English Courses
Years 11 & 12
Ana Guzowska
The English faculty believes in the importance of education and understand how English skills are central to being an effective communicator, critical thinker and valued member of the community.
English focuses on a student's skills placing them on a learning continuum across all five communication modes. We see the value in every effort to communicate ideas and recognise the interconnected communicative modes of listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing and representing as central to being a top performing English student.
English Studies
Board Developed Course | Optional ATAR
English Studies is designed to meet the specific needs of students who are seeking an alternative to the English Standard and Advanced English courses. This course focuses on texts that are not considered a part of the literary cannon, texts which are found in our everyday lives. This course is therefore suited to students who do not enjoy analysing literary and higher order texts, who wish to attend university or who intend to proceed from school directly into employment or vocational training.
Students considering choosing the course should be advised that:
English Studies students can elect to take the HSC Examination to receive an ATAR
Satisfactory completion of English Studies will fulfil pattern-of-study requirements for the Higher School Certificate. English Studies will also count towards the six units of Board Developed Course required for the award of the Higher School Certificate
Students who complete the course can be eligible for the calculation of an Australian Tertiary Admission rank (ATAR).
Course Number: 30105
NESA English Studies Stage 6 Syllabus
Number of Units: Two for each of the Preliminary Course (Year 11) and HSC Course (Year 12).
Minimum Hours: 120 hours of 'face to face' learning per year (4 hours per week).
Marks Available: 100 marks for the HSC Course (Year 12).
Exclusions: Standard English, English Advanced, English as an Additional Language or Dialect, English Extension 1 and 2.
Suitability: Students who consistently maintain a grade below C in Year 10 English. If you find extended reading and writing challenging this is a better English course choice for you.
More Information
Main Topics Covered:
Preliminary Course
Mandatory module: Achieving through English – English in Education, Work and Community consists of 30–40 class hours
An additional 2–4 modules to be studied consisting of 20–40 class hours each
In Year 11 students are required to:
read, view, listen to and compose a wide range of texts including print and multimodal texts
study at least one substantial print text (for example a novel, biography or drama)
study at least one substantial multimodal text (for example film or a television series)
HSC Course
Mandatory common module – Texts and Human Experiences consists of 30 class hours
An additional 2–4 modules to be studied consisting of 20–45 class hours each
In Year 12 students will also be required to:
study ONE text from the prescribed text list and one related text for the Common Module – Texts and Human Experiences
Across Stage 6 the selection of texts must give students experiences of the following as appropriate:
reading, viewing, listening to and composing a wide range of texts, including literary texts written about intercultural experiences and peoples and cultures of Asia
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, popular and youth cultures
a range of types of text drawn from prose fiction, drama, poetry, nonfiction, film, media and digital texts
Costs:
Nil
English Standard
Board Developed Course | ATAR
English Standard is designed for all students who wish to increase their expertise in English and consolidate their literacy skills thereby enhancing their personal, social, educational and vocational lives. This is a challenging course where students learn to respond to and compose a wide variety of texts in a range of situations in order to be effective, creative and confident communicators. The course focuses on analysis of texts for meaning and purpose, as well as the composition of students' own texts to a high standard.
Course Number: 11130
NESA English Standard Stage 6 Syllabus
Number of Units: Two for each of the Preliminary Course (Year 11) and HSC Course (Year 12).
Minimum Hours: 120 hours of 'face to face' learning per year (4 hours per week).
Marks Available: 100 marks for the HSC Course (Year 12).
Exclusions: English Studies, English Advanced, English Extension 1 and 2, and English as an Additional Language or Dialect.
Suitability: Students who consistently achieve a C or B grade in Year 10 English. This course is suited to students who like to read shorter but still complex texts and like to refine their writing to be cohesive extended pieces.
More Information
Main Topics Covered:
Preliminary Course – This course has 3 mandatory modules:
Common Module- Reading to Write: Transition to Senior English
Students undertake the intensive and close reading of a range of quality texts, then respond perceptively to these texts and compose their own texts for a variety of audiences.
Module A- Contemporary Possibilities
Students extend their knowledge and appreciation of the ways that different technologies shape the way we read and respond to multimedia, multimodal or digital texts.
Module B- Close Study of Literature
Students develop their knowledge and appreciation of a substantial literary print text, they develop an understanding of the ways that language features, text structures and stylistic choices can be used in texts.
HSC Course – This course has 4 mandatory modules:
Common Module- Texts and Human Experiences
Students deepen their understanding of how texts reflect individual and human experiences.
Module A- Language, Identity and Culture
Students consider how their responses to texts can shape their individual and collective identity and how texts can shape self perception.
Module B- Close Study of Literature
Students develop an informed knowledge and appreciation of a substantial literary print text, they develop a personal and critical response to the text.
Module C- The Craft of Writing
Students strengthen and extend their knowledge, skills and confidence as writers through analysis of prescribed mentor texts and the composition of their own texts in a range of different forms.
Particular Course Requirements:
In the Preliminary Standard English Course students need to achieve a C grade. In addition students are required to:
Complete the Common module: Reading to Write: Transition to Senior English, consisting of 40 class hours. Meeting the required outcomes will also require study outside of class time
Complete Module A: Contemporary Possibilities, consisting of 40 class hours. Meeting the required outcomes will also require study outside of class time
Complete Module B: Close Study of Literature, consisting of 40 class hours. Meeting the required outcomes will also require study outside of class time
Students are required to study ONE complex multimodal or digital text in Module A (This may include the study of film.)
