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2013 HSC Notes from the Marking Centre — English Standard and Advanced

2013 Notes from the Marking Centre – English (Standard and Advanced)

Introduction

This document has been produced for the teachers and candidates of the Stage 6 English Standard and English Advanced courses. It contains comments on candidate responses to the 2013 Higher School Certificate examination, highlighting their strengths in particular parts of the examination and indicating where candidates need to improve.

This document should be read along with:

the English Stage 6 Syllabus
the 2013 Higher School Certificate English (Standard and Advanced) Paper 1, English (Advanced) Paper 2 and English (Standard) Paper 2 examinations
the marking guidelines – English (Standard and Advanced) Paper 1, English (Standard) Paper 2, English (Advanced) Paper 2
English Stage 6 Support Document – Answers to Frequently Asked Questions 2014
Advice for HSC students about examinations
other support documents developed by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW to assist in the teaching and learning of English in Stage 6.

English (Standard and Advanced) Paper 1

Section I

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

finding meaning in visual texts
explaining links between poetry and a sense of identity
understanding aspects of belonging
creating clear and succinct responses to questions.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

allocating time appropriately to meet the requirements of the question
identifying connections between text and specific aspects of belonging
analysing texts rather than paraphrasing, narrating, re-telling
engaging with the specific aspects of belonging that were included in the texts and questions
sustaining analysis in the final part of the question.

Section II

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

addressing all parts of the question, exploring decisions to embrace or reject connection in a variety of settings and narrative forms
using an item in a subtle way to imply a sense of belonging
crafting imagery
skilfully using language appropriate to their chosen form of imaginative writing
using motifs derived from the items to create coherence
demonstrating a strong sense of narrative voice.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

using an item as a central element to explore the decision to embrace or reject a connection with others
understanding the mechanics and control of language
writing credible and original narratives.

Section III

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

choosing related texts that complemented ideas explored in their prescribed text and also contributed to a more expansive evaluation of belonging
demonstrating perception in their understanding of their selected texts and the ways in which they reflected the effect of individual choices and the attitude of others in relation to belonging
providing well-chosen and detailed textual references to support their line of argument
structuring an argument that did not lose focus of the thesis and that maintained an explicit engagement with the question
judiciously selecting and integrating techniques into their exploration of the concept.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

deconstructing a question in order to respond to all the layers of the question
ensuring that they avoid recounting or paraphrasing aspects of their selected texts
making clear and explicit connections between texts, whether it be conceptually, thematically, through characterisation or purpose
explaining the effect of features in terms of shaping ideas relevant to the question – not just listing techniques
not just answering the question in the introduction and conclusion but making clear and purposeful links throughout.

English (Standard) Paper 2

Section I – Module A: Questions 1 and 2

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

providing a thesis-driven response that engaged with all elements of the question
demonstrating strong textual knowledge and understanding
making judicious references to both the prescribed text and a thoughtfully selected supporting text.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

selecting appropriate supporting material for the particular elective
focusing on the ‘voice’ in the visual text (such as a film or picture book) rather than simply accounting for visual features
addressing all elements of the question
avoiding generic, planned elective-based responses.

Section II – Module B: Close Study of Text

Note: Related material is not required in Module B.

Question 3(a) – The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

establishing Haddon’s purpose in exploring how personal choices had an impact on relationships
elaborating on well-chosen textual references in a meaningful fashion with clear and genuine links to the question
including a discussion of why choices were made and looking at choices made by characters other than Christopher
understanding that Haddon had deliberately chosen to use Christopher’s narrative perspective to help the reader understand why characters made the choices they did
demonstrating a clear awareness of narrative features as well as language techniques.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

addressing all elements of the question. Some students focused on either personal choices or relationships
including relevant textual references and examples to support a developed discussion of the question
familiarising themselves with Haddon’s role in shaping meaning
moving beyond a reliance on narrative and story-telling. Some students listed examples of either choice and/or relationships without making connections between the two.

Question 3(b) – Briar Rose

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

understanding the text, its narrative elements, themes and characters
making detailed links to all elements of the question
acknowledging the composer’s intent and impact on the reader
identifying and analysing the extended metaphor central to this text, and its relationship to the author’s purpose
developing a purposeful thesis, often with an effective personal voice.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

finding a balance in their analysis, focusing on both technical and conceptual elements
taking a more analytical or critical and personal approach rather than just identifying, describing and explaining key textual features
connecting the past to relationships as required by the question.

Question 3(c) – Fly Away Peter

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

identifying Malouf’s perspective on how reflections on family and wartime experiences lead to an understanding of relationships
acknowledging the composer’s intent and impact on the reader
using the personal voice of the student to deliver a genuine understanding of the question and text.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

connecting the past to relationships as required by the questions
selecting more relevant textual references as opposed to generalised accounts of wartime experiences
shifting focus from within the text to an emphasis on Malouf’s role as composer.

