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2012 HSC Notes from the Marking Centre — Japanese

2012 HSC Notes from the Marking Centre – Japanese

Contents

Introduction

This document has been produced for the teachers and candidates of the Stage 6 courses in Japanese. It contains comments on candidate responses to the 2012 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 2012 Higher School Certificate examinations, the marking guidelines and other support documents developed by the Board of Studies to assist in the teaching and learning of Japanese.

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 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 that are not included in the glossary may be used, such as ‘design’, ‘translate’ or ‘list’.

Preparing for the Beginners/Continuers oral examinations

Detailed advice is provided on the Board’s website for teachers and students about the nature and conduct of the HSC oral examinations at www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/syllabus_hsc/languages.html.

However, teachers and students are reminded that:

Questions will relate to the candidate’s personal world as it relates to the prescribed topics in the syllabus.
Neither the number of questions nor the number of topics covered by the examination is predetermined. The examiner may ask questions that relate to a previous response made by the candidate or introduce a new topic.
Candidates should answer each question ONLY with information related specifically to the question asked.
Candidates who attempt to dominate the conversation with long, rote-learned monologues will be interrupted by the examiner at an appropriate moment.
Candidates will be asked questions which relate to past, present and future experience.
If candidates do not understand a question, they may ask for the question to be repeated, clarified or rephrased in the language being examined. Candidates should NOT ask the examiner to translate words or questions.
Candidates should NOT identify themselves, their teachers or their schools to the examiner.

Japanese Beginners

Oral examination

In better responses, candidates listened carefully to the questions asked and responded with relevant information. They manipulated language effectively in response to a range of questions. Candidates were willing to maintain the conversation and answered questions in depth, using a wide vocabulary and a range of advanced sentence structures, without relying on prepared answers. They also spoke clearly and audibly.

In weaker responses, common errors included the incorrect use of kara with nouns and na adjectives, the past tense, time periods and frequency, counters and dates. Question words such as dare, itsu and doushite/naze, and vocabulary items and expressions such as hima na toki and shuumatsu, were problematic. Some candidates often did not complete sentences.

Written examination

Section I – Listening

General comments

Candidates are reminded to read each question carefully and respond by providing relevant details from the text. However, they should not simply translate what is in the text. Some questions require candidates to give an opinion or judgement.

Candidates are advised to make notes in the margin provided so they can go back to complete unfinished answers later. Some answers were obviously unfinished. Candidates are also advised to read over their answers and check that they haven’t made a simple mistake.

Question 1

In some responses, candidates did not refer to the meeting location.

Question 2

In some responses, candidates referred to nooto as notes rather than as notebooks or exercise books. They did not understand the instruction to bring ‘their own’ drinks or confused nomimono with tabemono.

Question 3

In better responses, candidates demonstrated an understanding of the gist of the text and described the boy’s injury.

Question 6

In weaker responses, candidates did not grasp the idea that Tom was calling Rika to check if she had made the reservation. Many candidates confused the days of the week.

Question 7

In better responses, candidates explained what Akiko’s decision was, as well as how she came to that decision.

Question 9

In better responses, candidates understood that the father was not fully persuaded by Eri and they provided a satisfactory justification.

Question 10

In better responses, candidates made a judgement about Toshi’s reaction to the news and elaborated on this in their explanation.

Section II – Reading

General comments

Candidates are advised to carefully read the whole text to achieve an overall understanding of its content. Candidates should include all relevant details from the text in their response to support their opinions. Candidates should consult their dictionary for the meanings of unfamiliar vocabulary.

Question 11

In better responses, candidates identified the type of people who would be interested in this advertisement by referring to the text in detail.

In weaker responses, candidates did not include all the relevant details. Many did not know jitensha (bicycle).

Question 12

In weaker responses, candidates demonstrated only partial understanding of Tomoko’s news. Many candidates did not know the meaning of saigo.
In better responses, candidates gave details of the two comments and included a comparison of the two comments.

In weaker responses, candidates only gave some relevant information.

