2010 HSC Notes from the Marking Centre — Modern Greek
Contents
Introduction
This document has been produced for the teachers and candidates of the Stage 6 courses in Modern Greek. It contains comments on candidate responses to the 2010 Higher School Certificate examinations, indicating the quality of the responses and highlighting their relative strengths and weaknesses.
This document should be read along with the relevant syllabuses, the 2010 Higher School Certificate examinations, the marking guidelines and other support documents which have been developed by the Board of Studies to assist in the teaching and learning of Modern Greek.
General comments
Teachers and candidates should be aware that examiners may ask questions that address the syllabus outcomes in a manner that requires candidates to respond by integrating their knowledge, understanding and skills developed through studying the course.
Candidates need to be aware that the marks allocated to the question and the answer space (where this is provided on the examination paper), are guides to the length of the required response. A longer response will not in itself lead to higher marks. Writing in excess of the space allocated may reduce the time available for answering other questions.
Candidates need to be familiar with the Board’s Glossary of Key Words which contains some terms commonly used in examination questions. However, candidates should also be aware that not all questions will start with or contain one of the key words from the glossary. Questions such as ‘how?’, ‘why?’ or ‘to what extent?’ may be asked, or verbs may be used which are not included in the glossary, such as ‘design’, ‘translate’ or ‘list’.
Beginners
Oral examination
In the best responses, candidates expressed themselves effectively, using a good range of vocabulary, appropriate language structures, acceptable intonation and pronunciation as well as correct syntax and grammar. These candidates also responded well to the different types of questions asked, which included open/closed, recall/informational, comparative, and questions which required the expression of an opinion. Furthermore, they demonstrated skills in using the correct language structures when talking about the past, present or future.
In weaker responses, it was evident that candidates had simply rote-learned specific language structures and vocabulary and could not provide authentic responses with relevant information. They were limited in their use of vocabulary and language structures and could not manipulate the language to respond appropriately to the different types of questions asked (open/closed, recall/informational) when asked about a question for which they were not specifically prepared. A number of candidates found it difficult to respond to the comparative questions and to questions which required the expression of an opinion.
Some common areas of difficulty were in the use of the verb μ’αρέσει and the lack of agreement between articles, adjectives and nouns. Many of these responses demonstrated a poor understanding of the past tense, the adjective πολύ, the accusative verb endings and numbers eg τέσσερα αδελφές.
Candidates are reminded to practise the vocabulary and language structures associated with their personal world, as specified in the syllabus topics.
Writing skills examination
Listening skills
Candidates are reminded to use dictionaries correctly, to read all questions carefully and to ensure that all necessary detail has been included in their answers. It is also important to note that some translation or rephrasing of the spoken text may not answer the question. In some cases, information contained in the text may need to be interpreted in some way in a response to the question.
It is strongly recommended that candidates ensure that all relevant information contained in the Notes section needs to be transferred to the lined section of the examination paper if they want this information to be considered as part of their response.
Question 1
The correct answer was (D).
Question 2
In better responses, candidates described both the purpose, ie to complain and the nature of the complaint. In weaker responses, candidates listed the grievances but did not provide a clear answer as to why the woman was in the principal’s office.
Question 4
In weaker responses, candidates listed the mother’s complaints. While these candidates often recognised the mother’s determination to change the situation, they did not identify the consequences if things did not change.
Question 7
Most candidates identified (A) as the correct answer.
Question 9
In better responses, candidates discussed the differences in personality between Paul and Katrina.
Question 10
In better responses, candidates referred to Antoni’s concerns in relation to his position on the team when his leg healed.
Question 12
In weaker responses, candidates summarised the whole text, without linking this information to the question.
Section I – Reading skills
Question 13
In best responses, candidates identified why Mrs Lambrou has written the notice.
Question 14
In Question 14 (b), better responses identified that the type of viewer would be a budget traveller to China as well as a person who wants to cycle through China.
