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Home > German > Beginners Course > How to approach the exam > The Written Examination > Section I: Listening

How to approach the Written Examination

Section I: Listening

1. Examination specifications
2. Preparing for the Listening Section
3. During the examination
4. The Board of Studies website

1. Examination specifications

The current German Beginners syllabus was examined for the first time in 2008.

The Written Examination is held in the HSC Examination period each year in Term 4. The Board of Studies publishes an Examination Timetable in Term 2 each year listing details of written examination dates and times. The website is included at the end of this advice.

The first section of the Written Examination is Section I: Listening. It is designed to assess your knowledge and skills in responding to spoken texts. It relates to Objective 2 – Understanding Texts, and the following outcomes, where you:

2.1 understand and interpret information in texts using a range of strategies
2.2 convey the gist of and identify specific information in texts
2.3 summarise the main points of a text
2.4 draw conclusions from or justify an opinion about a text
2.5 identify the purpose, context and audience of a text

Section I: Listening will take approximately 40 minutes and is worth 30 marks.

You will hear 9‑12 texts in German. These texts will be related to the topic areas prescribed in the syllabus (see below) and will be of varying length.

There will be a range of question types, such as open-ended questions, multiple-choice items or completion of a table, list or form. Questions will be given in English and you will be required to answer in English. The mark allocation for each question will be given on the examination paper.

There will be ten minutes reading time before the Written Examination. Reading time is for reading, and NO writing or highlighting may be undertaken during reading time. The presiding officer will advise you when you may start writing.

You may use monolingual and/or bilingual print dictionaries during the Written Examination, including Section I: Listening. You may consult your dictionaries during the reading time and during the examination.

You will hear each text twice, with a pause between the two readings. You may make notes at any time and will be given sufficient time at the end of the second reading to complete your response. This time may vary, depending on the length of the response required. When Section I: Listening has concluded, you may review and amend your answers in your own time, moving on to the rest of the Written Examination (Section II: Reading and Section III: Writing in German) when you are ready to do so.

You may return to Section I: Listening to review and amend your answers at any time during the Written Examination. Section I: Listening is handed in at the end of the Written Examination, with the rest of the paper.

2. Preparing for the Listening Section

The six prescribed syllabus topics are studied from two perspectives. These are:

• the personal world
• the German-speaking communities.

The six prescribed topics are:

• Family life, home and neighbourhood
• People, places and communities
• Education and work
• Friends, recreation and pastimes
• Holidays, travel and tourism
• Future plans and aspirations.

In order to be well-prepared for Section I: Listening, you should familiarise yourself with a wide range of vocabulary relevant to the syllabus topics. A sound vocabulary base is the key to success, enabling you to establish a context, gain a good global understanding of each item, infer information and identify the main points and specific information.

A good knowledge of vocabulary will also allow you to make linguistic connections. For example, if you know the verb segeln (to sail), it is possible to deduce the meaning of the word Segelboot (sailing boat). If you know that die Farbe is “the colour”, you can deduce the meaning of a whole range of words, e.g. färben (to dye), farbenblind (colour blind), farblos (colourless) etc.

There is no substitute for developing a sound vocabulary base and learning to recognise as many key words as possible. The dictionary is a very useful tool if there is a key word you do not know, or whose meaning you cannot infer from the context. In this instance, you should jot down the key word in German for checking later. However, you should not be tempted to rely on the dictionary for too many common words. You will not have the time during the examination to look up a significant number of words.

In preparing for Section I: Listening you should listen to as much German as possible and practise answering questions which are appropriate to the German Beginners course. Some of the resources available include:

• past HSC German Beginners examination papers and CDs/cassettes (However, note that there has been a change in the syllabus, and past HSC papers are quite different from the current HSC examination format). Past papers can be accessed at http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/hsc_exams/ . You should try to complete all the past Beginners HSC exam papers since 2000 (or 2 Unit Z prior to 2000). Your school may be able to provide you with the appropriate cassettes or CDs.
  
  
• cassettes, CDs and CD-ROMs accompanying course books
  
  
• materials produced by the Centre for Learning Innovation through TaLe (ask your teacher for help in accessing these). These resources include:
  • Schon gehört?
  • Ins Gespräch kommen
    
    
• commercial listening packs
  
  
• selected language-learning cassettes, CDs and videos available to schools through the Goethe-Institut in Sydney
  
  
• cassettes and CDs accompanying commercial magazines, e.g. Schuss.

