Japanese

Learners will use Japanese to communicate with others by:

• listening and responding to spoken Japanese
• communicating in spoken Japanese
• reading and responding to written Japanese
• expressing ideas and information in written Japanese.

This is done within a contextual framework of three prescribed themes:

1. The individual
2. Japanese-speaking communities
3. The changing world.

These themes, and their topics and sub-topics, have been selected to enable learners to develop their understanding of how Japanese and culture are inter-related.

The themes have a number of topics and sub-topics. The placement of the topics under themes is intended to provide a particular perspective for each of the topics. The sub-topics expand on the topics and guide the learner and teacher as to how the topics may be treated.

It is not expected that all themes and topics will require the same amount of study time. The length of time and depth devoted to each topic will vary according to the linguistic needs and interests of the learner.

The learner will negotiate at least one topic drawn from the themes and their topics/sub-topics for more detailed study.

The study of Japanese contributes to the overall education of learners, particularly in the areas of communication, cross-cultural understanding, and general knowledge. It provides access to the culture of Japan and Japanese-speaking communities. The study promotes understanding of different attitudes and values within the wider Australian community and beyond.

The language to be studied and assessed is the modern standard or official version of Japanese.

On successful completion of this course, learners will be able to:

1. use Japanese to communicate with others by listening and responding to spoken Japanese
2. use Japanese to communicate with others by communicating in spoken Japanese
3. use Japanese to communicate with others by reading and responding to written Japanese
4. use Japanese to communicate with others by expressing ideas and information in written Japanese
5. interpret contemporary Japanese customs and daily life, and the cultural context in which Japanese is used
6. critically reflect on their own culture through the study of Japanese culture
7. use Japanese as a language system
8. make connections between English and another language
9. apply negotiation, planning and organisational skills.

Japanese – Foundation Level 2 provides a pathway to this course.

This course provides a pathway to the study of Japanese at tertiary level, and to various vocational education and training (VET) packages that include Japanese components/ units of competency.

This course has a complexity level of 3.

At Level 3, the learner is expected to acquire a combination of theoretical and/or technical and factual knowledge and skills and use judgement when varying procedures to deal with unusual or unexpected aspects that may arise. Some skills in organising self and others are expected. Level 3 is a standard suitable to prepare learners for further study at tertiary level. VET competencies at this level are often those characteristic of an AQF Certificate III.

This course has a size value of 15.

THEMES

1. The Individual

The theme ‘The Individual’ enables the learner to explore aspects of his or her own life, for example, sense of self, personal values, opinions, ideas and relationships with others. At the same time, this theme also enables the learner to study topics from the perspective of others.

2. Japanese-Speaking Communities

The theme ‘Japanese-speaking Communities’ explores topics from the perspective of Japanese-speaking communities and encourages the learner to reflect on his or her own and other cultures.

3. The Changing World

The theme ‘The Changing World’ enables the learner to explore change as it affects aspects of the world such as work, technology, trade and tourism and social issues.

USE OF ENGLISH

While it is expected that learners will study a range of oral and written texts in Japanese, it may be appropriate in some circumstances to select texts using English. Equally, it may be appropriate for a learner to respond to a text in English on some occasions.

Note: at its meeting on 3 April 2013, TASC decided that from 2014 the examination specifications for all Level 3 language courses would include use of the target language in responses in the reading section of the written examination.

TEXT TYPES

The learner will be expected to be familiar with a variety of text types. Text types indicated with an asterisk (*) are those that the learner may be expected to produce in the external examination of this Level 3 course. Teachers may introduce the learner to a wider range of text types in the course of their teaching and learning program:

VOCABULARY

While there is no nationally prescribed vocabulary list, it is expected that learners will be familiar with a range of vocabulary and idioms relevant to the themes described in the course. The following vocabulary list identifies typical words relevant to this course’s themes.

VOCABULARY LIST

(clothe)

VOCABULARY LIST ADDITIONAL A:  ICT TERMS

VOCABULARY LIST ADDITIONAL B: KATAKANA WORDS

Learners will be comfortable reading and writing the following. This is NOT a definitive list of katakana words, and learners should expect to see a wide range of foreign words in reading.

DICTIONARIES

Teachers will assist learners to develop the necessary skills and confidence to use dictionaries effectively.

For details regarding the use of dictionaries in the external assessment process see 'What can I take to my exam?'.

GRAMMAR AND STRUCTURES

Grammar can be referred to as the organisation of, and relationship between, all the elements that constitute a language as it functions.

