Briefing Session for HKDSE Category C Subjects - … · Briefing Session for HKDSE Category C Subjects HKEAA Cameron Smart 14 September 2017. ... the Topic Presentation. – Candidates

Briefing Session for HKDSE

Category C Subjects

HKEAA

Cameron Smart14 September 2017

Rundown

• The exam: structure & constructs

• 2017 Results

• 2017 Candidates’ performances

• 2018 exam

• Change to exam structure for Hindi & Urdu

• Teacher support provision

• Q & A

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Exam Structure

Component Weighting Time

1. Speaking 30% 20 mins.

2. Reading & Writing 50% 1 hr. 45 mins.

3. Essay 20% 1 hr. 30 mins.

3

Structure of Paper 1

Section Mark Allocation Time

1. Presentation 20 3 mins 30 seconds

2. Topic conversation 40 7 -8 minutes

3. General conversation 40 8-9 minutes

4

Paper 1: Timing logistics

– Examiners will use a visible timer

– It will be set at 20 minutes

– A 1-minute sign will be held up after 2 mins.

30 secs. of presentation

– Section 1 will finish approx. 16 mins. 30 left

– Section 2 will start at approx. 16 mins left

– Section 3 will start at approx. 9 mins left

5

Paper 1: Speaking

• Test constructs

– What is being tested?

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Section 1: Presentation (20 marks)

• Three domains:

– Content and presentation (10 maximum)

– Pronunciation and intonation (5 maximum)

– Language (5 maximum)


• Content and presentation (10 maximum)

– Coverage of topic

– Organization and coherence

– Opinions and facts

– Delivery

– Interest

– N.B. If no specific reference to society or cultural heritage of country where language spoken- half marks for this domain, i.e. max. is 5.


• Pronunciation & intonation (5 maximum)

– Accurate pronunciation and intonation

– Mother tongue influence / comprehensibility

– N.B. Not necessarily native speaker for full

marks. May have some hesitation and errors

for full marks.


• Language (5 maximum)

– Feel for language

– Fluency

– Accuracy

– Use of relevant idiomatic language

– Range of structures

– Range of vocab

– Clarity of meaning

Section 2: Topic conversation (40 marks)

• 5 domains

– Comprehension & responsiveness (10 max)

– Accuracy (10 max)

– Feel for language (10 max)

– Range of vocab & structures

(Providing info & opinion) (5 max)


(Seeking info & opinion) (5 max)


• Comprehension & responsiveness (10 max)

– Problems in understanding examiner

– Naturalness in responses

– Spontaneity and initiative

– Ability to defend point of view


• Accuracy (10 max)

– Frequency of errors

– Understanding of grammatical usage


• Feel for language (10 max)

– Naturalness

– Fluency of expression

– Appropriate idiom

– Influence of or translation from mother tongue


• Range of vocab & structures


– Variety

– Confidence in use vs. limiting expression


• Range of vocab & structures (Seeking info &

opinion)

– Ability and number of questions asked

– Spontaneity

– Initiative

– Accuracy and variety of question forms

– Comprehensibility

Section 3: General Conversation (40 marks)

• 5 domains

– Comprehension & responsiveness (10 max)

– Accuracy (10 max)

– Feel for language (10 max)




(Seeking info & opinion) (5 max)

Section 3: General Conversation (40 marks)

• Same as Section 2


Passage Question Question type example Mark

allocation

Passage 1 1 Vocabulary: seeking synonym in

text

5

2 Grammatical manipulation 5

3 Comprehension questions 20 (15+5)

Passage 2 4 Comprehension questions 20 (15+5)

Passage

1 & 2

5 (a) Summary of details from both

texts

(b) Personal response

20 (10 +5+5)

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Paper 2: Reading & Writing

• Question 1 : Seeking a phrase: Do not to omit words or to include

extra words.

• Question 2: Rewriting phrases: Answers should fit back into the

original text, retaining the same meaning.

• Questions 3 and 4: Comprehension of texts. Answer in their own

words.

• Direct copying of four or more words from the text will usually invalidate

an answer.

• Question 5(a): Summary: Introduction, conclusions and vague

generalizations not required. Specific, relevant details attract marks.

