common module essay questions standard english

Paper 1 - Section I - 10 Full-Length Reading Tasks

Paper 1 - Section II - 60 Practice Essay Questions

This article contains several sample HSC questions for all modules of the year 12 Advanced English Course.

5 minute read

Last updated 

October 8, 2021

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Six Second Summary

Introduction.

As regular practice is essential to effective study regimes, students should utilise these questions in the lead up to trial and HSC exams. Questions are best practised under timed conditions to best prepare for the exams in an authentic environment.

These questions have been prepared by top state-ranking tutors at Premier Tutors with several years of experience teaching the new syllabus, including three tutors who have placed 1st in NSW for English Advanced.

Common Questions

“Through the language of emotion, texts may provide timeless and universal portraits of humanity.”

To what extent does this statement relate to your own understanding of your prescribed text? In your response, refer to the quotation and your prescribed text.

“Literature always anticipates life. It does not copy it but moulds it to its purpose.” – Oscar Wilde

Assess the effectiveness of your prescribed text in providing an authentic image of reality. In your response, refer to the quotation and your prescribed text.

“It is difficult to maintain individual identity in the face of homogenous collectives.”

To what extent does this statement relate to your own understanding of your prescribed text?

How does your text represent the paradoxical nature of human behaviours and motivations?

Literature’s power comes from its ability to confront the reader’s assumptions by representing new perspectives on the human experience. How does your understanding of your prescribed text reflect this statement?

“One’s identity is a culmination of their individual and collective human experiences.”

To what extent does this statement align with your understanding of your prescribed text? In your response, refer to the quotation and your prescribed text.

How does your text represent the inconsistencies between morality and human behaviours?

“The medium is the message” – Marshall McLuhan

How does the composer of your prescribed text communicate their perspective on the human experience through their form choices? In your response, refer to your prescribed text and the above statement.

“Despite our different behaviours, human motivations are all the same.”

How does your composer respond to their context to represent enduring ideas about the human experience? In your response, make close reference to the given statement and the prescribed text.

Question 10

“If the world were clear, art would not exist.” – Albert Camus

How does your prescribed text use storytelling to clarify the uncertainties and inconsistencies of the human experience? In your response, refer to the given statement and your prescribed text.

Question 11

How does the composer of your prescribed text experiment with form to challenge readers’ perspectives about the human experience?

Question 12

“The only constant within the human experience is change.”

To what extent does this paradoxical statement reflect your understanding of your prescribed text?

Question 13

How does your text use storytelling to deepen the responder’s understanding of the power of human relationships?

Question 14

How does your text develop a strong voice to shape the reader’s perspectives about the nature of individual experiences?

Question 15

“The most powerful and transcendental human experience is love.”

Love can come in many different forms. How does your text represent the impact of this emotion on individual and collective human experiences? In your response, make close reference to the above statement and your prescribed text.

Form Questions

Question 16 - prose fiction.

“The primary purpose of prose to create an authentic representation of the human experience.”

To what extent does the given statement align with your understanding of your prescribed text? In your response, discuss how narrative voice and structure help create this authenticity.

Question 17 - Poetry

“The power of poetry is not so much in the literal meaning of the words, but in the feelings that it evokes through imagery and other creative choices. It is through those feelings that we learn about the human experience.”

To what extent does this statement align with your understanding of your prescribed text?

Question 18 - Drama/ Shakespearean Drama

Analyse your prescribed text’s use of performance devices in representing human emotions.

Question 19 - Nonfiction

Analyse how the narrative voice of your prescribed text deepens your understanding of the individual experience represented.

Question 20 - Film & Media

Analyse how visual techniques work in conjunction with dialogue to accurately portray the interaction between individual and collective human experiences.

The following are all text-specific questions:

All the Light We Cannot See (Doerr, Anthony):

Question 21.

How does Doer represent the impact of adversity on the individual and collective behaviours?

Question 22

“So how, children, does the brain, which lives without a spark of light, build for us a world full of light?”

How has Doer’s representation of hope deepened your understanding of the human experience? In your response, make close reference to the given quotation and your prescribed text.

Question 23

How does Doer’s complicated portrayal of heroes and villains reveal the universality of our underlying humanity?

Vertigo (Lohrey, Amanda):

Question 24.

How does Lohrey represent the importance of connection with place in shaping the individual human experience?

Question 25

“To awaken human emotion is the highest level of art.” – Isadora Duncan

Discuss how Lohrey’s representation of the range of human emotions has enhanced your understanding of the human experience. In your response, make close reference to the given quote and your prescribed text.

Question 26

How does Lohrey represent the impact of loss and grief on individual human experiences?

