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How to approach the Oral Examination
Monologue
- Course prescriptions (2009-2013)
- General information
- Examination specifications
- Criteria for judging performance
- Before the examination
- During the examination
Course prescriptions
New course prescriptions for Japanese Extension for 2009–2013 were published on 26 October 2007.
The new prescribed issues for 2009–2013 are:
- The impact of change on society
- Relationships
- The search for personal identity
The new prescribed text is:
- The animation film Miyazaki, Hayao 2001, Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi (Spirited Away), Studio Ghibli, Tokyo (Released by MADMAN Entertainment Pty. Ltd, Australia)
- There are four extracts from the film set for study.
For full details of the prescribed text, go to Japanese Extension, Higher School Certificate 2009-2013, Course Prescriptions 
.
General information
The oral examinations take place in August and September each year. All languages oral examinations (except for Modern Hebrew) are held on a Saturday. A letter will be sent to the student’s home with information relating to the examination date, time and venue at least three (3) weeks before the examinations commence.
It is important to check the Higher School Certificate Languages Oral Examination Timetable on the Board of Studies website.
For full details, go to http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/events/ HSC (Year 12) Languages Oral Examination Timetable and http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/syllabus_hsc/syllabus2000_listg.html (HSC Languages Courses - Oral Examination) General Information for Teachers (Published 1 August 2008).
The oral examination relates to Objective 1 in the Japanese Extension Stage 6 Syllabus. It is designed to assess your knowledge and skills in using spoken Japanese to present and support a point of view.
| Objective | Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| The student will: 1 present and discuss opinions, ideas and points of view in Chinese |
The student: 1.1 discusses attitudes, opinions and ideas in Japanese 1.2 formulates and justifies a written or spoken argument in Japanese |
© Board of Studies July 2008, Japanese Extension Stage 6 Syllabus.
Examination specifications
The oral examination is worth 10 marks.
You will choose two questions from a choice of three questions. You are required to present two spoken monologues of approximately two minutes each, related to the prescribed issues. The new prescribed issues are listed above.
The questions will be written in both English and Japanese, for a response in Japanese.
The examination is approximately 15 minutes long, which includes 10 minutes preparation time.
Ensure that you write your Centre Number and Student Number on the examination paper, as you will be required to hand it in at the conclusion of the oral examination.
During the preparation time, you may make brief notes in the spaces provided on the examination paper. You may refer to these notes during the examination but you must not read directly from them.
The use of dictionaries is not permitted during the oral examination.
Criteria for judging performance
In your answers you will be assessed on how well you:
- present and support a point of view
- demonstrate clarity of expression (pronunciation, intonation, stress)
- demonstrate accuracy and variety of vocabulary and sentence structures.
Responses which create a positive impression demonstrate understanding of the issues and present a sophisticated, coherent argument to support a point of view. These responses will:
- remain relevant to the question at all times
- reflect a depth of understanding of the issue/s involved
- be delivered with confidence, correct pronunciation and intonation, and a high level of grammatical accuracy.
A student who has well-developed speaking skills will:
- demonstrate a degree of authenticity, formulating ideas in Japanese, rather than translating from English
- demonstrate breadth and sophistication in the use of vocabulary, expressions and sentence structures.
Note: The Board of Studies NSW has developed a Japanese Standards Package CD-ROM, which contains detailed information on the level of achievement for each performance band, including examples of student responses. Hearing and reviewing actual student responses is an excellent way to understand how the marking criteria are put into practice. This will demonstrate the standard expected. The package should be available through your school. It can be ordered through the Board of Studies’ website at: http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/multimedia/stand_packs_index.html .
Before the examination
It is important to familiarise yourself with the prescribed issues published by the Board of Studies, listed above.
Remember that the oral examination is related to the prescribed issues and NOT directly to the prescribed text. (Your knowledge of the prescribed texts will be assessed in the Written Examination, Section I: Response to prescribed text. It is therefore unnecessary to refer to the prescribed text in the oral examination.) The prescribed text set for 2009-2013 is listed above.
The issues which have been set for study are broad and can be explored from a number of different perspectives (which are not prescribed), allowing you a degree of flexibility in the sub-topics you wish to pursue. While the prescribed issues are mandatory, the dash points listed in the Japanese Extension Higher School Certificate 2009–2013 Course Prescriptions document are not. They are suggestions only and are included to give a sense of the scope of the prescribed issues.
Reading widely in English on the issues will introduce you to a range of material to help you build a bank of ideas. You can then come up with appropriate vocabulary and expressions in Japanese, which are likely to have application across a number of sub-topics.
Consider, for example, the issue The impact of change on society. You might read articles and come up with related sub-topics such as:
- consumerism*
- the environment*
- loss of traditional lifestyles and values*
- globalisation*
- technology
* Sub-topics suggested by the BOS. These are examples only and are not mandatory or exhaustive.
