NZ Scholarship English case studies
NZ Scholarship English · Put your knowledge to work in context.
New Zealand Scholarship English is an award recognising top secondary school students in English. It is not a routine NCEA assessment: candidates are entered through their school, and you must be enrolled at a consented New Zealand secondary school, though you do not have to be working towards NCEA. The NZ Scholarship English case studies are 5 cases and about 3,401 words.
1The Open Home: Choosing an Anchor for Satire
A candidate in the 45-minute close-reading section faces a 38-line prose extract from a contemporary novel. The passage describes a real-estate open home: an agent repeats that 'the light was generous', the narrator's mother nods, and the narrator counts power points.
733 words, about 4 min2The Untitled Poem: Address and the Single Full Stop
A candidate has 25 minutes to write on a 24-line unfamiliar poem. The poem has four six-line stanzas, no title, and an epigraph that reads 'after a line by a botanist'.
706 words, about 4 min3Depth or Comparison in the Extended Response
An extended-response candidate has 50 minutes and one essay to write. The question is: 'Discuss how narrative point of view shapes a text's ethical pressure.' She has studied a novel and its film adaptation.
683 words, about 3 min4Adapting a Rehearsed Shakespeare Essay to an Unfamiliar Question
A candidate has 45 minutes for an extended response on a Shakespeare play she knows well. She has memorised a paragraph on the Duke's manipulation in Measure for Measure, four quotations about justice and disguise, and a critic's phrase: 'the play's moral vacuum.' The exam question is: 'Discuss the extent to which the ending of a play you have studied is satisfying.' Her instinct is to write the prepared paragraph first and add a closing paragraph about the ending.
646 words, about 3 min5The Speech Excerpt: From Device-Spotting to Interpretive Claim
A candidate has 30 minutes to write one close-reading paragraph on a 22-line excerpt from a political speech. The excerpt reads: 'We have been told that the river is a resource.
633 words, about 3 min