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Advanced English
Module C - The Craft of Writing

“The greatest part of a writer’s time is spent in reading, in order to

write. A man will turn over half a library to make a book."

- Samuel Johnson
 Module C: The Craft of Writing ~ Rubric

In this module, students strengthen and extend their knowledge, skills and
confidence as accomplished writers. Students write for a range of audiences and
purposes, using language to convey ideas and emotions with power and
precision.

Students appreciate, examine and analyse at least two short prescribed texts as
well as texts from their own wide reading, as models and stimulus for the
development of their own complex ideas and written expression. They evaluate
how writers use language creatively and imaginatively for a range of purposes; to
express insights, evoke emotion, describe the wonder of the natural world, shape
a perspective or to share an aesthetic vision.

Through the study of enduring, quality texts of the past as well as recognised
contemporary works, students appreciate, analyse and evaluate the versatility,
power and aesthetics of language. Through considered appraisal and
imaginative engagement with texts, students reflect on the complex and
recursive processes of writing to further develop their self-expression and apply
their knowledge of textual forms and features in their own sustained and
cohesive compositions.

During the pre-writing stage, students generate and explore various concepts
through discussion and speculation. Throughout the stages of drafting and
revising students experiment with various figurative, rhetorical and linguistic
devices, for example allusion, imagery, narrative voice, characterisation, and tone.

Students consider purpose, audience and context to deliberately shape

meaning. During the editing stages students apply the conventions of syntax,
spelling, punctuation and grammar appropriately and effectively for publication.

Students have opportunities to work independently and collaboratively to reflect,

refine and strengthen their own skills in producing highly crafted imaginative,
discursive, persuasive and informative texts.

Focus Texts

Imaginative - Harwood, Gwen ‘Father and Child’

Discursive/Persuasive - Atwood, Margaret ‘Spotty-Handed Villainesses’

Selected third text from the prescriptions list

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 Module C: The Craft of Writing

In Module C: The Craft of Writing, you are required to:

▪ Write for a range of audiences and purposes using language to convey ideas and emotions with
power and precision
▪ Evaluate how writers use language creatively and imaginatively for a range of purposes - insights,
emotion and vision to shape perspectives
▪ Appreciate, analyse and evaluate the power of language
▪ Consider purpose, audience and context to deliberately shape meaning
▪ Produce highly crafted imaginative, discursive, persuasive and informative texts
▪ Analyse at least TWO of the prescribed texts and may revisit prescribed texts from other modules

HSC Examination

HSC EXAMINATION

▪ One question that may contain up to two parts.

▪ The question will require an imaginative, discursive, persuasive, informative and/or reflective
response.

Your answer will be assessed on how well you:

➢ craft language to address the demands of the question
➢ use language appropriate to audience, purpose and context to deliberately shape meaning.

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 Overview of Text Types

➔​ Imaginative texts
Texts that represent ideas, feelings and mental images in words or visual images. An imaginative text
might use metaphor to translate ideas and feelings into a form that can be communicated effectively
to an audience. Imaginative texts also make new connections between established ideas or widely
recognised experiences in order to create new ideas and images. Imaginative texts are characterised
by originality, freshness and insight. These texts include novels, traditional tales, poetry, stories, plays,
fiction for young adults and children, including picture books and multimodal texts for example film.
➔​ Persuasive texts
Texts whose primary purpose is to put forward a point of view and persuade a reader, viewer or
listener. They form a significant part of modern communication in both print and digital environments.
Persuasive texts seek to convince the responder of the strength of an argument or point of view
through information, judicious use of evidence, construction of argument, critical analysis and the use
of rhetorical, figurative and emotive language. They include student essays, debates, arguments,
discussions, polemics, advertising, propaganda, influential essays and articles. Persuasive texts may be
written, spoken, visual or multimodal.
➔​ Discursive texts
Texts whose primary focus is to explore an idea or a variety of topics. These texts involve the
discussion of an idea(s) or opinion(s) without the direct intention of persuading the reader, listener or
viewer to adopt any single point of view. Discursive texts can be humorous or serious in tone and can
have a formal or informal register. They include texts such as feature articles, creative nonfiction,
blogs, personal essays, documentaries and speeches.
➔​ Informative texts
Texts whose primary purpose is to provide information through explanation, description, argument,
analysis, ordering and presentation of evidence and procedures. These texts include reports,
explanations and descriptions of natural phenomena, recounts of events, instructions and directions,
rules and laws, news bulletins and articles, websites and text analyses. They include texts which are
valued for their informative content, as a store of knowledge and for their value as part of everyday
life.
➔​ Reflective writing
Reflective writing requires you to ‘reflect’ upon the writing process. Reflective writing may include
some of the following features:
➔​ Use of first person to express self-assessment
➔​ Use of evaluative language
➔​ Considered use of examples
➔​ Use of anecdotal references, imagery or metaphor
➔​ Explanation, description or justification of the use of specific language or stylistic devices
➔​ Connections between what students learn about writing and the writing that they craft
➔​ Self-awareness of the learning process
➔​ May be objective and/or subjective

