ENGLISH

GENERAL COURSE
Year 12 syllabus

2013/42075

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Content

Rationale...................................................................................................................................................................1
Aims..........................................................................................................................................................................2
Organisation..............................................................................................................................................................3
Structureofthesyllabus..................................................................................................................................................3
Organisationofcontent...................................................................................................................................................4
Representationofthegeneralcapabilities......................................................................................................................5
Representationofthecrosscurriculumpriorities...........................................................................................................7
Unit3........................................................................................................................................................................8
Unitdescription................................................................................................................................................................8
Unitcontent.....................................................................................................................................................................8
Unit4......................................................................................................................................................................10
Unitdescription..............................................................................................................................................................10
Unitcontent...................................................................................................................................................................10
Schoolbasedassessment........................................................................................................................................12
Externallysettask...........................................................................................................................................................13
Grading...........................................................................................................................................................................13
Appendix1GradedescriptionsYear12.................................................................................................................14
Appendix2Glossary.............................................................................................................................................15
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English | General| Year 12 syllabus
Rationale
TheEnglishGeneralcoursefocusesonconsolidatingandrefiningtheskillsandknowledgeneededby
studentstobecomecompetent,confidentandengagedusersofEnglishineveryday,community,social,
furthereducation,trainingandworkplacecontexts.TheEnglishGeneralcourseisdesignedtoprovide
studentswiththeskillsthatwillempowerthemtosucceedinawiderangeofpostsecondarypathways.
Thecoursedevelopsstudentslanguage,literacyandliteraryskillstoenablethemtocommunicate
successfullybothorallyandinwritingandtoenjoyandvalueusinglanguageforbothimaginativeand
practicalpurposes.
Studentscomprehend,analyse,interpretandevaluatethecontent,structureandstyleofawidevarietyof
oral,written,multimodal,digitalandmediatexts.Studentslearnhowtheinteractionofstructure,language,
audienceandcontexthelpstoshapehowtheaudiencemakesmeaning.Bothindependentlyand
collaboratively,theyapplytheirknowledgetocreateanalytical,imaginative,interpretiveandpersuasive
textsindifferentmodesandmedia.

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English | General| Year 12 syllabus
Aims
AllseniorsecondaryEnglishcoursesaimtodevelopstudentsabilityto:
listen,speak,read,viewandwrite
createtextsforarangeofpurposes,audiencesandcontexts
understandandappreciatedifferentusesoflanguage.
Inaddition,theEnglishGeneralcourseaimstodevelopstudentsabilityto:
useandapplylanguageandinformationeffectively,confidentlyandcreativelyinvocational,community
andacademiccontextsandenhancetheirbroadercommunicationskills
understandthewaysinwhichtextstructure,stylisticfeaturesandregistercombinetomakemeaning
andinfluenceresponses
beproficientincomprehendingandcreatingarangeofwritten,oral,multimodalanddigitalforms
workcollaboratively,interactingconfidentlyandeffectivelywithothersineveryday,community,social
andappliedlearningcontexts.

