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NSWEnglish StudiesQuick questions
Discovery and Investigations: English and the sciences
Quick questions on Communicating science clearly in HSC English Studies
3short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What are writing for different audiences?Show answer
The same finding can be written for very different readers. For experts, a text uses technical terms freely and assumes background knowledge. For the public, a good science writer explains terms, uses analogy to make the unfamiliar familiar, and connects the idea to everyday life. Notice the techniques of popular science writing: a comparison to something the reader knows, a vivid example, a plain restatement after a technical sentence.
What is reading science critically?Show answer
The web is full of science claims, and not all are sound. Read with questions: who is making the claim, is there a study behind it, and does the language match the evidence? Watch for the gap between a cautious finding and a confident headline, as when research that "suggests a possible link" becomes a headline that announces a cure. Learning to read the hedge in the original and the overstatement in the popular version is a sharp critical skill.
What is composing clear technical information?Show answer
To explain something technical clearly, know your audience first. For a general reader, lead with why it matters, define each term the first time you use it, use an analogy for the hardest idea, and keep sentences short. Order the information so each step builds on the last. Test it by imagining the reader has no background: can they follow every sentence?
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