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 What’s the real difference?

Imaginative ●​ Explore and evoke ideas, feelings and emotions

texts will: ●​ Be characterised by originality, freshness and insight
●​ Take many different forms and allow audiences to make new connections
between established ideas and new experiences

Persuasive ●​ Use information selectively to support arguments and convince the responder
texts will: ●​ Use the composer’s knowledge to develop a thesis
●​ Usually close down or ignore opposing points of view

Discursive ●​ Explore different views and a range of information

texts will: ●​ Demonstrate wide-ranging and varied knowledge
●​ Open up the discussion

Informative ●​ Convey ideas in an objective manner

texts will: ●​ Demonstrate and clearly communicate knowledge possessed by the composer
●​ Be presented as a closed, rather that open discussion

Reflective ●​ Use information to assess skills and knowledge

texts will: ●​ Be self-critical, focused on the personal and the need to apply skills of analysis to
self
●​ Be open to possibilities, explore what has happened and anticipate what might
happen next

IN ADDITION ●​ Include information which centres on the text and topic to be explored
Analytical ●​ Apply the composer’s knowledge to examine, critique, and often evaluate an
texts will: idea, topic or text
●​ While not rigid, the analytical essay is about maintaining and defending a position
so it is more closed than open

Experimenting with form: hybridity

What we all know about good writing is that it is fluent and flexible, responsive and sensitive to
audience. Often, good writing might move between different styles, at times appearing to be
persuasive, at times reflective, at times analytical, at times discoursing widely on a topic, at times just
informative, adding what is needed to convey a message.

Hybridity (a hybrid text is a piece that blends styles) and a strong personal voice are features of
modern writing. In this module you are encouraged to experiment with various writing styles to
develop your own distinct voice in your pieces of writing.

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 Imaginative Writing

Features of the Text Type:

●​ Realistic characters with defined personalities/identities.

○​ Characterisation which considers speech, dress, actions and mannerisms
●​ Dialogue often included
●​ Descriptive language to create images in the reader's mind and enhance the story
●​ Sensory imagery appealing to sight, sound, touch, taste and smell
●​ Figurative devices such as:
○​ Hyperbole
○​ Analogy
○​ Personification
○​ Metaphor
○​ Simile
○​ Sound devices
●​ Non-linear structure e.g flashback/ flash forwards
●​ Foreshadowing to give a suggestion of something that will happen in the text
●​ Symbolism- something that stands for or suggests something else. E.g birds are often used as
a symbol for freedom
●​ Motif- Recurring aspect (object or idea)
●​ Point of view
●​ Narrator Choices:
1. First person narrator- the story is told by a participating character
2. Third person narrator- the third person narrator can vary in scope from a limited narrator
whose knowledge extends only as far as one character’s thoughts and actions to an omniscient
narrator who sees and understands all events, characters and their motives and thoughts. The
omniscient narrator is closely aligned with the implied author and his or her voice reflects the
style of the author.
3. Unreliable narrator- This narrator’s judgement and hence account and interpretation of
events and characters cannot be trusted for some reason. (usually used in a first person
narrative)
●​ Setting Options:
○​ Imaginative writing calls for originality. Naturally students automatically think that their
piece needs to be set in 2020, Sydney, but try to experiment with your setting/
location.
○​ Why not try 1990 Melbourne? Or 1950’s London? The possibilities are endless. If you
are not an expert on your chosen time period do some research to build a contextually
accurate setting.