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English | General| Year 12 syllabus
Organisation
ThiscourseisorganisedintoaYear11syllabusandaYear12syllabus.Thecognitivecomplexityofthe
syllabuscontentincreasesfromYear11toYear12.
Structure of the syllabus
TheYear12syllabusisdividedintotwounitswhicharedeliveredasapair.Thenotionaltimeforthepairof
unitsis110classcontacthours.
Unit3
Unit3focusesonexploringdifferentviewpointspresentedinarangeoftextsandcontexts.Students:
exploreattitudes,textstructuresandlanguagefeaturestounderstandatextsmeaningandpurpose
examinerelationshipsbetweencontext,purposeandaudienceindifferentlanguagemodesandtypesof
texts,andtheirimpactonmeaning
considerhowperspectivesandvaluesarepresentedintextstoinfluencespecificaudiences
developandjustifytheirowninterpretationswhenrespondingtotexts
learnhowtocommunicatelogically,persuasivelyandimaginativelyindifferentcontexts,fordifferent
purposes,usingavarietyoftypesoftexts.
Unit4
Unit4focusesoncommunity,localorglobalissuesandideaspresentedintextsandondevelopingstudents
reasonedresponsestothem.Students:
explorehowideas,attitudesandvaluesarepresentedbysynthesisinginformationfromarangeof
sourcestodevelopindependentperspectives
analysethewaysinwhichauthorsinfluenceandpositionaudiences
investigatedifferingperspectivesanddevelopreasonedresponsestotheseinarangeoftextformsfora
varietyofaudiences
constructandclearlyexpresscoherent,logicalandsustainedargumentsanddemonstratean
understandingofpurpose,audienceandcontext
considerintendedpurposeandaudienceresponsewhencreatingtheirownpersuasive,analytical,
imaginative,andinterpretivetexts.
Eachunitincludes:
aunitdescriptionashortdescriptionofthefocusoftheunit
learningoutcomesasetofstatementsdescribingthelearningexpectedasaresultofstudyingtheunit
unitcontentthecontenttobetaughtandlearned.
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English | General| Year 12 syllabus
Organisation of content
ContentdescriptionsineachunitintheEnglishGeneralcoursearegroupedunderanorganisingframework
consistingof:
comprehensionstrategies
languageandtextualanalysis
usinginformation
creatingtexts
communicatingandinteractingwithothers.
Thelanguagemodes
Theprocessesoflistening,speaking,reading,viewingandwriting,alsoknownaslanguagemodes,are
interrelated.Classroomcontextsthataddressparticularcontentdescriptionswillnecessarilydrawfrom
morethanoneofthesemodesinordertosupportstudentseffectivelearning.Toacknowledgethese
interrelationships,contentdescriptionsincorporatetheprocessesoflistening,speaking,reading,viewing
andwritinginanintegratedandinterdependentway.
Texts
Teacherswilluseanarrayofmaterialinclass.Textsincludeliterarytexts,fictionandnonfiction,media
texts,everydaytextsandworkplacetexts,fromincreasinglycomplexandunfamiliarsettings,rangingfrom
theeverydaylanguageofpersonalexperiencetomoreabstract,specialisedandtechnicallanguagedrawn
fromarangeofcontexts.
Textsprovideimportantopportunitiesforlearningaboutaspectsofhumanexperienceandaboutaesthetic
appeal.Textscanbewritten,spoken(dialogues,speeches,monologues,conversations,radioprograms,
interviews,lectures),multimodal(picturebooks,graphicnovels,webpages,films,televisionprograms,
performances,advertisements,cartoons,musicvideos,computergames,maps)andinprintordigital/online
(books,CDROMs,websites,computergames,socialnetworkingsites,email,SMS,apps).
Textsarestructuredforparticularpurposes,forexample,toretell,toinstruct,toentertain,toexplainandto
argue.Teachersmayselectwholetextsand/orpartsoftextsdependingonunitsofstudy,cohortsandlevel
ofdifficulty.
Textsinclude:
fictionnovels,shortstories,fables,fairytales,plays,poems,songlyrics,films,televisionprograms,
comicbooks,computergames
nonfictionbiographies,journals,essays,speeches,referencebooks,newsreports,documentaries,
photographs,diagrams
mediatextsnewspaperarticles,magazinearticles,editorials,websites,CDROMs,advertisements,
documentaries,photographs,televisionprograms,radioprograms
everydaytextsbrochures,recipes,instructions,diagrams,timetables,notices,blogs,films,television
programs,comicbooks,computergames,manuals
workplacetextsreports,minutes,applicationforms,safetyregulations,technicalmanuals,pamphlets,
memos,lettersandonlinedigitaltexts.
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English | General| Year 12 syllabus
Suggestedtextlist
Thiscoursehasasuggestedtextlistwhichcanbefoundat
www.scsa.wa.edu.au/internet/Senior_Secondary/Courses/English.Teachersmaysubstitutecomparable
worksforanyofthese.
Representation of the general capabilities
Thegeneralcapabilitiesencompasstheknowledge,skills,behavioursanddispositionsthatwillassist
studentstoliveandworksuccessfullyinthetwentyfirstcentury.Teachersmayfindopportunitiesto
incorporatethecapabilitiesintotheteachingandlearningprogramfortheEnglishGeneralcourse.The
generalcapabilitiesarenotassessedunlesstheyareidentifiedwithinthespecifiedunitcontent.
Literacy
Literacyisimportantinthedevelopmentoftheskillsandstrategiesneededtoexpress,interpret,and
communicatecomplexinformationandideas.IntheEnglishGeneralcourse,studentsapply,extendand
refinetheirrepertoireofliteracyskillsandpracticesastheyexaminehowmeaningiscommunicatedandas
theyengageincreativeresponseandargument.Studentscomparetextsandconsidertheminrelationto
theircontextsandpurposes,andtheyconsiderhowtextsarecreatedforspecificpurposes,contextsand
audiences.
Numeracy
StudentsusenumeracyintheEnglishGeneralcoursewhentheypractiseandapplytheskillsofinterpreting
andanalysing,comparingandcontrasting,makingconnections,posingandprovingarguments,making
inferencesandproblemsolvingastheycreateandrespondtoarangeoftexts.Forexample,studentsuse
numeracyskillswhentheycreateandinterpretsequencesandspatialinformationinnonfictiontextsor
considertimingandsequencewhendevelopingphotostories.Theydrawconclusionsfromstatistical
information,interpretandusequantitativedataasevidenceinpersuasivetextsandevaluatetheuseof
statisticsinmediaandotherreports.
Informationandcommunicationtechnologycapability
ThereareopportunitiesintheEnglishGeneralcoursetoengagewithinformationandcommunication
technology(ICT)throughdigitalandmultimodaltexts.Forexample,studentsexploretheeffectsofsound
andimageastheyconsiderhowideasarecommunicatedindigitaltexts.Theyusedigitaltechnologieswhen
theyaccess,manageanduseinformationandwhencreatingtheirowntexts.Theydevelopskillsinreading,
viewingandrespondingtodigitalandmultimodaltextsandanalysingtheeffectsoftheuseofdifferent
mediaonmeaningandinterpretation.Forexample,studentsexploretheeffectsofsoundandimageasthey
considerhowideasarecommunicatedindigitaltexts.Theyusedigitaltechnologieswhentheyaccess,
manageanduseinformationandwhencreatingtheirowntexts.Theydevelopskillsinreading,viewingand
respondingtodigitalandmultimodaltextsandanalysingtheeffectsoftheuseofdifferentmediaon
meaningandinterpretation.