• Question 5(b): Personal response: Give a point of view and, if

possible, offer ideas which have not appeared in the texts.

• Total of 140 words / 280 Japanese characters for both parts in Question

5.

20


Word guide Mark Allocation

250–400 words

(600–800 characters in Japanese).

40 marks total:

24 marks: Quality of Language

16 marks: Content

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HKEAA website

• http://www.hkeaa.edu.hk/en/HKDSE/assessment/subject_information/category_c_subjects/

Results 2017 examination

(in number of candidates)

A B C D E U Total

French 8 6 9 8 9 21 61

German 3 3 0 2 1 0 9

Hindi 1 1 0 1 1 4 8

Japanese 100 57 29 15 5 7 213

Spanish 3 1 2 2 2 4 14

Urdu 8 3 4 1 1 2 19

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(in percentages)

A B C D E U Total

French 13.1 9.8 14.8 13.1 14.8 34.4 100

German 33.3 33.3 0.0 22.2 11.1 0.0 100

Hindi 12.5 12.5 0.0 12.5 12.5 50.0 100

Japanese 46.9 26.8 13.6 7.0 2.3 3.3 100

Spanish 21.4 7.1 14.3 14.3 14.3 28.6 100

Urdu 42.1 15.8 21.1 5.3 5.3 10.5 100

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26

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

40.0

A B C D E U

French


27

0

10

20

30

40

50

A B C D E U

Japanese

Exam Components





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Performance: French

• General comments

– The majority of candidates were aware of the requirements of the examination and performed reasonably well.

– Candidates at the lower end had some difficulty in understanding the Examiner and in constructing basic responses. Candidates at the upper end spoke fluently, accurately and idiomatically.

– Pronunciation was generally acceptable, with a number of instances of first-language interference, which, in one or two cases, made comprehension difficult.

Performance: French

• Key messages

– It is important to express not only facts, but ideas and opinions in the Topic Presentation.

– Candidates are reminded that they should ask more than one question of the Examiner in the conversation sections to be eligible for maximum marks.

Performance: French

• Specific Sections

• Section 1: Presentation– A wide variety of appropriate topics was offered, including Le Système de Santé

Française, Le Burkini, L’éducation en France, La Famille, La Nourriture

Française etc.

• Section 2: Topic Conversation– All topics sampled allowed wide-ranging discussion. All candidates made an

attempt to develop the ideas of their presentation, although they were not all able

to maintain the same level of language in this section.

• Section 3: General Conversation– Not all candidates asked questions and not all focused their question or

questions on the subject being discussed. However, candidates did not always

seem aware of the requirement to ask more than one question in order to gain

maximum marks. Questions were often poorly formulated or formulated without

variation.

Performance: German


– The candidates had been thoroughly prepared for the requirements of the

examination.

– In the General Conversation section, they were mostly very responsive once

they were clear as to the question being asked.

– Responsiveness was again better than Comprehension, and though there has

been a clear improvement in this respect, this is an area that could be

improved still further in future.

– All candidates were aware of the requirement to ask questions of the

Examiner in both conversation sections

– Quality of language varied, as is to be expected

– Pronunciation was another area where improvement was evident. However,

some candidates had occasional difficulty in making themselves clearly

understood when it came to natural conversation.

Performance: German

• Key messages

– The interests of the candidate should be the main factor in their

choice of presentation topic, which should clearly refer to the

culture or society of a German-speaking country.

– It is important to structure the presentation to fit into the

allowed 3½ minutes, and to express not only facts, but ideas

and opinions.

– Candidates should focus on the questions asked of them and

make sure they answer what is asked.

– When asking questions, candidates should make them relevant

to the topic under discussion.

Performance: German


Section 1: Presentation

– There was some variety in the topics offered, but environmental

issues seemed to be the most popular.

Section 2: Topic Conversation

– Candidates were mostly enthusiastic about their topics. Many of

them made an excellent attempt to develop the ideas of their

presentation and some were able to maintain the same level of

language in this section as in the presentation.

• Section 3: General Conversation

– An area for improvement in future would be to concentrate on

the accuracy of the questions put to the Examiner.

