WACE Indonesian Second Language cheat sheet

Written examination structure: Section A (Reading and Responding, around 40% of marks), Section B (Text Production in Indonesian, around 30%), Section C (Listening and Responding, around 30%); total working time is 2 hours 30 minutes plus 10 minutes reading time.

Reading texts may include advertisements, personal letters, emails, news extracts, blogs and short literary or informational passages; responses are given in English or Indonesian exactly as the question directs, and using the wrong language earns zero for that item.

Text production tasks specify audience, purpose and text type (for example informal letter, blog post, formal email, article, recount); assessment weightings are content/ideas, range and accuracy of vocabulary and grammar, and text organisation/register.

Listening passages are played twice with a pause between playings; questions may require note completion, multiple-choice selection, or short answers in English or Indonesian, and responses are marked on information accuracy, not on translation style.

Grammar accuracy targets include the affix system (meN-, ber-, di-, -kan, -i, ke-...-an, peN-...-an), active versus passive voice (di- passive), and the use of sudah, telah, belum, sedang, akan and pernah to mark aspect and time.

Register and address terms are assessable: aku/kamu for informal peer texts, saya/Anda for formal contexts, and honorific or kinship terms (Bapak, Ibu, Kakak) where social distance requires them.

Text organisation conventions: Indonesian letters place date and place at the top, use a salutation (Dengan hormat for formal letters), a closing formula (Hormat saya, Salam), and paragraphs are typically shorter and more direct than in English academic writing.

Mark allocation rule: in responding tasks, answers must address every bullet of the question; partial answers are capped, and copying long stretches of the source text into a response does not earn comprehension marks.

Oral examination typically consists of a short prepared or semi-prepared discussion plus a general conversation with the examiner, lasting around 10–15 minutes in total; the exact weighting is set in the syllabus and course assessment outline.

Assessment criteria are commonly grouped as communication and interaction (initiating, sustaining, repairing), content and relevance, range of vocabulary and structures, accuracy, and pronunciation/fluency.

Preparation of a chosen topic requires the ability to speak unrehearsed follow-up answers: examiners probe with 'Mengapa?', 'Bagaimana caranya?', 'Bisa jelaskan lebih lanjut?', so memorised scripts alone do not score well.

Useful repair and interaction strategies: 'Maaf, bisa diulang?', 'Maaf, saya kurang mengerti pertanyaannya', 'Maksud saya ...', 'Sebenarnya ...', which demonstrate interactive competence rather than failure.

Pronunciation points that affect intelligibility: Indonesian is generally syllable-timed with clear vowels (a as in 'father', e as schwa or as in 'say'), final consonants are released lightly, and 'ng' is a single velar nasal sound.

Grammar range for oral tasks is shown through varied sentence types: using connectors (karena, walaupun, sehingga, selain itu, oleh karena itu) and complex clauses with yang, ketika, sebelum, sesudah, agar.

Topic content should show personal engagement with Indonesian-speaking communities or contemporary issues (education, environment, technology, traditions), with specific details such as names, places, numbers and examples rather than general statements.