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2011 HSC Notes from the Marking Centre – Ukrainian Continuers

Contents

Introduction

This document has been produced for the teachers and candidates of the Stage 6 course in Ukrainian Continuers. It contains comments on candidate responses to the 2011 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 relevant syllabus, the 2011 Higher School Certificate examination, the marking guidelines and other support documents developed by the Board of Studies to assist in the teaching and learning of Ukrainian Continuers.

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 the knowledge, understanding and skills they 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 far beyond the indicated space 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 that are not included in the glossary, such as ‘design’, ‘translate’ or ‘list’.

Oral examination

Conversation

All candidates were able to maintain a conversation, with the best responses demonstrating candidates’ ability to respond fluently and accurately to the questions and to manipulate language effectively, with vocabulary appropriate to the topics of conversation.  These responses also demonstrated depth of treatment by expanding on ideas and opinions. Weaker responses were characterised by weaknesses in language, in particular adjective–noun agreements, word stress and cases such as the genitive and dative, instrumental and locative.

Candidates need to be prepared to respond to questions that are from all topics in the syllabus, within the bounds of their personal world.  Candidates who have pre-learned, rote responses find difficulty manipulating language to effectively answer some of the questions asked. 

Candidates are reminded that their manner of presentation–confidence and passion in talking about topics – can help the effectiveness of delivery.

Discussion

Candidates presented a variety of well-chosen topics, although some lacked depth. The best responses demonstrated both sophistication and depth in a discussion of their study. These candidates spoke confidently and passionately about their topic, and made specific and detailed references to a variety of resources. They were able to talk about aspects of the topic, rather than simply regurgitating pre-learned information. 

Most candidates demonstrated that they could make appropriate references to ‘at least three texts, one of which is a literary text, such as a novel, play, film or poem’ (BOS update to Ukrainian syllabus). Candidates could be encouraged to refer to more literary texts such as poems and songs. Candidates need to be reminded that a literary text enables them to bring different perspectives to the study and provides a better platform for a discussion than webpages, conversations with family members, travel brochures and personal experiences, some of which cannot really be considered appropriate as texts for a discussion.

Candidates are advised that, in choosing the topic for the in-depth study, they consider the aspect of the topic that will enable them to take part in a discussion.  So topics such as a town or a historical figure need to be researched from the point of view of their strategic significance and how the place or figure might have been presented in a novel or film, for example, rather than a simple presentation of a town’s historical landmarks or the personal profile of an artist. 

Written examination

Section 1 – Listening and Responding

General comments

This section asks candidates to not only identify information in texts, but also to identify feelings, emotions, attitudes and perceptions, and tone.  Candidates need to be prepared to use appropriate language to explain these.

Question 4

This question required candidates to use the vocabulary associated with feelings, in particular nouns such as disillusionment, disappointment, frustration or sadness.  The best responses did this.

Question 5

When a question asks ‘to what extent’, candidates need to consider fully/partially/not at all in their responses.  The best responses considered both positive and negative aspects, and candidates responded to all key words of the question including the need to include examples of language and content.  They often had the key words in the question highlighted.

Question 6

The best responses referred to the techniques the advertiser used to promote the product such as appealing to vanity, convenience, health benefits and made appropriate direct references to the text.

Section 2 – Reading and Responding

Part A

Question 8

Some candidates did not distinguish between the requirements of (b) and (c).

Question 9

While most candidates showed a good understanding of the text, few made sufficient close references to the texts.  Candidates need to be reminded that they should always quote or paraphrase the text when questions ask them to refer to the language of the text.

Part B

Candidates should practise for this task by extracting the main issues in a text then develop these with reasons and examples of their own.  Candidates should also practise writing complex sentences using coordinating and subordinating conjunctions (I, ago, jakyj, ale, shcho, bo) to make a more fluent and coherent discussion.  It is also advisable that candidates practise using conventions of various text types, such as letter, review or speech.

Better answers provided a direct response to the satire – rather than discussing the issue of learning other languages – in a balanced fashion using suitably structured paragraphs. Candidates who wrote well-structured paragraphs developed ideas clearly in a logical, systematic way that allowed the argument to progress.

Section 3 – Writing in Ukrainian

The best responses targeted strong emotions throughout the text – not just at the beginning and the end – and included a recommendation for the target audience at the end.  A book review should include the author’s literary techniques, not just the content, and a film review should likewise refer to techniques such as cinematography and technical effects.

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