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English | General| Year 12 syllabus
Criticalandcreativethinking
CriticalandcreativethinkingisintegraltothestudyandcreationoftextsintheEnglishGeneralcourse.
Studentsanalyseandevaluateissuesandideaspresentedintexts.Inboththinkingaboutandcreatingtheir
owntexts,theyrecogniseanddeveloparguments,useevidenceanddrawreasonedconclusions.Students
experimentwithtextstructuresandlanguagefeaturesastheytransformandadapttextsfordifferent
purposes,contextsandaudiences.Studentsusecriticalthinkingwhentheyusetheirknowledgeoflanguage
toanalysearangeoftextsinrelationtotheirpurpose,context,audience,structuralandlanguagefeatures,
andunderlyingandunstatedassumptions.Theyinvestigatethewayslanguageisusedtopositionindividuals
andsocialandculturalgroups.Creativethinkingenablesstudentstoapplyimaginativeandinventive
capacitiesinthecreationoftheirownoriginalworks.
Personalandsocialcapability
StudentsdeveloppersonalandsocialcapabilityintheEnglishGeneralcoursebyenhancingtheir
communicationskills,teamworkandcapacitytoempathisewithandappreciatetheperspectivesofothers.
Closestudyoftextsassistsstudentstounderstanddifferentpersonalandsocialexperiences,perspectives
andchallenges.Studentsidentifyandexpresstheirownopinions,beliefsandresponsesbyinteractingwitha
rangeoftexts.TheEnglishGeneralcourseactivelyassistsstudentsinthedevelopmentofcommunication
skillsneededforanalysis,researchandtheexpressionofviewpointsandarguments.Studentswork
collaborativelyinteamsandalsoindependentlyaspartoftheirlearningandresearchendeavours.
Ethicalunderstanding
IntheEnglishGeneralcourse,ethicalunderstandingisexploredthroughtheselectionoftextsforstudy,for
example,whenstudentsengagewithethicaldilemmaspresentedintexts,consideringreasonsforactions
andtheimplicationsofdecisions.Theyexploreandquestionvalues,attitudes,perspectivesandassumptions
intexts,examininghowtheyarepresented,theirimpactonaudiencesandhowtheyarereflectedintheir
ownresponses.ThroughthestudyoftheEnglishGeneralcourse,studentscometoappreciateanddevelop
greaterempathyfortherightsandopinionsofothers.Theydevelopincreasinglyadvancedcommunication,
researchandpresentationskillstoexpressviewpoints.
Interculturalunderstanding
IntheEnglishGeneralcourse,interculturalunderstandingencouragesstudentstomakeconnections
betweentheirownexperiencesandtheexperiencesofothers.Throughthestudyofcontemporarytexts,
textsfromthepastandtextsfromdiversecultures,studentsexploreandanalysetheseconnections.
Studentsunderstandandcanexpresstheinterdependenceoflanguage,culture,identityandvalues,
particularlyintheAustraliancontext,andareabletoappreciateandempathisewiththeculturalbeliefs,
attitudesandvaluesofothers.Theystudyhowculturalconcepts,beliefs,practicesandperspectivesare
representedinarangeoftextualformsandforavarietyofpurposesandaudiences.Theypayspecial
attentiontothecontributionofAboriginalandTorresStraitIslanderPeoplesandAsianculturestoliterature
andothermediainAustralia.

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English | General| Year 12 syllabus
Representation of the cross-curriculum priorities
Thecrosscurriculumprioritiesaddressthecontemporaryissueswhichstudentsfaceinaglobalisedworld.
Teachersmayfindopportunitiestoincorporatetheprioritiesintotheteachingandlearningprogramforthe
EnglishGeneralcourse.Thecrosscurriculumprioritiesarenotassessedunlesstheyareidentifiedwithinthe
specifiedunitcontent.
AboriginalandTorresStraitIslanderhistoriesandcultures
TheEnglishGeneralcoursevaluesthehistories,cultures,traditionsandlanguagesofAboriginalandTorres
StraitIslanderPeoples,andtheircentralplaceincontemporaryAustraliansocietyandculture.Throughthe
studyoftexts,studentsmaybeprovidedwithopportunitiestodeveloptheirunderstandingand
appreciationofthediversityofculturesandhistoriesofAboriginalandTorresStraitIslanderPeoplesand
theircontributiontoAustraliansociety.ThesuggestedtextlistfortheEnglishGeneralcourseincludesa
selectionofAboriginalandTorresStraitIslanderliterature.
AsiaandAustralia'sengagementwithAsia
Therearestrongsocial,culturalandeconomicreasonsforAustralianstudentstoengagewithAsiaandwith
thecontributionofAsianAustralianstooursocietyandheritage.ItisthroughthestudyoftextsfromAsia
thatacreativeandforwardlookingAustraliacanengagewithourplaceintheregion.Throughstory
articulatedinarangeofmedia,studentsmaybeprovidedwithopportunitiestodevelopunderstandingof
thediversityofAsiaspeoples,environmentsandtraditionalandcontemporarycultures.Textsrelevantto
thispriorityareincludedinthesuggestedtextlist.
Sustainability
TheEnglishGeneralcourseprovidestheopportunityforthedevelopmentofinformedandreasonedpoints
ofview,discussionofissues,researchandproblemsolving.Inthiscontext,teachersareencouragedtoselect
textsandissuesfordiscussionconnectedwithsustainability.Throughanalysisofmediaarticles,
documentariesanddigitaltexts,studentshavetheopportunitytoresearchanddiscussthisglobalissueand
learntheimportanceofrespectingandvaluingawiderangeofworldviews.