Question 4(a) – Cosi

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

establishing the impact personal choices had on relationships and how Nowra achieves this
demonstrating a clear awareness of dramatic techniques (including stage directions) and linking these techniques to the development of a discussion of both personal choice and its impact on relationships
incorporating a broad variety of textual references which were relevant to the question and moving beyond a discussion of Lewis’ choices
linking the context of the play with personal choices and the impact on relationships, particularly the link between Australia in the 1970s and the changing role of women and attitudes towards the mentally ill
incorporating the structure of the play to shape their response.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

addressing all elements of the question; in this case, the impact of personal choices on relationships and how this is achieved
including relevant textual references and examples to support a developed discussion of the question
familiarising themselves with how Nowra shapes meaning through dramatic techniques, rather than relying on story-telling
developing a discussion beyond Lewis’ life and the choices he makes.

Question 4(b) – The Merchant of Venice

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

understanding the play’s narrative, characters and themes
analysing and evaluating key elements of the text, selecting and developing their evidence in a purposeful way
acknowledging the composer’s intentions with a discussion that included dramatic techniques, language choices, structure or characterisation
making detailed links to all elements of the question, balancing a discussion of Shakespeare’s purpose, his depiction of personal choices and their impact on the relationships presented to the audience
developing a purposeful thesis, often with an effective personal voice.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

increasing their understanding of the use of dramatic techniques and the way Shakespeare uses language to shape and convey meaning
going beyond identifying, describing and explaining a range of relationships between characters – linking these more closely to the central concepts of the question
selecting and shaping their material rather than simply reproducing prepared material
not just recounting the storyline.

Question 5(a) – Wilfred Owen

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

exploring the impact of human cruelty on individuals
using their knowledge of poetic details and the structure of poems
selecting textual detail to support their response
discussing two or three poems that allowed them to integrate ideas and textual references.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

addressing all elements of the question
identifying the impact and/or source of human cruelty rather than equating cruelty with war
understanding how poetic and structural choices create meaning in Owen’s poems
not just relying on a descriptive recount of soldiers’ experiences
sustaining their argument throughout the response.

Question 5(b) – Judith Wright

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

making connections between Wright’s technical and conceptual intentions
analysing the poetry using a range of detailed metalanguage
linking all elements of the question, balancing a discussion of Wright’s purpose, her view of the natural world and its impact on the individual and the reader
drawing evidence from across the poems studied.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

clearly linking technical analysis to meaning. Some students took a ‘labelling’ approach to the text, mistaking identification of a language feature for analysis
answering the question – students who repeat pre-learned quotes or paragraphs can struggle to link this material into an effective answer. The best responses engage with the complexities of the question
not restricting discussions to one or two poems, thereby unbalancing their responses. Students should prepare in a way that allows them to demonstrate a detailed knowledge of the range of poems described
articulating ideas earlier and more consistently throughout their responses rather than making interesting observations in the conclusion of their responses
using incorrect textual references and using related material (which is not required in this module).

Question 6 – Into the Wild

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

demonstrating an understanding of the motivations of the central character, narrative elements and themes
identifying the personal choices that resulted from Chris’s desire to express his individuality through escape, risk taking, an alternative lifestyle and rebellion.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

understanding that the prescribed text is the prose biography and not the film
demonstrating an understanding of Krakauer’s perspective and purpose
developing awareness of how Krakauer uses features of prose writing to shape his text.

Question 7 – Witness

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

demonstrating an understanding of the film
using technical language appropriate to the medium and the conceptual intentions of the film
identifying, describing and explaining key elements of the film that related to the question
moving beyond the literal action of the film to discuss shot selection, motifs, framing, characterisation and a range of other textual features in the context of the question
making links to all elements of the question.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

increasing awareness of the composer’s technical choices
linking their descriptions of a range of relationships between characters to the central concepts of the question
discussing film techniques rather than just listing them
moving beyond chronological recounts of the storyline.

Section III – Module C: Texts and Society

Elective 1: The Global Village

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

articulating their personal understanding of the global village
explaining how living in a global village opens up the world with improved communication but with some potential problems as well
talking about the role of the individual within society.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

relating concepts about the global village to ‘the ways people interact’
making the connection between the experience in the prescribed texts and the related material
choosing related material that was appropriate to the explanation of how the global village influenced ‘the ways people interact’.

Drama: A Man with Five Children

Candidates often accessed the question by explaining the negatives of being in the commoditised life of the children, while pointing out the substantial benefits that could sometimes be accessed. The related text was often used as a contrast to the prescribed text.