Nineteen Eighty-Four (Orwell, George):

Question 27.

“Don’t let it happen. It depends on you.” – George Orwell

How does the above quotation resonate with your understanding of Orwell’s authorial intent?

Question 28

How does Orwell represent the power of collective narratives to homogenise individual human experiences?

Question 29

How does Orwell represent the nature of human emotions within a totalitarian regime, and how does this representation help support his authorial purpose?

Past the Shallows (Parrett, Favel):

Question 30.

“No man is an island entire of itself.” – John Donne

Does the above quotation affirm or challenge Parrett’s representation of isolation in Past the Shallows?

Question 31

Analyse how Parrett’s representation of fear shapes your understanding of human behaviours and motivations.

Question 32

How does Parrett represent the influence of setting on individual and collective human experiences?

Rosemary Dobson Collect Poems

‘Young Girl at a Window’, ‘Over the Hill’, ‘Summer’s End’, ‘The Conversation’, ‘Cock Crow’, ‘Amy Caroline’, ‘Canberra Morning’

Question 33

How does Dobson experiment with form to examine the impact of internal conflict on the individual human experience? In your response, refer to AT LEAST TWO of Dobson’s prescribed poems.

Question 34

“His eyes lit windows facing west / to the lemon-coloured light.” - Over the Hill, Rosemary Dobson

How does Dobson’s poetry engage with the different human reactions to change? In your response, refer to the above quotation and TWO OR MORE of Dobson’s prescribed poems.

Question 35

How does Dobson use her poetic form to explore the depth of human emotions? In your response, make clear reference to specific FORM choices made by Dobson in NO MORE THAN TWO of her poems.

Kenneth Slessor Selected Poems

‘Wild Grapes’, ‘Gulliver’, ‘Out of Time’, ‘Vesper-Song of the Reverend Samuel Marsden’, ‘William Street’, ‘Beach Burial’

Question 36

How does Slessor use imagery to evoke confronting emotions and experiences? In your response, refer to AT LEAST TWO of Slessor’s prescribed poems.

Question 37

How does Slessor highlight the paradoxes and anomalies inherent within the human experience? In your response, refer to NO MORE THAN TWO of Slessor’s prescribed poems.

Question 38

How does Slessor’s use of poetic personas allow him to shine light on complex aspects of the human experience? In your response, refer to AT LEAST TWO of Slessor’s prescribed poems.

The Crucible (Miller, Arthur)

Question 39.

“Whilst The Crucible is clearly a response to Miller’s context, it also contains enduring messages about human behaviours and motivations.”

How does the above statement reflect your understanding of the human experience represented in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible?

Question 40

How does Miller represent the power of institutional narratives to overwhelm and shape individual and collective human experiences?

Question 41

“Fear is the primary motivator within the human experience.”

To what extent does this statement reflect your understanding of the human experiences represented in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible?

The Merchant of Venice (Shakespeare, William)

Question 42.

How does Shakespeare represent differing motivations and their impact on human behaviours?

Question 43

“Life itself, my wife and all the world / Are not with me esteemed above thy life.” (Bassiano to Antonio, IV.i.275-276, The Merchant of Venice, William Shakespeare)

How does Shakespeare represent the importance of connection with others in providing value to human experiences?

Question 44

How does Shakespeare in The Merchant of Venice represent the influence of social laws and norms on both individual and collective human experiences?

The Boy Behind the Curtain (Winton, Tim)

Question 45.

How does Winton’s memoir form invite the reader to reflect upon the impact of past experiences in shaping individual identity? In your response, refer to AT LEAST TWO of Winton’s stories prescribed for study.

Question 46

To what extent does Winton engage with the tensions between individual motivations and collective expectations? In your response, refer to NO MORE THAN TWO of Winton’s stories prescribed for study.

Question 47

“For many, certainty has become the new normal, but it’s an illusion…We’ll forever be vulnerable to havoc.” – Havoc, Tim Winton

How does Winton represent the illusions within the human experience? In your response, make specific reference to above quotation and AT LEAST TWO of Winton’s stories prescribed for study.

I Am Malala (Yousafzai, Malala & Lamb)

Question 48.

“We realise the importance of our voices only when we are silenced.” – I am Malala, Malala Yousafzai

How does Yousafzai represent the importance of storytelling to empower individuals and collectives? In your response, make close reference to the above quotation and your prescribed text.

Question 49

How does Yousafzai represent the importance of maintaining individual values in the face of challenging individual and collective human experiences?

Question 50

How does Yousafzai in I am Malala represent the emotions and behaviours associated with experiences of inequality?

