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Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education
0519 Japanese (Foreign Language) November 2011
Principal Examiner Report for Teachers
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JAPANESE (FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
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Paper 0519/02
Reading and Directed Writing
Key messages
To maximise their chances of success on this paper, candidates should:
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read all instructions, questions and texts very carefully;
keep to the required length for writing tasks;
answer comprehension questions with brief but focused answers;
allocate time to check their work;
ensure that all questions have been answered;
make any alterations to answers clear, leaving the Examiner in no doubt as to what is the final
answer
General comments
Most candidates performed very well in this examination. Many candidates attempted to answer all three
sections and demonstrated their abilities in the target language. Candidates were clearly well prepared, and
were familiar with the task types and observed the rubrics. It was quite common again this year to see errors
in the use of the polite form and the plain form in candidates’ writing, and this is an area where many
candidates could improve. Candidates are reminded of the need to write their responses neatly in the
spaces provided, to ensure that examiners can read the intended answer.
Comments on specific questions
Section 1
The majority of candidates performed very well in this section, with many achieving full or nearly full marks.
Exercise 1 Questions 1 – 5
Many candidates received full marks in this exercise. The majority of candidates answered Question 3
correctly, and Question 2 proved to be the most challenging.
Question 1
Question 2
Question 3
Question 4
Question 5
D
B
D
A
C
Exercise 2 Questions 6 – 10
The majority of candidates gained full marks in this exercise. Where mistakes were made, this tended to be in
Question 6.
Question 6
Question 7
Question 8
Question 9
Question 10
G
B
E
A
D
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© 2011
Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education
0519 Japanese (Foreign Language) November 2011
Principal Examiner Report for Teachers
Exercise 3 Questions 11 – 15
Most candidates coped very well with this short text about a baking class. Question 15 was the least well
answered, with candidates making mistakes in their answers such as
or
not producing complete enough answers, such as
In
Question 13, some candidates used the incorrect kanji for the number, thus rendering the answer incorrect.
Candidates are reminded that there is no requirement to use kanji in this exercise. In Question 14, some
candidates confused what was required, giving a nationality instead of the number of people.
Question 11
Question 12
Question 13
Question 14
Question 15
Exercise 4 Question 16
The majority of candidates tried to use the correct form for a postcard and some of them showed excellent
communication skills in this writing task. Candidates are reminded that in order to be awarded the full 3
marks for communication, they must address the 3 points given in the question.
For the mark scheme please refer to the 0519 Japanese syllabus booklet.
Section 2 of the examination was handled well by the majority of candidates again this year. In Exercise 1,
the vast majority managed to answer the questions correctly and as a result they gained very high marks on
this short reading exercise. In Exercise 2, a lot of candidates attempted to respond to the tasks and dealt
with this exercise very well.
Exercise 1 Questions 17 – 24
The vast majority of candidates coped very well with this comprehension exercise, with most candidates
finding the correct answers to Questions 17, 18, 21 and 23. A small number of candidates gave ひこうきを
しています in answer to Question 17 or しています which is too ambiguous. In Questions 19 and 20,
candidates needed to give two points in order to gain both marks; candidates should be aware of the relation
between the number of points expected and the number of marks shown in brackets. Candidates are not
required to use their own words for this exercise.
Question 17
Question 18
Question 19
Question 20
Question 21
Question 22
Question 23
Exercise 2 Question 24
Most candidates attempted this exercise and performed very well. Many produced very good compositions
using a range of vocabulary and grammar. Candidates should write within the stated 200 characters.
10 marks are available for Communication, and in order to score a mark candidates must communicate
information relevant to the tasks on the question paper.
For the mark scheme please refer to the 0519 Japanese syllabus booklet.
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© 2011
Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education
0519 Japanese (Foreign Language) November 2011
Principal Examiner Report for Teachers
Section 3
Most candidates attempted to answer the questions in this section and both exercises were generally
answered well.
Exercise 1 Questions 25 – 33
The majority of candidates performed very well with this exercise. In Question 26 candidates needed to
answer both parts (i) and (ii) to be awarded 2 marks. Questions 27, 28 and 30 were well done by most
candidates. In Question 29, some candidates used the verb
on its own; this verb needs to be used
with a noun for a complete answer. In Question 32, some candidates gave answers such as Tom saw new
Japan and old Japan which did not fully answer the question.
Question 25
Question 26
Question 27
Question 28
Question 29
Question 30
Question 31
Question 32
Question 33
Exercise 2 Questions 34 – 41
Many candidates attempted this exercise and handled the longer reading passage in Japanese very well.
Most candidates were awarded marks for Questions 35, 39 and 41.
Candidates are reminded that they can only be awarded marks for answers found within the text. Additional
information included in answers from the candidate’s general knowledge will not be credited.
Question 34
Question 35
Question 36
Question 37
Question 38
Question 39
Question 40
Question 41
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© 2011
Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education
0519 Japanese (Foreign Language) November 2011
Principal Examiner Report for Teachers
JAPANESE (FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
Paper 0519/03
Speaking
Key messages
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Careful preparation by Examiners is essential.
All task elements must be communicated, but one word or a short response may be sufficient.
Examiners should advise candidates on their choice of topic.
Examiners should make a clear distinction between Test 2 and Test 3.
Failure to adhere closely to the set timing may disadvantage candidates.
Examiners should vary the topics covered and should not ask all candidates the same series of
questions.
Candidates should be asked both expected and unexpected questions.
To achieve the highest possible mark candidates do not have to be of native speaker standard.