Students are required to study ONE substantial literary print text in Module B, for example prose fiction, drama or a poetry text, which may constitute a selection of poems from the work of one poet
Students must study a range of types of texts drawn from prose fiction, drama, poetry, nonfiction, film, media and digital texts
The Year 11 course requires students to support the study of texts with their own wide reading
HSC Standard English Course requires:
Completion of the Common module: Texts and Human Experiences, consisting of 30 class hours. Meeting the required outcomes will also require study outside of class time
Completion of Module A: Language, Identity and Culture consisting of 30 class hours. Meeting the required outcomes will also require study outside of class time
Completion of Module B: Close Study of Literature consisting of 30 class hours. Meeting the required outcomes will also require study outside of class time
Completion of Module C: The Craft of Writing consisting of 30 class hours. Meeting the required outcomes will also require study outside of class time
Costs:
Nil
English Advanced
Board Developed Course | ATAR
The English Advanced course is designed for students who have a particular interest and ability in reading, writing, listening, viewing and representing. Students should choose this course if they desire to engage with challenging learning experiences. Through their study students become critical thinkers and extend their ability to use language and analyse complex texts.
Course Number: 11140
NESA English Advanced Stage 6 Syllabus
Number of Units: Two for each of the Preliminary Course (Year 11) and HSC Course (Year 12).
Minimum Hours: 120 hours of 'face to face' learning per year (4 hours per week).
Marks Available: 100 marks for the HSC Course (Year 12).
Exclusions: English (Studies), English (Standard), Fundamentals of English & English (ESL).
Suitability: Students who consistently achieve a high B or A grade in Year 10 English. This course is suited to students who love to read longer and complex texts and like to compose, refine and extend their writing to be cohesive and complex pieces.
More Information
Main Topics Covered:
Preliminary Course – The course has mandatory modules:
Common Module- Reading to Write: Transition to Senior English
Students undertake the intensive and close reading of quality texts, respond perceptively to texts and compose their own texts for a variety of audiences.
Module A- Narratives that Shape our World
Students explore a range of narratives from the past and the contemporary era that illuminate and convey ideas, attitudes and values. They consider the powerful role of stories and storytelling as a feature of narrative in past and present societies.
Module B- Close Study of Literature
Students develop analytical and critical knowledge of a literary text, they develop an understanding of the distinctive qualities of the text and notions of textual integrity.
HSC Course – The course has four mandatory modules:
Common Module- Texts and Human Experiences
Students deepen their understanding of how texts reflect individual and human experiences.
Module A- Textual Conversations
Students explore the way in which the comparative study of texts can reveal resonances and dissonances between and within texts.
Module B- Critical Study of Literature
Students develop detailed analytical and critical knowledge of a substantial literary text, they develop a rich personal and critical response to the text.
Module C- The Craft of Writing
Students strengthen and extend their knowledge, skills and confidence as accomplished writers.
Particular Course Requirements:
In the Preliminary English Advanced Course students are required to:
study Australian and other texts
explore a range of types of text drawn from: Shakespearean drama; prose fiction; drama; poetry; nonfiction; film, media, multimedia texts
undertake wide reading programs involving texts and textual forms composed in and for a variety of contexts
integrate the modes of reading, writing, listening, speaking, and viewing and representing as appropriate
engage in the integrated study of language and text
HSC English (Advanced) Course requires the close study of:
prescribed texts from the following categories: Shakespearean drama; prose fiction; drama or film; poetry; nonfiction or media or multimedia texts
a wide range of additional texts and textual forms
Costs:
Nil
English Extension
Board Developed Course | ATAR
The English Extension Course is designed for students who are undertaking the Advanced English course and who choose to study at a more intensive level in one specific area chose from a diverse prescription range. They enjoy engaging with complex levels of conceptualisation and seek to work in increasingly independent ways towards a related research project.
Course Number: 11150
NESA English Extension Stage 6 Syllabus
Number of Units: One for each of the Preliminary Extension Course (Year 11), HSC Extension 1 Course (Year 12) and HSC Extension 2 Course (Year 12).
Minimum Hours: 60 hours of 'face to face' learning per year (2 hours per week usually off timetable eg. before or after school).
Marks Available: 50 marks for the HSC Course (Year 12).
Exclusions: English (Studies) & English (Standard).
Prerequisites:
English (Advanced)
Preliminary English Extension is a prerequisite for English Extension 1
English Extension Course 1 is a prerequisite for English Extension 2
Suitability: Students who consistently achieve an A grade in Year 10 English and who can manage working independently in a project-based learning environment with little guidance from their teacher. This course is suited to students who love to read longer, diverse and complex texts; who like to compose, refine and extend their writing to be cohesive, discursive and complex pieces.
More Information
Main Topics Covered:
Preliminary Extension Course – The course has two mandatory sections:
Module: Texts, Culture and Value
Students are required to examine a key text from the past and its manifestations in one or more popular cultures. Students also explore, analyse and critically evaluate different examples of such appropriations in a range of contexts and media.
Related Research project
Students research a range of texts to provide them with the opportunity to develop skills in critical and creative thinking.
HSC Extension Course 1
The course has the mandatory sections:
Common module: Literary Worlds
Students explore, investigate and experiment with how texts illuminate the complexity of individual and collective lives in literary worlds.
ONE elective option
In the elective students will study 3 texts from the prescribed to critically analyse.
HSC Extension Course 2
The course requires students to complete a Major Work, a Major Work Journal and a Reflection Statement.
Students undertake extensive independent investigation and research involving complex texts to complete the Major Work.
Only students of English Extension 1 may choose English Extension 2 as an additional course.
Particular Course Requirements:
Lessons are held outside of normal school hours on one afternoon each week. This will be in negotiation with the teacher.
Costs:
Nil
