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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 12

Writing for purpose

Students develop their knowledge and skills as writers by engaging with short and extended literary and non-literary texts. They use a range of language features, vocabulary and sentence structures in their own written compositions that are appropriate to particular audiences, purposes and contexts.

Students read at least FOUR short prescribed texts as well as texts from their own wide reading, as models and stimulus for the development of their own ideas and written expression.

Students will have the opportunity to write in a range of everyday, social, cultural, academic, community and workplace contexts, to deepen their knowledge and understanding of the ways language can shape meaning for particular audiences and for deliberate effect. As part of their reading students use comprehension strategies to deepen their understanding of implicit and explicit ideas and attitudes and to consider the connections between texts.

Students compose persuasive, informative, imaginative and analytical texts to develop their skills in organising and structuring their ideas, information and arguments for particular audiences, purposes and contexts. By planning, drafting, editing and refining a range of short and extended compositions, they have opportunities to make accurate use of spelling, punctuation and grammar.

Understanding
  • The relationship between audience, purpose and context and the ways these shape meaning and influence responses

  • The ways social, cultural, academic, community or workplace texts use language features and text structures for particular purposes, audiences and contexts

  • The ways the form and structure of texts are influenced by audience, purpose and context

  • The ways critical and creative texts represent experiences, perspectives and ideas

Responding
  • Compose critical and creative texts that make relevant connections to other texts

  • Compose a variety of texts that experiment with language, forms and features to represent attitudes, values and perspectives

  • Compose logical, ordered and cohesive texts that integrate relevant information

  • Use appropriate language, structure and stylistic choices to produce cohesive texts

  • Develop sustained arguments supported by close textual evidence

  • Use language and structure to communicate ideas and arguments

  • Plan, draft and edit texts for a range of audiences and purposes

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