Question 51

How does Yousafzai in I am Malala represent our underlying, universal humanity despite our different beliefs and backgrounds?

Billy Elliot (Daldry, Stephen)

Question 52.

“We cannot change who we are, no more than we can change the rising of the sun or the coming of the tides.”

Does the above statement affirm or challenge your understanding of the representation of individual identity in Daldry’s Billy Elliot?

Question 53

How does Billy Elliot use visual techniques to engage with the difficulty of overcoming social expectations?

Question 54

How does Daldry in Billy Elliot represent the importance of acceptance to the human experience?

Go Back to Where You Came From (O’Mahony, Ivan)

Question 55.

How does Go Back to Where You Came From use documentary techniques which confront the viewer’s expectations to reveal the range of human experiences?

Question 56

How does Go Back to Where You Came From represent the power of new experiences to change existing perspectives?

Question 57

How does Go Back to Where You Came From represent our underlying, universal humanity despite our different beliefs and backgrounds?

Waste Land (Walker, Lucy)

Question 58.

“A powerful artistic vision is undeniable.”

Does the above quote affirm or challenge your understanding of Waste Land’s representation of the importance of artistic purpose for individual identity?

Question 59

How has your study of Waste Land enhanced your understanding of the power of creative expression to unite communities?

Question 60

How does Waste Land use visual techniques to shape our understanding of the timelessness and universality of human concerns and challenges?

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About the Author

Fionn is a humanities tutor at Premier Tutors. Fionn attended Cranbrook School on a full academic Academic Scholarship and graduated as Dux with a perfect ATAR of 99.95.

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Common Module Cheat Sheet - All Texts

Download a printable version here., module description.

In this common module students deepen their understanding of how texts represent individual and collective human experiences. They examine how texts represent human qualities and emotions associated with, or arising from, these experiences. Students appreciate, explore, interpret, analyse and evaluate the ways language is used to shape these representations in a range of texts in a variety of forms, modes and media.

Students explore how texts may give insight into the anomalies, paradoxes and inconsistencies in human behaviour and motivations, inviting the responder to see the world differently, to challenge assumptions, ignite new ideas or reflect personally. They may also consider the role of storytelling throughout time to express and reflect particular lives and cultures. By responding to a range of texts they further develop skills and confidence using various literary devices, language concepts, modes and media to formulate a considered response to texts.

Students study one prescribed text and a range of short texts that provide rich opportunities to further explore representations of human experiences illuminated in texts. They make increasingly informed judgements about how aspects of these texts, for example context, purpose, structure, stylistic and grammatical features, and form shape meaning. In addition, students select one related text and draw from personal experience to make connections between themselves, the world of the text and their wider world.

Key Statements

Dimensions of the human experience.

The human experiences represented in your prescribed/unseen texts will always be connected to one of the subcategories of the “wellness wheel”:

Words to include in textual analysis

These make markers happy for some reason.

• Appreciate - when making a judgement about the value of something
• Explore - when discussing the themes of the text
• Interpret - when discussing the audience’s interaction with the text
• Analyse - When discussing your understanding of the text
• Expression - When discussing the author/poet/artist’s connection to the text
• Elicit - When discussing how a technique results in an emotion

Plutchik Wheel of Emotions

Essay length.

For paper 1 unseen texts, a good estimate is 2-3 lines per mark, while the extended response should be ~800 words/6 pages. If you don’t hit those numbers, that’s totally fine, it’s just a good estimate.

RESOURCE: CHIPS Question Breakdown Strategy

Body paragraph structure.

• Statement about the concept
• What type(s) of experience from the wellness wheel is represented, and is it collective or individual?
• What emotions from the Plutkich wheel are present, and how are they used (Example/Technique from PETAL paragraphs)?
• How does the experience of the example present anomaly/paradox/inconsistency in the human experience?
• Personal reflection? Challenging the reader’s assumptions? Persuading you of something?
• Conclude with a mash of steps 1, 2, and 3

Positive and Negative Words

Words to describe the human experience that mean nothing but for some reason get more marks, targets of a text, punchy phrases.

