Turkish 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 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 Turkish 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 language structures and features effectively to enhance their responses
• demonstrate excellent knowledge of a wide repertoire of vocabulary, for example, fıtrat, ihmal etmek
• use tenses as required by the question
• use idiomatic expressions appropriately, for example, burnumda tütüyor, tadını çıkarmak.

Areas for students to improve include:

• using Geliyorum/gidiyorum/biliyorum rather than Geliyom/gidiyom/biliyom
• selecting appropriate vocabulary for context, for example, distinguishing between mağaza/market/alışveriş merkezi
• using correct alignment of subject, object, verbs and affixes
• using a range of vocabulary and grammatical structures and limiting the use of fillers, short one word responses and simple sentence structures
• checking meaning when translating English words into Turkish
• using accurate Turkish sentence structures and syntax
• using standard Turkish and avoiding the use of regional dialect(s) their responses
• avoiding the use of pre-learnt answers to respond irrespective of the question.

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
• 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
• use complex sentences and suitable idiomatic expressions to strengthen and support their opinions
• 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
• address key words such as ‘how’, ‘why’, ‘if’ in the questions.

Areas for students to improve include:

• focusing on one or two issues in depth rather than superficially covering many aspects of the topic
• clarifying what is a literary text
• linking their responses to the topic and texts used in research
• avoiding the recounting of information rather than evaluating their findings
• avoiding the use of general knowledge in their response rather that specific information from their sources
• limiting the use of filler words in Turkish such as aynen, aynen, and in English such as ‘like’
• ensuring correct translation of the titles of their sources, for example, saying Mimarcılar yapmış instead of Mimarlar yapmış
• using correct plural endings lar and ler, for example, çok turistler, iki şehirler.