English Advanced

Course No: 11140 Year 11, 15140 Year 12

Course Description

In the English Advanced course, students continue to explore opportunities to investigate complex ideas in challenging texts, to evaluate, emulate and employ powerful, creative and sophisticated ways to use language to make meaning, and to find enjoyment in literature.

Students refine their understanding of the dynamic relationship between language, texts and meaning. They do this through critical study and through the skilful and creative use of language forms and features, and of structures of texts composed for different purposes in a range of contexts. Through study of the course modules students continue to develop their skills to question, reconsider and refine meaning through language, and to reflect on their own processes of responding, composing and learning.

What Students Learn

In Year 11, content common to the English Standard and English Advanced courses is undertaken through a unit of work called Reading to Write: Transition to Senior English. Students explore texts and consolidate skills required for senior study. Two additional modules: Critical Study of Literature, and Narratives that Shape our World in which students explore, examine and analyse the ways in which texts and contexts shape and are shaped by different attitudes and values.

The HSC Common Content consists of one module Texts and Human Experiences common to the HSC English Standard, the HSC English Advanced and the HSC English Studies courses where students analyse and explore texts and apply skills in synthesis. Three additional modules emphasise particular aspects of shaping meaning and representation, questions of textual integrity and ways in which texts are valued.

What texts will I study in this course?

In the past few years, students undertaking the English Advanced course have looked at texts such as The Great Gatsby, Australia and King Lear. In Year 12 texts include the poetry of Kenneth Slesssor, Hagseed and The Tempest and Good Night and Good Luck. These will not necessarily be the texts that are studied in the coming years.

How is WCCS supporting English course choices?

From 2020, WCCS will be placing students in English courses based on their performance, with a particular focus on their Year 10 results. If students wish to select challenging courses like English Advanced, then they are reminded that they need to demonstrate their capabilities in Year 10 assessments. Students who fail to demonstrate their capacity for English Advanced will be required to do so for the remainder of Year 10 if they would like to be considered at the end of the year. In this way we are seeking to motivate students to work to their personal best and demonstrate readiness for this challenging course.

Important NESA Information

2 units for each of Year 11 and Year 12

Board Developed Course

Exclusions: English (Standard); English Studies; English (EAL/D)

Course Description

In the English Advanced Year 11 course, students explore, examine and analyse a range of texts which include prose fiction, drama, poetry, nonfiction, film, digital and media, as well as Australian texts. They explore the ways events, experiences, ideas, values and processes are represented in and through texts and analyse the ways texts reflect different attitudes and values.

In the English Advanced Year 12 course, students further strengthen their knowledge and understanding of language and literature by analysing and evaluating texts and the ways they are valued in their contexts. Students study at least four prescribed texts drawn from: Shakespearean drama; prose fiction; poetry or drama; film or media or nonfiction.

In this course, students develop their higher-order thinking skills to enhance their personal, social, educational, and vocational lives.

Main Topics Covered

Year 11 Course – The course has two sections:

Content common to the English Standard and English Advanced courses is undertaken through a unit of work called Reading to Write: Transition to Senior English. Students explore texts and consolidate skills required for senior study.
Two additional modules: Critical Study of Literature, and Narratives that Shape our World in which students explore, examine and analyse the ways in which texts and contexts shape and are shaped by different attitudes and values.

Year 12 Course – The course has two sections:

The Year 12 Common Content consists of one module Texts and Human Experiences which is common to the Year 12 Standard, the Year 12 Advanced and the Year 12 English Studies courses where students analyse and explore texts and apply skills in synthesis.
Three additional modules which emphasise particular aspects of shaping meaning and representation, questions of textual integrity, ways in which texts are valued and the demonstration of the effectiveness of texts for different audiences and purposes.

Year 11

Students are required to study:

A range of types of texts drawn from prose fiction, drama, poetry, nonfiction, film, media and digital texts
A wide range of additional related texts and textual forms.

Year 12

Students are required to study:

At least four prescribed texts, one drawn from each of the following categories: Shakespearean drama; prose fiction; poetry or drama. The remaining text may be film or media or a nonfiction text or may be selected from one of the categories already used
At least two additional prescribed texts from the list provided in Module C: The Craft of Writing
At least one related text in the Common module: Texts and Human Experiences.

Particular Course Requirements

Across the English Advanced Stage 6 course students are required to study:

A range of types of texts inclusive of prose fiction, drama, poetry, nonfiction, film, media and digital texts
Texts which are widely regarded as quality literature, including a range of literary texts written about intercultural experiences and the peoples and cultures of Asia
A range of Australian texts, including texts by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander authors and those that give insights into diverse experiences of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples
Texts with a wide range of cultural, social and gender perspectives.

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