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English | General| Year 12 syllabus
Unit 3
Unit description
Unit3focusesonexploringdifferentperspectivespresentedinarangeoftextsandcontexts.
Students:
exploreattitudes,textstructuresandlanguagefeaturestounderstandatextsmeaningandpurpose
examinerelationshipsbetweencontext,purposeandaudienceindifferentlanguagemodesandtypesof
texts,andtheirimpactonmeaning
considerhowperspectivesandvaluesarepresentedintextstoinfluencespecificaudiences
developandjustifytheirowninterpretationswhenrespondingtotexts
learnhowtocommunicatelogically,persuasivelyandimaginativelyindifferentcontexts,fordifferent
purposes,usingavarietyoftypesoftexts.
Learningoutcomes
Bytheendofthisunit,students:
examinethewaysthatperspectivesarepresentedinliterary,everydayandworkplacetexts
understandhowlanguagechoicesinfluencespecificaudiences
createoral,writtenandmultimodaltextsthatconveyaperspective.
Unit content
AnunderstandingoftheEnglishGeneralYear11courseisassumedknowledgeforstudentsinYear12.Itis
recommendedthatstudentsstudyingUnit3andUnit4havecompletedUnit1andUnit2.
Thisunitincludestheknowledge,understandingsandskillsdescribedbelow.
Usestrategiesandskillsforcomprehendingtexts,including:
applyingdifferentreadingstrategies(suchasreviewing,skimming,andscanning)accordingtothe
natureofthetask,gainingabroadoverview,readingforspecificdetails,identifyingwhatthereader
alreadyknowsaboutthetopic
distinguishingdifferentperspectivesaboutthemainideasintexts
identifyingfacts,opinions,supportingevidenceandbias
understandingthewayattitudesandvaluesarepresented
explainingshiftsintoneandperspectivesandidentifyingtheeffectoflanguagechoicesonanaudience.

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English | General| Year 12 syllabus
Considerhowdifferentperspectivesandvaluesarepresentedintexts,including:
therelationshipsbetweencontext,purpose,andaudienceinliterary,everydayandworkplacetexts
theuseofmedia,typesoftexts,textstructuresandlanguagefeatures,forexample,theselectiveuseof
fact,evidenceandopinioninnewspaperreports,theuseofstatisticsandgraphsinadvertisements,
choiceofcolourandfontstyleinwebsitesanduseofquestioningstrategiesandtoneofvoicein
interviews
theuseofnarrativetechniques,forexample,characterisationandnarrativepointofview.
Useinformationforspecificpurposesandcontextsby:
gatheringdifferentviewpoints,forexample,throughinterviews,surveys,questionnaires,libraryand/or
internetresources
categorisingandintegratingideasandevidenceaboutspecificissues
employingethicalresearchpracticessuchasacknowledgingsources,andavoidingplagiarismand
collusion.
Createarangeoftextsby:
usingappropriatevocabulary,spellingandsentencestructures
usingpersonalvoiceandadoptingdifferentpointsofviewand/orperspectivestoinfluenceaudiencesin
arangeofmedia
selectingtextstructures,languagefeatures,andvisualtechniquestocommunicateandpresentideas
andinformationfordifferentcontextsandpurposes
usingstrategiesforplanning,drafting,revising,editingandproofreading,andappropriatereferencing.
Communicatingandinteractingwithothers:
speakingclearlyandcoherentlyaboutideas,opinionsandpersonalexperiencesinarangeoforal
contexts
planningandcarryingoutprojectsinsmallgroups,sharingtasksandresponsibilities,forexample,
collaboratingusingemailanddiscussionforums
listeningactively;beingpreparedtoassertpersonalviews
applyingcriticalthinkingandproblemsolvingcooperatively.
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English | General| Year 12 syllabus
Unit 4
Unit description
Unit4focusesoncommunity,localorglobalissuesandideaspresentedintextsandondevelopingstudents
reasonedresponsestothem.
Students:
explorehowideas,attitudesandvaluesarepresentedbysynthesisinginformationfromarangeof
sourcestodevelopindependentperspectives
analysethewaysinwhichauthorsinfluenceandpositionaudiences
investigatedifferingperspectivesanddevelopreasonedresponsestotheseinarangeoftextformsfora
varietyofaudiences
constructandclearlyexpresscoherent,logicalandsustainedargumentsanddemonstratean
understandingofpurpose,audienceandcontext
considerintendedpurposeandaudienceresponsewhencreatingtheirownpersuasive,analytical,
imaginative,andinterpretivetexts.
Learningoutcomes
Bytheendofthisunit,students:
investigatethewaylanguageisusedtopresentissuesandattitudes
understandwaysinwhichlanguageisusedtoinfluenceandengagedifferentaudiences
createoral,writtenandmultimodaltextsthatcommunicateideasandperspectivesonissuesand
events.
Unit content
ThisunitbuildsonthecontentcoveredinUnit3.
Thisunitincludestheknowledge,understandingsandskillsdescribedbelow.
Usestrategiesandskillsforcomprehendingtexts,including:
analysingissuesandideasintextsandexplainingperspectivesandimplications
evaluatingtheevidenceuponwhichdifferentviewsarebased
explaininghowtextsuselanguagetoappealtothebeliefs,attitudesandvaluesofanaudience
discussthewayideasandinformationarepresentedintexts.
Considerhowattitudesandassumptionsarepresentedintexts,including:
community,localorglobalissuesinliterary,everydayandworkplacetexts
theuseofmedia,typesoftexts,textstructuresandlanguagefeatures
howsomeperspectivesareprivilegedwhileothersaremarginalisedorsilenced.
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English | General| Year 12 syllabus
Useinformationforspecificpurposesandcontextsby:
determiningtherelevanceofsourcematerialtothecontextandtopic
investigatingandsynthesisingideasandcollatingappropriateinformationfromarangeofsource
material
employingethicalresearchpracticessuchasacknowledgingsources,andavoidingplagiarismand
collusion.
Createarangeoftexts:
usingappropriatevocabulary,spellingandsentencestructures
expressingalogicalpointofviewaboutanidea,issueoreventinarangeofmediaanddigital
technologies
integratingtextstructures,languagefeaturesandvisualtechniquestoengageandpersuadeaudiences,
forexample,creatingamultimediaadvertisingcampaign,presentingaslideshowpresentation,writing
andillustratingapicturebookandrecordingaradiotalkbackprogram
usingeditingprocessesandappropriatereferencing
usingandadaptingtextstructuresandlanguagefeaturestocommunicateideasinarangeofmedia.
Communicatingandinteractingwithothers:
creatingoraltextsthatcommunicateideasandperspectives
recognisingwhentoworkwithothersandwhentoworkindependently
usingthelanguageofnegotiation,problemsolvingandconflictresolution.

