English Extension 2 Major Work advice

The three required assessment tasks are:

• the Viva Voce
• the Literature Review
• the Critique of the Creative Process

The weighting for each is detailed on page 6 of Assessment and Reporting in English Extension 2 Stage 6 (2017). In constructing the requirements and criteria for each task, there should be a direct relationship with the course outcomes that the task is addressing. Marking guidelines, which relate to the course outcomes, should be developed for each task. The HSC Marking Feedback is an important reference document for students and teachers. Further, the Assessment Certification and Examination Manual (ACE) advises that the English Extension 2 Major Work may not be submitted for assessment or examination in any other HSC course.

The word limits and running/performance time are mandated in Assessment and Reporting in English Extension 2 Stage 6 (2017). Students are advised to adhere to these word limits. Major Works that fall outside these specifications may appear to lack effective control of form for purpose and audience as described in the English Extension 2 marking guidelines. Word limits do not include the bibliography, footnotes or appendices. These need to be used judiciously and not as a means of expanding the work. Their use should be justified in the Reflection Statement.

Assessment and Reporting in English Extension 2 Stage 6 (2017) states that the Major Work ‘must be conceived and executed by the student under the supervision of the English teacher’, This means that the Major Work is wholly the student’s own work, requiring the student to develop the concept, undertake an appropriate independent investigation and complete the drafting of the work.

‘Originality’ refers to the insights and exploration of form presented in the work – for example, offering a fresh and engaging perspective on a concept or text that may have been previously explored by other composers in an appropriate medium for the intended audience and purpose. This is addressed in points one and three in the marking guidelines. Ongoing investigation into form and concept should underpin the development of the Major Work. The Major Work should have a clearly defined purpose targeting a specific audience. This should be documented in the Reflection Statement and be clearly apparent in the Major Work itself.

‘Originality’ can be demonstrated by the student’s independent investigation as evidenced in the Major Work and documented in the Reflection Statement and Major Work Journal, which documents the process of composition and investigation.

Sound and multimedia have particular requirements concerning the development of original material and the use of other people in their presentations. Assessment and Reporting in English Extension 2 Stage 6 (2017)  provides the requirements for each medium.

All appropriated or non-original material must be acknowledged. Each medium has specific requirements about the process of acknowledging non-original material and these requirements are outlined in Assessment and Reporting in English Extension 2 Stage 6 (2017).

Students are reminded of the principles of All My Own Work, which should guide their approach to research and the development of ideas and the citing of sources.

The syllabus requires that the Major Work be an extension of the knowledge, understanding and skills of the Advanced and Extension courses and be clearly identifiable as a project within the English key learning area. The Major Work may be based on the Year 11 and/or Year 12 patterns of study. As students undertake the Year 12 coursework for Advanced and Extension 1, the knowledge, understanding and skills may shape the development and direction of the Major Work.

There is an expectation that students’ knowledge, understanding and skills will continue to be refined over the duration of their study of the HSC English courses and that these will underpin all aspects of the Major Work process and be clearly documented in the Reflection Statement as well as the Major Work Journal.

As students draw links to the Year 11 and/or Year 12 courses, they should explain the genesis of their ideas and how these are an extension of their work in English Advanced and English Extension. Students should also explain how the skills developed in these courses have been utilised in the composition of their Major Work. In so doing, they should explain the connections between these points and their extensive independent investigation, and the role that each has played in the development of their Major Work.

Students’ sustained independent investigation, into both form and concept, should go beyond the resources and texts accessed in coursework in order to be a true extension of both courses. This investigation provides the basis for the student’s original approach to the subject matter and form of the Major Work.

A bibliography (a list of sources used in the investigation process) or a reference list (a list of texts cited within the work) should be provided as appropriate to the medium and context of the Major Work and according to the principles of All My Own Work. A bibliography or reference list is not a mandatory course requirement.

The syllabus does not mandate any particular system of referencing or citation for bibliographies, reference lists, footnotes or endnotes. Care should be taken to be consistent in the application of whatever style is employed. The style should be appropriate and informed by purpose, audience, medium and/or the intended point of publication.

The student’s substantial, independent investigation into form is critical to success in English Extension 2 and should be discussed explicitly in the Reflection Statement and evident within the Major Work. The English Extension 2 marking guidelines highlight the importance of this investigation in terms of achieving textual integrity and skilful communication of developed ideas. Digital devices, software, programs and equipment used for editing, construction or manipulation should be discussed in the Reflection Statement. For example, voice-manipulation software that has been employed in the podcast should be acknowledged and explained in the Reflection Statement in terms of the intended purpose and effect.

