Spanish Continuers 2022 HSC exam pack

Conversation

Students should:

• be prepared to communicate on a variety of topics relating to their personal world
• elaborate and provide relevant details to address the questions in a way that engages with the examiner
• express ideas and opinions that justify their point of view by providing depth and insight in their responses rather than only giving short pre-prepared responses
• 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:

• demonstrate sophistication and depth in the use of a variety of vocabulary and language structures, expanding their answers beyond simple responses
• consistently engage with the question providing depth of analysis and insight in their responses across topic areas including justifying, providing cause and effect, and hypothesising
• answer unexpected or higher-order questions with relative ease and develop them with some depth
• use a range of tenses, move between tenses during a response and manipulate the subjunctive and hypothetical correctly.

Areas for students to improve include:

• elaborating their response by providing examples and anecdotes not just ‘answering the question’
• demonstrating other language structures such as the past tense, without extra prompts from the examiner, for example, ¿Como es tu padre? Mi padre es muy estricto por ejemplo cuando tenía trece años no me permitió salir al cine con mis amigas
• developing more sophisticated vocabulary, particularly adjectives, for example, abundante instead of ‘mucho’ or convincente or fascinante instead of ‘interestante’
• avoiding repeating the same information to different questions throughout the exam
• avoiding listing information, for example, ¿Qué estudias? Estudio matemáticas, inglés, español, música y teatro
• avoiding English syntax when providing complex sentences
• using correct auxiliary and agreement with verbs.

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.

In better responses, students were able to:

• understand the majority of vocabulary in texts and use a dictionary and the Candidate’s Notes space to check understanding of any unusual vocabulary
• clearly explain the speaker's feelings, for example, ‘She feels disappointed that the images didn’t live up to reality because of the water being too warm and the lack of service from the hotel staff, but still acknowledges the good points such as the beautiful beach and friendly locals’ and link these to relevant examples and references in the texts (Q8)
• group examples as positives and then negatives rather than just stating examples in the order they appear in the text, for example, grouping the good points about her trip and then explaining how these are balanced by grouping the bad points (Q8)
• link their examples and reasons back to the question, for example, ‘the cinema had limited seating, making it important to book tickets sooner rather than later’ (Q5)
• translate quotes back to English or paraphrase in English.

Areas for students to improve include:

• not just recounting the detail of examples from texts but providing an explanation using their own words, for example, not just saying ‘male speaker says she can go visit her boyfriend’ but rather using more specific verbs to explain what is occurring such as, 'he reassures her that her relationship can handle the distance by suggesting she can visit him’ (Q7)
• ensuring they provide all examples given in the texts not just ‘half’ references, for example, all points of the ‘need to detour, the protest march being postponed and that there is no water and no electricity in the area’ (Q4).Often students are applying a rule that 3 marks means three points and in this context, there are four points required for full marks.

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
• 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:

• consider the text as a whole to fully address the question. For example, identifying the purpose of both impact of the construction (first couple of paragraphs) and that people are going to take action against it (towards the end of text) (Q9a)
• provide a detailed explanation that explicitly states the link between the reason/example and the question. For example, making the connection ‘between food waste’ and Veronica using this example to ‘further’ the discussion by taking a wider ‘whole society’ level of social responsibility’ (Q10a)
• explain both the meaning of Spanish quotes and why they are used. For example, explaining the expression translates to ‘not turn a blind eye to’ (or something similar) and put it into context 'meaning they needed to continue hassling the government about the construction otherwise there would be no solution' (Q9b).  Another example, justifying why Tomas made the comment by again explaining the meaning 'I don’t care a bit' (metaphor of a pepper/as an inanimate object) with clear connections to the text explaining why Tomas said this (Q10b)
• clearly identify multiple language techniques and moreover were able to link technique to the example and then effect on the audience. For example, ‘using high modality such as “alarming” to emphasise for the reader the seriousness of the situation’ (Q9c). Or explain how Sara uses rhetorical questions and inclusive language ‘¿os pensais?’ to include and address the audience, connecting them to her point of view (Q10c)
• compare and contrast content by interweaving similarities and differences in the one statement. For example, ‘Sara and Zabel’s views are similarly positive on our need to help others; however, Sara focuses on the mental wellbeing while Zabel focuses on physical wellbeing’ (Q10c).

Areas for students to improve include:

• considering whether the question requires answering with language techniques. For example, (Q9b) doesn’t require the use of language techniques to properly answer the question and students often wasted time by trying to provide language features that weren’t needed
• providing an explanation of the effect of the language technique in relation to the question. For example, ensuring they explained not just the effect of the language feature but also explicitly stating how it engaged the reader (Q9c)
• avoiding recounting the text. For example, just stating what Veronica says and the examples she gives without explaining how those examples are furthering the discussion (Q10a)
• referring to both the content and language as required in the question. For example, a number of students gave excellent evidence of content but did not clearly identify any language features (Q10c).