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English | General| Year 12 syllabus
School-based assessment
TheWesternAustralianCertificateofEducation(WACE)Manualcontainsessentialinformationonprinciples,
policiesandproceduresforschoolbasedassessmentthatneedstobereadinconjunctionwiththissyllabus.
Teachersdesignschoolbasedassessmenttaskstomeettheneedsofstudents.Thetablebelowprovides
detailsoftheassessmenttypesfortheEnglishGeneralYear12syllabusandtheweightingforeach
assessmenttype.
AssessmenttableYear12
Typeofassessment Weighting
Responding
Studentsrespondtoavarietyofwritten,spoken,digitalandmultimodaltexts.
Studentscanrespondinarangeoftextforms,includingfictionandnonfiction,mediatexts,multimodaland
digitaltexts.
40%
Creating
Studentscreateimaginative,interpretiveandpersuasivetextsinarangeofmodesforavarietyofpurposes
andaudiences.
Studentscancreatearangeoftextforms,includingfictionandnonfiction,mediatexts,multimodaland
digitaltexts.
45%
Externallysettask
AwrittentaskoritemorsetofitemsofonehourdurationdevelopedbytheSchoolCurriculumand
StandardsAuthorityandadministeredbytheschool.
15%
Teachersarerequiredtousetheassessmenttabletodevelopanassessmentoutlineforthepairofunits.
Theassessmentoutlinemust:
includeasetofassessmenttasks
includeageneraldescriptionofeachtask
indicatetheunitcontenttobeassessed
indicateaweightingforeachtaskandeachassessmenttype
includetheapproximatetimingofeachtask(forexample,theweekthetaskisconducted,ortheissue
andsubmissiondatesforanextendedtask)
includeaspeaking/listeningassessmentatleasttwiceforthepairofunits.
Allassessmenttypesmustbeincludedintheassessmentoutlineatleasttwicewiththeexceptionofthe
externallysettaskwhichonlyoccursonce.
ThesetofassessmenttasksmustprovidearepresentativesamplingofthecontentforUnit3andUnit4.
Assessmenttasksnotadministeredundertest/controlledconditionsrequireappropriate
validation/authenticationprocesses.Studentworksubmittedtodemonstrateachievementshouldonlybe
acceptediftheteachercanattestthat,tothebestofhis/herknowledge,alluncitedworkisthestudents
own.
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English | General| Year 12 syllabus
Externally set task
AllstudentsenrolledintheEnglishGeneralYear12coursewillcompletetheexternallysettaskdevelopedby
theAuthority.SchoolsarerequiredtoadministerthistaskinTerm2atatimeprescribedbytheAuthority.
ExternallysettaskdesignbriefYear12
Time Onehour
Format
Written
Conductedunderinvigilatedconditions
Typicallybetweenoneandtwoquestions
Questionscanrequirestudentstorefertostimulustexts
Content
TheAuthorityinformsschoolsduringTerm3ofthepreviousyearoftheUnit3syllabus
contentonwhichthetaskwillbebased
RefertotheWACEManualforfurtherinformation.
Grading
Schoolsreportstudentachievementintermsofthefollowinggrades.
Grade Interpretation
A Excellentachievement
B Highachievement
C Satisfactoryachievement
D Limitedachievement
E Verylowachievement

Theteacherpreparesarankedlistandassignsthestudentagradeforthepairofunits.Thegradeisbased
onthestudentsoverallperformanceasjudgedbyreferencetoasetofpredeterminedstandards.These
standardsaredefinedbygradedescriptionsandannotatedworksamples.Thegradedescriptionsforthe
EnglishGeneralYear12syllabusareprovidedinAppendix1.Theycanalsobeaccessed,togetherwith
annotatedworksamples,throughtheGuidetoGradeslinkonthecoursepageoftheAuthoritywebsiteat
www.scsa.wa.edu.au
Tobeassignedagrade,astudentmusthavehadtheopportunitytocompletetheeducationprogram,
includingtheassessmentprogram(unlesstheschoolacceptsthatthereareexceptionalandjustifiable
circumstances).
RefertotheWACEManualforfurtherinformationabouttheuseofarankedlistintheprocessofassigning
grades.

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English | General| Year 12 syllabus
Appendix 1 Grade descriptions Year 12
A
Demonstratessustainedcontroloflanguageconventionsforprecisionandfluency.
Demonstratesaclearunderstandingofpurpose,audienceandformwhencreatingandrespondingto
texts.
Demonstratesunderstandingofperspectivesand/orcontextstoproduceandmakecriticaljudgements
abouttexts.
Developswellstructuredresponsesthatmakemeaningfulconnectionsbetweentexts.Maymake
connectionsbetweentextsandownexperiences.

B
Demonstratescontroloflanguageconventionsforclarityandappropriateness.
Demonstratesanunderstandingofpurpose,audienceandformwhencreatingandrespondingtotexts.
Demonstratesunderstandingofperspectivesand/orcontextwhencreatingandmakingmeaning(s) of
texts.
Organisesresponsesclearlyandmakesappropriatereferencestoothertexts.Mayincludereferencesto
ownexperiences.

C
Generallydemonstratesappropriateuseoflanguageconventions.
Demonstratesawarenessofpurpose,audienceandform.
Demonstratesanawarenessofperspectivesand/orcontextwhencreatingandrespondingtotexts.
Attemptstoorganiseideasintoalogicalstructureanddrawsonsomesupportingevidence.