• Aids in this improved understanding of the textual material
• Indicates the universality in the subject matter being contemplated
• Brings reader to consider more deeply the manner in which ___
• An intimacy is generated between the viewer and ___
• Creates a more nuanced understanding
• Attracting to the audience to both ___
• To further impress upon the reader the idea of ___
• Further clarify and cement reader’s understand of the literal content
• Further elucidates the impression that

Free Thesis Statements

• Texts represent how human experiences are dependent on one’s context and their ability to transcend the limitations of context
• Texts about human experience invite the audience to contemplate on their own experiences and reflect on the processes that shape their identity
• Human experiences may be recursive but they are transformative nonetheless
• Texts offer a representations of human experience that challenges our assumptions and thus intensifies our awareness of self and others
• Representation of relationships in texts highlight the way in which human experiences may differ in varied interactions
• Texts offer a representation of the human experience to record the social and emotional development of the individual and the collective
• Our experiences expose our capacity for fortitude and focus, particularly when our individual ideals are challenged by contextual values / societal expectations

Last updated on November 17, 2021

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• Dec 25, 2019

10 New Syllabus Common Module Essay Questions for You to Practise With!

Explain how composers use character narratives to explore collective and individual experiences.

Texts are dramatised representations of reality that invites new perspectives on old ideas.

Composers closely examine human emotions and qualities to invite fresh perspectives on human experiences.

Individual experiences can be varied but they never wander far from the impacts of collective experience. To what extent is this true based on your text?

Composers reflect on the anomalies and paradoxes in their characters to provide new insight into human motivation.

Storytelling distinguishes individual emotions from the collective mentality. To what extent do you agree with this statement based on your prescribed text?

Texts represent emotions and qualities arising out of experiences from unique perspectives to show the encourage personal reflection. To what extent do you agree with this statement based on your prescribed text?

Explain how telling the story of individual experiences can invite new perspectives into collective experiences.

The telling of uncommon lives and cultures invites reflection on one’s own human experiences.

Question 10

It is through seeing other lives and experiences that new perspectives and reflections arise.

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HSC Common Module Essay Questions

The Common Module is the first assessable component of the HSC, known as ‘Paper 1’, and is a compulsory exam for all HSC students. Within Paper 1, students must complete a comprehension paper and essay question on the theme of ‘Texts and Human Experiences’. 

The NESA rubric for texts and human experiences can be accessed here: https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/wcm/connect/f2ef71a2-ea7c-4b96-92f6-398fe141925c/english-stage-6-prescriptions-2019-2023.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CVID=  

TutorTime’s key rubric words are: human experiences, individual, collective, anomalies, paradoxes, inconsistencies and storytelling. We recommend that students create their theses around these words and aim to include them in their writing as much as possible. 

Here are some general essay tips:

• Time your practice essays. You should allow 40 minutes to write the essay and don’t forget to add in the rubric words.
• Handwrite your essay. You won’t be able to type your essay in the HSC!
• Don’t forget to answer the question in your introduction.
• Write in clear paragraphs with obvious spacing. 
• Edit your work. 

Free Common Module Essay Questions:

1. To what extent does your prescribed text suggest that inter-personal relationships define the human experience?

2. ‘Reality is contradictory. And its paradoxical. If there’s any one word – if you had to pick one to describe the nature of the universe – I think it would be paradox’.

Assess the above statement in line with your understanding of your prescribed text. 

3. To what extent does your prescribed text employ storytelling to explore anomalous aspects of the human experience?

4. The collective can irrevocably transform the individual. Does your understanding of your prescribed text support this statement? Why or why not? 

5. ‘Inconsistency is the only thing in which humanity is consistent’.

To what extent has your understanding of your prescribed text informed your opinion of the above statement? 

6. ‘We tell stories to connect with each other; humans need connection’. 

Assess the above statement in line with your prescribed text’s exploration of storytelling and the individual. 

7. To what extent does your prescribed text explore the significance of individual journeys?

8. ‘Hope is what makes the human condition liveable’. 

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HSC texts and human experiences

Highly accomplished English teacher, Jowen Hillyer, answers questions from students studying for their HSC in the lead up to the 2021 exams.

In my experience integrated is better. Longer quotes can be useful sometimes but the examiners want to see your words more than the words from your text.

As a general rule it is 2 minutes 15 seconds per mark, but allow some thinking time so if you allow 2 minutes per mark you have time to read over your responses and add/subtract things. 10 minutes for a 5-mark question is about right (with wriggle room of 1 minute or so).

Look for synonyms. Rewrite the question in your own words. Look to the verbs – what does it want you to do with the question?

Look for clues. The heading will tell you what type of text it is (even if it doesn’t look like a poem, trust that it is and look for language devices you expect to see in a poem).

The stimulus is in a separate booklet to the question booklet. They are often (or have been in the past) stapled together.

A good tip is to separate them as soon as you are given reading time so that you can look at the question you are answering on a text at the same time as reading that text –rather than flipping between booklets.

While there is no rule to say that you should, it helps to do it in order for two reasons.

While there is no ‘one way’ to do this, it helps to have a structure in mind.

