NCEA Level 3 Japanese case studies
NCEA Level 3 Japanese · Put your knowledge to work in context.
NCEA Level 3 Japanese is a Learning Languages subject in New Zealand’s NCEA system. It is designed for students continuing Japanese at senior secondary level and focuses on listening, speaking, reading and writing in Japanese. The NCEA Level 3 Japanese case studies are 5 cases and about 1,882 words.
1Convenience-store politeness and the interviewer's leading question
You are listening to a four-minute interview on a school podcast. The guest, Mika, is a Year 13 student who spent three weeks in January at a homestay in Nagano.
352 words, about 2 min2Smartphone ban panel: correlation, causation, and hedged stance
You are listening to a three-minute panel discussion from a Japanese high school. Three students discuss a proposed ban on smartphones during lunch break.
332 words, about 2 min3Furusato nozei headline versus demographic evidence
You are reading a 600-word article from a regional magazine about a town's ふるさと納税 campaign. The article reports that donations rose from ¥12 million in 2021 to ¥48 million in 2023, and that the number of donors increased from 1,200 to 4,800.
379 words, about 2 min4Reading a business refusal hidden in keigo
You are reading a blog post by a Japanese university student, Haruto, about a two-week remote internship with a Tokyo IT company. He quotes an email he received after asking to extend the internship: 「検討させていただきます。ただ、現在、受け入れ枠が少ない状況です。」 He also quotes a follow-up: 「前向きに検討していますが、来週までお待ちいただけますか。」 Haruto writes, 「つまり、OKということだと思いました。」 Two weeks later, he received: 「今回は見送らせていただきます。」 He is confused because he thought the earlier emails were positive.
312 words, about 2 min5Newsletter opinion piece: balancing concession, evidence, and register
You are writing a 400–500-character opinion piece for your school's Japanese newsletter. The prompt is: 「高校生はアルバイトをするべきか。」 Your editor asks you to include at least two different perspectives, one counterargument to your own view, and a clear recommendation.
507 words, about 3 min