D
Demonstratessomecontroloflanguageconventions.
Meetsthebasicrequirementsofthetaskandtheform,butshowslimitedawarenessofpurposeand
audience.
Demonstrateslimitedawarenessofperspectiveswhenaddressingfamiliaraspectsofthetopicortask.
Mayattempttoorganiseideas,butincludeslittlesupportingevidence.

E
Demonstrateslimitedcontroloflanguageconventions.
Meetsfewoftherequirementsofthetask.
Demonstratesliteralunderstandingoftextsandlittleornoawarenessofcontextand/orperspectives.
Offersideasthatarenotrelatedoraredisconnected.

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English | General| Year 12 syllabus
Appendix 2 Glossary
Thisglossaryisprovidedtoenableacommonunderstandingofthekeytermsinthissyllabus.
Aesthetic Asenseofbeautyoranappreciationofartisticexpression.
Analyse Considerindetailforthepurposeoffindingmeaningorrelationships,and
identifyingpatterns,similaritiesanddifferences.
Appreciation Theactofdiscerningqualityandvalueofliterarytexts.
Attitudes Anoutlookoraspecificfeelingaboutsomething.Ourvaluesunderlieour
attitudes.Attitudescanbeexpressedbywhatwesay,doandwear.
Audience Thegroupofreaders,listenersorviewersthatthewriter,designer,filmmakeror
speakerisaddressing.Audienceincludesstudentsintheclassroom,anindividual,
thewidercommunity,reviewwriters,criticsandtheimpliedaudience.
Author Thecomposerororiginatorofawork(forexample,anovel,film,website,speech,
essay,autobiography).
Comprehensionstrategies Strategiesandprocessesusedbyreaderstomakemeaningfromtexts.Key
comprehensionstrategiesinclude:
activatingandusingpriorknowledge
identifyingliteralinformationexplicitlystatedinthetext
makinginferencesbasedoninformationinthetextandtheirownprior
knowledge
predictinglikelyfutureeventsinatext
visualisingbycreatingmentalimagesofelementsinatext
summarisingandorganisinginformationfromatext
integratingideasandinformationintexts
criticallyreflectingoncontent,structure,languageandimagesusedto
constructmeaninginatext.
Context Theenvironmentinwhichatextisrespondedtoorcreated.Contextcaninclude
thegeneralsocial,historicalandculturalconditionsinwhichatextisrespondedto
andcreated(thecontextofculture)orthespecificfeaturesofitsimmediate
environment(contextofsituation).Thetermisalsousedtorefertothewording
surroundinganunfamiliarwordthatareaderorlistenerusestounderstandits
meaning.
Convention Anacceptedpracticethathasdevelopedovertimeandisgenerallyusedand
understood(forexample,theuseofspecificstructuralaspectsoftextssuchasin
reportwritingwithsectionsforintroduction,background,discussionand
recommendations).
Digitaltechnologies Theuseofdigitalresourcestoeffectivelyfind,analyse,create,communicate,and
useinformationinadigitalcontextandincorporatesthehardwareofmobile
phones,cameras,tablets,laptopsandcomputersandthesoftwaretopowerthese
devices.
Digitaltexts Audio,visualormultimodaltextsproducedthroughdigitalorelectronic
technologywhichmaybeinteractiveandincludeanimationsandhyperlinks
(forexample,DVDs,websitesandeliterature).
Evaluate Evaluationofanissueorinformationthatincludesconsideringimportantfactors
andavailableevidenceinmakingjudgementsthatcanbejustified.