Question 15
- In weaker responses, candidates retold the story. Better responses included the fact that Petro felt distressed because he was accused of theft, that he felt betrayed by his friend, that he was afraid of how his parents would react and that he was frustrated because he didn’t know whether to reveal the truth about his friend.
Section II – Writing skills
Question 16
- In weaker responses, candidates did not include supporting evidence from the text.
Question 17
- Most candidates identified the reasons for Liana’s change of attitude.
- In better responses, candidates supported their answer with well-chosen examples from the text and made clear links to Liana’s feelings of anger, frustration and determination.
Part B
Questions 18 and 19
In better responses, candidates organised information and ideas coherently and used a variety of relevant vocabulary. In weaker responses, candidates demonstrated some knowledge of vocabulary, with little evidence of the ability to organise ideas. Some responses demonstrated an elementary knowledge of language structures.
Question 20
In better responses, candidates organised information and ideas coherently and used a variety of relevant vocabulary. In the weaker responses, candidates demonstrated some knowledge of vocabulary but with little evidence of the ability to organise ideas, particularly in Question 20 (b).
Continuers
Oral examination
Most candidates understood the questions asked of them and answered these appropriately.
In better responses, candidates manipulated language with a high level of grammatical accuracy and engaged effectively and fluently in a conversation. Candidates demonstrated an extensive vocabulary, enthusiasm, authenticity, sophistication and depth in their responses. These candidates responded well to the different types of questions asked which included open/closed, recall/informational, comparative, hypothetical, reflective as well as questions which required justification and the expression of an opinion. Furthermore, they demonstrated skills in using the correct language structures when talking about the past and future.
In weaker responses, although candidates maintained satisfactory communication, their responses were characterised by basic vocabulary and structures, grammatical inaccuracies and some repetition. They did not manipulate language or use appropriate language structures and grammatical concepts such as the correct use of tense, conditional and third person. Some of these responses included rote-learned language structures with varying degrees of relevance to the questions asked.
Some common areas of difficulty with language included the use of the verb μ’αρέσει and a lack of agreement between articles, adjectives and nouns. Many of these responses also demonstrated incorrect use of active and passive verbs eg δεν χρειάζω and impersonal verbs. Moreover, these responses were characterised by a significant use of Anglicisms.
Candidates are reminded to practise a range of vocabulary and language structures associated with the syllabus topics as they relate to their personal world and to elaborate on their ideas during the examination.
Written examination
Section I – Listening and Responding
Question 1
In weaker responses, candidates confused some letters eg Ν with M, Ξ with Ζ or the English letter X. Some also wrote 572 instead of 5672.
Question 3
In weaker responses, candidates did not identify as one of the groups, those who are willing to adapt and accept the goals/mission of the firm.
Question 4
In better responses, candidates provided four adjectives with supporting examples:
- appreciative eg she thanks the school
- hard-working eg she obtained excellent results
- hospitable eg she wants to reciprocate the hospitality
- determined eg she overcame adversity
However, in weaker responses, candidates struggled to provide four distinct adjectives or simply listed adjectives without offering examples to support their answer.
Question 5
Many candidates did not mention that the holiday was a gift.
Question 6
In the best responses, candidates demonstrated a good understanding of how Kostas presented and supported his point of view, that is, by mentioning his personal experience and by making reference to statistics. In the weaker responses, candidates did not provide examples supporting how she presented her views. Candidates are reminded that all aspects of the question need to be addressed in order to achieve the maximum number of marks.
Question 7
In the best responses, candidates illustrated effectively how Aspasia manages to change Perikles’s mind, that is, he uses emotive language, makes a nostalgic reference to the past and highlights the community need for a cultural centre thereby appealing to his interest. In the weaker responses, candidates simply concentrated on the language techniques without demonstrating a global understanding of how Aspasia persuades Perikles to change his mind.
Candidates are reminded to use dictionaries carefully. Simple translation or paraphrasing of the spoken text may not answer a question, so it is important to read each question carefully. In some cases, information contained in the text may need to be interpreted in a response to the question. It is strongly recommended that candidates ensure that all relevant information contained in the Notes section is transferred to the lined section of the examination paper.
