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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

Year 11

Elective focus areas

The following elective focus areas can be selected for Year 11 or Year 12.

Elective E: Lyrical voices

Through the study of texts in this focus area, students develop an understanding of the ways language is used in a range of song lyrics to recount stories, shape minds, protest, inspire action and represent particular views about aspects of the world. Students explore the ways song lyrics and texts about song writing express emotions, attitudes, ideas and themes related to personal and collective experiences. They consider how aspects of language, form and medium of these texts are central to their power to communicate ideas.

Students engage with a range of literary and other texts that explore how ideas, experiences and perspectives are communicated through music and lyrics. Through the study of songs, reviews, music journalism, biographies and documentaries, students examine the personal and social effects of lyrical texts and how they are received by audiences in different contexts. They consider how the language forms and features of these texts are used to represent experiences, ideas and arguments.

Understanding
  • The ways language forms and features are used to communicate ideas and shape meaning

  • Explicit and implicit meaning in texts

  • The ways mode and medium can influence language and structure

  • The ways that audience, purpose and context shape meaning in a variety of social, community and workplace texts

Responding
  • Compose a variety of texts that use language forms and features to present particular attitudes, values and perspectives

  • Compose critical texts that use appropriate evidence to support a clear point of view

  • Use complex sentences to communicate the relationship between ideas in a range of texts

  • Use appropriate textual forms and structures to communicate information and ideas

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