English Advanced 2018 HSC exam pack (archive)

General feedback

Students should:

• read the questions carefully and consider the key words
• ensure they address the different parts of more complex or higher mark value questions
• use the mark allocation for each question as a guide to the time and length of response required.

Text 1 – Website interview

In better responses, students were able to:

• clearly explain the relationship between photography and discovery, showing the interaction between photography and people, places, culture or self.

Text 2 – Poem

In better responses, students were able to:

• clearly explain the imagery used by the poet
• focus on how the poet “invites” the reader to imagine the experience of discovery
• provide specific examples of imagery used by the poet, such as, “where waves rise mythically”.

Text 1 & 2 – Website interview and poem

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide an effective comparison of the two texts
• demonstrate a clear understanding of how both texts portray the feelings associated with discovery.

Areas for students to improve include:

• understanding key words. For example, “compare” means to compare the similarities and/or differences of the two texts
• engaging in analysis rather than a general discussion of the texts.

Text 3 – Nonfiction extract

In better responses, students were able to:

• engage closely with the text and its ideas
• sustain a skilful analysis that developed the idea that altered perspectives lead to discoveries
• provide well-chosen evidence to support their argument, for example, “Staring at the night sky is similar: it both amplifies your sense of who you are and annihilates you in the same instant...”.

Areas for students to improve include:

• addressing the question of altered perspectives leading to discovery rather than discovery leading to altered perspectives
• providing pertinent and relevant analysis of the text.

Students should:

• engage with all parts of the question and the stimulus
• apply knowledge and understanding of the discovery concept.

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate complex insights into the concept of discovery
• seamlessly explore the concept throughout the response
• skilfully embed the quotation in the response
• manipulate narrative form and structure, using motifs or symbols to unify their response
• use language in a subtle, restrained and elegant way
• write a brief plan to help structure and organise the response – clearly mark this section as a plan.

Areas for students to improve include:

• specifically engaging with the terms of the question
• composing a sustained and complete response
• using a credible and engaging plot
• taking greater care with control of language.

Students should:

• ensure that they respond to the full scope of the question
• be aware that they can agree with or challenge the view presented in a question in part or in whole.

In better responses, students were able to:

• evaluate to what extent the statement is reflected in the texts
• develop and sustain a conceptual thesis which engages with the question
• balance all aspects of the question in their response
• demonstrate that there are different types of discoveries with varied consequences
• acknowledge opposing perspectives about the type of discovery and its consequences
• create a purposefully structured and thoughtfully integrated argument
• support and extend their evaluation with aptly chosen textual references.

Areas for students to improve include:

• analysing rather than describing texts
• selecting and analysing textual references which contribute purposefully to the argument
• controlling expression throughout the response.

Students should:

• engage with all aspects of the question
• develop a strong and sustained thesis in response to the question
• demonstrate a holistic understanding of the texts
• use well-chosen and detailed textual references and accurate, effective contextual examples.

In better responses, students were able to:

• present a clear and controlled thesis
• demonstrate detailed understanding of context, including where composers may have criticised or rejected aspects of their own context
• demonstrate deep and individual understanding of the texts
• make effective use of appropriate textual references
• show a strong understanding of the connections between texts
• demonstrate skilful command of language and structure.

Areas for students to improve include:

• responding to the question holistically rather than in two separate parts joined at the end
• adapting knowledge to suit the question rather than reproducing a generic thematic style or pre-prepared response
• avoiding generalised statements about context that do not contribute to the development of the discussion
• analysing how meaning is shaped at a whole text level, rather than dealing with text references in an isolated way at sentence/scene/stanza level
• providing an integrated analysis of textual form and purpose rather than focusing on themes
• ensuring there is balanced treatment of the two texts
• using metalanguage appropriately to enhance the argument rather than confuse meaning.

General feedback

Students should:

• specifically address all aspects of the question
• develop a strong, sustained argument and personal evaluation in response to the question
• apply knowledge of the module to inform their interpretation and shape their response
• demonstrate a strong awareness of composer, form and context
• demonstrate detailed knowledge of the prescribed text
• support and develop responses using aptly chosen and detailed textual references from the prescribed text
• consider textual integrity beyond ‘enduring value’ and look to structural integrity in synthesis, unity and cohesion
• consider how texts have been received in various contexts
• demonstrate sustained and skilful control of language and ideas.

