briefing session for hkdse category c (other …€¦ · briefing session for hkdse category c...

Briefing Session for HKDSE

Category C

(Other Languages) Subjects

HKEAA

September 15 2014

Rundown

2014 Results

Review of speaking test & written

papers (June & Nov. 2013)

NAS Medium term review

Arrangements for the 2016 HKDSE

Q & A

2

Exam Components

Component Weighting Time

1. Speaking 30% 20 mins.

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

3. Essay 20% 1 hr. 30 mins.

3

Results 2014 examination

4


(in number of candidates)

No. sat a b c d e u

French 65 10 5 8 13 12 17

German 4 0 0 2 0 0 2

Hindi 6 2 0 1 2 0 1

Japanese 140 74 25 8 9 4 20

Spanish 14 5 1 3 2 1 2

Urdu 16 8 5 2 0 0 1

5



No. sat a b c d e u

French 65 10 5 8 13 12 17

German 4 0 0 2 0 0 2

Hindi 6 2 0 1 2 0 1

Japanese 140 74 25 8 9 4 20

Spanish 14 5 1 3 2 1 2

Urdu 16 8 5 2 0 0 1

6



No. sat a b c d e u

French 65 10 5 8 13 12 17

German 4 0 0 2 0 0 2

Hindi 6 2 0 1 2 0 1

Japanese 140 74 25 8 9 4 20

Spanish 14 5 1 3 2 1 2

Urdu 16 8 5 2 0 0 1

7


(in percentages)

8

a b c d e u

French 15.38 7.69 12.31 20.00 18.46 26.15

German 0.00 0.00 50.00 0.00 0.00 50.00

Hindi 33.33 0.00 16.67 33.33 0.00 16.67

Japanese 52.86 17.86 5.71 6.43 2.86 14.29

Spanish 35.71 7.14 21.43 14.29 7.14 14.29

Urdu 50.00 31.25 12.50 0.00 0.00 6.25


(in percentages)

9

a b c d e u

French 15.38 7.69 12.31 20.00 18.46 26.15

German 0.00 0.00 50.00 0.00 0.00 50.00

Hindi 33.33 0.00 16.67 33.33 0.00 16.67

Japanese 52.86 17.86 5.71 6.43 2.86 14.29

Spanish 35.71 7.14 21.43 14.29 7.14 14.29

Urdu 50.00 31.25 12.50 0.00 0.00 6.25

Results 2014 examination : French

10

Results 2014 examination :

Japanese

11

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

a b c d e u

Japanese

Structure of Paper 1

Part Mark Allocation Time

1. Presentation 20 3 mins 30 seconds

2. Topic conversation 40 7 -8 minutes

3. General conversation 40 8-9 minutes

12

Review of speaking test

(June & Nov. 2013)

13

Key messages: Speaking test

Interests of candidate should play a part in choice of

subject for the presentation

Clear reference should be made to the culture or

society of target language

Structure presentation to fit into the allowed 3

minutes 30 seconds

Express not only facts, but ideas and opinions

Focus on the questions asked of them and make

sure they answer what is asked

Candidates expected to ask questions in both

conversation sections.

Key points: French speaking test

Generally candidates well prepared

Candidates could speak at length on topic and sustain a further conversation, though should avoid technical topics e.g. literature.

In the general conversation section, they all made an

effort to answer the questions they were asked.

Some questions not well understood.

Candidates all asked at least one question in conversation sections.

Candidates found general conversation more challenging.

Quality of language varied.

Pronunciation was generally acceptable, with some instances of first-language interference.

Key points: German speaking

test Candidates coped reasonably well but some had not prepared

sufficiently for presentation.

Several were pitched at rather too basic a level, with resultant

limitations.

Candidates should not to rely on written notes. They can take a ‘cue

card’ in the target language containing a few key points or headers.

The pronunciation and intonation of some candidates made it quite

difficult to follow the presentation.

Candidates were all aware of the requirement to ask questions of the

examiner during the topic conversation and general conversation.

The quality of language varied somewhat, but the responsiveness of

candidates was always better than their level of accuracy or their feel

for the language.

Key points: Hindi speaking test

Wide range of performance.

Some candidates well prepared using a range of different tenses and grammatical structures.

In weaker performances candidates had chosen topics which did not lend themselves easily to an in-depth discussion at AS Level. e.g. food and the family c.f. more appropriate topics e.g. the generation gap.

Most had satisfactory pronunciation and intonation.

