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How to approach the Written Examination
Section II: Writing in Japanese
Examination specifications
Before the examination
During the examination
Some expressions you may find useful
Examination specifications
Purpose
Section II relates to Objective 1 and is designed primarily to assess your ability to present and support a point of view about the prescribed issues through the production of an original text in Japanese.
| Objective | Outcomes |
|---|---|
| The student will: 1 present and discuss opinions, ideas and points of view in Japanese |
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, Japanese Extension Stage 6 Syllabus, updated July 2008
Specifications
This section will be worth 15 marks.
You will be required to give an evaluative response, by presenting and explaining or justifying a point of view. Students will select ONE of two questions. Each question will specify an audience and/or a purpose and/or a context. The questions will be related to the prescribed issues.
You will be expected to write a short essay, article, script of a talk, formal letter or report of approximately 600ji in Japanese.
The tasks will be phrased in English and Japanese for a response in Japanese. From 2010 both tasks will require the same text type.
Remember, you may use monolingual and/or bilingual print dictionaries in the written examination.
Criteria for judging performance
In your answer you will be assessed on how well you:
- present and explain or justify a point of view
- write text appropriate to context and/or purpose and/or audience
- structure and sequence information, opinions and ideas
- demonstrate control of a range of language structures and vocabulary in Japanese.
A high level response will present and develop a sophisticated, coherent argument, discussion or explanation, and be written effectively and perceptively for a specific audience, purpose and context. The response will demonstrate breadth and depth in the treatment of relevant ideas. It will be written with a high level of grammatical accuracy and breadth and sophistication of vocabulary and sentence structure.
Note: The Board of Studies NSW has developed two Japanese Standards Packages of
CD-ROMs (2001 and 2002), which contain detailed information on the level of
achievement for each performance band, including examples of student responses. Although the prescribed text and
issues are not current, reading and hearing actual student responses are
excellent ways to understand how the marking criteria are put into practice.
This will reassure you of the standard expected. The packages are available at http://arc.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/go/hsc/std-packs/ 
.
Before the examination
You should familiarise yourself with the prescribed issues. Reading widely (in English) on various aspects of the prescribed issues will assist you to increase your range of ideas by developing knowledge of the prescribed issues. There are many items of interest in current magazines and newspapers which relate to the prescribed issues. The internet will also provide access to a wide range of up-to-date information. This information will help in this section of the exam.
You are required to produce an original text in Japanese of approximately 600ji. Your response will present and explain or justify a point of view and should begin with an introduction, followed by the body of the text, where the argument is developed, and end with a logical conclusion. Further information on preparing monologues and short essays can be found in Hints and tips on developing and presenting an argument or point of view.
In preparing for the examination, you should attempt as many practice questions as possible, covering a wide range of topics. This will increase your confidence and enable you to cope with any question in the examination. Thorough preparation is the key to success and there is much you can do to ensure you are able to deal with any question.
Creating your own list of vocabulary and expressions will help give your writing structure and flow. A good command of grammatical structures (listed for productive use in the Japanese Continuers and Extension Stage 6 syllabuses) will underpin a good response, ensuring your ideas are well communicated. Some expressions you may find useful have been provided at the end of this document.
You should aim to ensure your writing is as authentic as possible. A translation from English may be disjointed in Japanese and is unlikely to create a very positive impression. On the other hand, the variety of language and expressions you use will reflect the breadth and depth of your knowledge and indicate your facility with the language.
It is important to be guided by your teacher's comments and advice when your practice essays are marked.
During the examination
You should:
- read the two questions carefully and then choose the question which allows you the most scope.
- avoid any temptation to take the question and re-model it into another question you prefer. You must address the question as printed on the paper.
- reflect on the topic you have chosen. Make a plan, even if sketchy, to ensure you keep
your answer focused and relevant to the question.
- remain 'cool' and unflustered if faced with a topic you have not anticipated. Remember that
the questions will be based on the issues you have studied and that, with calm thought,
a clear head and planning, you will be able to respond to any question.
- keep your arguments logical and to the point. Do not be tempted to write more
complicated Japanese than your skills allow. This will not promote good
communication and is likely to create a poor impression. Simple sentences in
Japanese (using the grammatical structures for productive use in the Stage 6
Japanese syllabuses) that convey your ideas accurately are better than overly
long sentences that are difficult to follow.
- know your capabilities. Do not include large slabs of pre-learned, complicated Japanese
which do not address the question or fit with your own level of language. Similarly,
avoid taking new words/expressions out of a dictionary and using them in your
response. If you do this, your answer is likely to be disjointed and difficult to understand.
- be familiar with prescribed kanji and
grammatical structures from both the Japanese Continuers and Extension Stage 6
syllabuses and attempt to incorporate a variety of them into your response.
- be familiar with the conventions of writing on genkooyooshi
(squared paper) whether you are writing horizontally or vertically.
- keep your answer relevant. An answer which directly addresses the question will be more impressive.
- stay calm and don't change the plan of approach you have practised throughout the
year. Thorough preparation is the key to success and will hold you in good stead on the day.
- allow sufficient time to review what you have written. Read over your work and check your script, language and structures. Reflect critically on what you have written and ask yourself if it makes sense. This is an important part of the writing process and enables errors to be corrected and additions to be made.
Some expressions you may find useful
Introductory remarks:
e.g.
- 私は～と思います。 (I think…)
- 私は～とは思いません。(I don't think…)
- 私は～ということにさんせいです。(I agree with…)
- 私は～ということにはんたいです。(I don't agree with…)
Presenting an opinion:
e.g.
- ～と思います。(I think…)
- ～とは思いません。(I don't think…)
- ～た方がいいです。(It would be better to…)
- ～た方がいいと思います。(I think it would be better to…)
- ～から、～です。(It's because…)
- ～ので、～です。(It's because…)
Useful words for structuring the body of the essay
e.g.
- はじめに、(first…)
- つぎに、(next…)
- さいごに、(lastly…)
- だい一に、(first…)
- だい二に、(secondly…)
- だい三に、(thirdly…)
- たとえば、(for example…)
- だから、(therefore…)
- つまり、(in other words,…)
- りゆうは、(the reason being…)
- じつは、(in actual fact,…)
- そして、(and then…)
- それから、(after that,…)
- そのうえに、(in addition,…)
- しかし、(however…)
- でも、(but…)
- それにくらべて、(compared to that,…)
Drawing a conclusion
Sentence starters:
e.g.
- だから、(Therefore…)
- こういう理由りゆうから、(For these reasons…)
- このように、(In this way…)
Sentence endings:
e.g.
- ～ということに、さんせいです。(I agree with…)
- ～ということに、はんたいです。(I disagree with…)
- ～と思います。(I think…)
- ～とは思いません。(I don't think…)
- ～たらいいと思います。(I think it would be good if…)
- ～た方がいいと思います。(I think it would be better to…)
- ～ない方がいいと思います。(I think it would be better not to…)
- ～なければならないと思います。(I think we have to…)
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