Typical questions asked in hsc chinese continuers? (1 Viewer)

[4028023]

Does anyone know of the typical questions asked in hsc chinese continuers speaking exam?

There is no info on the board of studies website about how the speaking exam is marked, past examples, etc.
Does anyone have information??

Please reply asap

 

[samthebear]

the speaking exams for 2009 are over O_O why're you asking...? they can ask any question from the syllabus that covers personal life. my teacher once said that he knew an examiner who would always start the exam with "What did you have for breakfast?" that question - however weird, can be asked since the topic of food is covered in the personal life section of the syllabus.

broad topics from personal life include:
- family life
- hobbies
- weekend activities
- your friends
- school life
- future aspirations
- food
- travel exprience

I dont remember if thats all - you'll need to check the syllabus but that list is all i can remember atm. all you do is prepare possible questions based on those topics. for example:

- family life:
questions can include but is not limited to:
"Tell me about your family?"
"How many people are in your family?"
"What do your parents do for a living?"
"Do you like your sibblings? Why/Why not?"

The point is to not just answer the question with a one line answer, but elaborate on the answer. so if you answer "Tell me about your family?" you can say "There are 4 people in my family. they are my brother, mum, dad and me. my brother is in uni studying _______, my mum is working as________ and my dad is doing________. I like/dont like my brother because he is nice/mean to me and he always helps/doesnt help me when i need him to help me. i love my mum alot b/c she cleans, cooks and cares for me dispite being very busy with work..... etc etc etc"

See how i elaborated? you have to do that. in that one answer i've answered all the 4 possible questions that i've prepared for. They want to know how well you can carry on a conversation, so make sure you modulate your answer to best fit into the conversation.

it takes a bit of practice but i suggest you prepare as many questions relating to personal life as possible then once you've memorised your answers off my heart, try getting someone to talk to you in a conversation focusing on personal life and try and change your answer to best fit the conversation so it doesnt sound too much like a monolouge.

If you're unsure of what questions to prepare for, go onto the board of studies website and look up the syllabus. it'll give you an outline of the kinds of questions you can be asked just by the topic. you wont get specific questions to prepare for, but you will be given the topics to prepare for.

 

[4028023]

ok but then how does the marker actually mark it? like is it based on tone, voice projection etc? and do they actually time you for 10 mins?

 

[samthebear]

they record it, then it'll be marked later. they dont mark it while you are speaking. and yes they time you for 10 mins - even if you pause for like 5 minutes they wont stop the recording, after 10 mins is up they'll end the exam.

they mark it based on fluency, accuracy and content. that means you cant pause for too long (natural pauses are ok, but a 5 minute pause is not), you have to say the words with in an accurate tone (as accurate as you can manage. accents tend to be disregarded since everyone has an accent. as long as what you say can be understood and that you demonstrate an understanding of how to use tone). accuracy also refers to the way you structure your content. english structure translated directly into chinese = fail. Ccontent needs to be logical and follow the conversation convention. Content also refers to the depth of what you say - one or two worded answers are not good in terms of content. Besides, one or two word answers wont tell the markers much about your ability in speaking.

Voice projection is not marked. you just need to speak loud enough for the recorder to pick up your voice. if you speak too softly the examiner will ask you to speak louder so that the recorder can pick up your voice and record it.

 

[4028023]

hmm but like are we allowed to say somthing like "i dont know" or "i dont know how to answer that question" ? because if we do, do we get marked down for that as well?