Everything you need to know about HSC English



Everything you need to know about HSC EnglishA one hundred page syllabus document; modules; core texts; related texts; area of study and two completely different HSC English exams. To most students commencing their HSC, this terminology is on par with a foreign language. Success in HSC English begins with understanding exactly what this course is about, what is expected of students and more importantly, what the marker is looking for in your essays, creative pieces and comprehension responses.English remains the only compulsory subject in the HSC and is the only subject that must be used in the calculation of your ATAR. Your performance in English will count for 1/5th of your final ATAR, meaning it is in your best interest to know this course inside out. The best place to start is with the syllabus. Syllabus is just a fancy word the Board of Studies uses to scare students, but essentially it is a document that outlines exactly what you can be tested on, what you need to know and the reasons why you have to study the various topics that you do. The SyllabusThe first ten pages are simply the Board of Studies explaining to the outside world what was going through their heads when they designed the course. The most relevant things students can take from these first few pages is that the course is designed to challenge students to investigate the function of the English language in our world and the interrelationship between the modes of reading, viewing, listening, speaking, representing. Put simply, every question you will be asked in a HSC English exam is asked because of its relationship to these overarching aims and ideas behind the course.The most relevant parts of the syllabus for students are those about the course requirements and content. There are a lot of other pages which detail rationales, objectives and outcomes, but again, these are all the Board of Studies reminding us how good they are at their job of designing a course to match their aims and expectations of students when they graduate with a HSC!A good idea is to print out the pages about course requirements, and the course content for the electives you are studying. Ensure you become familiar with each of these pages as they are your guide to what the Board of Studies wants you to learn, and thus what they will be looking to test you on in the HSC exam. Although this may sound like a simple step that could easily be skipped, it will show in your essay when your answer reflects everything the syllabus wanted you to learn and achieve by studying English.Course ContentThe syllabus tells us that for both HSC Standard and Advanced English, it is expected students will study the Area of Study, which comprises 40% of the course, and electives or modules, which comprise 60% of the course. Area of StudyThe area of study is common to HSC ESL, Standard and Advanced English. From the 2009 HSC onwards, the area of study has been belonging. The aim of this study is to inquire into a particular concept in depth; to understand the essence of this concept through the way it is represented and commented on in texts and all aspects of existence. The focus is not on the texts, but more the way that texts shape our understanding of the concept and more broadly, the way we live and interact as a society and as individual human beings. That all sounds a little philosophical for HSC English, but this is what the Board of Studies tells us underpins the area of study as a whole and unfortunately what they say goes. What you need to remember about the Area of Study is that you are not being tested on how well you know your texts or how many definitions of belonging you can recite from memory, but rather the relationship between the texts and the definitions and characteristics of belonging that come from investigating and understanding these texts. As the names suggests, you are studying an area or concept, which until further notice is belonging. The aim of the area of study is to get you to understand belonging through the way it is represented in texts. Throughout this study you will inevitably get sick of this word and its various meanings and manifestations, but you will need to push through with the knowledge that as soon as you put down your pen after English paper one you will never need to think about belonging in such depth ever again.Each student will have to study ONE text in depth from the list of prescribed texts that the Board of Studies has chosen for their connections to the concept of belonging. In addition, you will need to find your own texts, which are called related texts that somehow link to the concept of belonging and you will need to know these texts in depth and be able to write about how they have helped you to understand the concept of belonging.More about the area of study can be found in later posts, but for now, know that this will comprise 40% of your study and is so important that it gets its own two hour exam paper. Every person in the state who is doing the HSC will sit the same paper about the area of study, so if you are going to do well in HSC English, you will need to know the area of study inside out.Modules/ElectivesThis is where HSC ESL, Standard and Advanced English diverge. Each of these courses has their own modules, otherwise known as units of study, and electives within these modules. Each student will study ONE elective from each module, with the modules conveniently named A, B and C to avoid confusion. Just like the area of study, each module has its own rationale, underpinning ideas and focus which students must understand in order to best respond to the separate exam question that is provided for each module. Each module contributes to 20% of your final mark for English and will be tested with one question in your paper two English exam. Module A, B and C (For standard and advanced English) are all vastly different and require students to challenge themselves in different ways so it is important to know how to approach and prepare for each one. You will all hear the horror stories of students that got zero for answering the wrong question so do yourself a favour and become familiar with the exact name of the module, elective and texts you are studying!For ESL English the modules and electives are as follows:Module A; Experience through LanguageElective 1: Australian VoicesElective 2: Australian VisionsModule B: Texts and SocietyElective 1: Living and Working in the CommunityElective 2: Academic EnglishFor HSC Standard English the modules and electives are:Module A: Experience through LanguageElective 1: Distinctive VoicesElective 2: Distinctly VisualModule B: Close Study of TextModule C: Texts and SocietyElective 1: The Global VillageElective 2: Into the WorldFor HSC Advanced English:Module A: Comparative