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 Discursive Writing

Discursive style

●​ Debating: A response which ways up the various opinions on an issue and delivers some
conclusions. This could, however, also be a persuasive approach so it depends on the strength
of the argument offered and how much of the text is given over to the debating approach.
●​ Reflective: A text which wanders through ideas, drawing connections between these and
elaborating on different perspectives.
●​ Illustrative: Written as a train of thought, in this style of discursive writing examples become
evidence to prove a series of ideas. Analytical writing also depends on examples to support an
argument but examples in an illustrative discursive piece are not supporting an argument but
instead extension and developing a train of thought.
●​ Anecdotal: This is a more informal style of writing, which involves sharing personal
experiences to understand an idea through human examples.
●​ Categorising/classification: A more informative style of writing which involves breaking a
whole topic into many parts.
●​ Comparative: A response that tests opposing views to determine the most acceptable
perspective. It is best in this style of discursive piece not to fall too strongly on one side or the
other.
●​ Referential: A response that sites different people and their views in search for an answer.

NOTE: A discursive text may blend one or more of these styles.

Features of the Text Type

Discursive writing may include some of the following features:

●​ Exploratory in nature
○​ Explores an issue or an idea and may suggest a position or point of view
○​ Searching but not necessarily reaching an answer
○​ Think of discursive writing as offering a thought rather than demanding it
●​ More a style of writing rather than a form in itself. It may also contain elements of imaginative,
informative writing
●​ Approaches a topic from different angles and explores themes and issues in a style that
balances personal observations with different perspectives
●​ Uses personal anecdotes and may have a conversational tone
●​ Primarily uses first person although third person can also be used

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 ●​ Uses figurative language or may be more factual
●​ Incorporates rhetorical questions
●​ Draws upon real life experiences and/or draws from wide reading
●​ Uses engaging imagery and language features
●​ May begins with an event, an anecdote or relevant quote that is then used to explore an idea
●​ Resolution may be reflective or open-ended
●​ The use of a tentative tone (including words such as ‘can’ and ‘perhaps’ to draw the audience
in and encourage them to consider different aspects of a topic.

Persuasive Writing

Features of the Text Type:

●​ Inclusive language: Use of first person such as we, us, you, our. Eg. “It’s time for us all to stand up
and show our support for our country”. And second person, “You deserve the best.”
●​ Emotive language: words which appeal to the emotions of the reader
●​ Use of the imperative: verbs which order someone to do something
●​ Repetition/ anaphora
●​ Adjectives and phrases – descriptive, emphatic, feeling words that appeal to the emotions
●​ Language with heavily laden connotations
●​ Rhetorical questions and thought provoking questions
●​ Figurative language to enhance your arguments
●​ Anecdotes, examples, facts and statistics
●​ Ethical language e.g The only fair thing to do is….We have a moral obligation to….
●​ The antithesis or opposing points of view by contrasting the opposites. E.g ‘Smokers might say that
smoking is relaxing but, love it or hate it, it damages your health’
●​ Word order (lexical chains)- The way in which ideas and words are linked together
●​ Modality: helps to give weight to opinions and arguments and is used to intensify and emphasise
certain points. Modality can be found in:
○​ Verbs – eg must, shall, has to, will , should, and ought to
○​ Adjectives eg. Obvious, definite, sure, required, necessary, probable
○​ Adverbs eg. Completely, entirely, rarely, always, extremely, total, probably
○​ Nouns eg probability, possibility, certainty, requirement

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●​ Alliteration and Assonance
●​ Humour- Irony, satire, sarcasm
●​ Hyperbole or exaggeration for effect

Informative Writing

Features of the Text Type:

●​ Has an introduction that establishes a topic and grabs the reader's attention
●​ Clearly conveys information and ideas about a topic
●​ Develops a topic with a variety of specific, relevant details, such as facts, examples, quotations,
and anecdotes
●​ Clearly organizes ideas and information, using strategies such as compare/contrast,
cause/effect, definition, and classification
●​ Uses formatting, graphics, and multimedia, such as hyperlinks when appropriate
●​ Uses precise language and vocabulary appropriate to the topic
●​ Uses appropriate transition words and phrases that clarify the relationship among ideas
●​ Uses a formal style and tone
●​ Ends with a conclusion that summarises the main points and follows logically from the
information presented

Reflective Writing

Reflective writing as an assessment is a great way for your marker to see your thoughts progress. You
can ask questions, add suggestions, argue with the material and question your own experiences or
previous understanding. It demonstrates you’re taking your understanding of your subject deeper.

