HSC Italian Beginners (NSW) study guide
HSC Italian Beginners (NSW) · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
HSC Italian Beginners is a New South Wales senior secondary course and external examination for students who are new to, or have limited prior experience with, the Italian language. It is designed for learners who want to build practical communication skills rather than study Italian literature or advanced grammar. The HSC Italian Beginners (NSW) study guide has 5 sections and about 1,933 words.
01The Personal World: Family, Friends, Home and Daily Life
This domain tests everyday vocabulary and the grammar that holds it together. Build word fields for family members (including irregular ones such as il padre , la madre , i fratelli , le sorelle ), home and rooms ( la cucina , la camera da letto , il soggiorno ), daily routine verbs ( svegliarsi , alzarsi , lavarsi , vestirsi , fare colazione ), and time expressions ( di solito , ogni giorno , nel fine settimana , la mattina , la sera ).
436 words, about 2 min02The Italian-Speaking Communities: Travel, Holidays, Leisure and Customs
This domain asks you to talk about travel and free time in an Italian-speaking context: transport and tickets ( il treno , il biglietto , la coincidenza , la stazione , l'aeroporto ), accommodation ( l'albergo , la pensione , la camera doppia , la prenotazione ), leisure ( il tempo libero , lo sport , la passeggiata , il mercato ), and customs around food and festivals ( la cena , il pranzo di famiglia , la festa , il dolce , gli auguri ). Grammar you need: the passato prossimo with both avere and essere (including agreement of the past participle with essere verbs: siamo andati , sono partita ), prepositions of place ( a Roma , in Italia , in montagna , al mare ), and the polite conditional for requests ( vorrei , potrebbe ).
405 words, about 2 min03Listening and Responding: Strategies and Structures
Listening tasks reward prediction and selective attention. Before the audio plays, read the questions and underline the key words: names, times, numbers, places, and question words ( chi, che cosa, quando, dove, come, perché, quanto ).
354 words, about 2 min04Reading and Responding: Finding and Using Evidence
Reading tasks in this course use notices, advertisements, emails, timetables, short articles and personal messages. You must recognise text types and their conventions: Cercasi (wanted), Affittasi (for rent), Si prega di (please), Vietato (forbidden), Orario (timetable), Ingresso (entry), Saluti and Cari saluti in letters.
360 words, about 2 min05Writing: Planning, Accuracy and Range
Writing tasks ask for a notice, message, email, postcard, diary entry, or short description of 50-120 words. Marks reward communication of all required points, range of vocabulary and structures, and accuracy.
378 words, about 2 min