English focuses on developing students’ analytical, creative and critical thinking and communication skills in all language modes. It encourages students to engage with texts from their contemporary world, with texts from the past and with texts from Australian and other cultures.


Structure of English

In Unit 1 students explore how meaning is communicated through the relationships between language, text, purpose, context and audience. This includes how language and texts are shaped by their purpose, the audiences for whom they are intended and the contexts in which they are created and received.



Teachers will use an array of material in class. Texts include literary texts, fiction and non-fiction, media texts, everyday texts, and workplace texts, from increasingly complex and unfamiliar settings, ranging from the everyday language of personal experience to more abstract, specialised and technical language drawn from a range of contexts.


Representation of General capabilities

General capabilities covered in English include: Literacy, Numeracy, Information and communication technology (ICT) capability, Critical and creative thinking, Personal and social capability, Ethical understanding and Intercultural understanding.


Achievement standards


Unit 4

Unit 4 Description

In Unit 4, students examine different interpretations and perspectives to develop further their knowledge and analysis of purpose and style. They challenge perspectives, values and attitudes in literary and non-literary texts, developing and testing their own interpretations though debate and argument. Through close study of individual texts, students explore relationships between content and structure, voice and perspective and the text and its context. This provides the opportunity for students to extend their experience of language and of texts and explore their ideas through their own reading and viewing. Students demonstrate understanding of the texts studied through creation of imaginative, interpretive and analytical responses.

Unit 4 Learning Outcomes

By the end of this unit, students:

  • understand how content, structure, voice and perspective in texts shape responses and interpretations
  • examine different interpretations of texts and how these resonate with, or challenge, their own responses
  • create cohesive oral, written and multimodal texts in a range of forms, mediums and styles.

Unit 4 Content Descriptions

Investigate and evaluate the relationships between texts and contexts by:

undertaking close analysis of texts (ACEEN060)

examining how each text relates to a particular context or contexts (ACEEN061)

comparing the contexts in which texts are created and received. (ACEEN062)

Evaluate different perspectives, attitudes and values represented in texts by:

analysing content, purpose and choice of language (ACEEN063)

analysing the use of voice and point of view such as in feature articles, reporting of current events or narration (ACEEN064)

exploring other interpretations and aspects of context to develop a considered response. (ACEEN065)

Evaluate how texts convey perspectives through:


the ways points of view and values are represented (ACEEN067)

the selection of language features that generate empathy or controversy, for example, juxtaposition of image and text. (ACEEN068)

Create a range of texts:

using appropriate language and stylistic features to sustain a personal voice and point of view (ACEEN069)

using nuanced language (ACEEN070)

synthesising ideas and opinions to develop complex argument (ACEEN071)

substantiating and justifying their own responses using textual evidence (ACEEN072)

using appropriate referencing, for example, footnotes, in-line citations and reference lists (ACEEN073)

using strategies for planning, drafting, editing and proofreading (ACEEN074)

using accurate spelling, punctuation, syntax and metalanguage. (ACEEN075)

Reflect on their own and others’ texts by:

analysing and evaluating how different attitudes and perspectives underpin texts (ACEEN076)

questioning the assumptions and values in texts (ACEEN077)

identifying omissions, inclusions, emphases and marginalisations (ACEEN078)

discussing and evaluating different readings of texts. (ACEEN079)