Study of Texts and ContextElective 1: Exploring ConnectionsElective 2: Texts in TimeModule B: Critical Study of TextsModule C: Representation and TextElective 1: Conflicting PerspectivesElective 2: History and MemoryFor each of these modules/electives there are a range of texts known as prescribed texts which the Board of Studies requires students to study. Each student will study ONE prescribed text and depending on the module/elective, they may also be required to study and be able to include related texts in their responses. A full list of the prescribed texts can be found at: More details about these modules and electives and what will be required of students studying these will follow in later posts.Assessments during the HSC YearEach school will conduct assessments differently; however there are some prescriptions from the syllabus which regulate how students can be assessed. For both standard and advanced English, listening, speaking, and viewing/representing assessments will account for 15% each of your total assessment. This means you may have a listening task, a speaking task and a viewing and representing task throughout the year that will be worth 15% each. Reading is worth 25% of your total assessment, and writing 30%. This means that 50% of your assessment will be either reading comprehension or writing tasks, so you will need to spend some time refining these skills. Additionally, the HSC Exam directly targets only the reading and writing components, so if you struggle in these areas it will be beneficial to practice reading and writing tasks as often as you can before the HSC.The HSC ExamsYes you read that correctly, not only is English compulsory but it also is allowed to put you through the agony of two exams. Each exam tests different things so make sure you are prepared for the right exam on the right day! The Board of Studies is a very creative bunch, so the two exams are called paper one and paper two.Paper OneThis is designed to test your knowledge about the Area of Study. It is made up of three sections, all worth 15 marksSection One:You will be given a selection of texts/excerpts from texts related to the concept of belonging and will be required to answer a number of short answer questions about these texts and how they enrich your understanding of belonging. This section is essentially a comprehension; you will be given texts and will be required to comprehend and interpret them and how they reveal information about belonging.Section Two:This is the creative writing section. You will be given a stimulus or brief and will have to compose your own imaginative text that draws on the stimulus and demonstrates what you have learnt about belonging, its importance and what it means in various contexts. Section Three:The dreaded essay. You will be given a statement about belonging and be asked to discuss it, or be given a direct question which asks you about some aspect of belonging. You will need to respond to this in an essay form, drawing on your prescribed text and possibly one or two related texts to support your arguments about belonging.Paper TwoThis paper will test your knowledge about each of the modules. It is IMPERATIVE that you answer the correct question that corresponds with the texts/electives you have studied.There will be one question for each elective, and each question is worth 20 marks. As a general rule, you will be required to write an essay response to each question, however, be warned that there is nothing in the syllabus that says you cannot be asked to write some other text type such as a speech, so be prepared! You should also note that each exam goes for 2 hours, meaning you will have only 40 minutes to plan, write and edit each question you answer. Time management in exams is not a natural skill, so it is best to practice and seek advice on how to best compose clear and concise exam responses in the limited time available. More details about each section of the exams, what will be expected and how to answer questions will be featured in later posts.There is no easy way to do well in the HSC, but you will certainly achieve higher results if you know exactly what the course is about, what will be tested and what is expected and required of you. This blog has provided a general introduction and overview of the course that will be invaluable to students commencing the HSC, and even more important to students panicking the night before their trial exams because they have no idea what will be in their exam!<!--more--><p>Struggling with HSC English?</p><p>Sick and tired of useless notes and resources that confuse rather than help you?</p><p>Unsure how to prepare for English exams?Need comprehensive notes, guides and support to assist your English study?</p><p>Looking for a place to receive valuable answers to your questions about the HSC for free?</p><p>Welcome home. Save my HSC, by <a title="Oxta-Australia's Premier Education Community" href="" target="_blank">oxta</a>, Australia's premier education community, is Australia’s only FREE blog designed to provide HSC students with the notes, guidance and support you need to maximise your marks in HSC English.<br />We know the HSC is a joy and life-sucking parasite that can ruin your social life, destroy sleeping patterns and force you into planning ways to burn down the Board of Studies instead of studying for your exams. We’ve been there, and have noticed that there is a severe lack of QUALITY and FREE internet resources and WELL-MODERATED forums for HSC students to discuss and share ideas and have their questions about their courses answered. So, savemyhsc aims to fill this void and do everything in our power to ensure you have everything you need to succeed not only in your HSC, but in the many years after you put your pen down on your final exam. All we ask for in return is your undivided love and affection. Oh, and that you recommend our site to your friends so we can also save their HSCs.<br />You truly will find everything you need to succeed on here-guides on how to write essays, notes, questions and past papers. When you have specific questions, enter our awesome forum <a title="Oxta forums" href="" target="_blank">here</a>,?ask questions and get answers. Every resource posted on here has been personally created or reviewed by our team of band-6 achieving ex-HSC students that know their stuff and have used these resources to achieve their own successes. And if there’s something you need that isn’t on here, or if you think there’s a way we can improve our service to you, shoot us an email and we will make it happen. Why pay $30 ? for a study guide that good trees had to die for to produce when all the notes you need and live online assistance can be found on our site for FREE.</p> ................
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