In collecting a range of vocabulary and expressions, you may find examples which are common to a number of sub-topics and may be adapted and included in a range of responses:
Note: The following are examples only.
| General | I think | Plain form + と思います。 |
|---|---|---|
| Suggestions | It would be better if… have to, must I think they should… must not I don’t think they should. may I think it’s OK to… A is more… than B I think A is more … than B |
～た方がいいと思います。 ～なければなりません。 ～なければならないと思います。 ～てはいけません。 ～てはいけないと思います。 ～てもいいです。 ～てもいいと思います。 BよりAの方がADJです。 BよりAの方がADJ(だ)と思います。 |
| Expressing agreement | I agree with… I think it’s good that… I think it’s right that… I think it’s important that… I think it’s useful to… |
～こと/のに さんせいです。 ～こと/のは いいことだと思います。 ～こと/のは 正しいと思います。 ～こと/のは 大切(せつ)/大事だと思います。 ～こと/のは やくにたつと思います。 |
| Expressing disagreement | I disagree with… I think it’s not good that… I think it’s a pity that… I think it’s sad that… I think it’s useless/a waste that… I think it’s dangerous that… I think … is unreasonable to expect I think … is a problem |
～こと/のに はんたいです。 ～こと/のは、よくないと思います。 ～こと/のは、ざんねんだと思います。 ～こと/のは、かなしいと思います。 ～こと/のは、むだだと思います。 ～こと/のは、きけんだと思います。 ～こと/のは、むりだと思います。 ～こと/のは、もんだいだと思います。 |
When considering your response you should remember that it is not the particular viewpoint you take which is important, but rather your ability to build a relevant and well-balanced argument and support it logically and coherently.
You should begin with an introduction and, after providing a well-supported argument, draw your monologue to a close with a logical conclusion. You should aim to address the topic in general terms and avoid over-dependence on personal anecdotes or lists of items. If you provide an introduction, followed by three or four main ideas, developed with supporting evidence, and finally a conclusion, you should be able to speak for approximately two minutes, as specified by the syllabus.
Remember it is important to support the point of view you present in your response. The following advice may be helpful:
- Read widely (in both English and Japanese using available Japanese resources), keep your own bank of useful vocabulary and expressions, and practise regularly to develop your ideas.
- Be familiar with a few expressions which help you link your arguments and give your monologue structure. These need not be long or complex, but will help your response to flow logically.
- Learn a variety of ways of expressing an opinion and avoid obvious repetition of the same structures. Remember, it is the quality of your argument which is the most important factor, and over-reliance on rote-learned phrases which are not particularly relevant should be avoided.
- Look at past HSC papers in Japanese and other languages as the generic nature of the Extension syllabus means there is some crossover between the languages that have Extension courses.
- Practise monologues and record your responses at home so that you are used to giving your opinion. If possible, practise monologues with other students, to assist in the development of ideas and viewpoints.
- Expose yourself to as much Japanese as possible. Access the various forms of media available which relate to the prescribed issues, bearing in mind that some of these resources may be aimed at background speakers of Japanese. However, they may assist you in gathering information and opinions to support your point(s) of view. Some sources may include:
- HSC Online
- Newspaper and magazine articles in ENGLISH related to the prescribed issues and sub-topics (for gathering ideas)
- Articles in Japanese in newspapers and journals written for second language learners of Japanese
- DET Japanese Extension course support CD-ROM (available through your teacher)
- Websites on Spirited Away for background/additional information for the prescribed text (do a Google search)
- Other sources of a more general nature can provide further opportunities for you to hear spoken Japanese. These include SBS radio and television in many areas of NSW. You will find information at http://radio.sbs.com.au/index.php?page=df
Wide reading in Japanese is recommended to establish the habit of thinking in Japanese. Your teacher could possibly suggest some other resources available to you.
During the examination
Remember to relax. If you take a moment to think and plan your approach, without rushing to provide a response, you will be able to adapt what you know to answer a range of questions.
As you will have 10 minutes preparation time, allocate your time wisely, making sure you leave adequate time to prepare both questions.
In deciding which questions to answer, you should choose those which allow you to use different arguments, vocabulary and structures. It is important to avoid repeating your arguments and ideas across the two monologues. Your two responses should stand alone and be different.
You are allowed to make brief notes as memory prompts in the spaces provided on the examination paper. You may choose to do this in a variety of ways. For example:
- numbering the points in the order in which you will make them
- drawing columns for different parts of your argument (i.e. introduction, main points, conclusion, etc.)
- using different coloured inks to indicate the different ideas/supporting examples, “pros and cons”
- drawing a mind-map.
Remember that the examiners will have access to your notes, although these notes are not marked. You are not permitted to write out your monologue in whole sentences and then simply read this out. The brief notes you write are to be used as a guide or as a prompt only, to assist you in presenting your argument.
When selecting a question, you should make sure you understand exactly what the question requires. Consider the following:
多文化社会に住むと、たくさんのいいことがある。
There are many advantages to living in a multicultural society.
This question does not ask for a general discussion on the multicultural nature of Australian society. It asks you to present and support an opinion on the advantages (or disadvantages, should you choose to take the opposite point of view) of living in a multicultural society. The monologue questions are given in both Japanese and English to avoid any possibility of misinterpretation. The relevance of your response is very important, and responses which are vague and do not target the question are easily identifiable.
When answering the question, begin with an introduction stating your point of view on the stimulus statement (i.e. whether you agree or disagree with the stimulus statement). This should be followed by 3-4 ideas/examples to support your point of view (this is the breadth in your argument). Expand on each idea/example (this is the depth of your argument). See Hints and tips on developing and presenting an argument or point of view for further information.
You are required to speak for approximately two minutes on each question. If you try to give a longer response, aiming for quantity rather than quality, your response may lose relevance and structure.
A relevant conclusion is important and will complete your response. Although it may be relatively brief, a good conclusion will tie together the threads of the argument and re-affirm your viewpoint. It might even end with a question. Note: a good conclusion will not simply re-state the question printed on the examination paper.
Other students may discuss their own responses with you after the examination. You should not be alarmed if they have taken a different approach in answering a question. The nature of the monologue question invites a variety of opinions and approaches. All justified interpretations, which are relevant to the question, are acceptable.
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