No. This module is for the text you studied for Texts and Human Experiences only.

There are four ways you can maximise your reading time.

The exam is designed to be unpredictable so that you show what you know not what you memorised.

The exam is designed to make you think on the spot about what you know about the module and how the text demonstrates that.

Of course! Just don’t ignore the question. If it asks about setting you can define what that means in your introduction.

It is a good idea to write a few different essays in response to questions, but this is more for your time management and quote retention purposes.

The best quotes to memorise are ones which do more than one thing.

Instead of saying ‘to a large extent’ try evaluative adverbs (passing a judgement without having to directly state it), eg.‘Creatively, (composer) does …, ‘Succinctly …', ‘Clearly …’.

The rubric shows what you need to learn but not what will be examined.

This is all about representation. Why did the composer choose film/poetry/prose etc as the best way to get their ideas across to you?

Back to HSC English

Other pages in this section

• HSC English Standard - Module A – Q&A
• HSC English Advanced - Module A – Q&A

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Common Module State-Rank Essay Showcase: Nineteen Eighty-Four

The following essay was written by Project Academy English Tutor, Marko Beocanin

Marko Beocanin

99.95 ATAR & 3 x State Ranker

The following essay was written by Project Academy English Teacher, Marko Beocanin.

Marko’s Achievements:

• 8th in NSW for English Advanced (98/100)
• Rank 1 in English Advanced, Extension 1 and Extension 2
• School Captain of Normanhurst Boys High School

Marko kindly agreed to share his essay and thorough annotations to help demystify for HSC students what comprises an upper Band 6 response!

Common Module: Nineteen Eighty-Four Essay Question

Marko’s following essay was written in response to the question:

“The representation of human experiences makes us more aware of the intricate nature of humanity.” In your response, discuss this statement with detailed reference to George Orwell’s ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’.

State-Ranking Common Module Essay Response

George Orwell’s 1949 Swiftian satire Nineteen Eighty-Four invites us to appreciate the intricate nature of humanity by representing how the abuse of power by totalitarian governments degrades our individual and collective experiences. (Link to rubric through individual/collective experiences, and a clear cause and effect argument: totalitarian governance -> degraded human experience. Also, comments on the genre of Swiftian satire. Value!) Orwell explores how oppressive authorities suppress the intricate societal pillars of culture, expression and freedom to maintain power. He then reveals how this suppression brutalises individual human behaviour and motivations because it undermines emotion and intricate thought. (Link to rubric through ‘human behaviour and motivations’, and extended cause and effect in which the first paragraph explores the collective ‘cause’ and the second paragraph explores the individual ‘effect’. This is an easy way to structure your arguments whilst continuously engaging with the rubric!) Ultimately, he argues that we must resist the political apathy that enables oppressive governments to maintain power and crush human intricacy. Therefore, his representation of human experiences not only challenges us to consider the intricate nature of humanity, but exhorts us to greater political vigilance so we can preserve it. (Concluding sentence that broadens the scope of the question and reaffirms the purpose of the text).

Orwell makes us aware of the intricate nature of humanity by representing how totalitarian authorities suppress intricate collective experiences of culture, expression and freedom in order to assert control. (This is the ‘collective’ paragraph – a cause and effect argument that relates the question to the loss of human intricacy in the collective as a result of totalitarian rule). His bleak vision was informed by Stalin’s USSR: a regime built upon the fabrication of history in Stalin’s ‘cult of personality’, and ruthlessly enforced by the NKVD. (Specific context – an actual specific regime is named and some details about its enforcement are given). The symbolic colourlessness and propaganda-poster motif he uses to describe London reflects the loss of human intricacy and culture under such leadership: “there seemed to be no colour in anything, except the posters that were plastered everywhere.” (First example sets up the world of the text, and the degraded collective experience). Orwell uses the telescreens, dramatically capitalised “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU” posters and allusions to Stalin in Big Brother’s “black-moustachio’d face” as metonyms for how governmental surveillance dominates both physical and cultural collective experiences. Winston’s metatextual construction of the fictitious “Comrade Ogilvy” serves as a symbol for the vast, worthless masses of information produced by totalitarian governments to undermine the intricacy of real human history: “Comrade Ogilvy, who had never existed…would exist just as authentically, and upon the same evidence, as Charlemagne or Julius Caesar.” Similarly, Orwell’s satirical representation of Newspeak ignites the idea that political slovenliness causes self-expression to degrade, which in turn destroys our capacity for intricate thought and resistance: “we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it.” (The examples above prove that the government’s leadership style truly is totalitarian, and that it results in a loss of intricacy and ‘humanity’ in the collective. It’s good to cover a variety of examples that explore different facets of the collective – for example, the first example establishes the extreme surveillance, the second example establishes the loss of ‘truth’/history, and the third example establishes the loss of language). The political bitterness that marks Nineteen Eighty-Four as a Swiftian satire (This is a link to the ‘Swiftian’ term used in the thesis statement. It’s important to refer back to any descriptive terms you use in your thesis) ultimately culminates in O’Brien’s monologue, where Orwell juxtaposes the politicised verb “abolish” to symbols of human intricacy, “we shall abolish the orgasm…there will be no art, no literature, no science…when we are omnipotent”, to express how totalitarian rulers suppress collective experiences to gain metaphoric omnipotence. Thus, Orwell makes us aware of the intricate nature of humanity by representing a future in which totalitarian governments suppress it. (A linking sentence that ties it all back to the question and rephrases the point)

