English Studies 2023 HSC exam pack

Questions 1, 2 and 3

Students should:

• read the question carefully to ensure that they understand its intent and requirements
• have a clear understanding of key words in the question
• select relevant textual evidence to support their ideas
• avoid the use of personal opinions
• review their response to ensure that it addresses question requirements.

In better responses, students were able to:

• explain the positive experience of doing artwork (Q1)
• explain the powerful impact of nature on humans (Q2)
• select appropriate examples to support their explanation about the impact of nature on humans (Q2)
• explain the power of imagination in children’s play (Q3)
• select appropriate examples to support their explanation about the power of imagination in children’s play (Q3).

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding recount or description of events in the stimulus texts
   
• clearly defining why art has been a positive experience (Q1)
• clearly linking the act of swimming in the sea as having a powerful impact (Q2)
• considering the children’s play as a powerful imaginative experience (Q3).

Question 4

In better responses, students were able to:

• explain effectively how Greenacre represents the value of shared experiences, for example, through inclusive statements such as ‘one and all’, and ‘a family of four children was suddenly one at home’
• use well-chosen textual evident to support their explanation of familial belonging
• provide an explanation that showed a specific understanding of the nature of the family’s shared experience.

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding simple explanations or recount of the events of the poem
• considering the value of the experience rather than just the experience itself.

Question 5

In better responses, students were able to:

• skilfully explain the importance of kindness as suggested by the composer, for example, through contrast such as ‘we’re all acutely aware of the warmth of it, along with the frost of its opposite’, and emotive language such as ‘that lovely mother melted me back down to my original form, just by being kind’
• make a clear and specific link between the experiences of welcome to the kindness that they demonstrate and foster
• coherently and logically articulate ideas
• use well-chosen evidence in support of their ideas.

Areas for students to improve include:

• making the link between welcome and kindness
• providing a response that explains the link rather than recounting the events of the text.

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:

• employ a personal voice to demonstrate their interpretation of the question, text and module
• engage with all components of the question, demonstrating an ability to evaluate how the text enriches our view of the world
• construct a personal and informed line of argument that deliberately responds to the question
• reveal a holistic understanding of the text through purposefully selected evidence
• maintain a confident and controlled command of language. 

Areas for students to improve include:

• evaluating, rather than explaining, how meaning is communicated
• incorporating evidence drawn from across the text to reveal understanding of the whole text
• avoiding generalised references to context that do not support their argument
• using metalanguage meaningfully to enhance the specificity of their argument
• moving beyond broad statements about the human experience and into a more specific identification of the ideas and the views of the world ignited by the text.

Students should:

• demonstrate understanding of the nature of a module through reference to a text studied
• write a structured response, appropriate to audience and purpose
• consider using a plan.

In better responses, students were able to:

• engage with all elements of the question by identifying specific experiences of a module they found interesting and which challenged them
• examine the language, form, and features of a text to consider key ideas that emerged from their study of that text
• support their ideas through well-chosen and detailed textual evidence
• sustain and logically organise their ideas throughout their response.

Areas for students to improve include:

• addressing all parts of the question to show understanding of both the module and text studied
• ensuring a balance between their consideration of their chosen module and attention to their text
• giving clear and specific attention to their text’s ideas, language, form, and features
• providing detailed evidence relevant to the question
• responding in greater detail and length.

Students should:

• use the stimulus quote as inspiration for a piece of imaginative or reflective writing about a moment that led to personal growth
• use the features of either an imaginative or reflective text
• write a structured response, appropriate to audience and purpose.

In better responses, students were able to:

• integrate the ideas in the stimulus quote to consider an experience of personal growth
• use their chosen form to suitably represent ideas and guide their reader’s understanding
• use the stimulus quote in an interesting and cohesive way
• use well-developed and controlled language.

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding simple recount of events
• making clear links between the events they explore and one’s personal growth
• avoiding cliches or convenient plotlines or reflections
• fully developing their ideas in the response
• controlling their expression through suitably constructed sentences
• organising ideas appropriately in paragraphs.