English syllabus, dot point by dot point

Every dot point in the SA English subject outline, in syllabus order, with a focused answer for each. Open any dot point for the answer, exam-style questions and links to related points.

Comparative Analysis (external, 30%)

Topic overview →

How do you compare what two texts think - their ideas, perspectives and values - rather than just their content?

Compare the ideas, perspectives and values that two texts construct and convey.

8 min read →

How do you compare the language and stylistic choices of two texts and connect them to meaning?

Compare the language features and stylistic choices of two texts and their effects.

8 min read →

How do you structure a comparison so the two texts are genuinely analysed together rather than in turn?

Structure an integrated comparison that analyses two texts together around shared concerns.

8 min read →

How do you write a thesis that argues a real relationship between two texts?

Develop a comparative thesis that argues a clear, sustained relationship between two texts.

8 min read →

Creating Texts (40%)

Topic overview →

How do you control language and stylistic features so they create deliberate effects in your own writing?

Manipulate language and stylistic features to create deliberate effects in created texts.

8 min read →

How do you craft an imaginative or recreative text that shows control of voice, structure and detail?

Create imaginative and recreative texts that demonstrate craft and engage an audience.

8 min read →

How do you build a persuasive text that moves a specific audience toward a position?

Create persuasive texts that use argument and rhetorical strategy to position a specific audience.

8 min read →

How do you shape a text so its purpose, audience and context govern every choice you make?

Create texts that are purposefully shaped for a specific audience and context.

8 min read →

How do you write a Writer's Statement that justifies the choices in your created text?

Reflect on and justify the language and structural choices made in a created text.

6 min read →

Responding to Texts (30%)

Topic overview →

How do you select, embed and analyse textual evidence so it proves your interpretation?

Select and integrate relevant textual evidence to support and develop an interpretation.

8 min read →

How do writers and speakers use language features to position an audience to respond in particular ways?

Analyse how language features, conventions and structures position audiences to respond to texts and their ideas.

8 min read →

How do the stylistic features and conventions of a text shape its meaning and effect?

Analyse how stylistic features and text-type conventions create meaning and shape audience response.

8 min read →

How does the context a text is produced and received in shape the meanings we make from it?

Analyse the ways context shapes the production, meaning and reception of a text.

8 min read →

Whose perspective does a text privilege, and how is that perspective constructed through representation?

Analyse the ways texts represent people, places, ideas and events, and the perspectives they privilege or silence.

8 min read →

How do you structure an analytical response that argues a clear interpretation of a text?

Plan and write a coherent, well-structured analytical response that develops a sustained interpretation of a text.

8 min read →