-​ Senior Student Writing Mentor

Reflective writing tasks are a way of asking you to critically evaluate and make connections between
the texts you have studied and what you have learnt through engaging with these texts. This process
allows you to be more aware of your own personal thoughts and insights.

Reflective writing is not just a description or summary of something that you have observed. Instead,
reflective writing requires you to describe, analyse and evaluate to reflect on your insights and
perspectives.

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The quality of your analysis is influenced by thinking critically about what you are learning and why.

What does reflective writing look like?

The language and style used in reflective writing tasks depend on the assignment instructions and
your purpose. I.e are you reflecting on a concept, piece of writing...

●​ In most reflections the reader will expect to learn about your personal experience, ideas and
opinions. How have these been shaped by what you have learnt?
●​ You should reflect on and cite sources. Include considered use of examples i.e direct textual
references.
●​ It is acceptable to refer to yourself and use personal pronouns when writing reflectively (I, my,
me).
●​ The use of action verbs to express feelings and opinions can also be useful (“I felt…”, “I
think…”, “I agree…”).
●​ Consider what you have learnt from your study. Why does it matter? This is about
sense-making where you can discuss what resonated with you or those things that challenged
your opinions/beliefs. THINK PURPOSE!
●​ Reflective writing requires critical thinking- What are the links between what you have learnt
and what you have produced as a result? How effectively have you been in achieving your
purpose? Remember writing is a process. How have you developed through this process?

What are some typical features of reflective writing?

Reflective writing may include some of the following features:

​ 1. Use of first person to express self-assessment

​ 2. Use of evaluative language
​ 3. Considered use of examples
​ 4. Use of anecdotal references, imagery or metaphor
​ 5. Explanation, description or justification of the use of specific language or stylistic devices
​ 6. Connections between what students learn about writing and the writing that they craft
​ 7. Self-awareness of the learning process
​ 8. May be objective and/or subjective

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Sample

Sentence stems for reflective writing

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 Guiding Questions

Developing the Concept and Determining Personal Goals

1. What is the specific purpose of your writing and how did you come up with your
idea/concept?
2. What consideration did you give to the relationship between audience, purpose and the
form?
3.In approaching this writing task what goals did you set for yourself? (What did you want
to achieve through your composition?)

Using Writing Process

4. What has been your process from idea to finished product?
5. Which aspects of process presented a challenge to you? How did you meet that
challenge?
6. To what extent have you achieved your goals?
7. As a result of planning, drafting and revising has this idea/concept/purpos developed or
changed in anyway? If so how and for what reasons?

Reflecting on the Craft of Writing and on the Final Product

8. How have you used the form, structure and features of language to shape and reflect the
ideas you wanted to convey?
9. How has your understanding of literature developed?
10. What are the strengths / weaknesses of your writing?

Atwood: Literary Allusions

Quote Reference

‘There was a little girl ... Mother Goose: Mostly attributed to poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
And when she was bad, about his daughter, Edith. He was walking up and down with the baby,
she was horrid!’ -- Nursery composed and sang to her the lines.
rhyme

‘Angel/Whore split’ or Inability to maintain sexual arousal within a committed, loving relationship.
Madonna-whore complex. Identified by Freud who states that the complex develops in men who desire
a sexual partner who has been degraded (whore) but cannot love a respected
partner (madonna)

‘Jungian possibilities of a Jungian refers to the psychiatrist Carl Jung who proposed a school of
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde psychology focusing on human personality development.
double life’

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 Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde is a novella by Robert L Stevenson about a highly
regarded man who transformed himself into a deformed human without a
moral compass, committing murder.