Question 13

In better responses, candidates identified that Toshio Yamada lived in the neighbourhood of Nakayama High School.
In better responses, candidates demonstrated a comprehensive understanding of the purpose of the letter by mentioning that it was a complaint letter to the Principal of Nakayama High School, requesting him to take action and giving details of the student’s bad behaviour.

In weaker responses, candidates did not demonstrate an understanding of the purpose of the letter, but identified some details of the student’s bad behaviour.

Question 14

In better responses, candidates demonstrated an understanding of why Minako was in France by including that she was studying French cooking and that she wanted to be a restaurant owner in the future.

In weaker responses, candidates identified only that she was attending a cooking school.

In better responses, candidates summarised why Minako was unhappy, including all relevant information about the host family, the weather and her boyfriend.

Weaker responses outlined only some points.

In better responses, candidates described the dilemma faced by Minako and why she was asking for advice, including all relevant information.

Question 15

In better responses, candidates identified that Kazumi’s parents wanted him to continue the family business. Tsuzukeru was not well known.
In better responses, candidates demonstrated a good understanding of why Kazumi liked his first job by explaining that the money was good, he sometimes met famous people and that the food at the ryokan was delicious.

In weaker responses, candidates outlined the things that Kazumi did not like about his job.

In better responses, candidates demonstrated a good understanding of the reasons why Kazumi prefers his new job by including comparisons with his first job and describing the things he likes about his new job.

In weaker responses, candidates only described some of the things he likes about his new job.

Section III – Writing in Japanese

Part A

General comments

Candidates are advised to focus on the correct use of particles and the linking forms of adjectives and verbs. They are reminded to keep dictionary use to a minimum as vocabulary and expressions from the dictionary are often not appropriate for the context. Candidates are encouraged to write in the space provided. It is not necessary to write beyond the 100- and 150-ji limit. Marks are not awarded for including sections of the reading texts in written responses.

Question 16

In better responses, candidates wrote an appropriate response to the invitation that included highly relevant ideas and a range of vocabulary, prescribed kanji and language structures.

In weaker responses, candidates asked questions about the concert using simple structures such as nanji desu ka, ikura desu ka and doko desu ka. In some responses, candidates attempted to use previously learned details that were irrelevant to the task. Some candidates did not realise that ikanai? is an invitation.

Common vocabulary and grammatical errors included:

incorrect particle used with iku (go)
spelling of isshoni
gome ne/gome nasai instead of gomen ne/gomen nasai
inconsistent use of register
incorrect grammatical forms before kara, koto ga dekimasu.

Question 17

In better responses, candidates structured and sequenced relevant ideas. They incorporated a range of vocabulary and prescribed kanji and manipulated language structures with a high level of accuracy. The conventions of the email text type were well observed.

In weaker responses, candidates listed details that were either irrelevant or had limited relevance to the task. They talked about friends, their Japanese host family or classmates in general. Some candidates demonstrated a limited ability to structure and sequence their ideas and experienced difficulty in the application of vocabulary, prescribed kanji, and language structures.

Common vocabulary, kanji and grammatical errors included:

incorrect particle used with aimasu
incorrect grammatical forms before to omoimasu, kara, tari tari
incorrect linking forms of adjectives and verbs
incorrect kanji use – hairu for hito, umi for mai
use of inappropriate register – polite form should have been used for the teacher.

Part B

Question 18

General comments

Candidates are reminded to read the question carefully and use the relevant text type. They are encouraged to limit their use of the dictionary as vocabulary and expressions taken from the dictionary are often inappropriate for the context. Candidates are reminded that their responses must be their original work and not borrowed from other sections of the examination. Candidates are encouraged to be creative and imaginative with the content of their responses. Candidates are reminded to read the question in both English and Japanese. This will avoid common mistakes like the misuse of senshuu in kanji. All candidates are encouraged to know the correct usage of genkooyooshi. Candidates are reminded to limit their use of furigana as it is distracting and time wasting. They are also reminded that they must indicate in the space at the top of the examination paper the question they attempt: either (a) or (b).