Other sources of a more general nature can provide further opportunities for you to hear spoken German. These include SBS radio and television in many areas of NSW. You will find information at http://www.sbs.com.au/schedule/radio

However, subtitled programs such as films and documentaries may be of greater benefit to you as a student of German Beginners than, for example, news programs.

If you have completed all the past Beginners (or 2 Unit Z) HSC exam papers and wish to challenge yourself further, you could attempt some past 2 Unit General papers. (Note: examination papers for the 2 Unit Z and 2 Unit General courses were published until 1999. While these papers provide good practice and deal with similar topics, students should be aware that they were written for different syllabuses and they will not reflect the format of the new Beginners examination.)

Another valuable resource is the Notes from the Marking Centre. These are available for all HSC examination papers published since 1995 and provide advice for students given by Supervisors of Marking and HSC markers. For links to the Notes, past examination papers, HSC syllabuses and specimen papers, visit the website of the NSW Office of the Board of Studies listed at the end of this advice.

3. During the examination

At the commencement of Section I: Listening, a passage will be read to familiarise you with the speakers’ voices.

The questions in English will be read before each item begins. During this reading you should focus on the key word(s) in the question(s). For example, are you being asked when an event happened or where? You may find it helpful to underline or highlight these key word(s) to avoid misreading the question.

You should be familiar with your own style of answering. Some students prefer to concentrate during the first reading, without writing anything down. Others prefer to jot down relevant points in the Candidate's Notes column as soon as the first reading begins. You should know which strategy is best for you and keep to your own approach.

During the first reading, you should listen for key words that will help you identify the gist of the text and begin to formulate your response. Do not panic if you do not understand everything. Remember that unfamiliar vocabulary may be provided in English in the question, or may not even be required in your answer. You can often gain a good understanding of the item, without knowing every word.

During the second reading, listen for any details you may have missed and complete your answer. If you have concentrated on the spoken text, you should be able to replay in your mind some of the key words.

Remember that answers in note form are acceptable, as long as the meaning is completely clear and unambiguous.

If you have not understood a key word, write it down in the Candidate’s Notes column in German. Looking at the word may help you to recognise it, even if your spelling is incorrect.

Some answers will require more information than others and the number of marks allocated to each question is a guide to the depth of the answer required. It is common practice for questions to be placed on the examination paper in order of increasing mark value and difficulty, with those questions worth fewer marks at the beginning of the examination, and those worth more marks towards the end.

The number of lines printed on the paper will also indicate the length and depth of the response required. It should be noted, however, that these lines are a guide only, and you should write beyond the lines if the space provided is insufficient for your needs.

You are advised to use your time wisely. If you have time between items, you should quickly review a previous answer or answers. Check to see if your response has been clearly expressed, or if your English expression is ambiguous. Remember your answer will be assessed as it has been written. Ensure that you have transferred all relevant information from the Candidate's Notes to the answer space on the printed lines. If you do not have enough time to do this, circle the information you wish to include and draw an arrow to link it to the printed lines.

If you decide to change an answer, especially a number or spelling item, do not over-write the original answer. Delete the original and write the correct information above or beside it so that your response is legible.

Pay careful attention to providing all relevant detail and information. This may be required for a complete response, e.g. a question worth three marks may not always be fully answered by three points of information, as marks are awarded for the quality of a response. You need to provide a fully supported response to ensure the quality is worthy of full marks.

Do not panic if you miss hearing the information required for an answer or part of an answer. If you really have no idea, you should make an intelligent guess based on the understanding you have derived from the passage as a whole. There is a chance you may be right. If you leave your answer blank, you cannot be awarded any marks.

You should maintain your concentration and treat each question as a new beginning. If you have found one particular question difficult, it is likely that other students may have found it challenging too. Put it behind you and focus on the next question as soon as it is announced.

Never give alternatives in your answer. The examiner cannot decide on your behalf which of two or more alternatives is the correct answer. For example, “My father was a butcher/ baker” (from the text Mein Vater war Metzger).

If you are asked to give a time, e.g. Der Zug kommt um sechzehn Uhr zwanzig in Hamburg an, you may leave it in 24 hour time. If you do decide to convert it, clarify your answer by adding a.m. or p.m. (and also check that your mathematical calculation is correct).

In some questions you may be asked to form a conclusion or give an opinion, supporting your answer with evidence from the text. Always remember to base your answer firmly in the facts you have heard. You should link your response back to specific information, so that you can support your answer and relate your response, or any conclusions you have drawn, to the text itself.