- Units
- 2 units — Year 11 and Year 12 (Board Developed)
- Course type
- Board Developed
- Exclusions
- English Advanced, English Standard, English EAL/D, English Extension, English Life Skills
- Pre-requisites
- Nil for Year 11; the Year 11 course is a prerequisite for Year 12
- Group
- Common to all students — Studied by every student on the Careers Pathway
The Academy teaches the new English Studies 11–12 Syllabus (2024), examined for the first time in the 2027 HSC. This replaces the previous 2017 syllabus for all Year 11 2027 students.
Course description
English Studies gives students the opportunity to explore the ideas, values, language forms, features and structures of texts from a range of contexts. Through responding to and composing texts, students strengthen their ability to access and comprehend information, assess its reliability, and synthesise knowledge from a range of sources for a variety of purposes.
Through the course, students develop and use communication skills for a range of purposes and audiences, find information and perspectives that inform their understanding of ideas, make inferences about the meaning of language based on context, and express personal experiences and opinions as independent learners.
Course structure
Year 11 Preliminary · 2027
- Reading to write: Transition to English Studies (30–40 hours) — studied first
- An additional 2–3 elective focus areas (20–40 hours each)
Year 12 HSC · 2028
- Narrative and human experiences (35 hours)
- Writing for purpose (35 hours)
- Two further elective focus areas (50 hours in total)
Text requirements
- Year 11: one substantial print text and one substantial multimodal text (which could be film or media).
- Year 12: a wide range of texts, including one text from the prescribed list for Narrative and human experiences, and at least four short prescribed texts for Writing for purpose.
- Across Years 11 and 12, texts must include quality literature, a range of Australian texts, and a range of texts authored by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
Assessment
Assessment is school-based and set by the Academy in line with NESA requirements for the English Studies 11–12 Syllabus (2024).
HSC examination
There is no compulsory HSC examination in English Studies. Students are still eligible for the HSC, but not for an ATAR contribution from this course.