There are many different theories of grammar, and a number of different approaches towards its teaching and learning. The categories used below are not intended to promote any particular theory of grammar, or to favour one methodology over another.

In this Level 3 course it is assumed that the learner will already have acquired a significant understanding of the function of grammar in Japanese through prior knowledge or study of Japanese.

Developing the learner’s ability to convey meaning effectively in a range of contexts will, however, necessarily involve extending awareness of the system of structures underlying the language, as well as the ability both to apply and adapt this knowledge.

The following grammatical structures are those that the learner is expected to recognise and use.

WRITING

HIRAGANA AND KATAKANA

Learners will read and write hiragana and katakana characters. See relevant criteria/standard elements.

PRESCRIBED KANJI  漢字

Set A: for recognition and reproduction

一、二、三、四、五、六、七、八、九、十、百、千、万、何、円、時、間, 年、今、毎、半、生、月、火、水、木、金、土、 週、曜、上、中、下、前、後、左、右、女、男、人、子、父、母、友、私、自、分、目、口、手、足、耳、花、白、赤、青、言、見、思、食、飲、買、休、行、来、犬、電、車、入、出、立、大、小、少、古、高、長、日、本、家、学、校、社、会、町、外、国、山、川、海、田、天、気、雨、名、字、語、先、好、有

Set B: for recognition (only)

春、 夏 、秋 、冬、 読、 聞、 話、 書 、売 、 待 、 持 、 帰 、歩、 東、 京 、新、 道 、駅 、島、 物 、 勉、 強 、元、 病 、去、 朝 、昼、 晩 、忙、 広、 着、 店 、 色 、通 、兄 、姉、 弟 、妹、 忘、 泳、
族、 使 、々

From their study of these themes and related topics/sub-topics learners will undertake at least one substantial assessment task (approximately 1000 words or equivalent). The mode of presentation is not prescribed. It may be a written report, an oral report or presentation, or a multimodal* presentation. The task will be assessed internally, and will be a significant source of evidence for the assessment of the Learning Outcomes, ‘gain a detailed understanding and appreciation of Japanese customs and traditions, and the cultural context in which Japanese is used’ and ‘critically reflect on their own culture through the study of Japanese culture’ (Criterion 5) and Criterion 6.

While the report/presentation of the assessment task may be in English, Japanese should be used as appropriate (for example, when discussing Japanese concepts, using direct quotations from sources in Japanese, or referring to Japanese terms).

Learners will negotiate the task with their teacher. While not prescribed, the nature of the task will be one that engages the learner in critical reflection and that provides opportunities to present reasoned arguments/points of view and analysis. An issue-based approach is more appropriate than one that is purely descriptive in nature. For example, an activity or topic might be framed as a question such as:

• ‘In what ways, and to what extent, has Japanese culture influenced Australian culture?’
• ‘Compare and contrast
  • the lyrics and music of a popular Japanese song with the lyrics and music of a popular Australian song.
    or
  • the front page of a Japanese newspaper with the front page of an Australian newspaper.
    or
  • a popular Japanese television show with a popular Australian television show.
    What do these similarities and differences tell us about the two cultures?’
• ‘In what ways, and to what extent, have Japanese-speaking communities in Australia contributed to our multicultural society?’
• ‘Compare and contrast the role of sport/art/performing arts in Japanese and Australian society. How might the similarities and differences be explained?’
•  ‘Compare and contrast contemporary daily life in Japanese and Australian society. How might the similarities and differences be explained?’

*Multimodal: a combination of two or more communication modes (for example print, image, and spoken text, as in a film or computer presentation).

Criterion-based assessment is a form of outcomes assessment that identifies the extent of learner achievement at an appropriate end-point of study. Although assessment – as part of the learning program – is continuous, much of it is formative, and is done to help learners identify what they need to do to attain the maximum benefit from their study of the course. Therefore, assessment for summative reporting to TASC will focus on what both teacher and learner understand to reflect end-point achievement.

The standard of achievement each learner attains on each criterion is recorded as a rating ‘A’, ‘B’, or ‘C’, according to the outcomes specified in the standards section of the course.

A ‘t’ notation must be used where a learner demonstrates any achievement against a criterion less than the standard specified for the ‘C’ rating.

A ‘z’ notation is to be used where a learner provides no evidence of achievement at all.

Providers offering this course must participate in quality assurance processes specified by TASC to ensure provider validity and comparability of standards across all awards. To learn more, see TASC's quality assurance processes and assessment information.