In better responses, candidates used appropriate greetings, endings and tenses for the letter text type. Their responses included a wide vocabulary and a range of advanced sentence structures. Better responses moved quickly from a short greeting and mention of weather to answering the question.

In weaker responses, candidates’ ideas were not relevant to the task and demonstrated a lack of vocabulary and knowledge of sentence structures. Candidates are reminded not to use a time greeting such as ohayou gozaimasu at the beginning of a letter. Some candidates failed to understand the use of anata in the question and used it to refer to themselves. Some used tense and the desu/masu forms inconsistently. Common errors included the spelling of konnichiwa, the conjugation of verbs into the plain past form and the use of masu with tari tari. Watashi was often poorly written in kanji.

In weaker responses, candidates wrote about an excursion in Australia and struggled with the use of particles, in particular ni with norimasu, and often mixed up kurasu with jugyou.
In weaker responses, ideas were often repetitive. Common mistakes included the misuse of otanjoobi to refer to their own birthday and paatii being poorly written in katakana.

Japanese Continuers

Oral examination

General comments

Candidates are encouraged to listen carefully to the questions being asked and to respond to them with relevant information. They should be able to respond to questions from a range of perspectives. Candidates should also be prepared to respond to questions in the past, present and future tenses, and to give their opinion.

In better responses, candidates used a wide vocabulary, a range of advanced sentence structures and presented more complex ideas that were not repetitive. They manipulated language and did not give prepared responses nor simply rephrase or repeat the grammatical structures used by the examiner in the questions.

In weaker responses, candidates did not complete sentences and/or used a mixture of plain and polite forms in their answers. Candidates are reminded that the plain form is not an appropriate register in this context. Candidates should ensure they use aizuchi instead of 'um' or 'oh', but they should be careful not to overuse eeto in their responses. Candidates cannot ask the examiner for the meaning of vocabulary items. Attention must be paid to the accuracy of grammar, tense and particles in particular. The use of English or anglicised words is to be avoided.

Common errors included:

incorrect formation of te and tari forms
incorrect use of plain form before to omoimasu and kara
incorrect use of koto and mono
incorrect use of i and na adjectives, joining i adjectives with to instead of kute
confusing eiga/eigo, tsukuru/tsukau, chuugoku/chuugaku
poor pronunciation of gairaigo
confusing imasu/arimasu
understanding and use of compound verbs; for example, benkyou shitsuzukemasu ka.

Section I – Listening and Responding

General comments

All candidates should be familiar with basic vocabulary related to family members, numbers, times, quantities, numbers of people, prices and so on, as misunderstanding these can greatly affect meaning.

Candidates are reminded that they are required to include only relevant details in their answers. Repetition should be avoided. Answers should not simply be a translation of the spoken text.

Candidates are reminded that they must transfer all relevant information from the Candidate’s Notes column to their answer. Marks cannot be awarded for information that is written in this column but not included in the answer. Candidates should review their answers and fill in any blanks they have left.

Question 1

In better responses, candidates included all details. Some candidates did not recognise the word oshoogatsu.

Question 2

Candidates are reminded to listen to the whole text of a multiple choice question before deciding upon an answer.

Question 3

Most candidates identified the change in attitude towards the teacher. Some candidates gave accurate detail from the text but failed to identify the change in attitude. Better responses included information about the hospitalisation of the student.

Question 4

In better responses, candidates linked washi and fude to the shodo club. Most candidates recognised the level but some could not identify at what time the club would take place. Most candidates responded in Japanese as instructed, however some included irrelevant information, which indicated a lack of understanding of the purpose of the form.

Question 5

In better responses, candidates recognised that it was the homeless who were being discussed rather than home lessons/homestay/home room. Those candidates also identified that Naomi was upset due to a sense of pressure from the teacher and was reluctant to hand over money from her earnings.

In weaker responses, candidates could identify the word for part-time job but were unable to place it in the correct context.

Question 6

In better responses, candidates accurately explained the concept of the virtual closet – people could upload a photo and use it to try on various clothes. They also explained that people could sell their old clothes in order to get money to buy new ones at this online shop.

