HSC French Extension case studies
HSC French Extension · Put your knowledge to work in context.
HSC French Extension is a New South Wales senior secondary course and examination for students who have already built a solid base in French and want to work with a prescribed text in depth. It suits candidates in their final years of schooling who can read a full work in French, discuss its themes and characters, and write analytically in both French and English. The HSC French Extension case studies are 5 cases and about 1,780 words.
1The Monologue That Runs Long
You have prepared a monologue of about 420 words on the theme of exile in your prescribed text. In practice you speak at roughly 110 words per minute when nervous, and the task allows 3 minutes with a 30-second grace period before examiners signal you to stop.
386 words, about 2 min2Accuracy Versus Fluency Under Pressure
In a practice monologue on memory and loss in your prescribed text, you produce a subjunctive after 'bien que', a correct agreement in a relative clause, and two instances of sophisticated vocabulary. You also self-correct three times, restart one sentence, and pause for four seconds searching for a word.
376 words, about 2 min3Quoting the Text in French Without Reciting
A French-language response task asks you to discuss how the prescribed text presents a turning point. You know four short quotations by heart and are tempted to build the answer around them.
354 words, about 2 min4English Response, French Evidence
An English-language response task asks you to evaluate how the prescribed text uses a secondary character to illuminate the protagonist. You write in English, but the only evidence you can recall is in French, and you are unsure whether to quote the French directly, translate it, or describe it.
332 words, about 2 min5Choosing a Thesis When the Question Is Open
A French response task gives a broad prompt asking what the prescribed text reveals about human fragility, with no further direction. You have 40 minutes and about 400 words.
332 words, about 2 min