SACE Stage 2 Japanese (background speakers) cheat sheet

Internal assessment in SACE Stage 2 Japanese (Background Speakers) is school-based and externally moderated; the school designs tasks against the subject outline and reports results on the A+ to E- grade scale.

School assessment has two components: Assessment Type 1 (Folio) and Assessment Type 2 (In-depth Study). Together they contribute 70% of the final subject grade.

The Folio (Assessment Type 1) is worth 40% of the final grade; the In-depth Study (Assessment Type 2) is worth 30%.

Folio evidence typically includes responses to texts, an oral interaction or presentation, and a written response in Japanese; tasks are assessed against the performance standards rather than against other students.

The In-depth Study requires students to investigate a topic connected to Japanese language and culture, use Japanese-language sources, and present findings in Japanese, usually with a written and an oral component.

Performance standards describe five levels of achievement (A to E); grades are determined holistically from evidence of understanding, analysis, and production in Japanese, not from a single test.

Background-speaker courses assume near-native oracy; assessment emphasises analysing and producing formal, academic, and persuasive Japanese rather than basic vocabulary and grammar drills.

Script accuracy matters: assessment criteria include appropriate use of kanji, register (keigo, plain form), and text-type conventions such as です・ます体 in formal letters versus だ・である体 in reports.

Moderation samples are selected by the school and reviewed externally; a student's final school-assessment grade can be adjusted if evidence does not match the reported standard.

External assessment contributes 30% of the final subject grade and consists of an externally assessed examination set by the SACE Board.

The examination has two parts: an oral examination (conversation) and a written examination; both are conducted under SACE Board conditions and marked externally.

The oral examination is a conversation in Japanese with external assessors; it is worth part of the 30% external component and assesses interactive fluency, range, and accuracy.

The written examination includes listening, reading, and writing sections; responses are produced in Japanese, with some analysis tasks requiring extended written Japanese.

Examination texts are authentic or adapted Japanese materials such as articles, interviews, and notices; questions test comprehension, inference, and analysis of purpose and audience.

Writing tasks require a specified text type (for example, a letter, report, or opinion piece) with the appropriate register, structure, and kanji usage.

Externally assessed work is graded against the same A to E performance standards used for school assessment, so criteria are consistent across both components.

Examination conditions forbid dictionaries unless the SACE Board specifies otherwise; students are expected to know the prescribed kanji and grammar independently.

Results from internal and external assessment are combined to produce the final subject grade, with external results not rescaled by the school.