§-English Studies syllabus
NSW · NESA← English Studies
English Studies syllabus, dot point by dot point
Every dot point in the NSW English Studies syllabus, with a focused answer for each. Click any dot point for a worked explainer, past exam questions and links to related points.
Achieving through English: English and the worlds of education, work and community
Module overview →How does effective communication change across education, work and community settings, and how do you adapt your language to each audience?
Students investigate how language choices are adapted for audience, purpose and context in education, workplace and community communication
How do you read and complete the everyday forms and documents that work, study and community life demand, and why does accuracy matter so much?
Students read, interpret and accurately complete everyday functional documents such as forms, applications, agreements and official correspondence for real purposes
How do you read and write procedural texts accurately, and why does following and giving clear instructions matter at work and in training?
Students read, interpret and compose procedural and instructional texts such as workplace procedures, recipes, safety instructions and how-to guides for authentic purposes
What makes a resume and job application effective, and how do you present your skills in language an employer responds to?
Students compose and refine workplace texts such as resumes, job applications and cover letters for authentic purposes and audiences
How do you plan and deliver a clear spoken presentation, and how does speaking differ from writing for the same purpose?
Students plan, rehearse and deliver spoken texts such as presentations and interviews, adapting voice and structure for audience and purpose
Common Module: Texts and Human Experiences
Module overview →How do language forms and features shape meaning in a text, and how do you name them accurately in a short-answer response?
Students examine how particular language forms, features and structures shape meaning and influence responses in texts about human experiences
What is the difference between a personal response and a critical response to a text, and how do you write one that earns marks instead of just sharing an opinion?
Students develop personal and critical responses to texts about human experiences, grounding their reactions in close textual evidence and their own context
How do composers represent individual and collective human experiences, and how do you write about that representation rather than retelling the story?
Students analyse how texts represent individual and collective human experiences, and explain how those representations invite responders to see their own world differently
How do you respond to an unseen text and compose your own in the optional HSC examination, and what does the marker actually want to see?
Students read, analyse and respond to unseen texts about human experiences and compose their own short imaginative, discursive or persuasive responses under examination conditions
Digital Worlds: English and the web
Module overview →Discovery and Investigations: English and the sciences
Module overview →In the Marketplace: English and the world of business
Module overview →Living and working in the community
Module overview →How do everyday community texts inform and persuade, and how do you read them critically to take part as an active citizen?
Students analyse and respond to everyday community texts such as advertisements, public notices and information texts that inform, persuade and connect people
How do public information texts such as notices, signs and brochures communicate with a whole community, and how do you read and compose them well?
Students analyse and compose public information texts such as notices, signs, brochures and announcements that inform and direct a wide community audience
Local Heroes: English and community life
Module overview →MiTunes and text: English and the language of song
Module overview →On the road: English and the experience of travel
Module overview →Part of a Family: English and family life
Module overview →Playing the game: English in sport
Module overview →How does the media tell stories about sport, and how do you read the language of commentary, reporting and the sporting headline critically?
Students analyse how sport is represented in media texts such as match reports, commentary, headlines and interviews, and how language shapes the meaning of a sporting event
How do texts about sport represent values like teamwork, identity and belonging, and how do you analyse them beyond the scoreline?
Students investigate how texts about sport represent values, identity and community, and how composers use sport to explore the human experience
Telling us all about it: English and the media
Module overview →How does advertising persuade an audience to want something, and how do you analyse the language and images that do the selling?
Students analyse the persuasive language, images and design techniques of advertisements and consider how they target and position an audience
How does the news media decide what is a story and how to tell it, and how do you read a news report critically rather than passively?
Students analyse how news media select, frame and report events, and how language, structure and image position the audience to understand a story in a particular way
The big screen: English and film
Module overview →How do film techniques create meaning, and how do you write about a film shot in the same way you would analyse a written text?
Students examine how visual and audio techniques in film construct meaning, character and theme for an audience
How do films use genre and story structure to shape an audience's expectations and feelings, and how do you analyse those choices?
Students analyse how film genre conventions and narrative structure shape meaning and position the audience to respond in particular ways
We are Australians: English and citizenship, community and cultural identity
Module overview →How do Australian texts represent identity and belonging, and how do you write about cultural identity without slipping into stereotype?
Students explore how texts represent Australian identity, cultural diversity and a sense of belonging in the community
How do texts give voice to different Australians, and how do you analyse whose perspective is heard and whose is left out?
Students examine how texts present diverse voices and perspectives on Australian citizenship, community and history, and analyse the effect of whose perspective is centred