Section II – Reading and Responding
Part A
Question 8
- The best responses identified the purpose of the blog as announcing the break-up and to express the speaker’s feelings of hurt and/or to express his gratefulness for his friends’ support.
- The correct answer was (A).
- In weaker responses, candidates did not refer to the text. Often reference to Antonis was omitted.
Question 9
In better responses to part (c), candidates identified the sense of urgency in the title.
In better responses to part (d), candidates identified the author’s purpose and provided a detailed analysis of the techniques used by the author in order to achieve her purpose. The weaker responses retold the story with limited reference to techniques.
Part B
Question 10
In the best responses, candidates addressed the five initial points set out in the stimulus, as well as the issues raised in the second part of the stimulus text. These responses were characterised by the development of relevant information and the ability to manipulate language authentically and creatively to meet the requirements of the task. Furthermore, they demonstrated extensive knowledge and understanding of vocabulary and sentence structures as well as eloquence in expression.
In weaker responses, candidates responded to only some of the information contained in the stimulus text. Some of these candidates simply addressed the five initial questions and displayed a limited ability to structure text and to link information and ideas. They also demonstrated some degree of knowledge and understanding of vocabulary and sentence structures, which were predominantly characterised by simple structures. Some of the language weaknesses included:
- lack of agreement between the article and the noun and the adjective and noun
- verb endings
- confusion between active and passive verbs
- the inability to use correct register
- confusion between some letters of the Greek alphabet.
Some of the weaker responses included material directly from the stimulus text.
Section III – Writing in Modern Greek
Question 11
In the best responses, candidates wrote effectively and appropriately in relation to the audience, purpose and context of the task. They displayed coherence in syntax and manipulated a range of relevant vocabulary and language structures authentically and creatively to meet the requirements of the task.
Weaker responses were characterised by simple sentence structures and a limited range of vocabulary as well as errors in grammar and spelling. While the weaker responses addressed the audience and the purpose of the task, they did not clearly answer the ‘when?’ and ‘why?’ aspects of the question. In some cases, only one of these aspects was addressed. Common errors such as the following were evident in some responses:
- register
- agreement between article, adjective and noun
- Anglicisms
- adverbs of time
- verb endings.
And in doing so, they must write effectively in relation to purpose, audience and context and to manipulate vocabulary and language structures authentically and creatively. Candidates must also avoid using Anglicisms and write succinctly, keeping within the 75 words required.
Questions 12 (a) and (b)
In the best responses, candidates wrote effectively and appropriately for the audience, purpose and context of the task. These responses demonstrated an authentic and creative manipulation of language structures and the ability to sequence and structure ideas coherently and effectively. Furthermore, they demonstrated an extensive knowledge and understanding of vocabulary and were able to present and to clearly illustrate and support their point of view by providing very good examples.
In the weaker responses, candidates met the general requirements of the task and demonstrated some knowledge of vocabulary and sentence structures. However, they did not demonstrate knowledge or control of the vocabulary to reflect in Question 12 (a) or to reflect/evaluate in Question 12 (b). In both questions, the weaker responses were characterised by many inaccuracies in language and grammar. Furthermore, these responses lacked examples, and candidates did not clearly present a coherent point of view. It was also noted that these responses demonstrated a limited ability to use a dictionary effectively.
Candidates must not conjugate the impersonal verb πρέπει; however, they should check the agreement between the article, noun and adjective, avoid Anglicisms, pay attention to verb endings, particularly the passive voice verbs, and use tenses and cases correctly. Candidates are also reminded to check the meanings of words found in dictionaries.
Extension
Oral examination
In the best responses, candidates presented a logical and sophisticated argument and supported it using relevant ideas and information within the time allocation. They communicated their ideas and information with confidence and fluency, with authentic intonation and pronunciation and with a consistently high level of grammatical accuracy and sophistication of vocabulary. An awareness of the relationship between the question asked and the related prescribed text characterised the best responses.
