English Standard 2024 HSC exam pack

Question 1

In better responses, students were able to:

• explain effectively Brazil’s connection to place using well-chosen textual references to support her connection to Venice
• explain the link to connection to place.

Areas for students to improve include:

• using well-chosen supporting evidence
• explaining rather than providing a recount
• identifying Brazil’s connection to place using appropriate textual references to support.

Question 2

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify the complex concept of change
• explain effectively how Morton represented change through observing others and reflecting on her own life
• use well-chosen supporting evidence to articulate the experience of change.

Areas for students to improve include:

• using well-chosen evidence to support points about change
• explaining rather than recounting the events in the text
• identifying more than one aspect of change that is referenced in the text.

Question 3

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate an effective understanding of how Green invites the reader to consider aspects/ideas/areas of the human sense of smell
• make clear and sustained connection to aspects/ideas/areas of human sense of smell
• use appropriate supporting evidence to explain how Green invites the reader to consider aspects of the human sense of smell, for example, ‘Humans, smell like the exhalations of the bacteria that colonize us ... in how we collectively imagine the human scent’.

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding simple descriptions or recounts of the text.

Question 4

In better responses, students were able to:

• clearly and effectively analyse how Vincent connects the significance of measurement to human experience
• unpack the significance of measurement in shaping the human experience
• use well-chosen supporting evidence to support their ideas, for example, ‘If we could not measure, then we could not observe the world around us; could not experiment and learn’.

Areas for students to improve include:

• analysing language techniques as supporting evidence rather than explaining through examples
• making clear connections between the significance of measurement and human experience.

Question 5

In better responses, students were able to:

• compare skilfully how both texts offer a perspective on the ways individuals perceive their surrounding
• use detailed and well-selected evidence from both texts that support the comparison of texts and ideas, for example, ‘... the sky in front becoming pink and soft ...’
• sustain the comparison between the texts by showing how the texts and/or ideas are similar or different.

Areas for students to improve include:

• writing a succinct and clear response that addresses all parts of the question
• using comparative language such as, ‘by contrast’, ‘similarly’ to construct a coherent comparison.

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 to help frame their response. 

In better responses, students were able to: 

• clearly articulate personal ‘insights’ from their study of the prescribed text
• develop a well-informed argument that explores the intricate and interrelated nature of ‘qualities, motivations and actions’
• purposefully select evidence from the most appropriate scene, chapter, poem, or section of their prescribed text
• use clear expression and appropriate language to reveal a personal understanding and ensure continuity of response.

Areas for students to improve include:

• identifying the ‘qualities, motivations, and actions’ of the human experience with greater clarity and specificity
• demonstrating an understanding of how the author's choice of specific language, such as the ocean motif in Past the Shallows; the use of film devices in Billy Elliot; or features such as dystopian tropes in Nineteen Eighty-Four, shapes meaning
• moving beyond the interior world of the text to a more conceptual argument about the composer’s purpose
• avoiding the use of verbose, inaccurate, or convoluted language that may detract from the quality of the response.

Students should:

• engage with the question and provide relevant textual evidence, including an explanation of how language is used to shape meaning, to support their ideas about how the provided term and its connection to culture is represented in their prescribed text.

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate their understanding of the term ‘explain’
• explore a sense of place relevant to the text studied
• demonstrate an understanding of the issues and connections to culture associated to the text studied
• explain how the prescribed text has informed their understanding of place and its connection to culture
• develop and maintain a clear line of argument
• organise and express ideas appropriately
• explain how the prescribed text informs an understanding of the provided term (place, family, change) and its connection to culture
• demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the module by exploring how the text’s language, form and features shape culture.

Areas for students to improve include:

• responding to the whole question
• demonstrating an understanding of how place is connected to culture as represented within the prescribed text
• selecting a wide range of relevant evidence from the prescribed text and including an explanation of how language is used to shape meaning.

Students should:

• specifically address all aspects of the question
• refer closely to the chosen prescribed text to explore the significance of the text
• demonstrate an awareness of composer, purpose and form
• demonstrate holistic and detailed understanding of the text
• support the response with well-selected, relevant textual evidence and analysis, displaying control of language and ideas.

In better responses, students were able to:

• explicitly address the question by evaluating the extent to which the text shapes and enriches our understanding of our world
• make detailed reference to the text and analyse the interplay between the ideas, and relevant forms and language within the text
• integrate relevant references to the chosen prescribed text
• compose a fluent, sustained, and structured response
• use a clear, strong personal voice.

Areas for improvement include:

• connecting relevant textual detail to their informed personal interpretation of the text’s significance and meaning
• expressing and organising ideas clearly, to enhance the cohesion of the response.

Question 3

Students should:

• ensure they understand the specific requirements of the question and respond to them in a succinct manner
• maintain awareness that the style and/or format of questions will vary year to year
• be aware of the real and imagined audiences and craft language accordingly
• address the question and avoid spending time writing a reflection which is not required.

Question 3(a)

In better responses, students were able to:

• explore at least one idea from the stimulus conceptually and metaphorically to compose an engaging imaginative piece of writing
• effectively craft a response using a range of language devices and stylistic devices to create an engaging imaginative piece of writing
• demonstrate strong and sustained control of language and structure throughout their response, appropriate to audience, purpose, context and form.

Areas for students to improve include:

• crafting a response through thoughtful selection of literary devices that purposefully create meaning
• showing awareness of context by using appropriate content and subject matter
• demonstrating effective control of the mechanics of language including paragraphing, sentence structure, spelling, grammar and punctuation.

Question 3(b)

In better responses, students were able to:

• clearly explain one stylistic device used in (a) with relevant references
• effectively explain how their chosen stylistic device was inspired by one of their Module C texts
• make strong links between their chosen Module C text and their own imaginative writing
• demonstrate confident and sustained control of language.

Areas for students to improve include:

• using specific, relevant textual references from their own writing and one Module C text to support their explanation
• demonstrating effective control of language, including syntax, spelling and punctuation.