HSC English EAL/D case studies
HSC English EAL/D · Put your knowledge to work in context.
English EAL/D is a NSW Stage 6 Board Developed Course for students in Years 11 and 12 whose education in English has been relatively recent. Under the English EAL/D Stage 6 Syllabus (2017), it may be studied by any student educated overseas, or in an Australian institution where English was the language of instruction, for five years or less before starting Year 11; the principal determines the main language of instruction at previous schools and an eligibility declaration is completed. The HSC English EAL/D case studies are 5 cases and about 2,470 words.
1The Quotation That Won't Sit Still
A student drafting a Module A essay on a prescribed prose fiction text wants to open with a short quotation from a minor character. She has copied it from her own annotated copy, but the wording differs slightly from the version in the class anthology, and she cannot tell which is authoritative.
525 words, about 3 min2Two Languages, One Draft
A student in Module B is writing a reflective piece about moving between a home language and English at school. Her first draft is 1,100 words and reads as a chronological account: 'At home we speak our language.
496 words, about 2 min3The Poem Everyone Misreads
A student in Module C is preparing a close study of a short prescribed poem about a returned soldier. In class discussion he has absorbed the idea that the poem is 'anti-war', and his draft paragraph asserts this confidently, citing the soldier's silence and the family's awkwardness at the dinner table.
493 words, about 2 min4The Creative That Forgets Its Audience
A student's Focus on Writing task asks for a short imaginative piece that explores a moment of cultural misunderstanding, followed by a reflection on her choices. Her draft is 800 words of vivid scene-setting about a family dinner, with five characters, a detailed description of the food, and almost no dialogue.
481 words, about 2 min5The Essay That Argues With Itself
A student writing a Module A essay on a prescribed film has a strong thesis: that the text presents memory as unreliable. Her three body paragraphs each make the same point with a different scene, and her conclusion restates the thesis.
475 words, about 2 min