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The HSC minimum standard writing test contains one question based on a visual or text prompt and students are required to write a response of up to 500 words.

Structure and sequence of ideas

Students demonstrate their ability to structure and sequence ideas in their writing by selecting and using the correct structure for a particular text type, using correct paragraph structure, varying their use of sentence types and maintaining coherence and cohesion in their writing.

Text structure

Activities on structuring whole texts to support students’ understanding of persuasive and narrative text structures.

Paragraphs

Activities on structuring paragraphs using the PEEL strategy and appropriately using paragraphs in persuasive and narrative texts.

Cohesion

Activities on cohesion to support students’ understanding and knowledge of using cohesive devices to create texts that are cohesive and coherent.

Sentence types

Activities to support students’ understanding of sentence types by explicitly looking at simple, compound and complex sentences.

Control of language

Students demonstrate their control of language in their correct and appropriate selection of language and writing conventions to achieve the purpose of the writing.

Tense

Activities to support students’ understanding of tense by explicitly looking at past, present and future tense.

Punctuation

Activities to support student knowledge and use of punctuation in their writing by developing understanding of the purpose of punctuation in texts.

Formal and informal language

Activities on the use of formal and informal language to support students’ understanding of how language choice shapes texts and contributes to the style of writing.

Spelling

Activities to develop students’ understanding and use of strategies such as phonology, orthography, morphology and letter patterns to improve spelling.

Vocabulary

Strategies and activities on etymology and morphology to develop students’ understanding and knowledge of more sophisticated vocabulary.

Language devices

Activities to support students' understanding and use of some common language devices to convey and enhance meaning in persuasive and imaginative texts.

Relevance of writing to the topic

Students demonstrate their ability to create texts that are relevant to the topic by developing ideas and selecting language that maintain a consistent focus upon the writing prompt.

Topic vocabulary

Activities to support students’ understanding of the development of ideas within texts and how to reflect on, evaluate and edit ideas prior to writing.

Audience and purpose

Activities to support students’ understanding and knowledge of creating texts for appropriate audiences and purposes.

Ideas

Activities to support students’ understanding of the development of ideas within texts and how to reflect on, evaluate and edit ideas prior to writing.

Unpacking the writing prompt

Activities which comprehensively explore the question, type of text, and text features required to respond to the writing prompt

This pack of the three main types of text – informative, persuasive and imaginative – has been created as a resource with two purposes.

Firstly, the text pack is directly referenced as a resource in some of the writing activities enhanced for EAL/D learners.

Secondly, you may wish to use the texts contained in this pack as example texts for any of the writing or reading activities found within the HSC minimum standard resource.

Text pack (PDF 64KB)

A pack of the three main types of text - Informative, persuasive and imaginative.