Orwell then argues that the effect of this suppression is a loss of human intricacy that brutalises society and devalues individual experiences. (Cause and effect argument that links collective suppression to a loss of human intricacy on an individual scale – continuous engagement with the question and the rubric!) Orwell’s exposure to the widespread hysteria of Hitler’s Nazi regime, caused by the Nuremberg Rallies and Joseph Goebbels’ virulent anti-semitic propaganda, informs his representation of Oceania’s dehumanised masses. (More specific context around the Nazis, and a specific link to how it informed his work) The burlesque Two Minute Hate reveals human inconsistency by representing how even introspective, intelligent characters can be stripped of their intricacy and compassion by the experience of collective hysteria: even Winston wishes to “flog [Julia] to death with a rubber truncheon…ravish her and cut her throat at the moment of climax”, and is only restored by compliance to the Christ-like totalitarian authority, “My-Saviour!”, Big Brother. (A link to the rubric with the ‘human inconsistency’ point) Orwell frequently juxtaposes dehumanising representations of the proles, “the proles are not human beings”, to political sloganism: “As the Party slogan put it: ‘Proles and animals are free’”, to argue that in such a collectively suppressed society, the upper class grow insensitive towards the intricate nature of those less privileged. (It’s important to link the proles into your argument – they’re often forgotten, but they’re a big part of the text!) He asserts that this loss of empathy degrades the authenticity and intricacy of human relationships, characterised by Winson’s paradoxically hyperbolic repulsion towards his wife: “[Katharine] had without exception the most stupid, vulgar, empty mind that he had every encountered”. (Continuous engagement with the question and rubric: make sure to recycle rubric terms – here, done with ‘paradoxically’ – and question terms – here, with ‘intricacy’)  Winston’s “betrayal” of Julia symbolises how totalitarianism ultimately brutalises individuals by replacing their compassion for intricate ideals such as love with selfish pragmatism: “Do it to Julia…Tear her face off, strip her to the bones. Not me!” Therefore, Orwell makes us more aware of the intricate nature of humanity by demonstrating how it can be robbed by suppressive governments and collective hysteria. (A linking sentence that sums up the paragraph).

By making us aware of how totalitarian governments suppress meaningful human experiences both individually and collectively, Orwell challenges us to resist so we can preserve our intricate nature. (This third paragraph discusses Orwell’s purpose as a composer. This can in general be a helpful way to structure paragraphs: Collective, Individual, Purpose) Orwell’s service in the 1930s Spanish Civil War as part of the Republican militia fighting against fascist-supported rebels positions him to satirise the political apathy of his audience. (Integration of personal context is useful here to justify Orwell’s motivations. It’s also a lot fresher than just including another totalitarian regime Orwell was exposed to) Orwell alludes to this through the metaphor of Winston’s diarising as an anomalous individual experience of resistance, ““[Winston] was a lonely ghost uttering a truth that nobody would ever hear,” which highlights how his intricate nature persists even in a suppressive society. Often, Orwell meta-fictively addresses his own context, as “a time when thought is free…when truth exists”, to establish an imperative to preserve our intricate human nature while we still can. The Julia romance trope (It’s good to include terms such as ‘trope’ which reflect your understanding of narrative structure and the overall form of the work.) represents how Winston’s gradual rejection of his political apathy empowered him to experience an authentic, intricately human relationship that subverts his totalitarian society: “the gesture with which [Julia] had thrown her clothes aside…[belonged] to an ancient time. Winston woke up with the word ‘Shakespeare’ on his lips.” Orwell juxtaposes Julia’s sexuality to Shakespeare, an immediately-recognisable metonym for culture and history, to argue that human intricacy can only be restored by actively resisting the dehumanising influence of the government. Orwell also represents Winston’s desensitised and immediate devotion to the Brotherhood to reflect how the preservation of human intricacy is a cause worth rebelling for, even by paradoxically unjust means: “[Winston was] prepared to commit murder…acts of sabotage which may cause the deaths of hundreds of innocent people…throw sulphuric acid in a child’s face.” (More chronological examples that show Winston’s transformation throughout the text. It’s useful to explore and contrast those who resist with those who don’t resist, and how just the act of resistance in some way restores our humanity! That’s why this paragraph comes after the ‘brutalised individual experience’ paragraph) However, Orwell ultimately asserts that it is too late for Winston to meaningfully restore humanity’s intricate nature, and concludes the text with his symbolic death and acceptance of the regime, “[Winston] had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother.” (It’s important to remember that Orwell ends the text so miserably so that he can motivate his audiences not to do the same thing). The futility of this ending ignites the idea that we must not only be aware of our intricate nature, but must actively resist oppressive governments while we still can in order to preserve it. (A linking sentence that ties the paragraph together and justifies the futility of the ending)

