ss2009 Assessment Report 2009 Written component GENERAL COMMENTS
Most students performed well on the 2009 Chinese First Language written examination, and answered the questions within the time allowed. Many students showed significant improvement in Section 1 – Listening and responding. They were able to identify the required points and use them appropriately to complete the required tasks. However, many students found the section challenging and were not able to take down all the required information and answer the questions correctly, especially Questions 1c. and 1d. The text contained information about Chinese culture and required students to listen carefully. Some students did not complete all the questions and others made many mistakes with the Chinese characters. In the Listening and responding section, students need to read the questions carefully, respond appropriately to the task and takes notes during the playing of the text. It is important for students to improve their note-taking skills by practising frequently. It was evident that students found Section 2 – Reading and responding challenging also. Students should avoid simply copying sections of the text into their responses, which tends to be particularly noticeable in responses from lowerachieving students. Students who merely reproduce long excerpts of the text cannot score well because they are not providing evidence of synthesis, which is the requirement of the task. Reading and analysing the task carefully is the key to gaining high marks for this section. Students are reminded that the synthesis task requires students to blend points and produce the text type required by the task. Although three imaginative tasks were provided in Section 3 – Writing in Chinese, many students chose to do one of the evaluative tasks. Students who chose an evaluative task demonstrated a good understanding of the text type and kind of writing required, but some of the students failed to come up with strong...