‘Lady Macbeth’ - Key Lady Macbeth is the famous villainess in Shakespeare’s play ‘Macbeth’.
character in Shakespeare’s She committed horrific crimes for her husband’s rank promotion and power.
‘Macbeth’

‘Ophelia unspotted’ - One Ophelia is a beautiful, young, obedient woman. Couldn’t cope with
of the few female traumatic events unfolding around and lapsed into insanity and finally
characters in drowned herself. Yet in her madness and death, she still retains purity,
Shakespeare’s play innocence and virtue.
‘Hamlet’

‘Ibsenian play’ Ibsenian refers to Henrik Ibsen, a Norwegian playwright who composed
Realist masterpieces such as ‘Doll’s house’ and ‘Ghosts’. Considered to be
father of theatrical modernism. He freely inquires into realities of life and its
moral issues.

‘GB Shaw’ George Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright who addressed prevailing
social problems such as education, marriage, religion, class privilege. A
socialist.

‘Shakespeare’ English playwright. Hugely influential works of timeless relevance that deal
with love, betrayal, politics intertwined in drama, tragedy and comedy.

‘Pinter’ Harold Pinter was an English influential modern playwright. He created a

new atmosphere and tension within the conventional theatrical form by
withholding information about characters and motives hitherto supposed
essential to the audience’s pleasure. The plays were usually set within the
confines of a room, seedy in his earlier work but increasingly elegant later.
His dramas brought into confrontation a variety of persons, in circumstances
bordering on violence or menace.

‘Ionesco’ Eugene Ionesco was a Romanian playwright, prominent figure of the French
avant-garde theatre (innovative, experimental, challenging the status quo).
Deal heavily with solitude and insignificance of human existence.

‘Andy Warhol’ American artist who was a leading figure in the art movement called pop
art. He explored relationships between artistic expression, celebrity culture
and advertisement in the 1960s.

‘flogging a few dead an idiom that means something is resolved that any attempt to continue it is
horses’ futile.

‘It was not I who created God created Adam out of mould. Eve gave into temptation and ate the
Adam so subject to forbidden fruit of knowledge which was the original sin that damn future
temptation that he mankind.
sacrificed eternal life for
an apple’

‘Emily Dickinson’ An American poet whose works frequently deal with themes of death and
immortality.

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‘Christianity’
One of the world's main religions.
‘capitalism’
Economic system in which trade, industry and production are controlled by
private owners whose sole goal is to make profits.
‘Andre Gide’
Andre Gide is a French writer. His works are investigations into freedom
and empowerment of intellectual personality.
‘Pride and Prejudice’
Novel by Victorian period writer Jane Austen. Deals with love,
preconceptions, social etiquette and vanity.
‘Keats said, Shakespeare
took as much delight in John Keats was an English romantic poet along with Lord Byron. Iago is the
creating Iago as he did in villain in Shakespeare’s play ‘Othello’ while Imogen is the heroine in
the virtuous Imogen’ ‘Cymbeline’. She was beautiful, resourceful, intelligent and true to herself.

‘Art for Art’s Sake’

French-translated slogan that means art requires no political, didactic
justification to be appreciated.

Biblical allusion to God’s “On the seventh day, God took a bread to consider what he’d done. So does
creation of the world the novelist. But the critic starts on Day Seven. Atwood compares the
number of similarities between God and the novelist whose jobs are to
create art. While critics are individuals that disrespects such processes and
tries to find flaws in order to create disagreement.
Marshall Mcluhan “How
can I pull this off?” Marshall Mcluhan was a Canadian philosopher of communication theory,
Atwood uses his quote to expand upon the idea of a novelist who has to
think of the ways of presenting art that is received clearly by all audiences.
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is a traditional branch of philosophy concerned with explaining
the fundamental nature of being and the world that encompasses it
‘something other than
breakfast’ Atwood indirectly highlights the significance of the feminist movement in
changing the nature of women always being rescued by men in stories by
emphasising how ‘times have changed’
Space invasion, vampires
and werewolves Popularity of films in the early 90s that centred around space invasion,
vampires and werewolves such as Alien, Star trek, Predator

Henry James ‘The turn off This was a novella about a governess who sees ghosts. Concerned with
screw’ female sexuality

Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” Count Dracula represents the dominant male figure which presents male
supremacy within the period, which is now in reverse in Atwood’s speech.

