Spanish Continuers 2020 HSC exam pack

Students should:

• be prepared to communicate on a variety of topics relating to their personal world
• answer the question asked rather than presenting pre-prepared responses
• express their ideas and opinions and justify their point of view
• 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 Spanish to ask for repetition and/or clarification of the question.

In better responses, students were able to:

• use a wider variety of vocabulary and language structures in a range of contexts
• justify their opinion
• conjugate verbs in past, present and future tense, subjunctive and conditional mood
• use connectives, for example, aunque, sin embargo, no obstante, por lo tanto, debido a, por esa razón, obviamente
• respond purposefully to demonstrate their knowledge and ability
• use a wide variety of adjectives, for example, impresionante, imprescindible, comprensivo
• communicate their interest in the topics covered
• use a range of perspectives.

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding expressions such as casas así
• elaborating their response by providing examples
• avoiding repeating/ the same information to different questions throughout the exam
• avoiding listing information, for example, ¿Qué estudias? Estudio matemáticas, ingles, español, música y teatro.
• responding in the required tense, for example, ¿Qué planes tiene para el futuro? Estudiaré, iré, viajaré, planearemos.

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:

• identify that the free non-alcoholic drinks were for the designated driver (Q1)
• identify that the suitcase was marked by a pink ribbon to distinguish it from others (Q2)
• identify key vocabulary such as, cuna and microondas (Q3)
• provide a clear explanation of the father’s anger, addressing in full the actions and consequences of the daughter’s actions (Q4)
• identify the reasons for the urgency, and explain the urgency using a chronological sequence (Q5)
• decipher more sophisticated vocabulary, for example, apoyó y aprobó esta acción progresista sin división (Q6)
• provide concise reference to the girl feeling happy/positive, and the boy feeling frustrated/angry (Q7)
• identify that the grandmother will be visiting (future tense) (Q7)
• explain the effect and provide an example of the effect of the language technique (Q8).

Areas for students to improve include:

• learning basic vocabulary, for example, the months of the year (Q3)
• avoiding giving quotes in Spanish
• identifying differences and similarities when comparing (Q7).

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 the meaning of manualidades as crafts likened to a new form of yoga (Q9a)
• identify benefits, and explain as to how new yoga/crafts assisted (Q9b)
• use the language technique/example/effect structure to explain how the technique was used to promote “new yoga” (Q9c)
• refer to multiple examples of more sophisticated techniques, for example, the use of the imperative to provide impetus to action (Q9c)
• identify relevant aspects such as, the role of teachers, the findings from Primary school or the 21 ^st century skills (Q10a)
• identify both, the explanation of proposal and the requirement for parents to comment (Q10b)
• provide a comprehensive explanation of the studies and how the school wished to implement them (Q10c)
• identify the main concerns of the school (Q10d)
• address their comparison to being better or worse at meeting the needs (Q10d).

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding one-sided comparisons
• reading the questions carefully and using the mark value to inform decisions about the depth required in the response
• translating quotes into English.

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:

• explain their experience in the taberna
• provide some agreement and disagreement in relation to the restaurant review
• enrich their response through the use of expressions that denote feelings, for example, el colmo fue, ¡qué desastre!
• use a variety of language structures beyond the repetitive use of, for example, es interesante/divertido, me gusta mucho, es pequeño/grande.

Areas for students to improve include:

• using senior grammatical structures correctly
• providing a well-balanced review, which addresses all issues raised in the stimulus text
• avoiding the inclusion of irrelevant detail from common knowledge.

Writing in Spanish

5 mark question

Students should:

• address all parts of the question
• use the appropriate register and conventions of the type of text
• commence and conclude appropriately
• use the correct tense for 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:

• provide information relevant to a house exchange by describing their own house and what they were looking for in a house
• address the context by including information about a house exchange for a house in Barcelona for next year/next summer/July
• use a variety of relevant language structures such as, nuestra casa time/ofrece/proporciona, es posible hacer/ pasear/compartir/disfrutar.

Areas for students to improve include:

• accurately conjugating verbs
• adhering to the suggested word length
• spelling correctly
• planning their response before starting to write
• writing at the level of language they can control.

10 mark Question

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
• proof read and edit their work
• adhere to the suggested word length.

In better responses, students were able to:

• write a reflection on their dreams being realised or not, on growing up with hopes for a future descendent
• examine a perspective or experience
• justify their point of view with relevant information linked to future/past goals
• enrich their text with language structures that denote feelings.

Areas for students to improve include:

• checking and editing verb and adjective tenses
• avoiding an overreliance on the dictionary which may result in poor wording and incorrect meaning
• writing in the correct text type (letter)
• addressing all parts of the question
• meeting the required length for the response
• sequencing their response in a logical and coherent way to ensure clarity.