English Standard 2021 HSC exam pack

Question 1  

In better responses, students were able to:

• clearly identify the specific aspects of Karlie Noon’s experience that contributed to her unique story
• identify and explore the link between traditional Aboriginal cultural knowledge and understanding and modern scientific and academic knowledge
• analyse the curiosity and enthusiasm in Karlie Noon’s unique journey.

Areas for students to improve include:

• providing a detailed exploration of selected features of the text
• addressing and remaining focused on all parts of the question
• avoiding a general survey style response
• composing a response that goes beyond a description of the text.

Question 2  

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide an insightful thesis that is elaborated and justified through an effectively structured response
• specifically identify an aspect or a relational concept within the childhood memory explored
• recognise and integrate the understanding that memory continues to influence and impact the present and future
• identify and explore the tonal changes through the extract.

Areas for students to improve include:

• using well-chosen textual evidence to support ideas
• answering all parts of the question
• avoiding recounting the text
• effectively explaining or analysing textual evidence.

Question 3  

In better responses, students were able to:

• clearly explain how the experience of reading books was also a sensory experience that provided an escape into literary worlds, and the power of literature generally
• support the identification of the experience with textual references rather than description of the text.

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding generic terms such as ‘this reveals Gray’s human experience’
• developing more effective explanations that go beyond general statements such as ‘this shows Gray likes books’ or, ‘he likes reading’
• avoiding listing techniques without linking them to the question.

Question 4  

In better responses, students were able to:

• consider the human experience, moving beyond simple recount to the larger conceptual meanings
• suitably integrate ideas about human experiences with detailed explanation of how meaning was shaped through language
• provide a balance between the human experience they considered and how ideas were represented
• use aptly chosen evidence to support their response.

Areas for students to improve include:

• responding to the question
• clearly defining the human experience rather than writing in general terms
• avoiding recounting the examples from the text such as “he holds a rock in his hand” and instead consider how imagery brings us to a larger understanding of the experience of reflection, awe, contemplation, etc.
• ensuring that explanations align to any textual references.

Question 5   

In better responses, students were able to:

• insightfully explore the relationship between the characters, going beyond that they were ‘close’, and between grandparent and grandson
• provide textual evidence that is accurate and strongly aligned to the relationship being explored
• consider the multifaceted nature of the relationship
• recognise the cultural aspects of the relationship
• identify and explain the representation of ideas with clarity and understanding.

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding listing techniques without explaining how they address the relationship being explored
• avoiding describing or recounting events in the extract.

Students should:

• demonstrate an understanding of how texts represent human experiences
• develop a line of argument that addresses the question
• demonstrate a deep understanding of their prescribed text through a range of textual evidence
• compose an organised response with a logical sequence of arguments
• consider using a plan.

In better responses, students were able to:

• purposefully analyse, not just explain, why the composer has employed specific language forms and structural features
• employ and maintain a controlled voice
• purposefully structure their response with a line of argument that was sustained through clear topic sentences, considerate analysis and deliberate links to the question
• analyse the text according to medium; for example, I am Malala and The Boy Behind the Curtain were analysed with a conscious awareness of the memoir form.

Areas for students to improve include:

• demonstrating an awareness of the text’s construction and form
• analysing, rather than just explaining, how the responses to challenges were represented
• avoiding vague and general comments
• using the metalanguage appropriate to the form; for example, students should employ the language appropriate to drama when discussing Merchant of Venice, Rainbow’s End and TheCrucible.

General feedback

Students should:

• engage with all the key terms in the question and provide relevant textual evidence, including quotes and technical analysis, to support their ideas.

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate their understanding of the term ‘analyse’ as defined in the NESA glossary of terms (identify components and the relationship between them; draw out and relate implications)
• develop and maintain a clear line of argument
• organise and express ideas appropriately
• clearly identify and explorehow a ‘sense of identity’ for the individual was represented within their prescribed text
• link the ‘sense of identity’ to the individual’s wider ‘community’
• demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the module by exploring how the text’s language, form and features create a sense of identity for individuals within a community and/or cultural groups.

Areas for students to improve include:

• responding to the whole question
• demonstrating accurate and relevant knowledge of the prescribed text
• linking the language used in the text to the sense of identity of the individual within a community
• making clear connections between their chosen textual evidence and how it supports their argument.

Prose fiction – Henry Lawson, The Penguin Henry Lawson Short Stories

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify and articulate individual identities conveyed in Lawson’s stories in relation to their broader communities and/or cultural groups in late 19^th Century Australia
• explore how Lawson uses language to consider stereotypical roles and/or class structures of Australian colonial society.

Prose fiction – Andrea Levy, Small Island

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify and articulate individual identities conveyed in Levy’s text in relation to their broader communities and/or cultural groups in society in post-colonial Britain
• explore how Levy uses language to consider racial, class and/or gender stereotypes in contemporary society.

Poetry – Adam Aitken, Boey Kim Cheng and Michelle Cahill (eds), Contemporary Asian Australian Poets

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify and articulate individual identities conveyed in the anthology of poetry in relation to their broader communities and/or cultural groups
• explore how the poets use language to consider the migrant experience, including racial prejudice, language barriers and cultural conflict in society.