In weaker responses, candidates recognised that it was an online shop, but failed to explain why this shop would be appealing; for example, that it is convenient/good for busy people as it is open 24 hours. Some candidates recognised the word for recycling, but made an incorrect assumption that the clothes for sale at the shop were made from recycled material.

Question 7

In better responses, candidates gave an assessment of Mami’s character based on detailed points of evidence. They explained that Mami was willing to lend her brother money, but that she was going to charge him interest on it. They also included information about her brother losing his things and mentioned that he needed the electronic dictionary for his exam the next day. Candidates are reminded of the importance of supporting evidence in this type of question.

In weaker responses, candidates made a statement about Mami’s character but did not back it up with evidence from the text. Many also assumed it was Mami doing the English exam rather than her brother. Candidates are reminded that the information they give in their responses must be relevant to the text.

Question 8

In better responses, candidates identified the reasons for the success of Masaru Yamashita’s company. They mentioned that Masaru Yamashita had held on to his dream despite opposition and that the company had expanded to now make lamps using the wagasa designs, as well as the other points about listening to customer opinions, employing creative and experienced people and constantly improving his products.

Most candidates recognised that Yamashita hired creative/experienced people and listened to customer opinions.

In weaker responses, candidates recognised single words such as creative, but did not place them in the correct context.

Section II – Reading and Responding

Part A

Question 9

Most candidates answered that Yuma Arashi is a member of the band BB8 but, in better responses, they identified the fact that he is the most popular member of the band. A variety of incorrect translations were given for ichiban ninki ga arimasu.
Most candidates summarised using the dot points appropriately. Many candidates failed to include the fact that one of the reasons for the campaign was to promote the eating of locally grown/produced goods. In weaker responses, candidates missed the fact that one of the reasons for the campaign is to improve agriculture (farming) by encouraging people to eat locally grown vegetables. They misunderstood noogyoo mo yoku naru, as ‘getting better at agriculture’ or ‘eating more agriculture’ rather than ‘improve’ it. Many candidates incorrectly included ‘healthy eating’ as a purpose of the campaign – this was more a by-product of the campaign rather than one of its purposes.
In better responses, candidates demonstrated the effect of the campaign on Arashi by including the fact that he received lots of fan mail. They also included that, despite being busy, he had made a commitment to spend more mealtimes with his family, becoming closer to them as a result. He also felt better physically due to eating more healthy food.

Many candidates translated the text directly, but did not address the effect the campaign had on Yuma Arashi himself.

Question 10

In better responses, candidates identified the Japanese Government’s hope of accepting 300 000 international students into universities.

Many candidates did not understand the kanji for man, thus stating the incorrect the number of students.

In better responses, candidates detailed the ways in which Mark has benefited from his experience, both in Japan and for his future.

In weaker responses, candidates did not understand that Mark had already found a job in Sydney, translating it as he is looking forward to finding work or leaving it out altogether.

Many candidates also had difficulty understanding some words in the context of this passage, such as kankei (related) or translating takai as tall instead of expensive.

In better responses, candidates assessed Mai as unsuitable because of her inability to adapt to a new culture and her lack of perseverance, and supported this assessment with examples from the text.

In weaker responses, candidates misunderstood sapooto, translating it as ‘sports’. Some candidates misunderstood the context, stating that Mai would benefit from joining the program as it would be better than her current experience.

In the best responses, candidates demonstrated an understanding of the Government’s initiative and made a judgement that the success varied, citing examples of the benefits and issues, as mentioned in the text by Mr Kuroda.

Candidates are reminded to read questions, headings and opening paragraphs carefully. Some candidates compared and contrasted the experiences of Mark and Mai rather than evaluating the success of the initiative.

In weaker responses, candidates stated the initiative was a success or a failure rather than demonstrating understanding of the benefits and issues. Some candidates confused kaisha with shakai, translating it as ‘society’.

