Further Links Contact Us Search Help

Syllabus | Exams | Websites | Resources | What next? | Dictionary

Indonesian

Home > Indonesian > Heritage Course > How to approach the exam > The Oral Examination > Heritage Course - The Oral Examination

How to approach the exam: the Oral Examination

1. Examination specification
2. Preparing for the examination
3. During the examinations
4. Related Board of Studies Websites

1. Examination specifications

The Heritage Indonesian syllabus will be examined for the first time in 2012.

The oral examination takes approximately ten minutes and is worth 25 marks.

The oral examination will explore the subject of your Personal Investigation in Indonesian. It relates to Objective 1 – Interact with others to exchange meaning in spoken Indonesian, applying knowledge and understanding of the relationships between language, culture and identity and the following outcomes, where you:

1.1	use strategies to maintain communication
1.2	exchange information and justify opinions and ideas
1.3	express personal opinions, emotions and feelings
1.4	present information and ideas appropriate to context, purpose and audience
1.5	recognise and use language appropriate to different cultural contexts
1.6	develop bilingual and bicultural identity through interacting with others.

The oral examination is held on a date in Term 3, earlier than the HSC written examinations. The Board of Studies will collect information regarding your Personal Investigation prior to the oral examination. You will be advised of the examination date, time and venue and how information will be collected before the examination. Make sure that your school and the Board of Studies have your correct contact details.

The examination will consist of an interview between you and an examiner. In the interview, you and the examiner will explore the subject of your Personal Investigation. You may be asked about your reflections on your findings and references to texts and resources you have used in your investigation.

You are not permitted to use dictionaries or refer to written notes during the oral examination.

Other useful and related documents provided by the Board of Studies are included at the end of this section.

Preparing for the examination

You should aim to establish effective communication and to maintain the flow of the interview to create the best overall impression. You should demonstrate how well you can:

• express ideas and reflect on personal experiences
• make detailed and perceptive references to texts you have studied or researched
• present and substantiate a point of view effectively and consistently
• communicate effectively and fluently with appropriate intonation and pronunciation
• demonstrate a high level of grammatical accuracy and sophistication in the use of language structures and vocabulary.

This is an examination for which you can be well prepared. You will be asked about the subject of your Personal Investigation. This is your opportunity to talk about various aspects of your investigation. You are advised to:

• familiarise yourself with potential questions regarding your Personal Investigation. For example:
  • the reason/s for your choice
  • the time taken to research
  • the type of resources used
  • your findings
  • reflections on your findings
  • how the Investigation has helped your understanding of the issue you have chosen.
    
    
• learn as much useful vocabulary and expressions related to your Personal Investigation as you can. This will enable you to discuss your Personal Investigation in depth and to answer questions in detail.
  
  
• practise responding to a wide range of sample questions from a bi-lingual and bi-cultural viewpoint.
  
  
• practise speaking with classmates, parents or siblings, with other Indonesian teachers, etc.
  
  
• record your answers and, if possible, ask your teacher for feedback. This will give you practice in recording your responses and will also help you to assess areas on which you may need to focus, e.g. pronunciation, intonation, variety of vocabulary, sentence structure etc.
  
  
• practise speaking in full sentences and extending your responses where possible. This will enable you to show a greater facility with Indonesian than if you consistently answer with simple phrases or single words.
  
  
• practise giving detailed information in your answers. You may be asked a range of questions from one, two or three different perspectives (personal, community, international) you have chosen for your investigation. It is up to you to maximise this opportunity during the ten minutes of the examination. You should remain consistent throughout the conversation, e.g. it is inadvisable to agree with something at the beginning of the exam, and then disagree at the end.
  
  
• practise speaking using formal language as you will be speaking to an examiner (i.e. do not use informal or colloquial language as it will not be the appropriate register).
  
  
• practise using idioms to make your interview sound more natural.

3. During the examination

You should:

• remain calm and speak confidently and clearly.
  
  
• avoid the temptation to rush into a response. If you need a moment to think about your answer, then take this – just as you might in a normal interview. On the other hand, long pauses would not be natural, and should be avoided. Phrases such as ‘Beri saya waktu untuk mengekspresikan ide ini dengan lebih jelas’ are good ‘fillers’ and sound natural and authentic.
  
  
• listen carefully to the question. If you have not understood, or are uncertain, then ask the examiner in Indonesian for clarification, or to repeat it, e.g.’Maaf, bisa diulangi sekali lagi’ or ’Maaf, saya kurang mengerti maksud Bapak/Ibu, tolong diulangi’.
  
  
• be aware that the questions asked may follow on from the answers you have already given. However, a number of different aspects may be covered in the exam so there may be a switch to other aspects of your Personal Investigation during the course of the interview. You should be prepared for this to happen.
  
  
• be prepared to expand your answers. This does not mean giving a prepared monologue and attempting to dominate the interview. However, you should attempt to expand your responses by making a number of relevant comments to demonstrate the range of vocabulary and structures you have at your disposal as well as to show your knowledge of the area of your Personal Investigation.
  
  
• try to treat every question as a springboard to show what you know. Avoid the temptation to restrict your response.
  
  
• be aware that this is an interview and not a conversation, with a series of questions provided for you to demonstrate your knowledge of your subject matter. It is therefore not appropriate for you to ask the examiner questions, e.g. whether he/she has knowledge of the subject of your Personal Investigation, what he/she thinks of it etc.
  
  
• remember that there is a wide range of possible questions that you could be asked. It is impossible to accurately predict the questions in this type of examination. However, if you have practised, you can be confident you will be able to handle any line of questioning that develops.
  
  
• answer as best you can, but do not worry if there is a question you cannot answer. A range of questions may be asked.
  
  
• be aware that you should not ask the examiner for assistance, other than to repeat or clarify the question.
  
  
• avoid using English words if you don't know the correct word or expression in Indonesian. You should have a range of appropriate vocabulary related to your Personal Investigation at your disposal and should keep to what you know to be correct. The examination is not a good time for experimentation.
  
  
• always remember that the examiner’s role is to facilitate the examination. The aim is to provide you with a positive experience, by giving you the opportunity to show your range of ability in spoken Indonesian.
  
  
• Keep in mind that for your response, you need to:
  • demonstrate an ability to express ideas and reflect on personal experiences
  • make detailed and perceptive references to texts studied/researched
  • demonstrate an ability to present and substantiate a point of view
  • communicate effectively and fluently
  • demonstrate control of a range of language structures and vocabulary in Indonesian.

4.Related Board of Studies Websites

At the Board of Studies website (http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/ ), you can access the following:

• Heritage Indonesian syllabus
  
  
• 2012 Heritage Indonesian Specimen Paper Marking Guidelines – Oral examination (NSW only)
  http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/syllabus_hsc/heritage-indonesian-marking-guidelines-oral.html
  
  
• HSC (Year 12) Examination Timetable
  
  
• 2012 HSC Specimen Examination Package
  
  
• Equipment Checklist for Higher School Certificate Examinations and School Certificate Tests
  
  
• Rules and Procedures for Higher School Certificate Candidates.