Poetry – Ali Cobby Eckermann, Inside my Mother

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify and articulate individual identities conveyed in Eckermann’s poems in relation to their broader communities and/or cultural groups in a post-colonial setting
• explore how Eckermann uses language to consider Indigenous culture, including intergenerational trauma, prejudicial stereotypes, the impact of Australian historical events on individuals and communities, and misconceptions about culture and relationships.

Drama – Ray Lawler, Summer of the Seventeenth Doll

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify and articulate individual identities conveyed in Lawler’s play in relation to their broader communities and/or cultural groups in 1950’s Australia
• explore how Lawler uses language to consider stereotypical roles and/or class structures of Australian society.

Drama – Bernard Shaw, Pygmalion

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify and articulate individual identities conveyed in Shaw’s play in relation to their broader communities and/or cultural groups in Edwardian England
• explore how Shaw uses language to consider stereotypical roles and/or class structures of English society.

Drama – Alana Valentine, Shafana and Aunt Sarrinah

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify and articulate individual identities conveyed in Valentine’s play in relation to their broader communities and/or cultural groups in post 9/11 Australian society
• explore how Valentine uses language to consider differing perspectives on ideas including race, gender, religion and cultural practices in contemporary society.

Nonfiction – Alice Pung, Unpolished Gem

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify and articulate individual identities conveyed in Pung’s text in relation to their broader communities and/or cultural groups in post-colonial Australian society
• explore how Pung uses language to consider racial stereotypes, familial expectations and socio-economic status in contemporary Australian society.

Film – Rachel Perkins, One Night the Moon

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify and articulate individual identities conveyed in Perkins’ film in relation to their broader communities and/or cultural groups in post-colonial Australia
• explore how Perkins uses language to consider cultural assumptions, including racial prejudice, gender stereotypes, the impact of Australian historical events on individuals and communities, and misconceptions about culture and relationships.

Film – Rob Sitch, The Castle

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify and articulate individual identities conveyed in Sitch’s film in relation to their broader communities and/or cultural groups in Australian society
• explore how Sitch uses language to consider cultural assumptions of Australian society to expose class, gender, racial and socio-economic tensions faced by characters in the text.

Media – Janet Merewether, Reindeer in my Saami Heart

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify and articulate individual identities conveyed in Merewether’s documentary in relation to their broader communities and/or cultural groups in a post-colonial society
• explore how Merewether uses language to consider cultural assumptions of the Saami people including, social class, ethnicity, gender and religious oppression to expose the impact of historical events on individuals and communities, and misconceptions about culture and relationships.

General feedback

Students should:

• specifically address all aspects of the question, understanding that there are multiple pathways into a question
• plan and define the key words in relation to the prescribed text
• develop an argument using a personal voice appropriate to the question
• demonstrate an awareness of composer, form and representation
• demonstrate an informed, holistic and detailed understanding of the prescribed text
• support the response with selected, detailed and relevant textual evidence and analysis with control of language and ideas.

Prose fiction – M T Anderson, Feed

In better responses, students were able to:

• analyse how Anderson shapes character and setting to create a personal and intellectual connection with the reader
• engage with the key words of the question in the context of the novel. For example, a personal connection to characters who either conform to or resist authorities, an intellectual connection to technological and consumerist control and connection to a dystopian setting that warns us about developing social issues
• discuss the text’s satirical purpose and genre.

Areas for students to improve include:

• including discussion of a broad range of textual features, especially features specific to the novel form, including characterisation, dystopian setting, narratorial perspective and narrative structure.

Prose fiction – Mark Haddon, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

In better responses, students were able to:

• analyse how Haddon shapes character and setting to create a personal and intellectual connection with the reader
• engage with the key words of the question, in the context of the novel. For example, a personal connection to the character of Christopher
• discuss the text’s empathetic purpose, structural composition and narrative style.

Areas for students to improve include:

• including discussion of a broad range of textual features specific to the novel form, including characterisation, setting, narratorial perspective and narrative structure.

Poetry – Robert Gray, Coast Road

In better responses, students were able to:

• analyse how Gray portrays people and places to create a personal and intellectual connection with the reader
• engage with the key words of the question, in the context of the poetry. For example, a personal connection to the natural places depicted in the poetry, an intellectual connection to the need for preservation of natural environments or a connection to the distinctive responses people have to different places
• discussion the text’s purpose, poetic form and imagist style.

Areas for students to improve include:

• demonstrating an understanding of the poems by evaluating and selecting the poems which best suit the question
• including discussion of a broad range of textual features, especially features specific to the poetic form and Gray’s distinctive style.

Poetry – Oodgeroo Noonuccal, Selected Poems

In better responses, students were able to:

• analyse how Oodgeroo portrays people and places to create a personal and intellectual connection with the reader
• engage with the question’s key words in the context of the poetry. For example, a personal connection to the culturally significant places depicted in the poetry, an intellectual connection to the value of natural environments, a connection to the importance of Australia’s indigenous culture, or the ongoing importance and impact of the past and the connections between people despite geographical and cultural differences
• discuss the text’s didactic purpose, poetic form and figurative style.

