WACE Indonesian Second Language exam-day guide
WACE Indonesian Second Language · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Photo identification
Bring the ID document your school or the exam authority requires for admission to the room. The exact accepted forms (for example a school-issued card versus government photo ID) are set by the provider, so confirm with the provider or your Indonesian teacher before exam day.
Admission slip or exam timetable confirmation
Carry whatever written confirmation your school issues showing your name, the exam and the session. Confirm with the provider whether a printed copy is mandatory or whether a school-issued label is sufficient.
Black or blue pens plus spare pens
Bring at least two reliable pens of the permitted colour, since written responses and the extended writing task must be legible. Check whether correction fluid or erasable pens are allowed, as some authorities restrict them.
Pencils, eraser and sharpener
Useful for multiple-choice or short-answer sections if the paper uses a machine-read answer sheet. Confirm with the provider whether answers must be in pen or pencil for each section, because mixing them can invalidate a response.
Clear water bottle with labels removed
Most venues allow plain water in a transparent bottle, but container rules vary. Confirm with the provider or your supervising school before relying on it.
Analogue watch
A simple non-smart watch helps you pace the reading, listening and writing sections if the room clock is hard to see. Smart watches and phones are almost always prohibited at the desk, so leave them outside the room.
Printed summary of text types and structures
Prepare a one-page revision sheet covering the text types likely to be tested (for example a letter, report, recount or persuasive piece) and useful connectives and sentence patterns. Use it in the final revision sessions, then leave it outside the exam room.
Vocabulary and phrase notebook
Keep a compact list of high-frequency Indonesian vocabulary, formal register phrases and discourse markers for last-minute review in the 72 hours before the exam. Do not bring notes into the room unless the provider explicitly permits open-book materials.
Know your seat, room and reporting time
Confirm the venue, room number and arrival time at least a day ahead, and plan transport with a buffer. Reporting times are set by the school or authority, so confirm with the provider if anything is unclear.
Check equipment for any listening component
If the paper includes a listening section, confirm with the provider how audio is delivered and whether you need to arrive earlier for a sound check. Do not assume personal headphones are permitted.
Plan for a permitted snack or break
Find out in advance whether short breaks or food are allowed during the session. Rules on leaving the room and on supervised breaks vary, so confirm with the provider rather than guessing.
Emergency contact and illness procedure
Know who to call and what documentation is needed if you are unwell on the day. Special consideration and misadventure rules are set by the authority, so confirm with the provider or your school coordinator in advance.
Plan the day
Switch from learning new content to consolidating what you already know. Reread your one-page summary of text types and structures, then practise writing one full response under timed conditions for each major text type likely to appear. Mark your own work against the criteria your teacher has given you, focusing on whether you addressed the purpose, audience and context, and whether your register is consistently formal or informal as required.
Do one timed reading and one timed listening practice set if your course includes those skills. Review errors by category rather than just checking answers: note whether mistakes came from unknown vocabulary, misreading the question, or missing implied meaning. Build a short list of the ten vocabulary items and five sentence patterns that would most improve your next attempt, and drill those specifically.
Check the practical details: confirm the venue, reporting time and ID requirements with your school, and gather pens, pencils and your admission documents in one place. Sort out transport and a backup plan. If you have a clash or a question about permitted materials, contact the provider now rather than on the morning.
Do a light review only: skim your vocabulary list, your text-type summary and any corrected past responses. Avoid starting new topics, as late cramming tends to displace the fluent language you already control. Practise writing two or three strong opening and closing sentences for common task types so you can start and finish confidently under pressure.
Prepare everything physically: pack pens, spares, pencils, eraser, water bottle, watch and ID in your bag, and lay out clothes. Set two alarms. Eat a normal meal, avoid heavy caffeine late in the day, and aim for a full night's sleep, since fatigue affects vocabulary retrieval and listening comprehension more than it affects recognition of familiar material.
Eat a proper breakfast, arrive at the venue with a generous buffer, and use the waiting time for calm, low-stakes review: read your vocabulary list or a short Indonesian article rather than trying to memorise new structures. This warms up your reading fluency in the language without adding pressure.
Follow the supervisor's instructions on seating, materials and phone storage. Check that you have the correct paper and any answer booklet, write your details exactly as instructed, and read the front-page instructions and marks allocation before starting. If something is missing or unclear, raise your hand and ask the supervisor immediately.
Read the whole paper or each section's instructions before writing, and allocate time according to marks rather than page length. For reading and listening, read or preview the questions first so you know what information to look for, and answer every item, since unanswered questions score nothing. For writing, spend a few minutes planning the structure and register, then write, leaving time to check agreement, verb forms, spelling and consistency of register.
Keep a visible check on time and leave the final minutes for proofreading your written response against the task requirements: purpose, audience, text type conventions and length. If you run short of time, finish the response in note form rather than leaving it incomplete, and make sure all answers are transferred to the correct booklet or answer sheet before time is called.
Rules to check
Bring and display the identification required by the exam authority. Accepted forms and any name-mismatch procedure are set by the provider, so confirm with the provider or your school coordinator beforehand if your documents are unusual.
Phones, smart watches and other electronic devices must be switched off and stored as directed, not kept at your desk. Unauthorised devices can lead to a breach of examination rules regardless of whether you used them, so follow the supervisor's storage instructions exactly.
Follow all directions from supervisors about seating, starting and stopping, and materials. Do not begin writing before the instruction to start, and stop immediately when time is called; continuing to write after the signal is commonly treated as misconduct.
Do not communicate with other candidates once the session has begun, and do not borrow materials from others. Raise your hand if you need a supervisor's help, for example to replace a broken pen or to ask about a missing page.
Breaks, leaving the room and access to food or water are controlled by the venue. Ask the supervisor or confirm with the provider in advance rather than assuming you may leave and return during the session.
Do not bring unauthorised notes, dictionaries or reference materials into the room unless the provider has explicitly permitted them for this paper. If you are unsure whether an item such as a bilingual dictionary is allowed, confirm with the provider before exam day.
Marks are awarded against published criteria covering communication, content and language accuracy and range, so address the task requirements directly and maintain a consistent register. Do not pad responses with memorised passages that do not answer the question.
If you believe an irregularity, illness or disadvantage affected your performance, report it to the supervisor at the time and to your school coordinator afterwards. The grounds and deadlines for special consideration are set by the authority, so confirm with the provider promptly rather than later.