Therefore, Orwell’s representation of human experiences in Nineteen Eighty-Four encourages us to reflect personally on our own intricate human nature, and challenges us to fight to preserve it. (Engages with the question (through the reflection point), and includes Orwell’s purpose as a composer). His depiction of a totalitarian government’s unchecked assertion of power on human culture and freedom, and the brutalising impact this has on individual and collective experiences, ultimately galvanises us to reject political apathy. (Your argument summaries can often be combined into a sentence or two in the conclusion now that the marker knows what you’re talking about. This reinforces the cause and effect structure as well.) Thus, the role of storytelling for Orwell is not only to make us more aware of our intricate nature, but to prove that we must actively resist oppressive governments while we still can in order to preserve it. (The clincher! It’s often useful to add “not only” in your final sentence to reinforce the massive scope of the text)

If reading this essay has helped you, you may also enjoy reading Marko’s ultimate guide to writing 20/20 HSC English essays .

P.S If you have any questions about aceing HSC English , you are welcome to learn from Marko and join one of Project Academy’s HSC English classes on a 3 week trial .

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{{item.title}}, my essentials, ask for help, contact edconnect, directory a to z, how to guides, english k–12, year 12 – common module – texts and human experiences – english standard.

Sample lesson sequences, sample assessment and resources for Texts and human experiences (English Standard).

Teachers can adapt the following units of work as required.

All the light we cannot see

• All the light sample lesson sequence (DOCX 87.92 KB)
• All the light sample assessment (DOCX 46.98 KB)
• All the light Sample assessment photographic essay (DOCX 54.27 KB)
• All the Light We Cannot See resource 1a (DOCX 100.42 KB)
• All the Light We Cannot See resource 1b (DOCX 36.82 KB)
• All the Light We Cannot See resource 1c (DOCX 263.01 KB)
• All the Light We Cannot See resource 2 (DOCX 533.72 KB)
• All the Light We Cannot See resource 3 (DOCX 53.65 KB)
• All the Light We Cannot See resource 3b (DOCX 36.29 KB)
• All the Light We Cannot See resource 4 (DOCX 41.36 KB)
• All the Light We Cannot See resource 4a (DOCX 38.28 KB)
• All the Light We Cannot See resource 4b (DOCX 36.48 KB)
• All the Light We Cannot See resource 4c (DOCX 35.72 KB)
• All the Light We Cannot See resource 4d (DOCX 41.34 KB)
• All the Light We Cannot See resource 4e (DOCX 39.19 KB)
• All the Light We Cannot See resource 5a (DOCX 36.83 KB)
• All the Light We Cannot See resource 5b (DOCX 75.85 KB)
• All the Light We Cannot See resource 5c (DOCX 46.28 KB)
• All the Light We Cannot See resource 6a (DOCX 60.39 KB)
• All the Light We Cannot See resource 6b (DOCX 53.51 KB)
• All the Light We Cannot See resource 6c (DOCX 70.0 KB)
• All the Light We Cannot See resource 6d (DOCX 53.17 KB)

Billy Elliot

• Billy Elliot: Sample lesson sequence (DOCX 77KB)
• Billy Elliot: Sample assessment (DOCX 45KB)
• Billy Elliot resource 1 (DOCX 37.44 KB)
• Billy Elliot resource 2 (DOCX 37.02 KB)
• Billy Elliot resource 3 (DOCX 46.74 KB)
• Billy Elliot resource 4 (DOCX 36.9 KB)
• Billy Elliot resource 5 (DOCX 37.13 KB)
• Billy Elliot resource 6 (DOCX 51.98 KB)
• Billy Elliot resource 7 (DOCX 35.92 KB)