Miss Marple A character appearing in the Agatha Christie’s crime novels, contrasts the
role of male detectives and uprises the role of women in crime. No longer
the damsel in distress but rather a hero of society.

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Cinderella happy ending, The notion that all stories but have a happy ending where a knight in
prince charming shining armour swoops in and rescues his princess and everything is
resolved and everyone lives happily ever after

Harlequin romances Harlequin is a comic servant characters from the Italian Commedia dell'arte.
His role is that of a light-hearted, nimble and astute servant, often acting to
thwart the plans of his master, and pursuing his own love interest,
Colombina, with wit and resourcefulness. He later develops into a prototype
of the romantic hero. Atwood alludes to this as shehighlights the idea that
cinderella-style endings have been all but ‘relegated largely to genre fiction’

Women's Movement Atwood addresses the impact of changes to gender stereotypes in fiction has
impacted literature and the feminist movement

The perils of Pauline The Perils of Pauline - 1914 American film mini-series. The main character,
Pauline, has often been cited as a famous example of a damsel in distress,
although some analyses deem her character to be more resourceful and less
helpless than the classic damsel stereotype. Although each episode placed
Pauline in a situation that looked sure to result in her imminent death, it
ended with her being rescued or otherwise escaping the danger.

Anna Karenina
Anna Karenina is the tragic story of a married aristocrat/socialite and her
affair with the affluent Count Vronsky. The novel explores a diverse range
of topics throughout its approximately thousand pages. Some of these topics
include an evaluation of the feudal system that existed in Russia at the time
-- politics, not only in the Russian government but also at the level of the
individual characters and families, religion, morality, gender and social
Seven Deadly sins class.

The seven deadly sins, is a classification of vices that is a part of Christian

ethics and has been used since early Christian times to educate and instruct
Christians concerning humanity's tendency to sin. In the currently
recognized version, the sins are usually given as wrath, greed, sloth, pride,
lust, envy, and gluttony.

Iago Iago: Main villain in Shakespeare’s play “Othello” an example of a

manipulative and powerful male figure.
Mephistopheles Mephistopheles: A demon from German folklore depicted as a manipulative
and tempting male figure
Jezebel Jezebel: Wife of King Ahab who lead him to abandon God from the Bible in
Kings
Medea Medea: From Greek mythology wife of Jason, she avenged her husband by
killing her children
Medus Medus: Son of Medea in Greek mythology
Delilah: Woman who seduced and betrayed the hero Samson from the Bible in
Delilah Judges
Regan: Second daughter of Lear from Shakespeare’s play “King Lear” who is
Regan evil

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 Goneril: Eldest daughter of Lear from Shakespeare’s play “King Lear” who is
Goneril evil
Lady Macbeth: Character in Shakespeare’s play Macbeth → protagonist’s
Lady Macbeth wife who convinces him to commit regicide
She: A novel by Rider Haggard about a white women who controls an African
She tribe
Sula: A novel about the friendship between two black girls by Toni Morrison
Sula Magic Flute: An opera by Mozart
Magic Flute Snow White: German fairy tale, renowned throughout Europe about a woman
Snow White who is hunted by a witch due to jealousy
Cinderella: European fairy tale about poor girl that magics her way into
Cinderella wealth
Sleeping Beauty: French fairy tale about women who is cursed by eternal
Sleeping Beauty sleep but freed by the man of her dreams

Virgin Mary Virgin Mary: The mother of Jesus from the Bible who was a simple virgin
that was escalated into great respect and worship
The Queen in Snow White The Queen in Snow White: An insecure and jealous witch who uses magic
and deceit to kill an innocent girl
Regan and Goneril, Lear’s evil Regan: Second daughter of Lear from Shakespeare’s play “King Lear” who is
Daughters evil
Goneril: Eldest daughter of Lear from Shakespeare’s play “King Lear” who is
evil
Lady Macbeth Lady Macbeth: Character in Shakespeare’s play Macbeth → protagonist’s
wife who convinces him to commit regicide
Jezebel Jezebel: Wife of King Ahab who led
Naboth’s vineyard Naboth’s vineyard: A vineyard greatly sought after by King Ahab that his
wife plotted to kill the owner Naboth, from the Bible Old Testament
Medea Medea: From Greek mythology, she avenged her husband by killing her
children
Toni Morrison’s ‘Beloved’ Toni Morrison’s ‘Beloved’: A novel about an escaped slave girl during pre
civil war U.S.A

