1. Home
  2. HSC
  3. HSC Exams
  4. 2014 HSC Exam papers
  5. 2014 HSC Notes from the Marking Centre — French Extension
Print this page Reduce font size Increase font size

2014 Notes from the Marking Centre – French Extension

Introduction

This document has been produced for the teachers and candidates of the Stage 6 French Extension course. It contains comments on candidate responses to the 2014 Higher School Certificate examination, indicating the quality of the responses and highlighting their relative strengths and weaknesses.

This document should be read along with:

Oral examination

General

Characteristics of better responses:

  • a coherent and well-structured argument was developed and presented within the time allocation, supported by a range of relevant ideas and examples
  • ideas were communicated confidently and fluently, with authentic intonation and pronunciation and only minor inaccuracies
  • sophistication of vocabulary and sentence structure was demonstrated as well as a consistently high level of grammatical accuracy
  • the point of view was quickly introduced before getting into the body of the discussion
  • arguments and examples were clearly linked to the question asked, using appropriate linking words.

Characteristics of weaker responses:

  • candidates gave lengthy and formulaic introductions that had no connection to the question and wasted time
  • candidates relied heavily on rote-learnt material which often did not address the question
  • candidates did not make clear links to the question or only debated one part of the question
  • candidates used English syntax and anglicisms such as promoter, provider, valuer, had poor pronunciation and had many inaccuracies such as in verb and adjective agreements.

Written examination

Section I – Response to Prescribed Text

Part A

Question 1

Characteristics of better responses:

  • the different feelings of Djamila were addressed, with reference to the text (part a)
  • it was clearly explained why the statement was meaningful to Charles but not to Sami (part b)
  • candidates used expressions such as ‘by doing; by threatening’ to justify their response (part c)
  • the distinction between the scenes was clearly made and demonstrated the juxtaposition between the two sides of Charles’s personality (part c)
  • candidates analysed rather than just described events (part d)
  • they recognised the complexity of Sami’s reactions (part d).

Characteristics of weaker responses:

  • some candidates provided information that was not from the extract
  • the significance of the quote was not explained (part a)
  • candidates made general comments without relating them to the statement in the question (part b)
  • candidates confused the personality of Charles with his right-wing views and gave a long description of Sarkozy running in the Bois de Boulogne (part c)
  • candidates did not show a knowledge of the whole film (part d)
  • candidates merely recounted, rather than analysed, the story.

Part B

Question 2

Characteristics of better responses:

  • candidates gave a detailed, yet concise and accurate account of the relevant events leading up to this telephone conversation
  • the portrayal of Djamila and Nadia’s characters and emotions was authentic and perceptive
  • all the requirements of the task were met, with a generally consistent and authentic level of language
  • the stimulus was accurately and adequately addressed by both speakers while not detracting from the actual events in the film.

Characteristics of weaker responses:

  • references to the film were either inaccurate or overly simplistic and superficial
  • the tone and register of the language were incorrect, with confusion between tu and vous and an inappropriate use of slang
  • the language was poor, with numerous basic grammatical errors, including gender, pronouns, possessive adjectives, negation and the perfect tense
  • the conversation was one-sided and more like a monologue by Djamila with only the odd interjection from Nadia
  • there was too much focus on the stimulus and Nadia needing to take Sami away, rather than on the events which had driven Djamila to call her.

Section II – Writing in French

Characteristics of better responses:

  • a high level of grammatical accuracy, use of sophisticated vocabulary and grammatical structures and effective manipulation of language were demonstrated
  • the thesis was clearly stated in the introduction that outlined the arguments to be presented
  • the idea of the pace of life and of how this leads (or does not lead) us to be indifferent to the people around us was clearly linked (Q.3)
  • candidates provided an opinion that linked whether a good education needs to be within everyone’s reach in order for a society to advance (Q.4)
  • the response was structured as a magazine article with a title and/or some form of inclusion of the readers through the use of rhetorical questions or suggestions
  • a range of two to three different ideas were developed to support the argument and linked back to the question.

Characteristics of weaker responses:

  • many anglicisms, basic grammatical errors with incorrect verb conjugations and prepositions, as well as spelling mistakes were included
  • candidates did not fully respond to all parts of the question and included rote-learnt material that was not linked to the question
  • candidates did not write an article but rather an essay or a speech, completely ignoring the text type.
Print this page Reduce font size Increase font size