The Reflection Statement is intended to be a personal, critical reflection on the process involved in composing the Major Work Assessment and Reporting in English Extension 2 Stage 6 (2017). This implies that the Reflection Statement could be written not only in the first person, but also in an informal register.

All English Extension 2 students are required to keep a Major Work Journal. This process journal documents ‘all stages of the composition process’ including ‘an original inquiry question and statement of intent for the scope of investigation (English Extension Stage 6 Syllabus). The journal also has a role in establishing the authenticity of the Major Work in that it includes evidence of investigation into a range of aspects of the student’s independent investigation, such as form and concept; critical, imaginative and speculative reflections; drafts and feedback on drafts; annotated bibliographies; copies of assessment tasks; and preparation for these assessment tasks. and with the Major Work to the supervising teacher. The journal may be in digital or hard copy. Students are reminded to avoid identification of themselves, their school or teachers. Assessment and Reporting in English Extension 2 Stage 6 (2017).

It is essential that the Major Work Journal is submitted with the Major Work. The journal has a role in establishing the authenticity of the Major Work and must be kept at the school and be available if requested by NESA. Assessment and Reporting in English Extension 2 Stage 6 (2017).

The Major Work Journal must be submitted for monitoring with each assessment task. Mandatory content specific to each task is provided in the Assessment and Reporting in English Extension 2 Stage 6 (2017).

What are the implications for the negotiated agreement between the student and the teacher if the student changes the concept and/or form during the development of the Major Work?

Any changes and/or developments in the Major Work must be documented in the Major Work Journal. These changes will be endorsed by the supervising teacher during the ongoing monitoring process.

The use of visual images in the Major Work should be minimal and strategic and needs to contribute to the integrity and purpose of the work. Students should be aware that if these images do not adhere to the specifications of the chosen medium, then the images will not be assessed as part of the work. Assessment and Reporting in English Extension 2 Stage 6 (2017)

Assessment and Reporting in English Extension 2 Stage 6 (2017) states that the Major Work should be presented in Arial or Times New Roman size 12. Any variation in the size and/or type of font should only be used to strengthen the overall intention of the Major Work and the rationale for the variation needs to be outlined in the Reflection Statement. Such variations should be used strategically and should not be a substitute for the effective use and manipulation of language.

This is acceptable so long as the Major Work complies with the parameters for the form in Assessment and Reporting in English Extension 2 Stage 6 (2017).

So, while graphic novels and children’s picture books are popular forms, they fall outside the parameters for the Short Fiction form for English Extension 2 and may be more appropriate as inclusions in multimedia Major Works. Any use of other forms within the Major Work – for example, sections of poetry within a short story – need to be contextually relevant and clearly justified in the Reflection Statement in terms of the intended purpose and effect on audiences.

The student should be the principal performer, the sole writer and sole director/producer. For drama the student presenting the Major Work must be the sole writer and sole director/producer. It is acceptable to use software to manipulate sound to create effects and other voices, and this should be detailed in the Reflection Statement. It is the responsibility of the student to direct or instruct all technical input. If commercial or creative commons sound bites are used, these must be acknowledged in the Reflection Statement as per the principles of All My Own Work. Students should refer to Assessment and Reporting in English Extension 2 Stage 6 (2017).

Yes. Students must present a print copy of the script, storyboard or flow chart consistent with the final edited Major Work.

Yes. Any decisions regarding the structural elements of the Major Work should be based on intended purpose and audience. The textual integrity of the Major Work should be enhanced by these decisions. HSC Marking Feedback offers further comment relevant to the specific forms.

NESA does not stipulate a particular style or format, as this may be contingent on the genre or context of the drama the candidate is creating. As part of their independent investigation, students will have the opportunity to research conventions and determine the style most appropriate for the purposes of their Major Work.

Sound that is used as an interval or segue is not counted in the running time. For example, sound effects such as significant musical interludes in speeches are not included in the running time. Sound effects such as knocking or screams in a drama are included.

Everything, including credits, counts towards the running time of multimedia.

Students must ensure that their multimedia work can be opened. This should be done by testing it on a number of different types of conventional playing equipment prior to submission. Information about submission of the Major Work and Reflection Statement is available in Instructions for the Submission and Certification of Major Works via Schools Online, which teachers can download from the Memos and Documents section.

These should be acknowledged in the Reflection Statement according to the principles of All My Own Work and should clearly contribute to the textual integrity of the Major Work. While it is acceptable to use other sources, these should be used in a way that creates new meaning and insight.

Yes. Students must submit a print copy of the script, storyboard or flow chart with the Major Work. This should be consistent with the final edited Major Work.