HSC Stuff > HSC Subjects + Help
half yearly results, what can i do to improve? (particularly french!)
elysepopplewell:
--- Quote from: carolinewang206 on March 14, 2017, 04:16:30 pm ---Hey hey!
Thank you so much!
For listening i got 18/25- the main problem wasnt understanding texts though, it was more rounding of my answer and linking back to the question- so i generally lost marks for my response in english.
For reading part A, it was a similar issue, and also because we get language and content questions and i ended up with 11.5/19
reading part B (writing) i got 12/15
and normal writing i got 4/5
my grammar is quite good, but its generally just answering questions in english and getting sufficient detail in.
thank you so much for all of your help!! really appreciate it! :)
--- End quote ---
Hey!
So, to be clear - is the issue with listening that you are understanding the text, but you're not selecting the information judiciously enough to answer the question directly? Are you giving too much information or just avoiding the question directly?
Writing seems to be going really well for you! You are so close to getting full marks there though - identify the exact point in the response where you lost a mark and then make note to not do that again! Remember you want to show case as many of your skills as possible, whether it be idioms, tenses, vocabulary...
For the reading: Usually the problem is that people misinterpret tiny sections of the text and then the whole answer is out of whack - it could be as simple as not recognising the text being written in past tense and then the jist of the question changes to focus on something not quite on track. Or it could be something simple like allocating a pronoun to the wrong person and then getting the plot-to-person mixed up. Is this what's happening to you? I found that I performed best in the reading activities. My strategy was to read the question first, then highlight the exact piece of information in the question that I needed in order to respond well. Then, I'd read the text and underline/circle/highlight the exact moment I started to find the information I needed to answer the question. My teacher recommended against it (and I see why!) but this way I found that I could work out where to skim if I'd already found my answer, so I wasn't wasting extra time.
Let me know what you think!
Cranium002:
If your school provide for the French student exchange. Do it. It enhances your French in both orally and literary. If you would like to improve into the writing part, my best advice is to keep practicing writing essays.
elysepopplewell:
--- Quote from: Cranium002 on March 15, 2017, 08:15:09 am --- If your school provide for the French student exchange. Do it. It enhances your French in both orally and literary. If you would like to improve into the writing part, my best advice is to keep practicing writing essays.
--- End quote ---
Adding to this - consider a french pen pal/emailer. I was in touch with one of the French exchange students that came to our school a few years prior, and even though we only talked on Facebook, I made sure it was in French and I took note of the way she used different expressions. Also helpful!
carolinewang206:
--- Quote from: elysepopplewell on March 15, 2017, 07:20:00 am ---Hey!
So, to be clear - is the issue with listening that you are understanding the text, but you're not selecting the information judiciously enough to answer the question directly? Are you giving too much information or just avoiding the question directly?
Writing seems to be going really well for you! You are so close to getting full marks there though - identify the exact point in the response where you lost a mark and then make note to not do that again! Remember you want to show case as many of your skills as possible, whether it be idioms, tenses, vocabulary...
For the reading: Usually the problem is that people misinterpret tiny sections of the text and then the whole answer is out of whack - it could be as simple as not recognising the text being written in past tense and then the jist of the question changes to focus on something not quite on track. Or it could be something simple like allocating a pronoun to the wrong person and then getting the plot-to-person mixed up. Is this what's happening to you? I found that I performed best in the reading activities. My strategy was to read the question first, then highlight the exact piece of information in the question that I needed in order to respond well. Then, I'd read the text and underline/circle/highlight the exact moment I started to find the information I needed to answer the question. My teacher recommended against it (and I see why!) but this way I found that I could work out where to skim if I'd already found my answer, so I wasn't wasting extra time.
Let me know what you think!
--- End quote ---
Hey Elyse! Yes, generally the problem with listening is that I understand the whole text but don't put in parts that I think are irrelevant and totally forget it.
I think for reading I get a bit flustered because of the time constraints and tend to skim over the text. I really like your idea of highlighting though! I think that would work well!
I've read a few books in French and it does help with my comprehension but for me the main problem is time for the reading section.
In response to the pen-pal idea
I have a friend who is French and we often speak in French together so it's quite helpful to pick up more colloquial vocab.
I would have loved to go on exchange but it's just too full on at school right now to be able to take so much time out :(
Thank you so so much for you help!! I'll work on that technique for reading! :)
elysepopplewell:
--- Quote from: carolinewang206 on March 15, 2017, 08:42:39 am ---Hey Elyse! Yes, generally the problem with listening is that I understand the whole text but don't put in parts that I think are irrelevant and totally forget it.
I think for reading I get a bit flustered because of the time constraints and tend to skim over the text. I really like your idea of highlighting though! I think that would work well!
I've read a few books in French and it does help with my comprehension but for me the main problem is time for the reading section.
In response to the pen-pal idea
I have a friend who is French and we often speak in French together so it's quite helpful to pick up more colloquial vocab.
I would have loved to go on exchange but it's just too full on at school right now to be able to take so much time out :(
Thank you so so much for you help!! I'll work on that technique for reading! :)
--- End quote ---
For listening, the skill of taking notes is difficult to master. I sometimes would think "Yep, I understand the jist of this text" and by the time I'd actually write my ideas down, I'd forget the exact details to answer the question, particularly for the more complicated listening texts towards the end of the section.
How are you using the reading time at the beginning of the exam? I used that for the reading texts, so I would aim to get through at least one (I did beginners!) in this time, so that when I came to it in the proper writing-time, I would be able to go over the text and specifically look for the answers by highlighting what I need, rather than spending time deeply reading. You've identified the problem: skimming. The resolution? Stop skimming! I suggest using the reading time to the best of your ability, but also start to work on knowing when you can stop reading the text after you've found the answer. I mean, sometimes the answer is right at the end, of course, hence my advice is controversial. But, it worked for me! Could you steal time from the writing section of the exam to put towards reading? Do you think it's possible to improve your writing skills so that you can write quickly and accurately, in order to accommodate for the reading section?
All just ideas for you to play around with! :)
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