Swedish Continuers 2024 HSC exam pack (archive)

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
• use a range of vocabulary, expressions and language structures to respond appropriately to the questions
• provide information, express and justify opinions, 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 Swedish to ask for repetition and/or clarification of the question.

In better responses, students were able to:

• speak clearly with excellent pronunciation, syntax, register and intonation
• answer the questions with minimal hesitation, allowing the conversation to flow at a good pace
• answer questions with relevant information and in some depth, for example, to communicate feelings, provide opinions and justify their responses
• address the requirements of the question
• elaborate on their responses without extra prompts from the examiner
• respond in full sentences, using compound and complex sentences
• use a variety of vocabulary related to activities in their personal world, for example, in the gym instruktör, vikter or snow snöängel
• use language structures and features effectively to enhance their responses
• demonstrate excellent knowledge of a wide repertoire of vocabulary such as words to talk about their future plans, for example, sabbatsår, lärling, praoa, utforska alternativ, tågluffa and education, for example, NO-ämnen, textil, hemkunskap and hobbies, for example, bergsklättring
• use a variety of tenses and grammatical features, for example, jag har alltid velat läsa, jag skulle vilja läsa ...
• use authentic and idiomatic expressions appropriately, for example, det har bara klickat i mitt huvud, jag är en lång grabb.

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding answering questions with the same pre-prepared responses irrespective of the topic
• limiting the use of filler words such as liksom and asså
• revising grammar features and structures such as prepositions, for example, på en liten säsong, i fritiden, på kassan; tenses with irregular verbs in the past villde and future tense när jag är äldre, and agreement of adjectives min bröder
• using correct time prepositions, for example, saying i ett år instead of om ett år
• using ’false friends’ and direct translations, for example, högskolan vs högstadiet, se vs träffa, gå vs åka
• using correct word order, for example, placement of inte and också in subordinate clauses BIFF-regeln
• differentiating between tror, och,tycker; gå and åka
• using the incorrect comparative form of adjectives, for example, using mer sträng instead of strängare
• avoiding single word responses
• using correct features of complex clauses.

Discussion

In preparation for the Discussion

Students should:

• choose a topic that has good quality reference texts and sources available
• prepare for the discussion by referring to at least three texts in their research
• ensure that one of the texts used in their research is a literary source.

During the Discussion examination

Students should:

• support their discussion with evidence from the texts that they have sourced
• express and justify opinions and points of view on the topic of in-depth study
• reflect on their research findings to help them express opinions or develop new perceptions about their topic of in-depth study
• manipulate language to respond in a coherent and logical way to the questions asked
• use a variety of relevant vocabulary, grammar, sentence structures and expressions
• avoid responding with pre-prepared responses that do not address the question asked
• avoid relying on general knowledge about the topic of in-depth study.

In better responses, students were able to:

• ensure that sources chosen were relevant to the topic of in-depth study
• compare the validity and reliability of their texts by discussing the level of objectivity of each text, for example, den ägs av staten och enligt lag måste den vara opartisk
• refer to their sources and comment on how each source contributed to their understanding of the in-depth topic
• discuss how their research impacted on their views and helped them gain a better understanding of the in-depth topic
• develop analytical approach to texts studied rather than memorise information from the texts
• provide logical and well-structured responses to questions
• come to insightful conclusions regarding issues raised in their research
• use specific vocabulary and expressions relating to the topic such as organisationsuppbyggnaden,klimatkris,nätverk, cirkulärt mode, gängkriminalitet, grundvatten, extremister, runor, romare, friskolor and ursprungsbefolkning
• use complex sentences and suitable idiomatic expressions to strengthen and support their opinions, for example, Jag känner en stark personlig koppling till vad personen har betytt, Den tar upp problemet på ett underhållande och tankeväckande sätt
• respond using a high level of grammatical accuracy, sophisticated vocabulary and expressions
• manipulate the language effectively to support their ideas and justify their point of view.

Areas for students to improve include:

• referring to their texts without being prompted
• answering the question rather than responding with pre-learnt information
• having a critical approach to information in texts
• including different perspectives regarding the issues raised in the research. 

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:

• transfer key details from their notes to address the requirements of the questions
• provide all the reasons why Emma wanted to change the date of her ticket (Q1b)
• focus on what was the ‘significance to Havsbrunn’ of the places to visit rather than providing just a description of the places (Q2b)
• express how Karin addressed Luka’s feelings and concerns by giving him advice and sharing her own feelings and experience (Q3b)
• provide only the advice without including information that did not address the question (Q4)
• demonstrate an understanding that the guest speaker had mixed feelings about her during the interview and explain the nuances of these feelings towards her success as an author (Q5b)
• include both the similarities and differences regarding the two speakers’ views on AI in the workplace. These students used language such as ‘on the one hand … however on the other had …’, ‘similarly …’ in their comparison (Q6b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• using dictionary to find the meaning of unknown vocabulary, for example, referring to a ‘tower’ instead of ‘statue’, or a ‘train station’ instead of a ‘town square’ (Q3a,b)
• avoiding a description of the interview when the question required an explanation of the ‘author’s feelings conveyed during the interview’ (Q5b)
• avoiding the listing or recounting of the different view, and instead providing a comparison of the views as requested by the question (Q6b)
• understanding that both differences and similarities should be included in a comparison (Q6b).

Writing in Swedish

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
• use the dictionary effectively by selecting vocabulary to suit the context
• proofread and edit their work
• adhere to the suggested word length.

In better responses, students were able to:

• apply the text conventions of formal letter to the principal (Q10)
• maintain formal register throughout the response (Q10)
• use appropriate expressions when addressing a principal in a formal letter (Q10)
• use the language of persuasion to argue for or against the importance of keeping Language as part of the school curriculum, for example, Fortsättningsvis anser jag att språkutbildningen borde få vara ett val for elever. Många skadliga konsekvenser for skolelevernas framtid. … skapat en stark koppling till landet. (Q10)
• use the vocabulary related to the school curriculum and language learning (Q10)
• apply the text of conventions of a diary (Q11)
• use the language of reflection when discussing in diary entry the experiences shared with the Swedish friend, for example, Jag har just haft en helt magisk helg med min kompis Malin från Sverige. Eftersom hon är svensk så frågade jag naturligvis om hon kunde ta med sig svenskt godis till Australien. (Q11)
• use vocabulary and expressions that express the value of the friendship with Swedish friend (Q11)
• express depth of emotion towards the friendship, for example, Så himla förvirrande (Q11)
• reflect on memories of times spent together (Q11)
• structure their response using paragraphs.

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding listing and describing too many activities shared with friend and omitting to reflect on the value of the friendship (Q11)
• revising correct word order in main sentences and clauses, for example, Som var alltid jättegott (incorrect), Som alltid var jättegott (correct)
• revising prepositions, for example, Leka ‘på’ trädgården (incorrect), leka ‘i’ trädgården (correct)
• revising verb conjugations and tenses
• using incorrect pronouns with verb form, for example, ‘Den’ har ‘beslut’ (incorrect), ‘De’ har ‘beslutat’ (correct)
• using appropriate vocabulary for the context of the response
• using correct Swedish syntax and avoiding the use of English syntax in Swedish responses
• translating English into Swedish, for example, Missa ut, Det tar inte bort hur vi är jättenära, Vi har aldrig lämnat varandras rygg.