Frequent use of English words, particularly during the General Conversation section.

In general, candidates of all abilities spoke with satisfactory to good pronunciation and intonation.

Key points: Japanese speaking

test Majority of candidates well prepared.

Variety of interesting topics presented ranged from basic topics such as

‘a sixth former’s life’ to more ambitious topics such as ‘human

relationships in Japan’.

Most spoke for required time and offered ideas and opinions.

Some candidates had to be prompted to ask questions.

In the General Conversation, some questions were not well

understood. Though most maintained conversation, level of language

lower than other sections.

The quality of language varied though pronunciation was generally

acceptable.

Candidates should ensure when choosing a topic that they have the

necessary vocabulary and ideas to express themselves fully.

18

Key points: Spanish speaking

test Wide range of ability evident particularly in addressing matters arising

from the Presentation in the Topic Conversation.

The General Conversation proved a challenge to some candidates,

who struggled with some fairly basic matters and misunderstood

questions.

Pronunciation, although generally acceptable, caused problems with

first-language interference.

Candidates tended to choose variations on the same theme: Spanish

food, drink, diet.

Presentations tended to be rather descriptive, though some candidates

managed to offer ideas and opinions as to why certain situations exist,

or make comparisons with other cultures.

Intonation was sometimes adversely affected when candidates were

mentally reading a script.

Most remembered to ask at least one question of the examiner, though

some examples of all-purpose prepared question used.

19

Key points: Urdu speaking test

Candidates well prepared.

Most topics presented by candidates were appropriate, the most

popular areas being health, food and technology.

Some candidates tried to deal superficially with a very wide area, for

example the festival of Eid.

In general candidates should take a broad approach to their

presentations, and provide an overview of their chosen topic in order to

prevent them from rushing in order to fit in a great deal of content.

The most able candidates were aware of the need to demonstrate their

knowledge of a contemporary Urdu-speaking society though in some

instances the discussion remained too general.

In Section 3, it is vital that candidates prepare for discussion on several

topics for this section, and are also able to engage in the conversation

as it unfolds.

20

Review of written papers

(June & Nov. 2013)

21


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)

22

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.

23


Essay Topic (2015) Word guide Mark Allocation

One of:

Patterns of daily life;

Law and order;

Health and fitness;

Employment &

unemployment;

Scientific & medical

advances

250–400 words

(600–800 characters in

Japanese).

40 marks total:

24 marks: Quality of Language

16 marks: Content

24

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.

25

Number of Candidates

(Nov 2014 series - for exam year 2015)

Subject Candidates

French 2

German 12

Hindi 12

Japanese 200

Spanish 5

Urdu 15

Total 246

NAS Medium-term Review

27

28

Candidature

Exam Year Nov Series June Series

2012 174 93

2013 172 97

2014 185 83

2015 246 N/A

29

Exam Period


2012 19 Oct - 15 Nov 2011 8 - 11 May 2012

2013 17 Oct - 20 Nov 2012 8 - 16 May 2013

2014 8 Oct - 8 Nov 2013 6 - 14 May 2014

2015 6 Oct - 7 Nov 2014 Early May 2015


2012 19 Oct - 15 Nov 2011 8 - 11 May 2012

2013 17 Oct - 20 Nov 2012 8 - 16 May 2013

2014 8 Oct - 8 Nov 2013 6 - 14 May 2014

2015 6 Oct - 7 Nov 2014 Early May 2015

30

Candidature


2012 174 93

2013 172 97

2014 185 83

2015 245 N/A

Entry Statistics

2012 2013 2014

No. Entered

No. Sat

No. Entered

No. Sat

No. Entered

No. Sat

French NOV 10 10 11 10 5 4

JUN 84 78 87 79 68 61 German NOV 3 3 2 1 4 4 Hindi NOV 10 10 8 8 7 6 Japanese NOV 146 135 126 114 147 140 Spanish NOV . . 12 11 4 4

JUN 9 9 10 9 15 10 Urdu NOV 5 5 13 13 18 16 Series Total

NOV 174 163 172 157 185 174

JUN 93 87 97 88 83 71 Yearly Total 267 250 269 245 268 245

31

32

Results Release Date

Cats. A & B Cat. C Nov Series Cat. C June Series

20 Jul 2012 8 Feb 2012 20 Jul 2012

15 Jul 2013 28 Jan 2013 21 Jul 2013

14 Jul 2014 10 Feb 2014 21 Jul 2014

15 Jul 2015

(tentative)

27 Jan 2015

(tentative)

23 Jul 2015

(tentative)

Results Statistics

Number of candidates

NOV JUN

No. sat a b+ c+ d+ e+ U No. sat a b+ c+ d+ e+ U

French 2012 10 0 3 7 10 10 0 78 12 23 36 43 55 23

2013 10 3 5 6 9 10 0 79 16 33 48 61 72 7

2014 4 2 3 3 3 4 0 61 8 12 20 33 44 17

German 2012 3 1 2 2 2 3 0 . . . . . . .

