SACE Stage 2 Japanese (continuers) study plan

Build a personal vocabulary log of 60 high-frequency kanji compounds drawn from school, work, and family topics, recording reading, meaning, and one example sentence for each

Draft and rehearse a 90-second self-introduction covering background, daily routine, and study goals, using polite です/ます forms throughout

Record yourself speaking the self-introduction twice and mark every place where you hesitated or switched register

List 15 keigo phrases (sonkeigo, kenjōgo, and casual equivalents) and classify each by the social relationship it signals

Practise three transactional role-plays (asking a teacher for an extension, declining an invitation politely, requesting a change to a booking) and script each exchange in full

Identify and drill the honorific and humble verb pairs most useful in service encounters, such as いらっしゃる/伺う and おっしゃる/申し上げる

Compare two politeness strategies for refusing a request and explain in Japanese which sounds more natural to a Japanese listener

Shadow a five-minute native-speed dialogue three times, focusing on turn-taking and backchannelling

Read four short authentic-style texts (a school notice, a blog post, a restaurant review, an email from a host family) and summarise each in three Japanese sentences

Annotate every connective and sentence-final expression in those texts and group them by function (contrast, addition, concession, emphasis)

Answer inference questions about each text, distinguishing stated facts from implied attitudes

Build a 40-item glossary of culture-specific terms (school events, seasonal greetings, gift-giving customs) with brief Japanese explanations

Analyse the structure of a 400-character opinion essay, labelling introduction, supporting reasons, examples, and conclusion

Write two 300-character opinion paragraphs using at least four connectives and two concessive structures (〜が、〜にもかかわらず)

Self-edit each paragraph against a checklist covering register consistency, particle accuracy, and kanji legibility

Rewrite one paragraph after feedback, keeping a before-and-after comparison

Compose a 500-character formal email to a teacher requesting a meeting, applying appropriate opening and closing formulae

Compose a 400-character informal message to a peer on the same topic and contrast the two registers side by side

Present a two-minute spoken summary of a current-events article, then answer three follow-up questions aloud without notes

Transcribe your spoken summary and correct ten errors in grammar or word choice

Conduct a 10-minute mock conversation with a partner or tutor covering an unexpected topic shift, practising clarification requests such as すみません、もう一度お願いします

Listen to three short audio passages and take notes in Japanese only, then reconstruct each main idea in two sentences

Identify five instances of implied meaning in the listening passages and explain what was meant but not said

Drill 20 listening comprehension question stems so you recognise what each is asking for

Write a 600-character comparative text on one cultural practice in Japan and your own community, using comparison and contrast structures

Incorporate at least eight culture-specific terms from your week 3 glossary, used accurately in context

Review your full writing portfolio and list your five most frequent recurring errors

Complete five targeted drills for each recurring error and record the correction rule in Japanese

Complete one full timed practice set covering reading, listening, and writing under exam conditions

Deliver a five-minute spoken presentation on a cultural topic and respond to four audience questions

Review every marked error from the practice set and rewrite the weakest written response

Compile a one-page personal exam checklist of register rules, connectives, and time-management reminders