Spanish Continuers 2024 HSC exam pack

Conversation

Students should:

• be prepared to communicate about 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
• use a range of vocabulary, expressions and language structures to respond appropriately to the questions
• provide information, express ideas and comment on their personal world
• be prepared to respond to questions from a different perspective
• be prepared to respond to questions that relate to past, present and future aspects of their personal world
• avoid repetition of the same vocabulary, phrases and expressions
• manipulate the language to fulfil the requirements of the question
• 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:

• speak clearly with clear pronunciation, syntax, register, and intonation.
• answer questions with minimal hesitation, allowing for a smooth conversational flow
• structure and organise responses that directly address questions, using linking words to demonstrate purpose
• elaborate with engaging examples, anecdotes, or details and close with a reflection
• provide justifications, opinions, and relevant information to keep the conversation engaging, and elaborate without needing extra prompts from the examiner
• use a variety of vocabulary and grammar structures across different syllabus topics, including sophisticated and detailed responses that demonstrate higher-order thinking
• incorporate complex grammatical structures, such as the subjunctive, past subjunctive, and pluscuamperfect subjunctive. For example: ‘ojalá que tenga la oportunidad’, ‘si tuviera la oportunidad de cambiar algo de mi barrio, cambiaría …’, ‘no hubiera podido’ + infinitive, ‘si hubiera’ + past participle
• respond in full sentences, using compound sentences with purpose to enhance clarity and depth, and accurately apply various tenses as required by the questions
• explore multiple syllabus topics and lead the conversation by incorporating topics they feel comfortable with, prompting the examiner to ask follow-up questions
• show preparation and communicate with purpose, rather than relying solely on daily and factual situations.

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding the use of words such as flipar, as the register of this exam is formal and instead, using me apasiona, me fascina, me molesta, es emocionante
• carefully listening to the grammatical prompts by the examiner and identifying the required grammatical tense. For example, ‘¿Qué hiciste el fin de semana pasado?, ‘Fui a una fiesta, trabajé y vi una película con mi familia’ or ‘¿Te gustaría vivir en otro país?’ ‘Sí, me encantaría vivir en …’
• avoiding the use of words in English such as open day, exams, HSC, and cool
• attempting to explain in other words in Spanish when unsure of the correct words and avoiding the use of inflections in English such as ‘like’, ‘so’, or ‘then’ throughout the conversation
• avoiding the frequent use of colloquial expressions such as harto, chiquitín/chiquito/chiquitito, pa, tipo, relindo, and super as a prefix to form other adjectives like superbien or superinteresante
• avoiding short answers or listing when responding
• avoiding the use of the same adjectives to describe people or place
• using a variety of vocabulary relevant to the syllabus topics and synonyms for expressions such as me gusta, interesante, mucho, and es bonito.

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:

• infer the context/setting of a text, for example, although about school, the conversation was actually occurring at a bus stop (Q1)
• identify multiple points of detail/description correctly. For example, ‘designed by youth’ and ‘material made by 3D printer’ (Q2), ‘anti-jet lag glasses … yellow lens … filter blue light … makes one feel refreshed’ (Q5), ‘happy with current plan … thinks she wants him to change only for her benefit … he is moving to the country where his current plan has better reception’ (Q7)
• summarise concisely, for example, ‘convenient fortnightly clothing recycling’ instead of just translating ‘every fortnight, put out your old clothing/second-hang clothing in the pink bin for a truck to come and collect’ (Q4)
• identify the likelihood of Sebastian taking his friend’s advice, for example, ‘Sebastian was unlikely to take the advice’(Q7)
• understand the implied feelings, traits or suggestions (Q6)
• explain with reference to the text to justify the response, for example, identifying Agustin’s sense of humour or irony through the punning on ‘moscas’ (Q8).

Areas for students to improve include:

• addressing the requirements of the question, for example, ‘how likely’ is the advice, rather than ‘what was the advice?’ (Q7)
• referring to both sides of the conversation, for example, referring to what the girl said to support Sebastian’s reaction (Q7).