Time: American newspaper Time: An appearance on the cover of Time indicates a person’s , notability
fame or notoriety.
Delilah: Female biblical character Delilah: Character in the Hebrew bible Book of Judges, famous as a betrayer
and temptress (a woman who seduces man to tempt them to do something).
Mata Hari: Exotic dancer and courtesan, Mata Hari: Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan, convicted of being a spy,
double agent WWI double agent of WWI, Germany
Judith: Female biblical character Judith: Gains trust of the enemy general, Holofernes, and cut his head off
during his sleep.
Hester Prynne: The protagonist of Hester Prynne: Described in the novel ‘The Scarlet Letter’, commits adultery
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel “The with a priest and fall pregnant.
Scarlet Letter”.
Madame Bovary: French writer, Madame Bovary: French novel about Doctor’s wife with many adulterous
Gustave Flaubert’s first novel. affairs to escape emptiness in her life.
Becky Sharpe, of Thackeray’s Vanity Vanity Fair: Written by English novelist William Thackeray, describes a
Fair: Anti-Heroince of William woman tries to attain social status through manipulation.
Makepeace Thackeray’s satirical novel
“Vanity Fair”.
Undine Spragg in Edith Wharton’s
The Custom of the Country: The

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Custom of the Country is a 1913 novel The Custom of the Country: 1913, novel by Edith Wharton, describes the
by Edith Wharton. story of Undine Spragg, a midwestern girl who attempts to climb the new york
Thomas Mann’s Felix Krull, social ladder.
Confidence Man:
Felix Krull, Confidence man: An unfinished novel about a boy in the upper
Jane Eyre: A novel following the class family, becomes school-sick and practiced the art of deception by forging
emotions a the title character, Jane Eyre. sick letters and faking sick symptoms
Jane Eyre: The novel contains elements of social criticism, with a strong
sense of morality at its core, but is nonetheless a novel many consider ahead of
its time given the individualistic character of Jane and the novel's exploration
of classism, sexuality, religion, and proto-feminism.

Tales of Hoffman Tales of Hoffman: An opera fantastique by Jacques Offenbach about at artist
that struggles to balance love and work
Lucy Tantamount: Female character in Point Counter Point: Novel by Aldous Huxley, female protagonist, abhorrent
Aldous Huxley’s novel ‘Point Counter and attractive.
Point’.
Niagara Niagara: A 1953 thriller film about a honeymooning couple where the wife
plans to murder her husband.

Options for Third Prescribed Text

Composer and title Type of text Brief description and detail

Elizabeth Harrower Imaginative A short story. Highlights the emotional response of

The Fun of the Fair the character.

What NESA says: The story features strong

characterisation, vivid imagery and vibrant dialogue.
It presents a poignant depiction of the protagonist’s
emotional experiences.

Nam Le Imaginative A short story. From Le’s short story collection The
‘Love and Honour Boat.
and Pity and Pride
and Compassion and The story explores the relationship between father
Sacrifice’ and son.

Colum McCann Imaginative A short story. The process and problems of story
What Time is it Now, writing are presented within the story.
Where You Are?
What NESA says: A self-conscious metafiction work
composed in thirteen sections, the story explores
both the possibilities and the limitations of
conventional storytelling.

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 Geraldine Brooks Discursive with Speech. Brooks was a journalist and now a fiction
A Home in Fiction persuasive elements writer. She considers where fact and fiction meet in
this speech and what inspires her and provokes her
writing.

What NESA says: This 2011 speech incorporates

literary and cultural references and personal
anecdotes to narrate the author’s development as a
writer of fiction and the awe and appreciation she
holds for the power of language.

