2013 Notes from the Marking Centre – German Beginners
Introduction
This document has been produced for the teachers and candidates of the Stage 6 German Beginners course. It contains comments on candidate responses to the 2013 Higher School Certificate examination, indicating the quality of the responses and highlighting their relative strengths and weaknesses.
This document should be read along with:
- the German Beginners Stage 6 Syllabus
- the 2013 Higher School Certificate German Beginners examination
- the marking guidelines
- Advice for students attempting HSC languages examinations, and HSC Languages oral examinations – advice to students
- Advice for HSC students about examinations
- other support documents developed by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW to assist in the teaching and learning of German in Stage 6.
Oral examination
Characteristics of better responses:
- relevant in-depth information was provided on a variety of topics
- questions were answered spontaneously and justified with several explanatory points
- a wide range of vocabulary and a variety of sentence structures were used
- candidates displayed control of grammatical structures, tenses, correct adjective endings, subordinate clauses.
Characteristics of weaker responses:
- incorrect use of modal verbs and errors in word order
- lack of understanding of question words
- use of English syntax
- long pauses and incomplete sentences.
Candidates are reminded that they should:
- speak confidently, using the first person with common regular verbs conjugated correctly
- be prepared to talk about something that has happened in the past using the perfect tense
- expect questions which require an answer using the third person singular, such as Was macht deine Mutter in ihrer Freizeit?
- recognise the second person plural form ihr and respond appropriately
- use a variety of adjectives, rather than repeating the same adjective over and over
- consider the usage of werden and würden
- refrain from long pauses when attempting to formulate an answer, so that time is not wasted
- avoid just listing words in isolation.
Written examination
Section I – Listening
Characteristics of better responses:
- relevant and more specific details were provided
- responses were logical
- correct English tense was used
- candidates linked the relevant pieces of information within an item.
Characteristics of weaker responses:
- failure to identify the intent of the message
- mere translation and no demonstration of a global understanding of the text
- invention of a response based simply on one or two items of vocabulary from the text
- unknown vocabulary included Schach, Leute kennenlernen, Zeitungen austragen, Fahrrad, einschlafen, leihen, das Abitur, der Ausflug, eine Wanderung.
Section II – Reading
Characteristics of better responses:
- relevant details from the texts were included to support opinions
- demonstration of a global understanding of the entire text
- specific detail was provided when necessary
- responses were well structured and sequenced
- attention to the tense used in each text.
Characteristics of weaker responses:
- lack of specific and relevant details
- German quotes in answers without English translations
- invention of a response based on the question rather than the text
- partial understanding of texts
- unknown vocabulary included nebenan, Unterricht, Nachhilfe, zurück schreiben, sofort, Osterferien.
Section III – Writing in German
Characteristics of better responses:
- consistent use of the appropriate register
- planning of responses so that the writing flowed coherently and was relevant
- a good variety of sentence structures, vocabulary, and correct grammar and punctuation
- word limit for all questions reached.
Characteristics of weaker responses:
- failure to meet the word limit
- English vocabulary and English syntax used
- pre-learnt slabs of irrelevant information used.
NSW Government