Film: The Castle

Most candidates explored the negatives of a ‘big business’ encroaching on the individual.

Elective 2: Into the World

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

incorporating ‘social reflection’ and the implications of transitioning into the world demonstrating a good understanding of the module and the elective
demonstrating textual knowledge, including techniques that used thoughtfully chosen examples to support ideas
drawing effective conclusions from their evidence
choosing a related text that supported/provided contrast to/challenged ideas in the prescribed text.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

providing detailed textual references and explicitly linking them to the question
moving beyond recount.

Prose Fiction: The Story of Tom Brennan

Candidates accessed the question generally through the new phases in Tom’s life. Many analysed the phases of a variety of characters (including Tom, Tom’s mother, Brendan and Chrissie). Many candidates approached the analysis through considering the impact of positive and negative interactions.

Drama: Educating Rita

Some candidates brought in social and cultural contexts and influences including gender stereotypes and class barriers. The module ‘Texts and Society’ was naturally integrated into responses as candidates could make these connections easily.

Poetry: Songs of Innocence and Experience

Many candidates struggled to draw specific links between the question and the poems, particularly in identifying ‘the ways people interact’.

Poetry: At the Round Earth’s Imagined Corners

Most candidates showed a clear understanding of poetic techniques used by the various composers.

Film: Billy Elliot

Many candidates chose to focus on the relationships between characters (Billy/Mrs Wilkinson, Jackie/Billy) as a means to explore the notions of ‘interactions’ or accessed the question through a contrast between the beginning and end of the film.

English (Advanced) Paper 2

Section I – Module A: Questions 1 and 2

Question 1(a) – Shakespeare/Pacino

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

defining authority, including authorial intention
grasping the notion of ‘authority’ in a range of ways – within the text in relation to Richard’s characterisation, usurpation of the throne, the role of God and Divine retribution, as well as discussing the authority of Shakespeare himself as a playwright; similarly with the authority of Pacino as a film maker, director and celebrity
providing a balanced discussion of both texts
supporting their responses with well-selected evidence
understanding docu-drama devices.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

emphasising dramatic elements in Shakespeare
using the same quotes from each text but not effectively articulating the connectedness
not generalising about ‘vox pop’
moving away from recount/retell.

Question 1(c) – Austen/Weldon

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

clearly identifying ‘identity’ as an important issue in both texts
discussing parallels between the two texts
linking values and attitudes to context as a means of framing ideas about identity
demonstrating effective knowledge of the texts and their contexts.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

being aware of the differences between the texts which also reflect context
not making sweeping generalisations about Austen and her world
being aware of the texts as reflections of the identity of the composers.

Question 1(d) – Donne/W;T

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

effectively integrating their discussion of this text pairing
discussing a variety of forms of passion, ranging from love and sexuality, through to a passion for words, on to a passion for science or religious faith
dealing with both texts in a holistic manner.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

understanding that W;T could be the product of a secular context and yet have profound religious elements
not making sweeping statements about context
supporting their thesis with relevant and accurate textual detail.

Question 2(a) – Shelley/Scott

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

demonstrating a wide knowledge of both of the texts and their contexts
providing textual detail from the full body of both texts
establishing and developing a thoughtful thesis.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

using context to frame their discussion of texts
discussing the ambitions of the composers
using complex literary terms or metalanguage with understanding
using cohesive language to connect paragraphs.

Question 2(b) – Fitzgerald/Browning

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

accessing wider definitions of passion
understanding the contexts of the ages and the historical and philosophical influences of each
choosing textual references that allowed for in-depth discussion and analysis of passion.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

synthesising discussion of the texts
analysing the texts rather than giving too much biographical information about the authors
treating both texts equally
giving primacy to the texts and the content rather than addressing the concepts in the question.

Question 2(c) – Albee/Woolf

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

incorporating both texts in a holistic way
discussing male power and patriarchy
discussing the way the composers use language and structure to influence their respective audiences
evaluating manifestations of power such as gender, authorial, education and socioeconomic, using appropriate synonyms.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

not limiting themselves to generalisations around gender and sexism
seeing the big picture
not sticking to rigid thematic approaches
providing relevant textual details – in this case the concept of power.

Module B – Critical Study of Text

Question 3 – Shakespearean Drama – Hamlet

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

demonstrating understanding of how time and place are used in Hamlet to shape the audience’s understanding of corruption
demonstrating an awareness of Shakespeare’s social, political and literary context and the specific settings within the play, both literal and metaphorical
evaluating the play’s language, content, form and construction
choosing and discussing textual references that linked clearly to the question and explored the play in its entirety.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

treating each aspect of the question (time, place, corruption, construction, etc), rather than focusing on a narrow element
demonstrating a wide knowledge of the play, rather than specific moments only
evaluating the play and its ideas, rather than limiting the discussion to a narrow thematic discussion
showing an appreciation of the play’s language, form and construction.

