2015 Notes from the Marking Centre – Serbian Continuers
Introduction
This document has been produced for the teachers and candidates of the Stage 6 Serbian Continuers course. It contains comments on candidate responses to the 2015 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 Serbian Continuers Stage 6 Syllabus
- the 2015 Higher School Certificate Serbian Continuers 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 Serbian Continuers in Stage 6.
Oral examination
Section I – Conversation and Section II – Discussion
Characteristics of better responses:
- good sentence structure and a wide range of vocabulary were demonstrated
- in-depth responses were given with relevant information to support opinions.
Characteristics of weaker responses:
- dialect instead of standard Serbian was used
- language was poorly manipulated
- English syntax was used.
Written examination
Section I – Listening and Responding
Part A and B
Characteristics of better responses:
- good comprehension was demonstrated; relevant details were included to support answers where appropriate
- similarities as well as differences were identified (Q3).
Characteristics of weaker responses:
- candidates translated the text without addressing the requirements of the questions
- limited reference was made to the text to support the answer (Q2b and Q6c).
Section II – Reading and Responding
Part A
Characteristics of better responses:
- an in-depth analysis was included
- reference to both the content and the use of language was made (part c)
- relevant information from the text was provided to support answers.
Characteristics of weaker responses:
- students translated the text without addressing the requirements of the question
- no reference to the use of language was made (part c).
Part B
Characteristics of better responses:
- all the key elements of the text were addressed
- language was manipulated creatively and authentically.
Characteristics of weaker responses:
- only isolated elements of the text were addressed
- grammar was incorrectly used
- sentence structure was incoherent.
Section III – Writing in Serbian
Characteristics of better responses:
- correct text type was used
- all elements of the question were addressed
- language was manipulated creatively and authentically to meet the requirements of the question
- a variety of vocabulary and grammatical structures was correctly used.
Characteristics of weaker responses:
- the conventions of the text type were not observed
- grammatical structures were poorly manipulated .