French Beginners 2008 HSC Specimen Examination Resources
© Copyright 2007, Board of Studies NSW (2007252)
Introduction
This package contains:
- 2008 HSC Specimen Examination Paper
- PDF (20 pages, 136 KB)
- Published 14 May 2007
- Performance Bands
- These performance band descriptions have been modified to reflect the changes in the revised syllabus
- Published 14 May 2007
- Specimen paper Oral Marking Guidelines
- The marking guidelines for the oral examination
- Published 14 May 2007
- 2008 HSC Specimen Examination Mapping Grid
- PDF (1 pages, 64 KB)
- Shows how each question in the examination relates to the syllabus outcomes and content, and to the performance bands
- Published 14 May 2007
- 2008 HSC Specimen Paper Marking Guidelines
- PDF (5 pages, 320 KB)
- for questions in Sections I, II and III
- Published 14 May 2007
- 2008 HSC Specimen Paper (Section I - Listening) Transcript
- PDF (6 pages, 56 KB)
- Published 14 May 2007
- Complete 2008 Specimen HSC Examination Resources package
- PDF (38 pages, 750 KB)
- Published 14 May 2007
The HSC examination in French Beginners consists of a written paper worth 80 marks and an oral examination worth 20 marks. The oral examination is a general conversation between the candidate and an examiner, in which they discuss the candidate's personal world as it relates to the prescribed topics in the syllabus. The marking guidelines for the oral examination are also published on the Board's website at http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/syllabus_hsc/.
This specimen paper has been produced in accordance with the Board's Principles for Setting HSC Examinations in a Standards-Referenced Framework, published in Board Bulletin Volume 8 Number 9 (Nov/Dec 1999), which is available on the Board's website at http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/bulletins/index.html. Questions are closely related to the outcomes of the course, and the papers as a whole are structured to allow for appropriate differentiation of student performance at all levels on the performance scale.
The paper has been designed so that students have a clear understanding of what they are required to do in each question, and in working through the paper. Where key words such as ‘discuss’, ‘analyse’, and ‘explain’, appear in questions, they have been used consistently in accordance with the Board's Glossary of Key Words (available on the Board's website at http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/syllabus_hsc/glossary_keywords.html).
This specimen paper is one example of the type of examination that could be prepared within the examination specifications in the revised French Beginners syllabus. Examinations will be based on the syllabus, and will test a representative sample of syllabus outcomes. Therefore, the range and balance of outcomes tested in HSC examinations in 2008 and subsequent years may differ from those addressed in the specimen paper. In subsequent examinations, the style and structure of the questions may differ from those in this specimen paper. As a suite, the specimen papers for all the Beginners courses indicate a range of possible variations in terms of structure and question style.
The mapping grid is an important feature of the development of the examination. It aids in ensuring that the examination as a whole samples a range of content and outcomes, and allows the full range of students the opportunity to demonstrate their level of achievement.
Marking guidelines are developed at the same time as the examination questions, and show the criteria to be applied to the responses to questions, together with the marks to be awarded in line with the quality of the responses. Where appropriate, a sample answer is provided. The sample answer is one example of the type of response that would be sufficient to gain full marks, and is included as an indication of the scope and depth required. For extended-response questions, performance is described at a number of levels of performance, each covering a range of marks. Marking guidelines may require some refinement at the marking centre to take account of unanticipated responses that students may present. In many cases, the standard described at each mark range will be made clear during pilot-marking by the selection of sample scripts.
There are a number of points to note in considering the French Beginners specimen paper:
- The French Beginners specimen paper is one of eight Beginners specimen papers. The syllabuses share a common structure, and the examination specifications are essentially the same for all eight syllabuses. The specimen examinations were developed together as a suite, so that some identical or similar items appear in a number of the specimen papers. This will not be the case for the HSC examinations. A number of the items in the papers have been sourced from recent Beginners HSC examinations, which reflects the similarities between the revised courses and the courses they replaced.
- The format of the specimen paper follows the new examination specifications. The examination specifications allow variation in a number of aspects of the examination, such as the number of listening texts in Section I and the word limits for the two writing tasks in Section III. The eight Beginners specimen papers, as a suite, reflect a range of possible examinations. These aspects of HSC examination papers in 2008 and subsequent years may differ from the specimen paper.
- Rubrics indicating general criteria for judging performance for extended response questions have been placed at the beginning of Parts A and B of Section III, to indicate the criteria that will be used to assess responses to the question(s). These criteria are in addition to criteria specific to each question.
- Sample marking guidelines are included for one short-answer question from each of Section I – Listening and Section II – Reading, as well as for the three writing tasks in Section III. An indication of the range of marking guidelines for short-answer questions can be gained by considering the sample Section I and Section II marking guidelines from across the suite of Beginners specimen papers.