The boy behind the curtain

• Boy behind the curtain: Sample lesson sequence (DOCX 82KB)
• Boy behind the curtain: Sample assessment (DOCX 54KB)
• Resource 1 – Extracts (DOCX 46KB)
• Resource 2 – Chapter summaries (DOCX 47KB)
• Resource 3 – Links to the rubric (DOCX 49KB)
• Resource 4 – Facebook (DOCX 148KB)
• Resource 5 – Road Safety NSW (DOCX 44KB)
• Resource 6 – Connecting chapter table (DOCX 44KB)
• Resource 7 – Connecting related texts table (DOCX 44KB)
• Resource 8 – Student evaluation (DOCX 44KB)
• Resource 9 – Unit evaluation (DOCX 44KB)

The Crucible

• Crucible: Sample lesson sequence (DOCX 118KB)
• Crucible: Sample assessment (DOCX 50 KB)
• The Crucible Resource 1 (DOCX 36KB)
• The Crucible Resource 2 (DOCX 124KB)
• The Crucible Resource 3 (DOCX 221KB)
• The Crucible Resource 4 (DOCX 36KB)
• The Crucible Resource 5 (DOCX 39KB)
• The Crucible Resource 6(DOCX 38KB)
• The Crucible Resource 7 (DOCX 38KB)

I am Malala

• I am Malala: Assessment notification (DOCX 256 KB)
• I am Malala: Resource booklet (DOCX 276 KB)
• I am Malala: Sample program (DOCX 282 KB)

The poetry of Kenneth Slessor and other related texts

• Slessor – Sample lesson sequence (DOCX 68KB)
• Slessor – Sample assessment (DOCX 48KB)
• Slessor – Resources 1 (DOCX 739KB)
• Slessor – Resources 2 (DOCX 44KB)
• Slessor – Resources 3 (DOCX 44KB)
• Slessor – Resources 4 (DOCX 82KB)
• Slessor – Resources 5 (DOCX 44KB)
• Slessor – Resources 6 (DOCX 44KB)
• Slessor – Resources 7 (DOCX 205KB)
• Slessor – Resources 8 (DOCX 44KB)
• Slessor – Resources 9 (DOCX 45KB)
• Slessor – Resources 10 (DOCX 44KB)
• Slessor – Resources 11 (DOCX 48KB)
• Slessor – Resources 12 (DOCX 45KB)
• Slessor – Resources 13 (DOCX 44KB)
• Slessor – Resources 14 (DOCX 47KB)
• Slessor – Resources 15 (DOCX 48KB)
• Slessor – Resources 15a (DOCX 46KB)
• Slessor – Resources 16 (DOCX 44KB)
• Slessor – Resources 17 (DOCX 44KB)
• Slessor – Resources 18 (DOCX 43KB)
• Slessor – Resources 19 (DOCX 45KB)
• Waste Land: Sample lesson sequence (DOCX 65KB)
• Waste Land: Sample assessment (DOCX 49KB)
• Waste Land – Resource 1 (PPTX 1.8MB)
• Waste Land – Resource 2 (DOCX 707KB)
• Waste Land – Resource 3 (DOCX 41KB)
• Waste Land – Resource 4 (DOCX 41KB)
• Waste Land – Resource 5 (DOCX 49KB)
• Waste Land – Resource 6 (DOCX 43KB)
• Waste Land – Resource 7 (DOCX 42KB)
• Waste Land – Resource 8 (DOCX 40KB)
• Waste Land – Resource 9 (DOCX 40KB)
• Waste Land – Resource 10 (DOCX 319KB)
• Waste Land – Resource 11 (DOCX 44KB)
• Waste Land – Resource 12 (DOCX 42KB)

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Select a different module, select a different course, common module - preparing for the personal response.

3 videos aimed at Advanced, Standard and Studies Each presentation explores a specific question and models how to unpack and thus respond to a question

Common module - section II - lifting your personal response

This session supports students to reflect on their personal response writing

Common module - unpacking the module statement

This resource will help students understand the key vocabulary associated with Texts and Human Experiences

English advanced - understanding paper one

This resource will introduce students to the layout of the examination for the Common module, Texts and Human Experiences.

English bites – human experience graphic organiser

This graphic organiser activity will support students’ analysis of their prescribed text.

How to develop your extended response

How to develop your extended response for the personal response in Texts and Human Experience.

Understanding types of questions - helping you prepare for the personal response

This resource is designed to support students and their understanding of the types of questions required within paper 1 section II

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