Spanish Beginners 2020 HSC exam pack

Listening

Students should:

• read each question carefully
• make notes in the Candidate’s Notes column on the right-hand side of the page
• transcribe their response on to the lines, using the space provided for each question
• use the lines provided as a guide to the length of the response required
• ensure their responses are clear and address all parts of the question
• use their own words and respond in English
• avoid translating text as part of their response.

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify correctly that tu hermano referred to visiting Ana’s brother (Q1)
• identify that the speaker was referring to both the Mathematics and History homework (Q2)
• identify the difference between con destino a and desde (Q3)
• identify laboratorio correctly (Q4)
• identify that students had to check the room changes to avoid lateness to class (Q4)
• identify the places in the correct order (Q5)
• identify the correct information for the “activity 2” as being a person who enjoys socialising and indoor activities (Q6)
• name the event correctly (Q7)
• identify 30 años (Q7)
• articulate the feelings of annoyance and frustration (Q8)
• identify that the text was an advertisement for a travel company giving advice on where to travel these holidays (Q9).

Areas for students to improve include:

• reviewing the meaning of possessive pronouns, for example, mi, tu, su (Q1)
• reviewing relevant vocabulary pertaining to the topic of school, such as school subjects, and expressions such as, la tarea, el proyecto (Q2)
• reviewing vocabulary, for example, el pasaporte (Q3)
• reviewing the pronunciation of Spanish key sounds, for example, “v” and “b” (Q4)
• reviewing vocabulary related to time indications, for example, en la semana, el fin de semana (Q5)
• reviewing vocabulary, for example, estar al aire libre, hablar con otras personas (Q6)
• reviewing vocabulary, for example, ese baile se canceló, los baños estaban muy sucios (Q7)
• reviewing vocabulary, for example, no estoy contenta, me preocupo (Q8)
• reviewing the future tense for common verbs, for example, estarán (Q9)
• avoiding transcribing whole sections of the text as part of a response
• avoiding giving irrelevant information not required to answer the question
• quoting in Spanish.

Reading

Students should:

• read the whole text(s)
• address all parts of each question
• use the lines, table, chart etcetera allocated for the response
• provide all necessary details to respond to the question fully
• support their responses with evidence from the text where required
• use their own words rather than giving a literal translation
• use their dictionary appropriately to find the correct meaning of the word(s) in context.

In better responses, students were able to:

• make the connection between estoy muy cansada and el viaje fue muy largo (Q10a)
• identify that the writer was planning to visit her family (Q10b)
• understand sobre todo and its implication for the content that followed (Q11a)
• give reasons for the expenses (Q11b)
• mention time as a problem (Q11b)
• identify the meaning of encargado (Q12a)
• understand that Florida is the name of the cinema, not the state Florida (Q12a)
• infer that the text is a letter of complaint to the cinema manager (Q12b)
• explain that there was a change in the service at the cinema, which now affected its reputation (Q12b)
• outline the desired improvements (Q12c)
• identify that the writer needed to learn to take more responsibilities and to be organised with his school work (Q13a)
• give the correct meaning for aprendí de otras personas (Q13b)
• identify the advice to use public transport (Q14a)
• identify the reasons for why he would be likely to learn to drive (Q14b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• reviewing possessive pronouns, for example, nuestro/a, nuestros/as (Q10)
• giving reasons when responding
• using adjectives to describe how Julio felt (Q12b)
• reviewing vocabulary, for example, responsabilidades, confianza (Q13)
• reviewing vocabulary, for example, obtener mi licencia sería una buena idea (Q14)
• using their dictionary appropriately to find the correct meaning of word(s)
• avoiding translating expressions or segments of text as part of their response
• providing specific nuances from the text as well as demonstrating an understanding of the whole text.

Writing in Spanish

Students should:

• write to the word length required
• address audience, purpose and context required by the question
• apply the conventions of the type of text indicated in the question
• use correct register throughout the response
• use a range of tenses, sentence structures and a variety of vocabulary
• avoid repeating the same expressions throughout the response
• use the dictionary carefully to access vocabulary and expressions that are meaningful in the context of their response
• avoid listing
• edit their work.

Question 15

In better responses, students were able to:

• use language structures related to inviting a friend, for example ¿te gustaría venir conmigo? ¿quieres venir conmigo?
• use the future tense, for example, voy a ir/iré
• apply correct sentence structures, for example este fin de semana voy a ir la fiesta bolero.

Areas for students to improve include:

• reviewing expressions, for example, este fin de semana/ el próximo fin de semana/ el fin de semana que viene.

Question 16

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide details such as, the number of people attending or the date of the party, for example, viernes, el 12 de mayo
• correctly conjugate common regular and irregular verbs in the present tense such as,  tener, querer, poder, venir and hacer.

Areas for students to improve include:

• conjugating the verbs ser in the first person plural, somos.

Question 17 and 18

In better responses, students were able to:

• use an opening statement, which indicated a clear understanding of the audience
• structure their response, using connectives, for example, además, también sin embargo, pero
• use relevant vocabulary, for example, saludable, equilibrado/a, el equilibrio, festejar, celebrar, disfrutar.

Areas for students to improve include:

• reviewing the spelling of relevant vocabulary, for example, la fiesta, la salud, el bienestar
• reviewing common greetings at the end of a speech such as, gracias por escuchar
• structuring their response, using connectives, for example, además, también sin embargo, pero
• using paragraphs to support the structure of their text
• using verb tenses correctly
• developing ideas and giving detail to add depth to response
• using a variety of vocabulary appropriately to the context of the question.