Shakespearean drama – William Shakespeare, Hamlet

In better responses, students were able to:

• skilfully explore the influence of context upon Shakespeare’s work
• clearly understand Shakespeare’s purpose and how his capacity to position the audience to empathise and acknowledge uncomfortable truths contributes to the enduring value of the play
• demonstrate a perceptive understanding of how contextual values impact upon an audience’s appreciation of literature and the extent to which empathy and acknowledgement of uncomfortable truths contribute to that appreciation
• use well-chosen textual examples to support their argument.

Areas for students to improve include:

• demonstrating a critical and informed understanding of the play
• engaging with the key words in the question to shape their evaluation, as opposed to taking a pre-prepared thematic approach
• supporting their response with detailed and relevant textual evidence and analysis
• including discussion of a broad range of textual features, especially dramatic features
• providing a clear focus on Shakespeare’s purpose rather than on what Hamlet is experiencing.

Prose fiction – Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

In better responses, students were able to:

• skilfully explore the contextual values of Victorian England
• insightfully evaluate the extent to which empathy and acknowledging uncomfortable truths contribute to the ongoing appreciation of literature by considering Jane’s evolving self-knowledge
• make insightful references to the novel’s representation of symbolic and religious tropes rather than focus on characterisation or theme
• provide an insightful understanding of how Bronte’s truths have impacted and benefited current society.

Areas for students to improve include:

• engaging with the key words in the provided statement to shape an evaluation
• focusing on Bronte’s purpose as composer, rather than the truths her characters are experiencing
• focusing on the underlying values of the period to examine the notion of uncomfortable truths
• exploring the impact on the responder
• using more detailed and specific textual references, rather than relying on narrative.

Prose fiction – Tim Winton, Cloudstreet

In better responses, students were able to:

• perceptively evaluate the extent to which empathy and acknowledging uncomfortable truths contribute to the ongoing appreciation of literature by considering Winton’s purpose in exploring significant aspects of Australia’s cultural past
• explore the uncomfortable truths associated with Australian identity, family politics and the unresolved reconciliation between Aboriginal and non-indigenous Australians
• use well-chosen textual examples to support their thesis.

Areas for students to improve include:

• engaging with the key words in the provided statement to shape their evaluation, rather than pre-learned thematic constructs
• demonstrating a greater awareness of Winton as composer and the text as a construction
• using detailed and specific textual references, rather than relying on narrative.

Prose fiction – Michael Ondaatje, In the Skin of a Lion

In better responses, students were able to:

• strongly evaluate the significance of the values of the historical context and Ondaatje’s purpose in creating empathy for marginalised migrant voices and the uncomfortable impact of post-colonialism
• provide an insightful understanding of how the disconnected narrative relates to the novel’s textual integrity
• use detailed textual evidence to support a consistent thesis.

Areas for students to improve include:

• demonstrating a greater awareness of the Canadian cultural context and the migrant experience
• moving beyond an examination of characters and plot
• using relevant and detailed textual examples
• confidently discussing textual features, especially in terms of construction.

Film – Orson Welles, Citizen Kane

In better responses, students were able to:

• clearly understand Welles’ purpose and his skilful capacity to position the audience to empathise and acknowledge uncomfortable truths
• develop a sophisticated exposition on the text’s original 1940’s context and the truths that Welles conveys
• evaluate the film as a warning against the American social paradigm of wealth over happiness
• effectively integrate detailed analysis of specific film techniques to support their discussion of the film and Welles’ purpose
• account for the film’s continued relevance and enduring value.

Areas for students to improve include:

• focusing on Welles’ construction and Toland’s cinematography rather than the character of Kane
• providing an analysis of features specific to the form
• avoiding narrative recount and detailed explanation of film techniques not related to the requirements of the question
• clearly articulating the module’s notions of textual integrity.