General comments
In most Centres, the Speaking Test was conducted extremely well, with the Examiner using skilful and
sensitive questioning techniques to allow the candidates to show their ability. Most candidates demonstrated
a high standard of spoken Japanese. Both candidates and their teachers are to be congratulated on the
standards achieved.
Most Centres succeeded in producing a clear and audible recording, although Centres should be reminded
of the importance of checking the sound levels before recording starts. Examiners should be careful not to
give too many cues and should not correct candidates’ mistakes in the middle of the conversation.
Test 1
Role Play (General)
The vast majority of candidates had clearly practiced for this exercise, and as a result they managed to show
their communication skills in spoken Japanese very well. It should be remembered that whilst it is preferable
for candidates’ answers to relate to the pictures provided in the Role-play booklets, alternative answers can
be given if they are appropriate in the context.
Please note that marks can only be awarded for answers given in Japanese. Answers provided in any other
language cannot be credited.
Role Play A (Talking about a dog)
1. The majority of candidates responded accurately.
2. A few candidates failed to mention the counter for age.
3. Most candidates had no difficulty with this task.
4. This was answered well.
5. Most candidates managed to respond to this task.
Role Play A (Talking about school)
1. The majority of candidates coped very well with this task.
2. This was handled well by most.
3. Most candidates found this task straightforward.
4. Many candidates recognised the days of the week in kanji and responded very well.
5. A lot of candidates managed to describe how he/she found Japanese from the simple picture.
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© 2011
Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education
0519 Japanese (Foreign Language) November 2011
Principal Examiner Report for Teachers
Role Play A (Talking about last Sunday)
1. A few candidates said sea, but the majority of candidates managed to say river.
2. Most candidates found it easy to respond.
3. A lot of candidates did not find it difficult to tackle this task.
4. Some candidates did not manage to mention the word fishing.
5. Most candidates were able to describe the time very well.
Role Play B (Talking about a film)
1. Most candidates managed to say something in this task.
2. Many candidates tried hard in this task.
3. A lot of candidates were able to do this task.
4. Some candidates found it difficult to do this task, but managed well in the end.
5. Many candidates managed to say something relating to the picture in this task.
Role Play B (Talking about a room)
1. A wide variety of answers were produced by candidates, and most of them were very good.
2. The majority of candidates found something to describe in this task.
3. Many candidates did well here.
4. Some candidates did not seem to know the counter for times.
5. Many candidates managed well in this task.
Role Play B (Directions)
1. A few candidates made a mistake in counting the stations.
2. Many candidates gave directions very well.
3. There were mixed performances in response to this task.
4. Most candidates managed to give a good explanation.
5. Many candidates attempted this task and managed very well.
Test 2
Topic Conversation
It was clear that candidates had prepared and practised for their presentations and this led them to produce
some excellent performances. Most topics were very interesting and appropriate.
It is sometimes helpful for Examiners to start with a straightforward question following the presentation,
before following up with further in-depth questions. Many Examiners asked questions that encouraged
candidates to describe or compare and this gave candidates an excellent opportunity to demonstrate their
communication skills.
Test 3
General Conversation
In the majority of Centres, the Examiners encouraged candidates to give of their best, by doing advance
preparation and planning a range of interesting topics for candidates to talk about. Again, the best
performances featured a variety of tenses and a range of structures.
Overall, Examiners generally succeeded in creating a relaxed atmosphere for candidates which helped to put
them at their ease and perform to the best of their abilities.
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© 2011
Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education
0519 Japanese (Foreign Language) November 2011
Principal Examiner Report for Teachers
JAPANESE (FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
Paper 0519/04
Continuous Writing
Key messages
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Candidates should follow the rubric closely.
Candidates should make full use of the time allowed.
Candidates should write the stipulated number of characters.
Candidates should write what they know to be Japanese and avoid attempting to use language with
which they are unfamiliar.
Handwriting must be clearly legible.
General comments
The majority of candidates performed very well on this paper, displaying a wide range of vocabulary and
structures and writing fluently. It was encouraging to see that many more candidates attempted to use kanji
in their responses this year.
It would be helpful for candidates to learn how to position small っ,ゃ,ゅ,ょ, full stops and commas on
genkoyoshi. Candidates should be encouraged to avoid using spoken Japanese style in writing, for
example, ～ね。or ちょ～ . Candidates should also use either the polite form or the plain form throughout
each question, and not a mixture of both. There were some minor mistakes in the use of particles although
these did not usually hinder understanding.
It was also common for candidates to make mistakes when using adjectives, particularly when linking more
than two adjectives or using a past structure with i-adjective.
Comments on specific questions
Exercise 1
The majority of candidates succeeded in responding to all the tasks talking about their favourite teacher at
school. Candidates chose to discuss a variety of subjects and were able to describe their teachers using
different i and na-adjectives. However, very few candidates wrote about why they didn’t like a particular
teacher, which may indicate that they didn’t understand that instruction. Candidates managed to use tenses
appropriately in many different ways and they expressed their opinions very well. A number of candidates
used ゲーム／スポーツ を／で あそびます instead of します. Some of the compositions lacked a
coherent structure and candidates are encouraged to plan before they start writing and to use paragraphing
to help order their ideas.
Exercise 2
Some excellent responses were seen to this question, with some candidates showing advanced skills in
grammar. Many candidates managed to include their opinions about keeping a pet in their compositions.
A number of candidates confused the kanji for keeping (a pet) with the kanji “to buy”.
There were more mistakes with tense in this Exercise, and candidates should be more careful with tense
when they use time expressions.
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© 2011