Part B

Question 11

In better responses, candidates wrote creatively and used a variety of sentence structures with a high level of accuracy. They responded to each teacher’s comment by apologising or giving logical and convincing explanations. Better responses also expressed appreciation to the principal for his/her concern and included phrases such as, shiyou to omotte imasu, nazenara ~ kara desu, tetsudatte agemasu, ta hou ga ii to omoimasu. They were consistent in their use of the masu/desu form throughout the task.

In weaker responses, candidates did not understand the issues stated in the school report and failed to produce relevant comments and ideas in their response. They tended to copy directly from the text without giving any explanation or apologising or defending themselves. They also tended to use simple sentence structures and lacked accuracy.

Common errors included:

past tense of i and na adjectives
inconsistent use of tense and register
incorrect use of agemasu, kuremasu, moraimasu
incorrect order of clauses that include the word kara to provide reason
choto or chouto instead of chotto
isshouni or ishoni instead of isshoni
incorrect use of particles
incorrect grammatical forms before nakereba narimasen, to omoimasu, kara
addressing the principal incorrectly as kouchou san
confusion between motto, mou and mada
confusion between yasui, yasai and yasashii
juugyou instead of jugyou.

Section III – Writing in Japanese

General comments

Candidates should read the requirements of the task carefully and plan their responses so that they are within the specified word limit for each question. They should ascertain the context; that is, whose point of view they are writing from, where they are located, who the audience is and the appropriate point in time (past, present, future). Candidates are reminded to record the question number accurately on their question booklet and use the genkouyoushi properly. Candidates should focus their response on the main purpose of the task and not waste too much of their available word length on an introduction or irrelevant information. As many of the prescribed kanji as possible should be used. Candidates are advised to avoid relying on their dictionaries as lexical items are often used in the wrong context.

Question 12

In better responses, candidates demonstrated knowledge of diary entry text type by including the day, date and weather, and they wrote consistently in plain past form.

In weaker responses, candidates did not take into consideration that the embarrassing experience happened in Japan, so their ideas were not as relevant.

Common errors included:

spelling of hosuto famirii
writing ‘Dear Diary’ and signing their name at the end
incorrect form of adjective before naru.

Question 13

In better responses, candidates stated their opinion about the host sister taking part in the reality television show and provided relevant advice.

In weaker responses, candidates gave comments instead of an opinion and advice.

In better responses, candidates identified issues in the workplace and suggested improvements that they supported with reasons and/or examples, using persuasive language.

In weaker responses, candidates only identified problems or made suggestions without using persuasive language. Some candidates used inappropriate register or expressions for writing an email to a manager and some inadvertently gave a condescending tone by stating watashi no iken o itte agemasu.

Common errors in both options included:

incorrect form of adjective before naru and to omoimasu
incorrect use of transitive and intransitive verbs, fuyasu/fueru, nokosu/nokoru
incorrect form of adjectives in the past tense
spelling mistakes, particularly with voiced sounds (tenten), long vowels, double consonants and katakana
incorrect particles before aimasu.

Japanese Extension

Oral examination

Candidates are reminded to read the question in both the Japanese and English to ensure full comprehension.

In better responses, candidates presented and developed a logical and well-structured argument, supported by a range of relevant ideas and information, and demonstrated a sophisticated vocabulary and range of grammatical structures.

Question 1

In better responses, candidates discussed different ways social media is used. They supported their argument convincingly and some candidates used jikan no muda as a key phrase to reinforce their point of view. They demonstrated excellent vocabulary and range of grammatical structures, and communicated their argument confidently with a high level of fluency and authentic intonation.

In weaker responses, candidates focused their main argument on how social media is used and did not provide in-depth relevant information or supporting ideas. Many candidates did not pronounce the word soosharu nettowaakingu clearly. In some responses, candidates stated a point of view in their introduction, but had changed their point of view by the conclusion.

Question 2

In better responses, candidates stated their point of view and provided convincing and relevant supporting ideas and information. Many candidates discussed family lifestyle, relationships with friends and technology in their arguments. In some responses, candidates extended their ideas, made comparisons to previous lifestyles and used the key word jibun de to reinforce their argument.