Reading and Responding

Part A

Students should:

• read the title, the questions and the whole text before responding
• use only the lines or space beneath the question for their 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 the 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 purpose of the text, such as Tomas’ original post (Q9a) or encouraging the reader to think of cycling as more than a sport (Q10a)
• refer to both posts/opinion when justifying, for example, referring to multiple things that both Juana and Estrella suggested (Q9c)
• identify sophisticated language techniques and explain their effect on meaning.  For example, identify the metaphor/hyperbole ‘es un mundo entero por descubir’ which sparks the readers interest in discovering what cycling has to offer by refering to it as ‘an entire world’ (Q10d).

Areas for students to improve include:

• referring to readers’ reaction to the discussion about the sport throughout the text rather than concentrating on the reader’s initial reaction to the sport as outlined in the introductory paragraph (Q10b)
• writing different content across multiple answers, rather than using different content rather than writing the same answer in different questions (Q10b, Q10c)
• explaining language techniques, such as use of second person ‘tú’ in ‘así verás’ which personally invites a reader to consider a point being made, or the use of rhetorical questions such as ‘¿se te ha ocurrido que es …?’, which makes the reader think/consider their personal response more carefully.

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, as well as the type of text required by the question
• 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 the 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:

• show understanding of the context of the email, for example, the involvement in the committee for next year and that suggestions being made come from the reviews about the previous year’s event
• integrate information in the text such as greater variety of food, music, change of date, long queues, trivia
• justify why there needs to be change or reasons for offering ideas for improving the Languages Festival.
• organise the response in distinct paragraphs giving the text more structure and cohesion
• use connectives to link the ideas, such as otra cosa que deberíamos cambiar, por otra parte, además …
• display creativity, for example, in the solutions offered and the language used.

Areas for students to improve include:

• using the dictionary and avoiding made-up words and Anglicisms, for example, a request in Spanish is ‘una petición’ or ‘una propuesta’ or even ‘sugerencia’ but not ‘requesta’ a complaint is not ‘complaina’ but ‘queja’, to attract is not ‘atractar’ but ‘atraer’ or ‘improvisar’, which means to improvise, not to improve, or ‘succeso’ for success
• avoiding English words like ‘reviews’
• ensuring the response is about improvements for the festival, rather than a summary of what was offered the year before
• avoiding the copying of full sentences from the stimulus
• linking ideas to create a more cohesive response using connectives.

Writing in Spanish

Question 12

Students should:

• read the question carefully and 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 their work.

In better responses, students were able to:

• adhere to the conventions of the text type and make reference to the diary entry ‘Querido diario’
• demonstrate creativity and flair through the manipulation of language such as the use of emotive language to emphasise first impressions ‘No me lo podía creer’, ‘Qué antipático/a’
• demonstrate their understanding of the requirements of the task by referring to a new person that just started
• use rhetorical questions, such as ¿Quién se habrá creído que es?, ¿A quién se le ocurre?
• refer to the attitude of the new person rather than just the physical appearance.

Areas for students to improve include:

• checking the agreement of adjectives in gender and number ‘La chica es alta, not alto’
• adhering to the conventions of the text type, that is, a diary entry, and not ending the response with ‘escríbeme pronto’ as this indicates a letter
• expanding on reasons for their positive or negative first impressions
• avoiding the repetition of ideas such as the description of your best friend but instead, focusing on first impressions.

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.

In better responses, students were able to:

• address the specific audience, that is, parents, carers and students (a) or teachers and students (b)
• reflect on how the benefits of their school subject choice influenced their future lives
• reflect on how the participation in after hour-activities affected their lives
• use a variety of tenses, phrases and sentence structures appropriate to the requirements of the task
• demonstrate creativity through the manipulation of language and the use of rhetorical questions/exclamations. For example, ¿Alguna vez has pensado en lo que quieres hacer después de la escuela?
• show some depth in the analysis, for example, Esto me enseñó la importancia de manejar mi tiempo y honrar mis compromisos.

Areas for students to improve include:

• learning past tense conjugations, such as aprendí instead of aprendé / me encantó instead of me encanté / empecé instead of empiezé / hice instead of hico
• using the dictionary effectively to find key words when unsure, for example, school subjects (materias o asignaturas), and to check spelling, for example, avanzado instead of avancado
• avoiding literal translations or Anglicisms such as ‘sujetos’ or ‘alguien que tiene mi espalda’ for someone who has your back, as this expression does not make sense in Spanish
• avoiding the repetition of ideas, for example, school subjects chosen
• using the appropriate features of a speech.