Spanish Continuers 2019 HSC exam pack

Conversation

Students should:

• be aware that this is a formal conversation
• respond purposefully to showcase their knowledge.

In better responses, students were able to:

• address the question fully by providing relevant information with depth of ideas
• extend their answers
• volunteer details that show an insightful approach
• engage and consistently sustain the conversation across a wide range of topics
• correctly use past, present and future tenses
• use connectives such as ‘sin embargo, aunque, no obstante, por otro lado, es decir, me gustaría pensar’
• demonstrate correct adjectival agreement
• use a wide range of vocabulary across a variety of topics
• demonstrate depth of opinions
• meaningfully compare two environments, for example, two cultures, two schools, two sports
• enrich their response with cultural references.

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding listing information
• avoiding providing purely descriptive responses
• providing responses which go beyond ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers
• justifying their opinions
• using the imperfect and simple future tenses
• using the third person where indicated
• avoiding repeating the same adjectives/information such as ‘es interesante, bien divertido, si me gusta mucho’
• manipulating language beyond the pre-prepared responses.

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:

• provide a sound explanation of forgetting that Mexican and Spanish tortillas were different (Q3)
• summarises attractive features concisely (Q6)
• provide textual references to indicate their understanding (Q8).

Areas for students to improve include:

• ensuring they provide reasons when asked to explain (Q3,7).

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:

• understand key words and expressions
• identify the writer’s enthusiasm and explain his feeling of hope (Q9c)
• explain Rodrigo’s strong feelings about the issue with reference to language examples as well as content (Q10c)
• indicate the extent to which Pedro’s post was useful, rather than just translating his point of view (Q10d).

Areas for students to improve include:

• ensuring they include examples from the text to support their answers.

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:

• use the appropriate register for an email to a teacher
• understand the main reason why the teacher has sent the email and respond appropriately
• provide relevant information about the Spanish assistant including advice on how to avoid any setbacks that occurred as well as suggestions to enrich the program.

Areas for students to improve include:

• adhering to the suggested word length
• providing too much detail on questions raised that are not significant to the purpose of the text, for example ¿Me recordáis?
• sequencing their ideas logically, using appropriate language conventions.

Writing in Spanish

Students should:

• address all parts of the question
• use the appropriate register and conventions of the type of text
• commence and conclude appropriately
• use a variety of tenses, phrases and structures appropriate to the requirements of the question
• sequence their response logically for maximum effect
• use the dictionary effectively by selecting vocabulary to suit the context
• proof read and edit work
• adhere to the suggested word length.

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate very good control of verb tenses
• demonstrate very good control of key grammar concepts such as adjectival agreement and verb conjugation
• use a range of connectives
• use correct salutations and register (Q12)
• use descriptive (Q12) or reflective (Q13) language consistently and effectively.

Areas for students to improve include:

• using appropriate language features in line with required text type, for example a note (Q12), a diary entry (Q13).