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March 29, 2024, 01:25:44 am

Author Topic: Italian advice  (Read 2412 times)  Share 

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2352300

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Italian advice
« on: July 01, 2017, 10:36:40 pm »
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Hi guys, unit 3 Italian hasn't been amazing and I just scrapped a B+. I'm probably ranked in the middle of a fairly weak cohort :P Do you reckon there's enough time to improve throughout unit 4 before the exam? I'm planning on getting a head start this holidays to pick up on all the bludging I did in unit 3. (I sorely regret using Italian as private study periods now rip). Would getting into some SBS podcasts/youtubers help? And would completing my entire grammar book be over kill? Is preparing for the oral now too soon? Also, would it be too much to ask the native Italian girl in my class for help? Sorry for all of the questions I've just decided now that I want to get a 30+ raw in this subject, if it's even still possible at this point (I don't think so but its never too late to start trying). I'm one of the few people in my class who has no Italian background, so while I'm at a disadvantage because I have no exposure to the language at home, I really want to overcome this hurdle. So if anyone has any tips/advice/experience on how to do well in LOTE Italian (or just LOTE in general) I'd really appreciate it !! :D

K888

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Re: Italian advice
« Reply #1 on: July 01, 2017, 11:03:31 pm »
+2
Hi 2352300!
I'm not aware of anyone else on the forum doing Italian, but hopefully there is someone. In the meantime, I did French, and hope that my advice can be of use :)

There is definitely heaps of time to improve! You still have until October for the oral exam and November for your written exam - plenty of time.
I would definitely recommend starting listening to podcasts - I know for French, there are some great ones that cover news/current affairs, but are aimed at people learning French, so they speak more slowly and introduce new words for your vocab. I'm sure there will be similar stuff for Italian out there. I'd recommend downloading the app called Pocket Casts - I think you have to pay a small amount for it, but then you get access to heaps of podcasts (also good for non school stuff!) :)
I don't think you have to do your whole grammar book - maybe make a list of stuff you need to work on, then really focus on that. And focus on mastering the basics (I know that in French, stuffing up basics catches so many people out every year, so I imagine it would be similar for Italian!), before trying to get super creative with complex stuff. I'd also recommend Duolingo! I actually used this instead of my grammar book during the year, because the grammar book bored me to tears. It's not particularly complex, but it's good for making sure you don't forget the small stuff.
I'd also recommend doing practice pieces that emulate the exam! I.e. doing practice listenings, practice writing pieces, etc. - getting this stuff down pat is key, and why not do stuff that's gonna be on the actual exam? My teacher encouraged us to write a practice writing piece (using a prompt from a past exam) every week/fortnight, so maybe see if you can get a similar arrangement with your teacher where they mark your work! You'll quickly see a pattern of the things you frequently make mistakes on, and will be able to go from there :D

I don't think specific preparation for the oral exam is too necessary at the moment, but I'd recommend trying to speak as much Italian as possible so that general discussion becomes something that comes quick to your mind. Maybe you might like to ask one of the native Italian speakers in your class to be your partner - the practice will benefit them, too! If you're concerned about the oral exam, have a chat to your teacher - in fact, I'd recommend speaking to them anyway! They should have some good tips as to how you can improve and succeed :)

You are definitely still in the game for a 30+!!
I hope these tips have helped, if you have any further questions let me know :)

2352300

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Re: Italian advice
« Reply #2 on: July 01, 2017, 11:37:07 pm »
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Thank you so much! French is wayyy harder than Italian from what I've heard so I'm sure your advice will go above and beyond :D your encouragement has me pumped for unit 4 and the 30+ that I hope to obtain :,)