In weaker responses, candidates focused their argument on the types of problems young people face today. Many candidates did not pronounce the word kaiketsu suru clearly and did not successfully incorporate the phrase jibun de into their argument. They displayed a limited vocabulary and knowledge of grammatical structures, and used anglicised words to support their ideas.

Written examination

Section I – Response to Prescribed Text

Part A

Question 1

General comments

In better responses, candidates wrote succinctly in the space provided and addressed the question. They included supplementary examples, but not irrelevant material, and demonstrated excellent knowledge of the extract printed in the examination paper, the whole extract prescribed for study and of the film overall.

Most candidates gave the required two primary reasons for Sen’s visit to Zeniba.

In better responses, candidates identified that slapstick humour was used through the secondary characters of Boh-mouse, Yu-bird and Kaonashi, and gave detailed examples of their antics. They then expanded on this to say that it was used to alleviate the tension/seriousness of Zeniba and Sen’s discussion about serious topics, such as the fate of Sen’s parents and the possibility of Haku dying.

In weaker responses, candidates interpreted humour in this extract as Zeniba laughing. They quoted ‘ha ha ha’ (line 14) as a supporting example of humour.

In better responses, candidates identified relevant language features used in the extract and explained their effect.

In weaker responses, candidates used language examples to illustrate Sen’s and Zeniba’s personality or their relationship.

In better responses, candidates explored one prescribed issue in detail and identified Miyazaki’s concern for Japanese society. They explored the prescribed issue fully by giving strong examples of its sub-issues raised through the characters of Yubaba and Zeniba. They then linked each example back to Miyazaki’s underlying concern.

In weaker responses, candidates identified certain scenes or retold the story in the film. They did not make reference to Miyazaki’s concern for Japanese society.

Part B

Question 2

General comments

Candidates are strongly advised to consider the extract printed in the examination paper in the context of the whole of the related extract prescribed for study, before they start writing their response. Candidates are advised to avoid relying on their dictionaries as lexical items are often used in the wrong context.

In better responses, candidates wrote an article about Sen as the ‘Employee of the Month’, describing her great contribution to the bathhouse by restoring the stink god to his original state as a river god, thereby bringing profit to the bathhouse.

Some candidates wrote about Rin or Kamaji as the ‘Employee of the Month’. Among these, the better responses described how the chosen character’s assistance helped Sen accomplish the restoration of the river god.

In weaker responses, candidates wrote about their chosen character as the ‘Employee of the Month’ and attempted to describe their contribution to the bathhouse. However, they did not explicitly link this to the extract in the examination paper.

Common errors included:

incorrect use of te kureru/te ageru
incorrect use of passive form and causative (not prescribed in syllabus but attempted by many candidates) form
incorrect use of te form.

Section II – Writing in Japanese

General comments

Candidates are advised to use the text type required by the question and to use effective paragraphing. The kanji in the Continuers syllabus may also be used in Extension writing.

In order to present sophisticated, coherent arguments providing depth and breadth, candidates must carefully consider the requirements of the task. In better responses, the question was analysed perceptively and the arguments given were logically developed and relevant. Candidates should be aware that if they either totally agree or disagree with the statement in the question, this stance may limit the arguments they can provide.

Question 3

In better responses, candidates began the script of their speech with a clear definition of ‘rules’ and their stance on the topic. In each paragraph, they justified their position and supported their argument with relevant examples.

In weaker responses, candidates defined ‘rules’ incorrectly or in a very narrow way and did not support their point of view with relevant examples.

Question 4

In better responses, candidates developed their argument in reference to both ‘traditions’ and ‘young people’s lives’. Their point of view was clearly reasoned and supported with relevant examples.

In weaker responses, many candidates stated that young people are not interested in traditional things. Some stated that younger people’s indifference to traditions is a result of technology, were unable to explain how technology stops young people from valuing traditions.

Some candidates stated that traditions are important for developing personal identity. However, very few candidates successfully explained why this is so.