2013 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 . . . . . . .

2014 4 0 0 2 2 2 2 . . . . . . .

Hindi 2012 10 1 3 5 6 8 2 . . . . . . .

2013 8 2 4 5 6 8 0 . . . . . . .

2014 6 2 2 3 5 5 1 . . . . . . .

Japanese 2012 135 47 73 89 104 116 19 . . . . . . .

2013 114 72 89 98 100 106 8 . . . . . . .

2014 140 74 99 107 116 120 20 . . . . . . .

Spanish 2012 . . . . . . . 9 5 6 6 7 8 1

2013 11 4 7 9 9 10 1 9 5 5 6 6 6 3

2014 4 1 1 1 2 2 2 10 4 5 8 9 10 0

Urdu 2012 5 2 4 4 4 4 1 . . . . . . .

2013 13 5 12 13 13 13 0 . . . . . . .

2014 16 8 13 15 15 15 1 . . . . . . .

33

Results Statistics

Percentage of candidates

NOV JUN

No. sat a b+ c+ d+ e+ U No. sat a b+ c+ d+ e+ U

French 2012 10 0.0% 30.0% 70.0% 100.0% 100.0% 0.0% 78 15.4% 29.5% 46.2% 55.1% 70.5% 29.5%

2013 10 30.0% 50.0% 60.0% 90.0% 100.0% 0.0% 79 20.3% 41.8% 60.8% 77.2% 91.1% 8.9%

2014 4 50.0% 75.0% 75.0% 75.0% 100.0% 0.0% 61 13.1% 19.7% 32.8% 54.1% 72.1% 27.9%

German 2012 3 33.3% 66.7% 66.7% 66.7% 100.0% 0.0% . . . . . . .

2013 1 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 100.0% 100.0% 0.0% . . . . . . .

2014 4 0.0% 0.0% 50.0% 50.0% 50.0% 50.0% . . . . . . .

Hindi 2012 10 10.0% 30.0% 50.0% 60.0% 80.0% 20.0% . . . . . . .

2013 8 25.0% 50.0% 62.5% 75.0% 100.0% 0.0% . . . . . . .

2014 6 33.3% 33.3% 50.0% 83.3% 83.3% 16.7% . . . . . . .

Japanese 2012 135 34.8% 54.1% 65.9% 77.0% 85.9% 14.1% . . . . . . .

2013 114 63.2% 78.1% 86.0% 87.7% 93.0% 7.0% . . . . . . .

2014 140 52.9% 70.7% 76.4% 82.9% 85.7% 14.3% . . . . . . .

Spanish 2012 . . . . . . . 9 55.6% 66.7% 66.7% 77.8% 88.9% 11.1%

2013 11 36.4% 63.6% 81.8% 81.8% 90.9% 9.1% 9 55.6% 55.6% 66.7% 66.7% 66.7% 33.3%

2014 4 25.0% 25.0% 25.0% 50.0% 50.0% 50.0% 10 40.0% 50.0% 80.0% 90.0% 100.0% 0.0%

Urdu 2012 5 40.0% 80.0% 80.0% 80.0% 80.0% 20.0% . . . . . . .

2013 13 38.5% 92.3% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 0.0% . . . . . . .

2014 16 50.0% 81.3% 93.8% 93.8% 93.8% 6.3% . . . . . . .

34

Comments and Suggestions

No proposed changes to the languages

offered

Possibility of not offering languages with

single-digit candidature?

……

35

Arrangements for 2016 HKDSE

Nov Series results to be released in late

Jan or early Feb as usual

June Series results to be released

according to CIE normal schedule in

early or mid Aug

Will discuss with JUPAS how the June

Series results could be considered for

admission purposes

36

Thank you

Cameron Smart: [email protected]

37

briefing session for hkdse category c (other …€¦ · briefing session for hkdse category c...

Documents