Internal assessment of all criteria will be made by the provider. Providers will report the learner’s rating for each criterion to TASC.

TASC will supervise the external assessment of designated criteria which will be indicated by an asterisk (*). The ratings obtained from the external assessments will be used in addition to internal ratings from the provider to determine the final award.

The following processes will be facilitated by TASC to ensure there is:

• a match between the standards for achievement specified in the course and the skills and knowledge demonstrated by learners
• community confidence in the integrity and meaning of the qualification.

Process – TASC gives course providers feedback about any systematic differences in the relationship of their internal and external assessments and, where appropriate, seeks further evidence through audit and requires corrective action in the future.

The external assessment requirements for the course Japanese Level 3 consists of:

• an oral examination; and
• a written examination.

The criteria to be externally assessed are 1, 2, 3, and 4.

For details regarding the use of dictionaries in the external assessment process see 'What can I take to my exam?'.

Note: at its meeting of 3 April 2013 TASC decided that from 2014 the examination specifications for all Level 3 language courses would include use of the target language in responses in the reading section of the written examination.

For further information see the TASC’s External Assessment Guidelines for this course which can be found in the Supporting Documents below.

The assessment for Japanese Level 3 will be based on the degree to which the learner can:

• 1. listen and respond to spoken Japanese*
• 2. communicate in spoken Japanese*
• 3. read and respond to written Japanese texts*
• 4. express ideas and information in written Japanese*
• 5. demonstrate understanding of Japanese culture
• 6. apply negotiation, planning and organisational skills

* = denotes criteria that are both internally and externally assessed

Japanese Level 3 (with the award of):

EXCEPTIONAL ACHIEVEMENT

HIGH ACHIEVEMENT

COMMENDABLE ACHIEVEMENT

SATISFACTORY ACHIEVEMENT

PRELIMINARY ACHIEVEMENT

The final award will be determined by the Office of Tasmanian Assessment, Standards and Certification from the 10 ratings (6 from the internal assessment, 4 from the external assessment).

The minimum requirements for an award in Japanese Level 3 are as follows:

EXCEPTIONAL ACHIEVEMENT (EA)
9 ‘A’ ratings, 1 ‘B’ rating (3 ‘A’ ratings, 1 ‘B’ rating from external assessment)

HIGH ACHIEVEMENT (HA)
4 ‘A’ ratings, 4 ‘B’ ratings, 2 ‘C’ ratings (1 ‘A’ rating, 2 ‘B’ ratings and 1 ‘C’ rating from external assessment)

COMMENDABLE ACHIEVEMENT (CA)
5 ‘B’ ratings, 4 ‘C’ ratings (2 ‘B’ ratings, 2 ‘C’ ratings from external assessment)

SATISFACTORY ACHIEVEMENT (SA)
8 ‘C’ ratings (3 ‘C’ ratings from external assessment)

PRELIMINARY ACHIEVEMENT (PA)
6 ‘C’ ratings

A learner who otherwise achieves the ratings for a CA (Commendable Achievement) or SA (Satisfactory Achievement) award but who fails to show any evidence of achievement in one or more criteria (‘z’ notation) will be issued with a PA (Preliminary Achievement) award.

The Department of Education’s Curriculum Services will develop and regularly revise the curriculum. This evaluation will be informed by the experience of the course’s implementation, delivery and assessment.

In addition, stakeholders may request Curriculum Services to review a particular aspect of an accredited course.

Requests for amendments to an accredited course will be forwarded by Curriculum Services to the Office of TASC for formal consideration.

Such requests for amendment will be considered in terms of the likely improvements to the outcomes for learners, possible consequences for delivery and assessment of the course, and alignment with Australian Curriculum materials.

A course is formally analysed prior to the expiry of its accreditation as part of the process to develop specifications to guide the development of any replacement course.

Version 1 - Accredited on 21 October 2013 for use from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2018. This course replaces Japanese (JPN315109) that expired on 31 December 2013.

Version 1.a - minor modifications to kanji lists made 1 July 2014.

Version 1.b - Minor amendments to 'Grammar and Structures'. Accreditation renewed on 22 November 2018 for the period 1 January 2019 until 31 December 2020.

Version 1.c - Accreditation renewed on 13 July 2020 for the period 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2021 (no amendments made).

Version 1.d - Renewal of Accreditation on 14 July 2021 for the period 31 December 2021 until 31 December 2023, without amendments.