HSC Japanese Continuers (NSW) study plan

Build a personal vocabulary bank of 60 high-frequency nouns and set phrases describing community life (neighbourhood, festivals, local services, volunteering), recording each with reading and an original example sentence.

Draft and memorise a 90-second self-introduction in Japanese that states your town, household, daily routine and one community role you hold or would like to hold.

Practise 15 polite request and invitation patterns (〜ていただけませんか, 〜ませんか, 〜ましょう) by converting plain statements into appropriate keigo forms aloud.

Write five short diary entries of 60-80 characters each describing interactions with neighbours, a local event or a shopkeeper, then self-correct particle use.

Analyse three short authentic-style texts on community topics (a festival notice, a volunteer recruitment flyer, a neighbourhood association letter) and extract main idea, purpose and intended reader for each.

Practise scanning for specific details (dates, fees, locations, deadlines) in notices under a 3-minute time limit per text.

Compose a 150-200 character reply email accepting a community event invitation, including one question and one polite apology or condition.

Discuss in Japanese, aloud for 4 minutes, the advantages and disadvantages of living in a large city versus a regional town, using at least six comparative structures.

Compile 50 work-related terms covering recruitment, part-time work, workplace manners, leave and retirement, and sort them into a table by situation.

Role-play four workplace exchanges aloud (asking for leave, apologising for a mistake, answering a phone enquiry, declining a request politely) using appropriate humble and respectful forms.

Read two short profiles of people changing careers or workplaces and summarise each in 80-100 characters, distinguishing stated reasons from inferred reasons.

List ten differences between Japanese and Australian workplace customs and express five of them in Japanese with hedging language (〜かもしれません, 〜ようです).

Complete 12 timed listening tasks (2-4 minutes each) on workplace and community dialogues, taking notes in Japanese only and answering in Japanese.

Identify speaker relationships, intentions and attitudes in eight short exchanges by listening for honorific choice and sentence-final particles.

Transcribe and shadow three audio passages of 90 seconds, marking where you misheard numbers, counters or names.

Deliver a 3-minute spoken monologue on whether young people should prioritise salary or fulfilment at work, with two reasons and one counter-argument.

Read four longer texts (400-600 characters) on individual responsibility, ageing society, or youth and technology, and answer inference and author's-attitude questions in Japanese.

Practise guessing unfamiliar kanji compounds from context in ten sentences, recording the strategy used for each.

Write a 300-400 character opinion paragraph on one social issue, using a clear structure of claim, two supporting reasons and a conclusion.

Summarise two of the week's reading texts in 100 characters each without copying phrases from the source.

Write two full-length response texts under exam timing: one 400-character formal letter or email and one 500-character opinion piece, each planned for 5 minutes before writing.

Apply a register checklist to both texts, verifying consistent polite or formal style and correct use of connective expressions.

Compare your drafts against model structures you build yourself, listing three recurring weaknesses and rewriting the weakest paragraph.

Read two texts on the same topic with opposing views and write 120 characters identifying where the writers disagree.

Simulate two full listening sections under exam conditions, then re-listen to every item and write why each answer is correct.

Simulate two writing tasks back to back within 40 minutes total, allocating 5 minutes to planning each.

Record yourself answering eight spoken questions on community, work and society topics, aiming for 45-60 seconds per answer with no English.

Review your error patterns from weeks 4 and 6 and rewrite five previously incorrect sentences correctly.

Sit one full timed mock examination covering listening, reading and writing, then score it against your own marking criteria.

Consolidate the 150 highest-value vocabulary items from weeks 1-7 into a single spaced-repetition deck and review it daily.

Rehearse three flexible opinion frames that can be adapted to any society or work prompt, and apply each to a new unseen question.

Hold a 10-minute spoken conversation with a partner or language exchange covering all three prescribed themes.