Questions 4 (a), (b), (c), (d) – Prose Fiction

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

demonstrating a strong personal engagement with the ideas in the text
evaluating the concepts of the power of ordinary people/resilience/the life of an artist/societal expectations
demonstrating an interpretation of time and place in the context of the novel
conveying an understanding of the novel’s context, language, form and construction
analysing aptly chosen textual references that reflected a breadth of knowledge of the novel
addressing and integrating all aspects of the question.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

demonstrating a broad knowledge of the whole novel, rather than focusing on well-known sections
conveying a more conceptual, evaluative response to the question rather than a narrow treatment of themes, characters or aspects of plot.

Questions 5 and 6 – Drama/Film

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

exploring the ideas and concepts in the texts – social conventions/the nature of ego – and how these are illuminated through time and place in the text
demonstrating a detailed knowledge of the relevance of context and a critical evaluation of time and place in each text
conveying an insightful treatment of dramatic or film techniques
choosing textual references that were underpinned by the concerns of the question.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

focusing on all aspects of the question (time, place, ideas and construction) instead of a narrow treatment of one or some elements of the question
providing textual references that demonstrate a broad understanding of the whole text
demonstrating an understanding of dramatic or film techniques.

Questions 7 (a), (b), (c) – Poetry

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

demonstrating how time and place are used in the poems to shape the reader’s understanding of the search for truth/the enduring value of relationships/the transient nature of life
exploring the relationship between time and place in the context of the poem as well as the poet’s context
displaying a sophisticated knowledge of poetic techniques and their effect in conveying the ideas of the poems
choosing poems and textual references that substantiated the focus of the response.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

demonstrating a more conceptual understanding of the body of work of each poet
choosing appropriate poems to best respond to all aspects of the question
linking the poems in an integrated way to respond to all aspects of the question (time, place, ideas, etc).

Question 8 – Essays and Question 9 – Speeches

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

exploring how time and place are used in the essays and speeches to shape the reader’s or audience’s understanding of the shifting nature of beliefs or how knowledge of the past sheds light on the present
demonstrating knowledge of the composer’s political, literary and social context and the close link of these times and places on the ideas in the texts
demonstrating knowledge and understanding of language and rhetorical devices and how they convey ideas
choosing particular essays or speeches and textual references that directly linked to the concerns of the question.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

demonstrating a good understanding of each essay or speech
choosing essays or speeches that best respond to all aspects of the question.

Module C – Elective 1: Conflicting Perspectives

Question 10

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

demonstrating an understanding of the composer’s deliberate manipulation, rather than characters who manipulate other characters or situations within the text
demonstrating an understanding of representation that was integrated into their response
demonstrating an understanding of the link between composers’ choice of form and authorial purpose
demonstrating an understanding of conflicting perspectives within the world of a text and/or across the prescribed text and the related text
linking the additional text to the module and elective, not just to the question or the prescribed text
exploring the compositional choices of Shakespeare, using ideas from the text to frame the structure of their evaluative responses (Julius Caesar)
demonstrating awareness of Robertson’s polemic and his manipulation of responders (The Justice Game)
choosing relevant textual evidence from both the prescribed and related text that addressed the concepts of the question.

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

not providing too much biographical material (eg Hughes)
ensuring that ALL set poems are studied
not just retelling aspects of the plot (Julius Caesar)
not presenting a prepared response that lacks engagement with the question
choosing appropriate textual references with quotes and examples integrated
not just reciting details of cases without considering authorial purpose (The Justice Game)
understanding the use and purpose of satire (Wag the Dog)
preparing their related material carefully – it needs to be relevant to the module, not just the prescribed text.

Question 11 – History and Memory

Candidates showed strength in these areas:

demonstrating an awareness of the constructedness of texts
using the concepts of ‘History and Memory’ to communicate a judgement about how well their texts represented composers’ ideas through their textual form and features
comparing textual features and ideas
selecting from a wide range of examples from the website and analysing its multimedia form, as well as textual features (Smithsonian National Museum of American History September 11 Website).

Candidates need to improve in these areas:

using a wide range of related texts to enhance theses that explored the situation of the Holocaust in particular (The Fiftieth Gate)
focusing on the demands of the question rather than complicating their thesis discussing perceived dilemmas over ‘history versus memory’ or ‘representation versus truth’
being aware of the curatorial and compositional purposes and decisions in the text’s construction (Smithsonian National Museum of American History September 11 Website).