Written assignment 书面作业 :

1. Written assignment书面作业: Receptive and productive skills

2. Weighting: 20% • Duration of formal writing: 2 hours maximum in one single session • the ability to describe, compare and reflect on cultural differences and similarities between the student’s own culture and the culture of a country where the target language is spoken.

3. The aim of the assignment • 1. describe the chosen topic • 2. identify differences and/or similarities between their own culture and the target culture • 3. reflect on these differences and/or similarities by responding to a set of guiding questions.

4. Sources • may be generated by the teacher or the student. • can be in any language, but at least two of them must be in the target language（2-4）. • must be listed in the bibliography. • The sources brought into the classroom must be clean, unmarked copies. • The use of a bilingual or monolingual dictionary and reference material is permitted • Resources may be taken from the internet, magazines, newspapers, adverts, brochures, textbooks, films, novels, and so on.

5. The requirements • Length: 240-360 Chinese characters • Sources: 2-4 sources in the target language • Communicative purposes: • A: description 描述 miao2shu4 • B: comparison 比较 bi3jiao4 • C: reflection 反思 fan3si1

6. Length • Students who fail to write the minimum number of words or who exceed the maximum will be deducted 2 marks from criterion E: language. If the word limit is exceeded, the assessment will be based on the first360 characters.

7. Three separate headings • A: description 描述: A description of the chosen topic • B: comparison 比较: A comparison of the differences and/or similarities between the chosen topic in the target culture(s) and the student’s culture(s) • C: reflection 反思: A reflection related to the chosen topic

8. Reflection 反思 • The reflection must include answers to all of the following questions. • 1.Which aspect of your chosen topic surprised you? • 2.Why do you think these cultural similarities/differences exist? • 3.What might a person from the target culture(s) find different about your chosen topic in your culture(s)?

9. Formal guidelines • The student must submit: • a coversheet completed by the student and signed by both student and teacher • a bibliography in standard format with references to all sources in all languages. • Quotations can be included but will not be part of the overall word count. • Quotations that are not appropriately referenced will be considered as plagiarism.

10. Assessment • is internally set but externally assessed • must be the student’s own work • must be handwritten (unless special authorization has been obtained) in the target language

11. Assessment criteria

12. Examples of Topics • Personal details, appearance and character • Japanese ab initio: Why do Japanese students wear a school uniform whereas Italian students do not? • Physical health • Mandarin ab initio: Why are early morning exercises considered essential in China? • Food and drink • German ab initio: Food and drink festivals in Germany and New Zealand

13. Examples of Topics • Shopping • Malay ab initio: Shopping at the market in Malaysia and Canada • Employment • Indonesian ab initio: Young people and part-time employment in Indonesia and Scotland • Town and services • English ab initio: The greenest way of getting around a capital city—London versus Paris

14. Examples of Topics • Holidays • Spanish ab initio: How is Easter celebrated in Barcelona compared to my community in Melbourne? • Relationships • French ab initio: The role of women—a French family and an American family • Daily routines • Italian ab initio: Why is la passeggiata an important part of daily life in Italy?

15. List of themes and topics