Performance: Hindi


• Even when candidates were apparently of high level the examiner still

needed to work hard to create opportunities for candidates to

demonstrate their ability to use complex sentences, wide vocabulary and

a variety of tenses.

Performance: Hindi

• Key messages

• The interests of the candidate should play a part in the choice

of the subject for the presentation

• When asked questions, candidates should try to answer as

fully as possible in order to maintain the Examiner’s interest

and keep the conversation moving forward

Performance: Hindi



– Candidates presented their prepared speech on a given topic. The chosen topics were

‘Pollution’, ‘Young Generation’ and ‘Education’. The best presentations were well-

researched and structured and offered ideas and opinions.

• Section 2: Topic Conversation

– Candidates should be prepared to ask the Examiner questions in order to seek

information and opinions. Candidates could be better prepared for this.


– Most candidates remembered to ask at least one question of the Examiner. These

questions did not always arise naturally out of the conversation, and candidates could

improve this by practising how to ask questions naturally as part of a conversation.

Performance: Japanese


• There was a very wide range of performance. At the top end, candidates

were well prepared, fluent, confident and spoke with a wide range of

vocabulary and sentence patterns. At the bottom end, however,

candidates seemed ill-prepared for the examination, and in some cases

they struggled to speak for more than a couple of minutes in Japanese.

• Candidates who had prepared for the presentation were able to use a

wide range of interesting vocabulary, and were also able to compare and

contrast Japan with Hong Kong, and / or give well justified personal

opinions.

• Pronunciation and intonation remains an area for improvement, and

candidates should be encouraged to listen to native speakers to improve

their pronunciation.


• Key messages

• Candidates need to:

– make sure that they have prepared a presentation that is of the

correct length and is related to Japanese culture or society.

– take more initiative in developing longer, fuller answers.

– improve the accuracy of their pronunciation and intonation.

• Candidates should remember that they are expected to ask

questions of the Examiner in both conversation sections.



Section 1: Presentation– Many candidates had chosen a topic which was personally meaningful for them, and thus were well

motivated to research and present the topic. One way to improve further would be to give better

verbal signalling of the structure of the presentation.


– The strongest candidates had extra material that they did not use in the presentation available to

bring out during the topic conversation. Candidates should be reminded of the importance of

considering this part of the test when they choose their topic, to ensure that it is broad enough to

support a follow-up discussion and that they have considered how such a discussion might develop.


– This year it was evident that the language used by a number of candidates was influenced by their

exposure to Japanese films or anime. The language used in these genres is highly informal, and often

inappropriate to be used in an oral examination. Candidates needed to be mindful that language

from one situation does not always apply in another; an awareness of the complexities of Japanese

register was needed in these cases.

Performance: Spanish


• Candidates were generally well prepared and familiar with the requirements of the test. They took care to include some Hispanic references in their presentation topics, and for the most part were able to maintain momentum in the topic conversation. Many made contrasts and comparisons with their own experience and the Hispanic situation. Most candidates managed to offer some relevant opinions on the issues discussed, both in the topic conversation and the general conversation.

• To improve, candidates should remember that they are outlining situations or topics to an uninformed but interested listener. They should:

– ensure they have sufficient material and ideas for the wider general conversation;

– consider their own attitudes and opinions to issues;

– adopt a strategy to deal with unexpected, unprepared questions;

– be prepared to offer and defend an opposing view if necessary.


• Key messages

• The interests of the candidate should play a part in the choice

of the subject for the presentation, and clear reference should

be made to Hispanic culture or society;

• It is important to structure the presentation to fit into the


and opinions;

• Candidates should focus on the questions asked of them and

make sure they answer what is asked;

• Candidates should remember that they are expected to ask

questions of the Examiner in both conversation sections.




– Candidates gave their presentations with reasonable fluency, though there were

some occasional hesitations. Some presentations were recited in a monotone

rather than spoken more naturally.


– Quality of Language varied. When answering predictable or prepared questions,

candidates used appropriate language, a variety of tenses and appropriate

abstract/concrete registers of language.


