English Extension 2 2020 HSC exam pack

Short fiction

Students should:

• sustain an authentic voice/s throughout
• enhance effective transitions between characters/voice, chapters, settings and time
• use seamless transitions between moments or events
• read a range of short fiction to develop an understanding of the nuances of the form
• ensure this form is appropriate to develop their concept.

In better responses, students were able to:

• present well researched historical pieces, or narratives within particular cultural contexts, embedded with convincing, rich cultural authenticity that went beyond place names or cuisine.

Areas for students to improve include:

• ensuring plot lines and numbers of characters are not too expansive to achieve coherence and completeness
• avoiding ideas which are superficial or derivative
• avoiding stock characterisation, generalisation and/or stereotyping
• in those instances where students choose to address/include/reference specific cultural elements, they should do so with a level of empathy and an understanding of the significance of their inclusion in the work. By implication, they should avoid trite or superficial references that demonstrate a lack of sensitivity and empathy.

Critical responses

Students should:

• investigate the form to ensure their chosen concept is best placed in this category.

In better responses, students were able to:

• integrate independent investigation with their own textual analysis
• write appropriately in a fluent academic register
• use ficto-critical or intertextual elements with thoughtfulness and effectiveness.

Areas for students to improve include:

• presenting a substantial and sustained response with a coherent and clearly elaborated thesis.

Poetry

Students should:

• ensure their work is original
• ensure experimentation is justified.

In better responses, students were able to:

• seamlessly integrate research into specific cultural, literary, philosophical and political contexts
• offer mature insights
• purposefully integrate eclectic forms of poetry.

Areas for students to improve include:

• maintaining a cohesive voice
• sustaining effective poetic forms including appropriate prosody
• avoiding using the same idea across a suite of poems without developing it or adding any insight.

Script: Short film, television, drama

Students should:

• consider the length of time a sequence of shots will take; for example, montages and action sequences can be quite long – making a cup of tea takes less than a second to read but might take 15 seconds to sequence
• study short films and read shorter scripts to learn how to use brevity of form to advantage.

In better responses, students were able to:

• craft engaging and nuanced plots that allowed for the complexity of ideas/concepts to be artfully expressed
• establish authentic characters with sustained, authentic voices
• understand and effectively craft the aesthetics of their chosen form.

Areas for students to improve include:

• editing effectively to avoid including material that is redundant or extraneous to the work
• developing a stronger understanding of the script form and considering why it is the best way to communicate their concepts
• ensuring that they are aware of the components of form to effectively craft their work, including number of scenes and characters, effectiveness of transitions and purposeful and engaging dialogue.

Creative nonfiction

Students should:

• make a purposeful choice to work in this form, rather than selecting it because their work does not fit well with the other available forms
• investigate examples of Creative Nonfiction such as the discursive or lyrical essay, or research investigative journalism or historical recreations
• draft rigorously to avoid errors, particularly in sentence structure, syntax, grammatical tense and subject/object verb agreements, which create lapses in engagement and serve to disorientate the reader.

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate that the Creative Nonfiction form was a deliberate and well-informed choice
• demonstrate an understanding of the significance of thorough and rigorous research for the Creative Nonfiction form, such as appropriate exemplars and theoretical and critical readings. If working in historical recreation, for example, verisimilitude was upheld through extensively researched details, characters, events, and setting.

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding reliance only on family anecdotes and online discussions. These should be fleshed out through sustained exploration of background
• engaging maturely with wide discourses
• avoiding dealing with topics in an over-wrought, emotional way, as insights into these topics and concepts tend to be superficial and underdeveloped
• avoiding reliance on a single, monotonous voice as this often fails to take advantage of the flexibility of the form, and ensuring there is clear purpose and control when experimenting with multiple voices to achieve a sense of coherence and unity
• ensuring the introduction of poetry or other text types serves a strong purpose in the work, and that these text types are adequately researched. Some Creative Nonfiction works veered very close to full fiction without any deepening of effect by manipulating factual truth or history beyond the already broad confines of the form
• ensuring that blending of critical and creative approaches to the same concept in a hybridised manner is done to deepen the concept or insights, rather than just exploring them in another way.

Podcasts: Drama, storytelling, speeches, performance poetry

Students should:

• investigate all aspects and conventions of the chosen form within the sound medium, being conscious of the intended audience
• give considerable thought to the use of sound effects which enhance the work and authenticity of voice, to offer a cohesive soundscape
• allow sufficient time for the final recording to ensure seamless transitions, variation of pace, volume and intonation
• integrate music, motifs (linguistic or sound), and the role of a narrator with a clear sense of the work’s purpose.

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate a strong sense of purpose and audience by clearly grounding the work in a plausible, original framework
• present ideas which reflected insights that were clearly researched and detailed
• use voices which were authentic, varied and convincing, creating personas for multiple voices
• experiment with the form skilfully, often in hybrid ways, challenging or supporting familiar forms
• edit their audio file seamlessly and use sound effects which supported the work and enhanced meaning
• incorporate layers in the soundscape to offer cohesive, skilful insights into original concepts.

Areas for students to improve include:

• ensuring that the suitability of the sound medium form for the work and for a clear audience is apparent throughout the work
• investigating in depth to bring insights to the work, rather than relying on clichéd experiences or just telling a story
• ensuring that voices are used expressively and are appropriate for the roles
• choosing music and sound effects which are relevant and enhance the purpose of the work. It is important to edit to ensure that these sounds are heard at the right time and do not distract from the work’s purpose
• working with the relevant conventions of the form. A student reading a script does not make it a radio drama, and separately recorded voices do not constitute a podcast or interview
• adhering to the time specifications and mastering the technical skills of recording.

In 2020, HSC exams operated according to the AHPCC advice for reducing the risk of the transmission of COVID-19. The requirements for the Major Work Multimedia - Short Film were changed and the final film was not examined. These Major Works were marked based on the submission of written documents with up to 3 minutes of shot and edited footage.

In 2020, the requirements for the Major Work Multimedia - Short Film were changed and the final film was not examined.

Students were required to submit for external marking the following material:

• shot list
• storyboard
• script
• photos of location(s) and/or sketches and illustrations
• edited sound track.

Students should:

• consider all elements of their form, structure and style
• ensure they adhere to the parameters of the form.

In better responses, students were able to:

• make effective use a range of features relevant to the form
• create a sustained, conceptual motif that connected elements of the multimedia piece
• control animations to effectively convey their purpose.

Areas for students to improve include:

• developing cohesiveness and stylistic unity
• using music/sound thoughtfully to shape meaning
• controlling the use of sound to ensure the quality is clear and there is appropriate variation, but the volume does not vary greatly without purpose.

Students should:

• ensure that they reflect on the processes they went through to complete the Major Work
• use their journal to document the processes undertaken and then use this information to support the composition of their Reflection Statement.

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate understanding of the relationship between the chosen concept and the chosen form, and the impact that the extensive investigation had on developing this essential connection
• convey clear awareness and understanding of the relationship between the Major Work and the intended audience and the way this relationship is shaped through the process of composition and the construction of meaning
• make explicit the correlation between the process and product
• present clear and realistic links to the English Advanced and Extension 1 courses.

Areas for students to improve include:

• ensuring the Reflection Statement addresses the most significant choices made in the Major Work and that these are not ignored in an attempt to emphasise the work’s conceptual sophistication
• showing depth of research into the chosen form.