Assessment
Course standards
Course standards are comprised of syllabus standards and performance standards. Syllabus outcomes and content form the syllabus standards that describe what students are expected to know, understand and do. Performance standards, including the Common Grade Scale for Preliminary courses, HSC Performance Band Descriptions and Achievement Level Descriptions (for HSC courses with grades only) describe how well students have achieved in relation to syllabus standards. Performance standards are used to report student achievement on NESA credentials.
Common Grade Scale for Preliminary courses
The Loading provides generic, holistic descriptions for performance at each of the 5 grade levels. It is used to report student achievement in Year 11 courses in all NSW schools.
Achievement level descriptions
Achievement Level Descriptions provide the standards to be used when reporting student achievement on school-based assessment at the end of the English Studies course. All students who complete the course receive a grade representing their overall achievement on school-based assessment. This grade is reported on the HSC credential.
English Studies Year 12: Achievement Level Descriptions
These Achievement Level Descriptions provide the standards to be used when reporting student achievement on school-based assessment in English Studies for the HSC.
All students who complete the course receive a grade representing their overall achievement on school-based assessment. This grade is reported on the HSC credential.
Grade A
A student performing at this grade typically:
demonstrates comprehensive understanding of information, ideas and perspectives in a variety of texts
demonstrates comprehensive knowledge and understanding of how language forms and features are used to shape meaning in and between a variety of short and extended texts
demonstrates well-developed skills in selecting appropriate text forms, vocabulary, style and tone to communicate for a range of purposes, audiences and contexts
demonstrates well-developed skills in composing a range of short and extended written, spoken and multimodal texts appropriate for a variety of purposes, audiences and contexts
demonstrates well-developed skills in planning, organising and communicating information, ideas and perspectives.
Grade B
A student performing at this grade typically:
demonstrates detailed understanding of information, ideas and perspectives in a variety of texts
demonstrates detailed knowledge and understanding of how language forms and features are used to shape meaning in and between a variety of short and extended texts
demonstrates competent skills in selecting appropriate text forms, vocabulary, style and tone to communicate for a range of purposes, audiences and contexts
demonstrates competent skills in composing a range of short and extended written, spoken and multimodal texts appropriate for a variety of purposes, audiences and contexts
demonstrates competent skills in planning, organising and communicating information, ideas and/or perspectives.
Grade C
A student performing at this grade typically:
demonstrates developing understanding of information, ideas and perspectives in a variety of texts
demonstrates developing knowledge and understanding of how language forms and features are used to shape meaning in and between a variety of short and extended texts
demonstrates developing skills in selecting appropriate text forms, vocabulary, style and tone to communicate for a range of purposes, audiences and contexts
demonstrates developing skills in composing a range of short and extended written, spoken and multimodal texts appropriate for a variety of purposes, audiences and contexts
demonstrates developing skills in planning, organising and communicating information, ideas or perspectives.
Grade D
A student performing at this grade typically:
demonstrates basic understanding of information, ideas and perspectives in texts
demonstrates basic knowledge and understanding of how language forms and features are used to shape meaning in texts
demonstrates basic skills in using text forms, vocabulary, style and/or tone to communicate for purpose, audience and/or context
demonstrates basic skills in composing appropriate short and extended written, spoken and multimodal texts for purposes, audiences and contexts
demonstrates basic skills in planning, organising and communicating information.
Grade E
A student performing at this grade typically:
demonstrates elementary understanding of information, ideas and perspectives in texts
demonstrates elementary knowledge and understanding of how language forms and features are used to convey meaning in texts
demonstrates limited skills in using text forms and/or vocabulary to communicate
demonstrates limited skills in composing written, spoken and/or multi-modal texts
demonstrates limited skills in organising and communicating information.
Performance Band Descriptions for English Studies
HSC performance band descriptions summarise the knowledge, understanding and skills typically demonstrated by students at each band level in a particular course. NESA uses these holistic descriptions to report a student's level of achievement on the optional HSC examination for English Studies.
Band 6
A student who performs at this level typically:
demonstrates comprehensive understanding of information, ideas and perspectives in a variety of texts
demonstrates comprehensive knowledge and understanding of how information in and connections between texts are shaped by context, authors, textual form and features in a variety of texts
composes well-developed critical and creative responses that use well-selected evidence to communicate an understanding of ideas and information
communicates clear, well-structured ideas, information, perspectives and arguments using language and terminology appropriate to purpose, audience and context.
Band 5
A student who performs at this level typically:
demonstrates thorough understanding of information, ideas and perspectives in a variety of texts
demonstrates thorough knowledge and understanding of how information in and connections between texts are shaped by context, authors, textual form and features in a variety of texts
composes developed critical and creative responses that use evidence to communicate an understanding of ideas and information
communicates clear ideas, information, perspectives and arguments, using language and terminology appropriate to purpose, audience and context.
Band 4
A student who performs at this level typically:
demonstrates sound understanding of information, ideas and perspectives in a variety of texts
demonstrates sound knowledge and understanding of how information in and connections between texts are shaped by context, authors, textual form and features in a variety of texts
composes critical and creative responses that use evidence to communicate an understanding of ideas and information
communicates ideas, information, perspectives and/or arguments, using language and terminology appropriate to purpose, audience and context.
Band 3
A student who performs at this level typically:
demonstrates basic understanding of information, ideas and perspectives in texts
demonstrates basic knowledge and understanding of how information in and/or connections between texts are shaped by context, authors, textual forms and/or features
composes responses showing some understanding of ideas and/or information
communicates ideas, information, perspectives and/or arguments, using some language and terminology appropriate to purpose, audience and/or context.
Band 2
A student who performs at this level typically:
demonstrates elementary understanding of information, ideas and perspectives in texts
demonstrates elementary knowledge and understanding of how information is shaped in texts
composes responses showing limited understanding of ideas or information
communicates some ideas, information, perspectives and/or arguments.
Band 1
Performance reported as Band 1 indicates that the minimum standard expected was not demonstrated.