Areas for students to improve include:

• demonstrating an informed and detailed understanding of the poems by evaluating and selecting the poems which best suit the question
• including discussion of a broad range of textual features, especially features specific to the poetic form and Oodgeroo’s distinctive style.

Drama – Scott Rankin, Namatjira

In better responses, students were able to:

• analyse how Rankin shapes character and setting to create a personal and intellectual connection with the audience
• engage with the question’s key words in the context of the drama. For example, a personal connection to the characters’ resistance to cultural oppression, an intellectual connection to the dramatic setting as an agent for social change or a connection to the importance of Australia’s indigenous culture
• discuss the text’s didactic purpose and dramatic representation.

Areas for students to improve include:

• demonstrating an understanding of the drama by evaluating and selecting the scenes which best suit the question
• including discussion of a broad range of textual features, especially features specific to the dramatic form.

Drama – William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream

In better responses, students were able to:

• effectively analyse how Shakespeare shapes character and setting to create a personal and intellectual connection with the audience
• engage with the question’s key words in the context of the drama. For example, a personal connection to the significance of the characters’ gender roles, an intellectual connection to real and imaginary dramatic settings as symbols of freedom from societal restraints, a connection to the importance of relationships and how they are valued
• present a discussion of the text's social commentary, dramatic representation and comedic genre.

Areas for students to improve include:

• engaging with the key words of the question, in the context of the drama
• demonstrating an understanding of the drama by evaluating and selecting the scenes which best suit the question
• including discussion of a broad range of textual features, especially features specific to the dramatic form.

Nonfiction – Anna Funder, Stasiland

In better responses, students were able to:

• analyse how Funder portrays people and places to create a personal and intellectual connection with the reader
• engage with the question’s key words in the context of the nonfiction. For example, a personal connection to the emotions of people in a hostile setting, an intellectual connection to the dilemma of conformity in a totalitarian regime or a connection to the value of ethics and morality in society
• present a discussion of the text’s didactic purpose and nonfiction representation.

Areas for students to improve include:

• including discussion of a broad range of textual features, especially features specific to the nonfiction form.

Film – Peter Weir, The Truman Show

In better responses, students were able to:

• effectively analyse how Weir shapes character and setting to create a personal and intellectual connection with the audience
• engage with the question’s key words in the context of the film. For example, a personal connection to the character of Truman and his quest for autonomy, an intellectual connection to the controlled, speculative setting of Seahaven or a connection to the role of media and consumerism in society
• present a discussion of the text’s satirical purpose and cinematic representation.

Areas for students to improve include:

• demonstrating an understanding of the text by evaluating and selecting the scenes which best suit the question
• including discussion of a broad range of textual features, especially features specific to the film form and Weir’s distinctive style.

Media – Simon Nasht, Frank Hurley: The Man Who Made History

In better responses, students were able to:

• effectively analyse how Hurley portrays people and places to create a personal and intellectual connection with the audience
• engage with the question’s key words in the context of the media text. For example, a personal connection to Frank Hurley, his work, and his ambitions, Nasht’s personal opinions on the identity of Hurley, an intellectual connection to the historical settings represented in the text or a connection to the interplay between representation and truth
• present a discussion of the text’s social commentary, didactic purpose and mode of representation.

Areas for students to improve include:

• engaging with the key words of the question, in the context of the documentary
• demonstrating an understanding of the text by evaluating and selecting the scenes which best suit the question
• integrating discussion of a broad range of textual features, especially features specific to the media form.

General feedback

Students should:

• ensure that they understand the specific requirements of the question and respond to them
• be aware that the style and/or format of questions will vary from year to year
• be aware of the real and imagined audiences of their response.

Question 3(a)

In better responses, students were able to:

• use one idea from the stimulus in an integrated, sustained and interesting way
• employ an authentic personal voice/ character voice
• write with a strong sense of purpose
• shape the features of their chosen form (imaginative, discursive or persuasive) in an effective way
• engage the audience through well-crafted language devices and stylistic features.

Areas for students to improve include:

• including detail that is accurate, to bring credibility
• using appropriate content and subject matter for an examination context
• sustaining control and accuracy of spelling, punctuation and grammar.

Question 3(b)

In better responses, students were able to:

• articulate their purpose in 3a, including a reference to audience
• clearly explain their language and stylistic choices with detail and relevance as inspired and/or modelled by a Prescribed Text
• use quotations from their own writing in 3a and references to a Prescribed Text to justify their creative choices
• reflect thoughtfully on their own crafting in terms of concept, structure, style and language devices, audience and purpose
• make a strong connection to their study of Craft of Writing
• demonstrate confident and sustained control of language.

Areas for students to improve include:

• using a clear introductory statement rather than long introductions and conclusions that detract from the time spent on their explanations
• articulating their creative choices in 3a
• avoiding recounting the plot of a Prescribed Text
• using quotes and the techniques used from their own writing
• reflecting positively about their own writing, rather than negatively critiquing.