Essential English focuses on consolidating and refining the skills and knowledge needed by students to become competent, confident and engaged users of English in many contemporary contexts including every day, community, social, further education, training and workplace contexts. Essential English is designed to provide students with the skills that will empower them to succeed in a wide range of post-secondary pathways.

The subject develops students’ language, literacy and literary skills to enable students to communicate successfully both orally and in writing and to enjoy and value using language for both imaginative and practical purposes.

Students comprehend, analyse, interpret and evaluate the content, structure and style of a wide variety of oral, written and multimodal texts, including literary, digital and media texts. Students learn how the interaction of structure, language, audience and context helps to shape different points of view and perspectives. Both independently and collaboratively, they apply their knowledge to create interpretive, imaginative, analytical and persuasive texts in different modes and mediums.

The Essential English course is written under The ENGLISH Framework 2021: BSSS ENGLISH Framework

Achievement Standards for ENGLISH courses can be found within the Framework.

The study of English language, literacy and literature develops students’ communication, analytical, creative and critical thinking skills in all language modes.

Comprehending and Responding

This unit focuses on students comprehending and responding to the ideas and information presented in texts drawn from a range of contexts. Students are taught a variety of strategies to assist comprehension. They read, view and listen to texts to connect, interpret and visualise ideas. They learn how to respond personally and logically to texts, by questioning, using inferential reasoning and determining the importance of content and structure. The unit considers how organisational features of texts help the audience to understand the text. It emphasises the relationships between context, purpose and audience in different language modes and types of texts, and their impact on meaning. Students learn to interact with others in everyday and other contexts. Emphasis is placed on the communication of ideas and information both accurately and imaginatively through a range of modes. Students apply their understanding of language through the creation of texts for different purposes in real or imagined contexts.

Making Connections

This unit focuses on interpreting ideas and arguments in a range of texts and contexts. By analysing text structures and language features and identifying the ideas, arguments and values expressed, students make inferences about the purposes and the intended audiences of texts. Students examine the connections between purpose and structure and how a text’s meaning is influenced by the context in which it is created and received. Students integrate relevant information and ideas from texts to develop their own interpretations. They learn to interact appropriately and persuasively with others in a range of contexts. Analytical and creative skills are developed by focusing on how language selection, imagery, type of text and mode can achieve specific effects. Knowledge and understanding of language and literacy skills are consolidated and demonstrated through the analysis and creation of a range of texts for different purposes, selected from real or imagined contexts.

Understanding Perspectives

This unit focuses on exploring different points of view presented in a range of texts and contexts. Students analyse attitudes, text structures and language features to understand a text’s meaning and purpose. They consider how perspectives and values are represented in texts to influence specific audiences. When responding to texts, students reflect on a range of interpretations as they develop their own interpretations. Students learn to articulate reasoned and persuasive arguments and to develop an understanding of purpose and context. When interacting with others, the emphasis is on identifying and understanding differing perspectives. Students learn how to communicate logically, persuasively and imaginatively in a range of different contexts, for different purposes, using a variety of types of texts.

Local and Global

This unit focuses on community, local or global issues and ideas presented in texts and on developing students’ reasoned responses to them. Students develop independent points of view by synthesising information from a range of sources, and analysing how ideas, attitudes and values are represented. The way in which authors use evidence, persuasive techniques and language choices to influence and position audiences is analysed. This unit provides the opportunity for students to discuss and listen to differing perspectives, draw conclusions, negotiate, problem-solve, persuade, as well as engage audiences for a range of purposes and in different contexts. Emphasis is placed on articulating and constructing coherent, logical and sustained arguments and demonstrating an understanding of purpose, audience and context. When creating their own imaginative, analytical and interpretive texts, students are encouraged to consider their intended purpose, their representation of ideas and issues, and audience response.

Essential English A/M (634 KB)

Essential English A/M (319 KB)