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English | General| Year 12 syllabus
Everydaytexts Textsthatareencounteredindailylife(forexample, recipes,instructions,
diagrams,timetables,notices,blogs,films,televisionshows,comicbooks,
computergames,manuals).
Form;formsoftexts Theshapeandstructureoftexts. Literarytexts, forexample,includeabroadrange
offormssuchasnovels,poetry,shortstories,plays,fiction,multimodaltexts,and
nonfiction.(SeeTextsunderOrganisationofcontent).
Grammar Thelanguageweuseandthedescriptionoflanguageasasystem.Indescribing
language,attentionispaidtobothstructure(form)andmeaning(function)atthe
leveloftheword,thesentenceandthetext.
Genre Thecategoriesintowhichtextsaregrouped.Thetermhasacomplexhistory
withinliterarytheoryandisoftenusedtodistinguishtextsonthebasisoftheir
subjectmatter(forexample,detectivefiction,romance,sciencefiction,fantasy
fiction),formandstructure(forexample,poetry,novels,biography,shortstories).
Ideas Inthiscourse, thewordhasanopenmeaningandcanbeinterpretedas
understandings,thoughts,notions,opinions,viewsorbeliefs.
Interpretation SeeReadingandReadings.
Intonation Theriseandfallofonesvoicewhenspeaking;sometimesusedforemphasis.
Issues Mattersofpersonalorpublicconcernthatareindispute;thingswhichdirectlyor
indirectlyaffectapersonormembersofasocietyandareconsideredtobe
problems.Manyissuesareraisedintextsanditisforthereader/audienceto
identifythese.
Languagefeatures Thefeaturesoflanguagethatsupportmeaning(forexample,sentencestructure,
noungroup/phrase,vocabulary,punctuation,figurativelanguage.Choicesin
languagefeaturesandtextstructurestogetherdefineatypeoftextandshapeits
meaning.Thesechoicesvaryaccordingtothepurposeofatext,itssubjectmatter,
audience,andmodeormediumofproduction.
Languagepatterns Thearrangementofidentifiablerepeatedorcorrespondingelementsinatext.
Theseincludepatternsofrepetitionorsimilarity(forexample,therepeateduseof
verbsatthebeginningofeachstepinarecipe,ortherepetitionofachorusafter
eachverseinasong).Thepatternsmayalternate(forexample,thecalland
responsepatternofsomegames,orthetoandfroofadialogue).Otherpatterns
maycontrast(forexample,opposingviewpointsinadiscussion,orcontrasting
patternsofimageryinapoem).Thelanguagepatternsofatextcontributetothe
distinctivenatureofitsoverallorganisationandshapeitsmeaning.
Literarytexts Literarytextsreferstopastandpresenttextsacrossarangeofculturalcontexts
thatarevaluedfortheirformandstyleandarerecognisedashavingenduringor
artisticvalue.Whilethenatureofwhatconstitutesliterarytextsisdynamicand
evolving,theyareseenashavingpersonal,social,culturalandaestheticappeal
andpotentialforenrichingstudentsscopeofexperience.Literarytextsinclude
abroadrangeofforms,suchasnovels,poetry,shortstories,plays,fiction,
nonfictionandmultimodaltexts.
Mediatexts Spoken,print,graphicorelectroniccommunicationswithapublicaudience.They
ofteninvolvenumerouspeopleintheirconstructionandareusuallyshapedbythe
technologyusedintheirproduction.ThemediatextsstudiedinEnglishcourses
canbefoundinnewspapersandmagazinesandontelevision,film,radio,
computersoftwareandtheinternet.Mediaisthepluralofmedium.
Medium Themeansorchannelofcommunicationsuchasthespokenword,print,graphics,
electronic/digitalforms.
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English | General| Year 12 syllabus
Metalanguage Languageusedtodiscusslanguage(forexample,languageusedtodiscussfilm
orliterarystudy,suchasmiseenscne,symbolism,characterisation,or
languageusedtotalkaboutgrammaticalterms,suchassentence,clause,
conjunction).
Mode Thevariousprocessesofcommunication:listening,speaking,reading/viewingand
writing/creating.Modesarealsousedtorefertothesemiotic(meaningmaking)
resourcesassociatedwiththesecommunicativeprocesses,suchassound,print,
imageandgesture.
Mood Theatmosphereorfeelinginaparticulartext.Forexample,atextmightcreatea
sombre,reflective,exhilaratingormenacingmoodoratmospheredependingon
theimageryorotherlanguageused.
Multimodaltext Combinationoftwoormorecommunicationmodes(forexample,print,image
andspokentext,asinfilmorcomputerpresentations).
Narrative Astoryofeventsorexperiences,realorimagined.Inliterarytheory,narrative
includesthestory(whatisnarrated)andthediscourse(howitisnarrated).
Narrativepointofview Thewaysinwhichanarratormayberelatedtothestory.Forexample,the
narratormighttaketheroleoffirstorthirdperson,omniscientorrestrictedin
knowledgeofevents,reliableorunreliableininterpretingwhathappens.
Perspective Apositionfromwhichthingsmaybeviewedorconsidered.Peoplemayhave
differentperspectivesoneventsorissuesdueto(forexample)theirage,
gender,socialpositionandbeliefsandvalues.Aperspectiveismorethanan
opinion;itisaviewpointinformedbyoneormorecontexts.Whileapregnant
woman,ahomelessmanandapoliceofficer,forexample,viewtheworldfrom
differentperspectives,theymaystillsharethesameopinionaboutsomething.
Textsthroughanembeddedideologycanalsopresentaparticularperspective
Pointofview Theopinionorviewpointexpressedbyanindividualinatext(forexample, an
author,anarrator,acharacteroranimpliedreader).SeeNarrativepointofview.
Prose Ordinarylanguageusedinspeakingorwriting,distinguishedfrompoetrybyits
lackofamarkedmetricalstructure.Manymoderngenres,suchasshortstories,
novelsinfiction,forexample,andletters,essays,andothertypesofnonfiction
writingaretypicallywritteninprose.
Reading Theprocessofmakingmeaningoftext.Thisprocessdrawsonarepertoireof
social,culturalandcognitiveresources.Readingoccursindifferentways,for
differentpurposes,inavarietyofpublicanddomesticsettings.Readingis
thereforeacultural,economic,ideological,politicalandpsychologicalact.The
termappliestotheactofreadingprinttextsortheactofviewingafilmorstatic
image.
Readings Readingsareparticularinterpretationsofatext.Theclassificationofreadingsinto
alternative,resistantordominantisquitearbitrary,dependingontheideology
heldbythereader.
Alternativereadings:readingsthatfocusonthegapsandsilencesintextsto
createmeaningsthatvaryfromthosemeaningsthatseemtobeforegroundedby
thetext.
Dominantreading:isthereadingthatseemstobe,forthemajorityofpeoplein
society,thenaturalornormalwaytointerpretatext.Inasocietywherethereare
stronglycompetingdiscourses(i.e.mostsocieties),thedefinitionofwhatisa
dominantreadingdependsontheideologyofthepersonmakingthedecision.
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English | General| Year 12 syllabus
Resistantreading:awayofreadingormakingmeaningfromatextwhich
challengesorquestionstheassumptionsunderlyingthetext.Resistantreadings
employadiscoursedifferentfromthediscoursethatproducesthedominant
reading.
Register Thestyleoflanguage,grammar,andwordsusedforparticularsituations.The
appropriatelanguageregisterdependsupontheaudience(who),thetopic(what),
purpose(why)andlocation(where).
Representation Representationreferstothewaypeople,events,issuesorsubjectsarepresented
inatext.Thetermimpliesthattextsarenotmirrorsoftherealworld;theyare
constructionsofreality.Theseconstructionsarepartiallyshapedthroughthe
writersuseofconventionsandtechniques.
Rhetoricaldevices Languagetechniquesusedinargumenttopersuadeaudiences
(forexample,rhetoricalquestions,repetition,propositions,figurativelanguage).
Scanning Whenreading,movingtheeyesquicklydownthepageseekingspecificwordsand
phrases.Scanningisalsousedwhenreadersfirstfindaresourcetodetermine
whetheritwillanswertheirquestions.
Shortanswerresponses WelldevelopedparagraphorparagraphsinStandardAustralianEnglishwhich
includesupportingdetailandtypicallyrangebetween200300wordsdepending
ontimeallocation.Whilenotrequiredtoconformtotheconventionsofformal
essaywriting,shortanswerresponsesshouldbesuccinctanddirectlyaddressthe
question.
Skimming Toreadquicklyformainideasinatextinordertoprovideabroadunderstanding
oroverview.
StandardAustralianEnglish
(SAE)
ThevarietyofspokenandwrittenEnglishlanguageinAustraliausedinmore
formalsettingssuchasforofficialorpublicpurposes,andrecordedindictionaries,
styleguidesandgrammars.Whileitisalwaysdynamicandevolving,itis
recognisedasthecommonlanguageofAustralians.
Style Thewaysinwhichaspectsoftexts(suchaswords,sentences,images)are
arrangedandhowtheyaffectmeaning.
Synthesise Combineelements(information/ideas/components)intoacoherentwhole.
Textstructure Thewaysinwhichinformationisorganisedindifferenttypesoftexts
(forexample,chapterheadings,subheadings,tablesofcontents,indexesand
glossaries,overviews,introductoryandconcludingparagraphs,sequencing,topic
sentences,taxonomies,causeandeffect).Choicesintextstructuresandlanguage
featurestogetherdefineatexttypeandshapeitsmeaning.
Theme Anidea,concernorargumentdevelopedinatext;arecurringelement
(forexample,thesubjectofatextmaybelove,anditsthemecouldbehowlove
involvessacrifice).Aworkmayhavemorethanonetheme.
Tone Tonedescribesthewaythevoiceisdelivered(forexample,thetoneofavoiceor
thetoneinapassageofwritingcouldbefriendlyorangryorpersuasive).