In mid-range responses, candidates formulated an argument and supported it with relevant information and ideas with some degree of fluency and grammatical accuracy. Some of these responses discussed some of the prescribed themes but did not link these to the question asked.
In weaker responses, candidates attempted to present an argument and communicated their ideas and information in comprehensible language. However, these responses contained many grammatical inaccuracies, simple vocabulary and numerous Anglicisms.
Question 1
In the best responses, candidates made a connection between their own and their family’s migrant experiences, and the difficulties of living between two worlds. In weaker responses, candidates spoke in general about the migrant experience, without addressing the issue of living between two worlds.
Question 2
In the best responses, candidates presented a well-structured argument about the importance of having the freedom to express one’s individuality. In weaker responses, candidates spoke about the importance of freedom in general and about inequality. In these responses, candidates used short, simple sentences, limited vocabulary, long pauses and numerous Anglicisms. It was apparent that some candidates repeated information or rephrased the question in order to fill up time.
Candidates are reminded that they must use the preparation time to develop a well-structured argument and present it with relevant ideas within the time allocation. In the examination, the examiner will use a bell to remind candidates that their time has elapsed.
Written examination
Section I – Response to the prescribed text
Part A
Question 1
- In the best responses, candidates demonstrated good understanding of how the grandfather is portrayed in this extract and supported their answer with close reference to the extract. Some candidates gave a good account of the grandfather’s role in the film but did not illustrate their answer by making close reference to the extract.
- In the best responses, candidates made close reference to Savvas’s monologue, identifying how his sense of identity is conveyed by carefully analysing the extract. However, candidates are reminded of the need to refer to the extract as a whole, ensuring that they identify all the issues raised in the extract.
- The majority of candidates demonstrated a thorough understanding of the techniques used in this scene to create the mood. However, candidates are reminded not to simply list the techniques, but to support their answers by discussing the effect of each with reference to the text.
- In the best responses, candidates demonstrated a perceptive understanding of how the issue of the impact of culture and tradition is explored in this scene and in the film as a whole, supported with appropriate examples. Some of these included the adherence to Greek customs such as the arranged marriage, the pride felt by the characters about their Greek heritage, the importance of cooking and the gender roles, to name a few. However, candidates are reminded that they need to read the question carefully, ensuring that they refer both to this scene as well as to the film as a whole in their answer.
Part B
Question 2
In the best responses, candidates demonstrated a perceptive and sensitive understanding of the prescribed text, using well-chosen references from the film. They identified with the character of the grandfather and were creative and original in their responses. They also organised information and ideas and manipulated language authentically, using sophisticated vocabulary.
In weaker responses, candidates recounted some details or provided some relevant information from the extract and the film as a whole, without elaborating further in order to demonstrate a comprehensive understanding.
Candidates are reminded that in order to demonstrate a perceptive understanding of the prescribed text in this particular question, they will need to display knowledge of the issues explored in the film and provide detailed references, either directly or indirectly, to support their argument.
Section II – Writing in Modern Greek
Questions 3 and 4
In better responses, candidates presented and developed a sophisticated, coherent argument supported by relevant examples. They wrote effectively and perceptively, for a specific audience, purpose and context. Candidates demonstrated breadth and depth in the treatment of relevant ideas and expressed these with a high level of grammatical accuracy and sophistication of vocabulary and sentence structure.
In weaker responses, candidates did not develop a coherent argument. Those who attempted to develop a coherent argument did so with linguistic errors. Some candidates, due to their linguistic difficulties, addressed the topic with only some relevant information and supported it with some examples. Some of these candidates also demonstrated difficulty in manipulating language structures accurately and creatively, while others misused the dictionary in their attempt to express their ideas. Some examples of common errors included:
- incorrect use of the passive voice
- lack of agreement between subject and verb
- incorrect use of the subjunctive
- lack of agreement between article and noun, and between adjective and noun
- incorrect use of verb tense.
20110236
NSW Government