BOS 50/09

Minor amendments have been made revising 'tasks' to include a reference to 'audience' in the following syllabuses:

Stage 6 Continuers Syllabuses

Armenian, Croatian, Dutch, Filipino, Hindi, Hungarian, Khmer, Macedonian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Serbian, Swedish, Tamil, Turkish and Ukrainian

Stage 6 Background Speakers Syllabuses

Malay, Persian and Russian

The description of tasks has changed from four elements to five elements. A description of the task element 'audience' has been included.

The description of the tasks should now read:

Tasks can be described as having five elements:

• a purpose (a reason for undertaking the task that goes beyond the practice of the language for its own sake)
• a context (this may be real, simulated or imagined, and may include aspects such as where, when, who is involved)
• an audience (the person/persons at whom the task is directed)
• a process (thinking, problem-solving, creating)
• a product (a result that can be described in terms of achievement of the purpose of the task and in the student's overall cognitive development).

The amended syllabuses will be available during December 2009.

Effective: 2010 Preliminary and HSC courses

Contact:

BOS 49/09

The course prescriptions for the 2010-2016 HSC Latin Extension examinations can be found on the Board of Studies website.

Information regarding the prescribed editions of the texts can be found in the resource list on the Board's website.

Effective: Commencement of 2010 HSC course

Two new documents have been published relating to the development of Heritage languages courses in Chinese (Mandarin), Japanese, Indonesian and Korean. Both are available on the National news page.

These are:

• Draft Framework for Heritage Languages Courses at Senior Secondary Level - Consultation report
• Framework for Heritage Languages Courses at Senior Secondary Level 2009

The Office of the Board of Studies will continue its languages eligibility monitoring program in 2010. Schools participating in the 2010 program will be notified in Term 4, 2009.

The purpose of the program is to monitor the implementation of the Board's policies in relation to the eligibility criteria for Beginners languages courses and Continuers courses in languages where there are Background Speakers courses.

In Term 2 of 2009 the monitoring program was conducted with several government and non-government schools. The following were identified as 'best practice' in implementing the Board's policies. Schools should consider adopting these practices to ensure they have effective procedures for determining a student's eligibility to undertake a Beginners course or a Continuers course in a language that has a Background Speakers course.

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Curriculum Writers for Chinese (Mandarin), Japanese, Indonesian and Korean Syllabus Development

To assist with the development of syllabuses in Chinese (Mandarin), Japanese, Indonesian and Korean for Heritage Language speakers at the senior secondary level, the Office of the Board of Studies is creating a register of curriculum writers for tasks at various stages of the syllabus development process. Depending on their current employment, selected writers will be contracted or deployed (subject to employer's approval) to undertake the writing tasks.

Expressions of interest for inclusion on the register are particularly sought from people with advanced proficiency, skills, experience and/or expertise in the writing of either Chinese (Mandarin), Japanese, Indonesian or Korean curriculum materials.

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The 2009 Higher School Certificate Languages Oral Examinations Timetable is now available.

This document has important information for students, including dates and other arrangements for the oral exams.

It also explains what students may and may not bring to Board of Studies exam centres.

The Languages Oral Examinations will be conducted from 13 August to 26 September 2009.

Download the PDF of the 2009 Higher School Certificate Languages Oral Examinations Timetable.

BOS 33/08 (Vol 17 No 3)

The Board wishes to advise teachers and students of the following amendments to the Japanese Background Speakers HSC course prescriptions for 2009-2013.

• The following chapters in the text, Otokodatera ni onnanaki, are prescribed for study:
'Wakagumi no nakademo hassou' and 'Otokonaki no bigaku'.
• The publisher of the text, Chiisaki mono e, is Shinchosha.


Effective

Commencement of 2009 HSC course

Contact:

Dr Margaret Silink
Inspector, Languages
(02) 9367 8152
margaret.silink@bos.nsw.edu.au

BOS 32/08 (Vol 17 No 3)

Amendments to Stage 6 Languages Extension syllabuses in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Modern Greek and Spanish

The Board wishes to advise teachers of minor amendments to the Stage 6 Languages Extension syllabuses in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Modern Greek and Spanish.

The amended syllabuses and a summary of changes will be available by the beginning of Term 3 2008 on the Board of Studies website.

The amended syllabuses will be effective for the HSC course and examination in 2009.

The website will contain:

• the original syllabuses approved in 2000 (which remain current for the HSC course and examination in 2008)
• the amended syllabuses (for the HSC course and examination in 2009).

Effective: 2009 HSC course and examination

Contact:
Dr Margaret Silink
Inspector, Languages
(02) 9367 8152
margaret.silink@bos.nsw.edu.au

BOS 31/08 (Vol 17 No 3)

Amendments to Stage 6 Languages Continuers syllabuses in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Modern Greek, Modern Hebrew, Spanish and Vietnamese

The Board wishes to advise teachers of minor amendments to the Stage 6 Languages Continuers syllabuses in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Modern Greek, Modern Hebrew, Spanish and Vietnamese.

The amended syllabuses and a summary of changes will be available by the beginning of Term 3 2008 on the Board of Studies website.

The amended syllabuses will be effective for the HSC examination in 2009.

The website will contain:

• the original syllabuses approved in 1999 (which remain current for the HSC course and examination in 2008)
• the amended syllabuses (for the HSC examination in 2009).

Effective: 2009 HSC examination

Contact:
Dr Margaret Silink
Inspector, Languages
(02) 9367 8152
margaret.silink@bos.nsw.edu.au

BOS 30/08 (Vol 17 No 3)

Amendments to Stage 6 Languages Background Speakers syllabuses in Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese and Korean

The Board wishes to advise teachers of minor amendments to the Stage 6 Languages Background Speakers syllabuses in Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese and Korean.

The amended syllabuses and a summary of changes will be available by the beginning of Term 3 2008 on the Board of Studies website.

The amended syllabuses will be effective for the HSC examination in 2009.

The website will contain:

• the original syllabuses approved in 1999 (which remain current for the HSC course and examination in 2008)
• the amended syllabuses (for the HSC examination in 2009).

Effective: 2009 HSC examination

Contact:
Dr Margaret Silink
Inspector, Languages
(02) 9367 8152
margaret.silink@bos.nsw.edu.au