– The candidates coped reasonably well, but weaker candidates could not always develop

a theme beyond prepared material.

Performance: Urdu


– Most candidates had been well prepared for the examination and

were able to speak in a confident manner for all three sections.

– Pronunciation was generally acceptable, with some instances of first-

language interference, for example use of Punjabi or English words. In

order to improve candidates should try to incorporate the use of

idioms.

Performance: Urdu

• Key messages

• it is important to structure the presentation to fit into the


and opinions

• when asked questions, candidates should make sure they

answer what is asked not what they hope was going to be

asked

Performance: Urdu



– There was a wide range of topics from the importance of education and sport to the

provision of facilities and services in Pakistan.


– Most candidates made an attempt to develop the ideas of their presentation in the Topic

Conversation and understood the examiner’s questions, tackling them well.

– Most candidates asked just one question and struggled to ask meaningful questions. In

order to improve and score full marks candidates need to ask further questions, for

example ‘what are your thoughts on this issue?’, ‘how did you overcome difficulties?’

and so on.


• At the top and middle of the range of ability candidates were able to handle a wide range of

questions using good vocabulary. Conversation covered a wide range of interests for example

education, family issues, issues of migration and politics. Most candidates succeeded in

maintaining the examiner’s interest.

Exam Components





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Paper 3: Essay – Key Points

• Select the title with which they feel most comfortable.

• Write a response that is clearly relevant, well illustrated, coherently structured and well informed.

• Use target language which is accurate and of a suitably advanced nature, as well as demonstrate a good use of idiom and appropriate topic-related vocabulary.

• Use sentence patterns which show some evidence of complexity in a style which is easy to follow.

• Leave some time at the end of the examination to check for avoidable language errors.

• Stay within the prescribed word limits (250-400 words / 600 – 800 Japanese characters).

• Do not to use transliterations of English words instead of the appropriate vocabulary items in Hindi / Urdu.

48

2018 Examination Entries

No of candidates

French 65

German 5

Hindi 11

Japanese 327

Spanish 18

Urdu 28

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2018 Examination

50

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

French 88 89 65 59 64 61 65

German 3 1 4 12 8 9 5

Hindi 10 8 6 12 0 8 11

Japanese 135 114 140 199 203 213 327

Spanish 9 20 14 7 11 14 18

Urdu 5 13 16 15 30 19 28

TOTAL 250 245 245 304 316 324 454

2012-2018 entries

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0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

French

German

Hindi

Japanese

Spanish

Urdu

2018 Exam (Nov. 2017 series)

• Dates:

– Paper 1 (Nov. series)

• 7 October – 22 October 2017

– Paper 2 and 3

• 3 October – 7 November 2017

• http://www.hkeaa.edu.hk/DocLibrary/HKDSE/Exam_Timetable/Cat_C_Nov_2018_Timetable_E.pdf

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CIE AS level

Language Syllabus

Code

Exam paper structure

Subject with

speaking test

French 8682 Component 1: Speaking (29%)

Component 2: Reading & Writing (50%)

Component 3: Essay (21%)German 8683

Japanese 8281

Portuguese 8684

Spanish 8685

Subject

without

speaking test

Afrikaans 1 8679 Component 2: Reading & Writing(70%)

Component 3: Essay (30%)Arabic 8680

Chinese 8681

Hindi 8687

Tamil 8689

Urdu 8686

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[1] Optional speaking test available but is reported separately and does not contribute to overall final grade.

Change in Exam Structure in Hindi &

Urdu

• To adopt international version of Hindi and Urdu

• In order to align them with international practices

• Effect from 2020 examination

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Teaching support provision

Other Languages Resource Corner (OLRC):

http://334.edb.hkedcity.net/EN/other_languages_resources.php

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Teaching support provision

• Jack Wong (Education Bureau):

– [email protected]

57

Examination support

Exam logistics:

Christine Lee: [email protected]

Speaking exam administration:

Cameron Smart: [email protected]

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Documents

Briefing Session for HKDSE Category C Subjects - … · Briefing Session for HKDSE Category C Subjects HKEAA Cameron Smart 14 September 2017. ... the Topic Presentation. – Candidates