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English | General| Year 12 syllabus
Typesoftexts
Classificationsoftextsaccordingtotheparticularpurposestheyaredesignedto
achieve.Ingeneral,intheseniorcoursesintheEnglishcurriculum,textsare
classifiedasimaginative,interpretive,persuasiveoranalyticaltypesoftexts,
althoughthesedistinctionsareneitherstaticnordiscreteandparticulartextscan
belongtomorethanonecategory.
Analyticaltexts
Textswhoseprimarypurposeistoidentify,examineanddrawconclusionsabout
theelementsorcomponentsthatmakeupothertexts.Analyticaltextsdevelopan
argumentorconsideroradvanceaninterpretation.Examplesofthesetexts
includecommentaries,essaysincriticism,reflectiveordiscursiveresponsesand
reviews.
Imaginativetexts
Textswhoseprimarypurposeistoentertainorprovokethoughtthroughtheir
imaginativeuseofliteraryelements.Theyarerecognisedfortheirform,styleand
artisticoraestheticvalue.Thesetextsincludenovels,traditionaltales,poetry,
stories,plays,fictionforyoungadultsandchildren,includingpicturebooks,and
multimodaltextssuchasfilm.
Interpretivetexts
Textswhoseprimarypurposeistoexplainandinterpretpersonalities,events,
ideas,representationsorconcepts.Theyincludeautobiography,biography,media
featurearticles,documentaryfilmandothernonfictiontexts.Thereisafocuson
interpretiveratherthaninformativetextsinthesenioryearsofschooling.
Persuasivetexts
Textswhoseprimarypurposeistopresentaperspectiveandpersuadeareader,
viewerorlistener.Theyformasignificantpartofmoderncommunicationinboth
printanddigitalenvironments.Theyincludeadvertising,debates,arguments,
discussions,polemicsandessaysandarticles.
Visualelements Visualcomponentsofatextsuchascomposition,framing,representationof
actionorreaction,shotsize,socialdistanceandcameraangle.
Voice/Voicesintexts
(seealsoNarrativepointof
viewandTone)
Authorialvoice
Intheliterarysense,voicecanbeusedtorefertothenatureofthevoice
projectedinatextbyanauthor;thepersona,roleorcharacteradoptedbyan
author.
Narrativevoice
Thewaysinwhichanarratormayberelatedtothestory.Forexample,the
narratormighttaketheroleoffirstorthirdperson,omniscientorrestrictedin
knowledgeofevents,reliableorunreliableininterpretingwhathappens.
Voicesintexts Aswellasanauthorsvoice,textsoftencontainmultiplevoices.Thesearethe
views,positions,ideasandperspectivesofotherindividualsorgroups.Itis
importanttorecognisethevariousvoicesinatext,howtheyrelatetoone
another,andhowthecreatorofatextusesthesetoshapeaudienceresponse.
Workplacetexts Textsthataretypicallyusedintheworkplaceforcommunication.Thesemay
includephonecalls,informalandformalmeetings,discussions,interviews,SMS,
emails,memos,faxes,letters,pamphlets,diagrams,brochures,agendas,meeting
minutes,instructionsheets,instructionalvideos,instructionalpresentations,
circulars,advertisingmaterials,instructionmanuals,shortreports,longreports,
workplacecontracts,workplaceagreements,industrialagreements,industrial
awards,industriallegislationandlegaladvicedocuments.