11–12English Studies 11–12 Syllabus
The new English Studies 11–12 Syllabus (2024) is to be implemented from 2026.
2025
- Plan and prepare to teach the new syllabus
2026, Term 1
- Start teaching new syllabus for Year 11
- Start implementing new Year 11 school-based assessment requirements
- Continue to teach the English Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2017) for Year 12
2026, Term 4
- Start teaching new syllabus for Year 12
- Start implementing new Year 12 school-based assessment requirements
2027
- First HSC examination for new syllabus
Content
Year 11
The following elective focus areas can be selected for Year 11 or Year 12.
Through the study of this focus area, students develop an understanding of the ways media texts represent information, influence audiences and shape culture. Students develop a deeper understanding of the functions, roles and responsibilities of print and digital media as means of communicating information. They examine how the language forms and features of media texts are used to frame the presentation of ideas, convey opinions and provide insight. Students develop their awareness of issues concerning media in the digital age, such as the power of big data and algorithms, and how they might influence our experience of news and information in a contemporary world. Students have opportunities to further develop and express their own views, ideas and values on issues that are under media scrutiny, and which are relevant to them.
Students engage with a range of literary and other texts that represent and reflect on news and current affairs to deepen their understanding of how information is communicated and framed by language. Through the study of traditional and digital media forms, including television news programs, documentaries, news bulletins, infotainment and online news sources, students experience, engage with and critique texts that raise questions of ethics, censorship and the powerful influence of the media on individual lives, both nationally and internationally.
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
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