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NSW Curriculum
NSW Education Standards Authority

11–12English Studies 11–12 Syllabus

Record of changes
Implementation from 2026
Expand for detailed implementation advice

Content

Life Skills

Writing for purpose (aligned to English Studies)

For students studying English Life Skills, the focus area Writing for purpose provides opportunities to develop knowledge and skills as composers of everyday, community or workplace texts for a variety of audiences and purposes. They engage with and respond to a variety of texts to develop their knowledge and understanding of a range of textual forms. Texts should be selected based on students’ interest and needs. Students develop their use of language forms and features to clearly communicate information or ideas. By planning, editing and refining, students explore how to organise their ideas with an appropriate structure and use language, grammar and syntax to create meaning.

The content below aligns to the content of the Writing for purpose focus area in English Studies 11–12 and has been provided as a suggestion only. Further content can also be used to address this focus area and meet the individual needs of students as appropriate.

Reading, viewing, representing or responding to texts
  • Engage with real-world texts to gain information

  • Engage with a broadening range of texts

  • Respond personally to a text

Strategies for engaging with texts
  • Use reading, viewing or listening strategies to locate and extract information and ideas

Understanding language forms and features
  • Recognise the differences in formal and informal register

  • Recognise ways language forms, features or structures can create meaning in a text

  • Recognise ways language forms and features change according to purpose and audience

Responding to ideas and experiences in texts
  • Identify the message, values or experiences in a text

  • Explore different perspectives on a particular topic, theme or event

Context and texts
  • Recognise that an author’s personal experiences can shape meaning in a text

  • Recognise that audience responses to texts can vary

  • Recognise how context influences audience, ideas and attitudes

Composing texts
  • Compose texts that offer personal responses to a chosen text

  • Represent personal experiences and ideas for particular audiences and contexts

  • Compose texts for different purposes and audiences using appropriate forms, language or visual features to communicate, including workplace and real-life texts

Using language forms and features
  • Use language forms or structures to express ideas

  • Apply grammar conventions accurately in texts

  • Use punctuation to clarify meaning

  • Use a range of sentence structures to create meaning

  • Use vocabulary for purposeful effect

  • Use visual or language features to create texts

Planning, reflecting and revising composition
  • Use scaffolding to plan compositions

  • Use model texts to plan and monitor text structure

  • Select editing techniques or tools to enhance clarity and meaning in texts

Related files