SACE Stage 2 Chinese (beginners) flashcards

33 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

School assessment weighting

The internal component of SACE Stage 2 Chinese (beginners), usually half the final grade, consists of summative tasks set and marked by the school and checked by moderation.

External assessment weighting

The examination component, usually half the final grade, is set and marked outside the school and covers listening, reading, and written response in Chinese.

Performance standards

Descriptive statements of quality used to grade student work against the four criteria, applied by teachers internally and by external markers.

Four assessment criteria

Knowledge and Understanding, Communication, Interaction, and Application of Language and Skills: the criteria against which all SACE Chinese tasks and examination answers are judged.

Interactive oral

An internally assessed spoken task in which the student holds an unrehearsed conversation or discussion in Chinese, responding to follow-up questions and initiating ideas.

Text production task

An internally assessed writing task requiring a specified text type, such as an email or notice, marked for content, organisation, range, and accuracy.

Text analysis task

An internally assessed task where students read a Chinese text and respond to questions about main ideas, detail, and purpose in the required language.

Moderation of school marks

A quality-assurance process in which externally appointed moderators review samples of school-assessed work to confirm marks match the performance standards.

Rehearsed versus unrehearsed talk

Interactive tasks reward spontaneous exchange; memorised speeches score poorly on Interaction because they do not respond to the interlocutor's questions.

Pinyin accuracy rule

In written work, pinyin must carry correct tone marks and match the character; tone errors that change meaning count as accuracy errors.

Prescribed character set

The list of characters beginners must recognise and write; written tasks should use characters for taught vocabulary instead of pinyin.

Task evidence record

Documentation kept at the time of internal assessment, showing the task, conditions, and marking, used to justify marks during moderation.

Listening section structure

The examination listening section plays passages a limited number of times, usually twice, with questions on gist, specific detail, and inference.

Reading section texts

Examination reading texts include signs, notices, messages, and short articles, with responses in the language and format the question specifies.

Written response section

The examination writing section requires a text of a set type, audience, and purpose; content and communication are marked alongside grammatical accuracy.

Text type requirement

Each writing task names a format such as email, letter, or notice; failing to follow the format loses marks in Communication.

Audience and purpose

Every writing task states who the text is for and why; vocabulary and register must suit that reader, for example formal for a letter to a school.

Off-topic penalty

A response that does not address the set task loses Communication marks even if its grammar is accurate, because relevance is assessed first.

Reading time

Minutes before the writing section begins when students may read the paper but not write; used to plan structure and select vocabulary.

Inference question

A listening or reading question asking what is implied rather than stated, requiring the student to combine clues in the text.

Gist question

A question asking for the overall meaning or main idea of a passage, answered briefly rather than by transcribing the text.

Character use in exams

Examination answers in Chinese should use characters for taught vocabulary; pinyin is acceptable only where the paper explicitly allows it.

Range in writing

Demonstrating varied sentence patterns, connectives, and vocabulary; range is rewarded under Application of Language and Skills alongside accuracy.

Connectives for cohesion

Words such as 因为, 所以, 但是, 然后, and 虽然 link ideas; using them shows organisation in both internal and external writing tasks.

Register in Chinese

The level of formality, shown by pronouns like 您 and polite phrases; it must match the stated audience in speaking and writing tasks.

Question words in listening

Words such as 谁, 什么, 哪儿, 几点, and 为什么 signal the information required; identifying them before the passage plays guides listening.

Numbers and times

Listening and reading tasks often test times, dates, prices, and quantities; Chinese gives hours before minutes, as in 三点半 for 3:30.

Measure words

Classifiers such as 个, 本, 张, and 杯 sit between a number and a noun; correct choice counts as grammatical accuracy.

Aspect marker 了

The particle 了 marks a completed action, as in 我吃了饭; omitting or misplacing it is a common accuracy error in written tasks.

Question formation

Yes/no questions use 吗 at the end, while wh-questions place the question word where the answer would go, with no inversion.

Negation with 不 and 没

不 negates present and habitual actions, while 没 negates completed actions and 有; choosing wrongly is a frequent written error.

Mark allocation strategy

Marks per question indicate length and detail required; a high-value question needs more than a single word and should show supporting detail from the text.

Answer language rule

Each question states whether to answer in Chinese or English; answering in the wrong language can forfeit marks even when the content is correct.