Part B

Students should:

• read the whole text in order to respond fully to the question
• plan effectively to organise their thoughts, paying attention to context, purpose, and audience, and the type of text required in question
• respond to the question asked in relation to the text
• use the conventions of the type of text required by the question
• demonstrate understanding of the whole text in their response
• 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
• provide a creative and authentic response in relation to the text and question
• use the appropriate register throughout the response
• 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:

• demonstrate an excellent understanding of the text by referring to all the issues raised in the email and the question by:
  • addressing the email (response to Gabriel) and sign off as Alex (any gender)
  • acknowledging the feelings expressed by Gabriel (desperation) and show empathy
  • clearly demonstrating that Alex (the writer) also has a younger brother as well, by giving actual examples or references of their experiences with their own sibling
  • addressing Gabriel's complaints by specifically:
    • referring to the incident of the younger brother taking a photo of Gabriel and uploading it on social media
    • acknowledging Gabriel’s feeling of embarrassment in relation to the photo
    • referring to the younger brother taking Gabriel’s clothes
    • referring to the younger brother being annoying by any of the following examples: following Gabriel around, wanting to befriend his friends, crying when Gabriel cannot watch films with him.
  • giving specific advice
• demonstrate a strong command of the Spanish language by:
  • using a variety of tenses including the present tense (for example, ‘te entiendo’), the imperfect (for example, ‘mi hermano hacía/ estaba...’), the past simple (for example, ‘el publicó esta foto’), the conditional to make suggestions (for example, ‘podrías...’), the subjunctive in advice structures (for example, ‘te aconsejo que hables con…’)
  • using linking words and sequencing terms, (such as, ‘en realidad’, ‘sin embargo’…'En cuanto a….’, ‘Por otra parte…’)
  • organising the text in distinct paragraphs with appropriate greetings and sign off.

Areas for students to improve include:

• basing response on stimulus (avoiding overly generic advice and actually referring to the instances mentioned in the text such as the photo or the taking of clothes)
• focusing on giving actual specific advice related to the issues presented
• relating how their own experiences with their own sibling were similar or different
• using a range of vocabulary on topic, without copying too closely the expressions from the stimulus or using literal translation
• addressing the stimulus
• using paragraphs to organise texts
• avoiding anglicised structures
• checking gender agreements
• using the dictionary effectively, so that words searched apply to the specific context. For example, the word ‘tip’ in the dictionary. In the context of the task, tip is a strategy, an idea, not a monetary tip. Therefore, it should not be translated as propina.

Writing in Spanish

Question 12

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
• adhere to the suggested word length
• proofread and edit work.

In better responses, students were able to:

• apologise and/or ask for forgiveness effectively
• explain the behaviour that warranted an apology, for example, I was aggressive, I didn’t take you seriously, I mocked you
• provide a justification for what prompted this behaviour, for example, I was very stressed, I didn’t realise you were upset, or simply I can be very bossy at times
• mention that the friend has not returned calls and/or emails
• display some emotive language, for example, please return my calls, I am so sorry!
• display a variety of vocabulary to cover apology
• use a variety of tenses. For example, past tense to mention what happened (for example, ‘te habl é muy mal’ ‘fui muy desagradable’ ‘Te grit é’ ), the conditional or future to make amends (for example, ‘nunca mas me comportar é asi’) and the subjunctive to express purpose (for example, ‘para que sepas...’) or the imperative to express the need to be forgiven or contacted (for example, ‘disc ú lpame’/’llámame’)
• use authentic expressions to convey emotions
• write a text that reads authentically as a note.

Areas for students to improve include:

• reading the question carefully to ensure all aspects are included in the response. For example, the fact the friend was not returning the calls or the fact you needed to apologise for a behaviour during an argument
• not confusing a behaviour, for example, shouting at a friend with an event/incident, for example, something being broken, losing an object
• referring to friend not having returned calls, rather than suggesting meeting up with a friend
• avoid developing other content not included in the question (like how the friends met)
• demonstrating explicit awareness of audience (close friend)
• checking subject/verb agreements
• not confusing the informal address (tu) and the formal address (usted)
• avoiding anglicisms such as ‘letra’ (instead of ‘carta’) or anglicised sentence structures such as ‘necesitas a contestar’
• using the dictionary effectively, so that words searched apply to the specific context
• applying text type conventions for a note (for example, ‘Querido/ Hola Pedro... Un abrazo/ Te echo de menos’, Llamame por favor + name)

Question 13

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

Question 13(a)

In better responses students were able to:

• sequence/structure ideas by using paragraphs
• create a context for the visit to the recycling plant, for example, we went on an excursion with the Geography class
• adhere to the text type: diary entry (incorporate appropriate features such as Querido diario or sign off expressions such as ‘Es muy tarde, tengo que irme a dormir’)
• evaluate their experience at their local recycling plant
• express disappointment or surprise on how little was recycled
• reflect on how this experience will help them act in the future
• use authentic expressions and emotive language to convey the feelings.

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding mixing up the audience/text type. For example, thanking an audience in a diary entry or including a ‘call to arms’ makes it become a speech
• planning their response to be able to sequence ideas
• using a dictionary to check the meaning of words in the question. For example, planta de reciclaje is a recycling plant not a plant to be recycled
• using the dictionary to check key words such as recycling or environment
• avoiding literal translations or turning English words into Spanish without checking if this is correct. for example, enviromento is not a word
• reading the question carefully to be able to address it appropriately.

Question 13(b)

In better responses students were able to:

• sequence/structure ideas by using paragraphs
• describe the community native tree planting day they participated in
• adhere to the text type [diary entry] and include relevant features, such as, ‘Querido diario’ or ‘Es tarde, tengo que acostarm’, ‘Escribiré más mañana’
• evaluate their experience planting trees for the local community
• reflect on how this experience will help them act in the future
• use authentic expressions.

Areas for students to improve include:

• planning their response to be able to sequence ideas
• not confusing the audience of the task, for example, addressing the audience as if it was a speech instead of a diary
• using a dictionary to check spelling of words they are unsure of. For example, habitat is also ‘habitat’ in Spanish, not ‘habitacion’ or ‘hábito’, which exist but mean very different things
• using a dictionary to find out new vocabulary related to the topic
• reading the question carefully to be able to address it appropriately. For example, not leaving out the need to refer to how you will take action in the future based on your experience
• trying to use authentic language instead of translating literally from English, thus avoiding anglicisms.