Siri Hustvedt Discursive A reflection on Hustvedt’s experience as an extra on

Eight Days in a a movie set and how fashion is used to express
Corset image particularly in the case of masculinity and
femininity.

What NESA says: Published in 2006, the essay

offers a feminist perspective on clothing and
combines historical and literary references with
personal anecdotes. First-person narration and the
inclusion of snippets of dialogue create an informal
discursive tone.

Exam Style Questions

Sample One

Guard your roving thoughts with a jealous care, for speech is but the dealer of thoughts, and every fool
can plainly read in your words what is the hour of your thoughts.
Alfred Lord Tennyson

Use this warning as a stimulus for a piece of persuasive, discursive or imaginative writing that
expresses your perspective about a significant concern or idea that you have engaged with in ONE of
your prescribed texts from Module A, B or C. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
- 20 marks

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Sample Two

(a) Choose a character, persona or speaker from ONE prescribed text that you have studied in Module
C. Express the thought processes of this character, persona or speaker by exploring a moment of
tension in the text from an alternative point of view. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
10 marks

(b) Justify the creative decisions that you have made in your writing in part (a)
10 marks

Sample Three

Then, although it was still the end of the story, I put it at the beginning of the novel, as if I needed to
tell the end first in order to go on and tell the rest.

-​ Lydia Davis, The End of the Story: A Novel.

Collected Stories by Lydia Davis © Lydia Davis (Penguin, London)

(a) Use this sentence as a stimulus for the opening of an imaginative, discursive or persuasive piece of
writing that begins with the end.

In your response, you must include at least ONE literary device or stylistic feature that you have
explored during your study of a prescribed text in Module C.
10 marks

(b) Explain how at least ONE of your prescribed texts from Module C has influenced your writing style
in part (a). In your response, focus on ONE literary device or stylistic feature that you have used in part
(a).
10 marks

Sample Four (2019 Trial question)

Our memories and our present day hopes and desires are the authors of each person’s narrative

Using the above statement as stimulus, write the opening of a persuasive, discursive or imaginative
text.

(a)​ You must write from the perspective of a character or speaker in ONE of the prescribed texts
you have studied for Module C.
12 marks

(b)​Justify the decisions you have made in your writing in (a). Explain how at least ONE of your
prescribed texts for Module C has influenced your writing.

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 8 marks

Sample Five (2019 Independent Trial)

Answer both parts of this question. Spend equal time on both parts of the question.

(a)​ Select an incident where a character, persona or speaker from ONE prescribed text that you
have studied in Module C is about to make a critical decision or choice in life.

Imagine this person has come to you to ask advice about what he or she should do. Write the text of
an imaginary conversation between the two of you where you try to persuade this person to take a
particular course of action.
10 Marks

(b)​Discuss the features of the writing you have used to persuade this person to act on what you
are convinced is the right decision for him or her to make in this particular situation.

10 Marks

Sample Six
“Someday we’ll be able to measure the power of words. I think they are things. They get on the walls.
They get in your wallpaper. They get in your rugs, in your upholstery, and your clothes, and finally in to
you” (Maya Angelou).

(a) Use this statement as a stimulus for the opening of a piece of persuasive, discursive or imaginative
writing that expresses your perspective about the power of words.
10 marks

(b) Reflect on how ONE of your prescribed texts from Module C reinforced your understanding of the
importance of the power and precision of language.
10 marks

Sample Seven
“The opening of text should immediately hook the responder if they are going to be engaged
emotionally and intellectually.”

(a) Write the opening for a persuasive, discursive or imaginative text that engages the reader
emotionally and intellectually.
12 marks
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(b) Select the opening of one of your prescribed texts from either Module A, B or C, and evaluate how
this opening informed your understanding of how to ‘hook’ the responder?
8 marks

Sample Eight
“Composers use unique voices to convey their key concerns.”

(a) Compose an excerpt from a persuasive, discursive or imaginative text that reflects the unique voice
of one of your Module C prescribed texts by using the same person and tense to convey a key
concern.
12 marks

(b) Justify how you have appropriated the unique voice of one of the Module C prescribed texts.
Ensure that you refer to the use of person and tense.
8 marks

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