organise their thoughts, paying attention to purpose, audience, context and the type of text required in question
• edit their work to ensure clarity of the response.

In better responses, students were able to:

• apply the text conventions of writing a letter to the editor of a newspaper
• use the appropriate register – addressing the editor formally and maintaining the formal tone throughout the response, for example, Поштовани уредниче, using of the pronoun Ви/Ваш and appropriate address at the end С поштовањем
• address all relevant points in the text concerning clothing industry, for example, the overproduction of clothing, waste, recycling
• express their views on the issues presented in the article and make suggestions as required by the question
• use appropriate expressions when agreeing with the editor, for example, У потпуности се слажем са Вама, Делим Ваше мишљење, Драго ми је да сте скренули пажњу на овај проблем
• use a polite but assertive tone when disagreeing with the editor, for example, Има тога са чиме се не слажем и желела бих да то поделим са Вама, Неке ствари сте пропустили да поменете, a тo je....
• use rhetorical questions to emphasise their views, for example, Да ли загађује наше улице, реке и градове?
• use modal verbs correctly требати in 3rd person singular, for example, Од тих рециклираних материјала требало би да се направе...
• create complex sentences with correct punctuation, for example, Овако, уместо бацања гардеробе, дали бисте јој нови живот поклањајући  је некоме коме је стварно потребно
• sequence their ideas and organise into paragraphs.

Areas for students to improve include:

• identifying and responding to all relevant points in the text
• using formal register and tone throughout the letter to the editor of the newspaper
• organising ideas into paragraphs
• revising grammar structures, such as, use of prepositions, cases, congruence, third person plural in present tense
• revising syntax and complex sentences
• avoiding the use of English words in sentences
• using a dictionary to find appropriate words in Serbian.

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
• use the appropriate register and conventions of the type of text required
• commence and conclude appropriately
• 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
• proofread and edit their work
• adhere to the suggested word length.

In better responses, students were able to:

• use the text type conventions for a formal letter (Q10) and a speech (Q11) consistently throughout the response
• address their audience appropriately Поштовани продуценти (Q10), Драги родитељи, наставници и ученици (Q11)
• express a range of feelings about being selected for the documentary, such as happiness, satisfaction, excitement, honour, gratitude and pride and elaborate why they feel that way (Q10)
• explain the reasons for the choice of Year 12 gift to the school, and justify the choice (Q11)
• present a range of sophisticated ideas to express the significance of participating in the documentary that will explore the history of Serbian immigration to Australia, for example, contribution of the Serbian community to Australia, building bridges between cultures, passing on the language and culture, sending strong messages to future generations, reflecting on their own family experience and different reasons for migrating in past and present times
• use rhetorical questions to engage the audience, for example, Какви ћемо бити? Хоћемо ли бити храбри као Кнез Лазар или храбрији од човека који се бори за живот против рака? (Q10), Како можемо да забаравимо шта је наша школа учинила за нас? (Q11)
• use language creatively while describing and explaining the reasons for the choice of the gift, for example, Док смо размишљали какав поклон да дамо нашој школи, хтели смо да поклонимо нешто што ће се уклопити са историјом школе. Наша школа бруји историјом (Q11)
• use a variety of tenses correctly, for example, је био и још увек јесте, рекла бих, могли бисмо, оставићемо, не заборавимо, захвалите се
• use complex sentences, for example, Ја сам поносан да будем део овог документарца, зато што то ствара прилику да дубоко анализирамо како су се мостови емиграције променили током година. Моја тренутна жеља за бољuм животом у новим приликама у Аустралији је далеко другачија од жеља прошлих генерација миграната да побегну од година бола и несреће (Q11)
• sequence ideas and organise into paragraphs.

Areas for students to improve include:

• applying the text type conventions of a formal letter (Q10) and speech (Q11)
• maintaining formal tone throughout the response (Q10)
• revising Serbian syntax
• using a range of vocabulary, for example, using synonyms instead of repeating the same words and sentences
• avoiding literal translation of English words or phrases into Serbian, for example, Направили пријатеље instead of Стекли пријатеље
• applying the conventions of punctuation to ensure clarity of meaning
• using paragraphs to structure and organise their thoughts and ideas
• writing consistently and entirely in either Cyrillic or in Latin script and avoiding mixing the two scripts
• revising grammar structures, such as, cases, use of prepositions and congruence
• revising Serbian orthography, such as, using capital letters, writing negation НЕ with a verb correctly, for example нe жeлuм, нeћy.