Poetry – T S Eliot, T S Eliot: Selected Poems

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate a perceptive understanding of Eliot’s Modernist context and its relationship to modern day existential angst, including the prevailing ideas of life, death and isolation
• critically evaluate using an informed understanding of how contextual values impact on the way that ideas are received in order to come to a personal judgement
• move beyond the persona of the poems to evaluate Eliot’s purpose as a poet and the enduring significance of his poetry
• provide an integrated and balanced discussion of at least two poems.

Areas for students to improve include:

• engaging with the key words in the provided statement to shape an evaluation rather than focusing on Eliot’s thematic concerns
• using more detailed textual evidence that is linked to a thesis rather than technique driven .
• providing a balanced discussion of well-selected poems
• clearly articulating the module’s notions of textual integrity.

Poetry – William Butler Yeats, W B Yeats: Poems selected by Seamus Heaney

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate a clear understanding of Yeats’ personal and political concerns, including life and death, the inevitability of the aging process, unrequited love, the injustices of colonialism, war and the indignities of suppression of freedom
• present a balanced, integrated discussion of at least two poems which reflected Yeats’ personal, political or philosophical concerns
• address the question in a sophisticated manner through the analysis of well-chosen textual examples.

Areas for students to improve include:

• engaging with the key words in the provided statement to shape an evaluation, rather than focusing on Yeats’ thematic concerns
• demonstrating a clear understanding of Yeats’ contextual and personal concerns
• evaluating poetic devices rather than simply listing them
• considering the audience more overtly and in different contexts.

Nonfiction – Speeches

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide a skilful discussion of the power of speeches to engage an audience and therefore provoke emotional responses such as empathy
• convey a clear understanding that a key element of the speeches set for study was the notion that they were examining and challenging uncomfortable truths of their times that still resonate with contemporary audiences
• show detailed knowledge of the prescribed texts through the careful selection of speeches that best supported their argument
• analyse and evaluate specific rhetorical techniques to support their thesis
• discuss the context of the speaker and the speech and account for the continued relevance of the speech.

Areas for students to improve include:

• clearly identifying the truths being explored in the speeches and how their discussion creates empathy in the audience
• demonstrating a more developed understanding of the power of rhetoric and the enduring value of this specific form
• selecting the most relevant speeches to best answer the question
• analysing specific rhetorical techniques
• clearly evaluating the extent to which the statement applies to their chosen speeches.

General feedback

Students should:

• demonstrate knowledge of the rubric, the module and the texts
• demonstrate understanding of the question by addressing each of its aspects
• select relevant quotations and examples to support their arguments
• convey understanding of the texts’ ideas, context, language, form and features
• evaluate the relationship between representation and meaning in the texts
• organise, develop and express ideas using language appropriate to audience, purpose and form.

Elective 1: Representing people and politics

In better responses, students were able to:

• evaluate skilfully how the statement was represented in the texts
• demonstrate a perceptive understanding of the phrases “personal or collective perspectives”, “manipulate the reader” and “political realities” within the context of the rubric
• evaluate skilfully the relationship between representation and meaning
• use judiciously-chosen and detailed textual references
• compose a sustained, thoughtful and fluent argument
• demonstrate sophisticated control of language and expression.

Areas for students to improve include:

• focusing on all aspects of the question
• demonstrating a broad understanding of the texts through close textual referencing
• demonstrating a sophisticated understanding of representation in each text and its relationship to meaning
• sustaining an argument
• using language appropriate to audience, purpose and form.

Elective 2: Representing people and landscapes

In better responses, students were able to:

• evaluate skilfully how the statement was represented in the texts
• demonstrate a perceptive understanding of the phrases, ”personal or collective perspectives”, “invite the reader” and “the possibilities of place” within the context of the rubric
• evaluate skilfully the relationship between representation and meaning
• use carefully chosen and detailed textual references
• compose a sustained, fluent argument
• demonstrate control of language and flair in expression.

Areas for students to improve include:

• focusing on all aspects of the question
• demonstrating a broad understanding of the texts
• incorporating more textual referencing
• demonstrating a sophisticated understanding of representation in each text and its relationship to meaning
• sustaining an argument
• using language appropriate to audience, purpose and form.