Analysing visual texts can be one of the most confusing things you can face in the first section of your HSC English exam.
But as someone who finished Year 12 with a Band 6 in English Advanced and has now tutored students like yourself for 2+ years, I know exactly how to help you create the perfect responses.
In this article, I’ll cover what a visual text is, what to look for in your exams, the process of breaking down an exam question, and how to put it all together in an easy-to-remember 5-step process.
Let’s jump into it! 💪
What is a Visual Text?
Step 1: Do a ‘Big Picture’ Reading
Step 2: Identify Visual Techniques
Step 3: Break Down the Question
Step 4: Use the STEEL Structure
🤔 What is a Visual Text?
A ‘visual text’ is usually just a fancy way of saying ‘an image’ when it’s related to English and analysing texts.
Basically it means that whatever you’re analysing is a visual medium. Think book covers, picture books, posters or still frames from movies!
Usually the first section of your HSC English paper will contain at least one visual text, so it’s important to know how to analyse and respond to it.
Step 1: Do a ‘Big Picture’ Reading
When analysing visual texts in the HSC, it’s important to start with a broad, big-picture approach before diving into finer details.
The first step is to observe the overall composition—identify what stands out immediately and how elements are arranged. Consider whether there is balance, contrast, or a focal point that draws the eye.
Next, use the checklist below to wrap your head around the key details quickly. Although most of them can be considered visual techniques, don’t focus on the specifics yet. Pay attention to themes and ideas.
- Symbols and motifs: Anything that seems to have a deeper meaning? Any cultural, historical, or literary references?
- Colours and lighting: Is the lighting bright or dark? Are the colours warm or cool? What emotions come to mind?
- Facial expressions and body language: If there are characters in the visual text, what emotion are they conveying? Is there significance in how the characters are positioned with another?
- Perspective and framing: Is the image shot from a high or low angle? What could this mean? Are subjects framed in the centre or on the edges?
- Contrasts and juxtapositions: What ideas are ‘clashing’ in the image? Any opposing elements?
- Context: Who created the text? What time period or social issue could be reflected?
- Themes: What is the overall idea or ideas that you feel coming from the text?
Let’s look at an example. Here’s how we would go about doing a ‘Big Picture’ reading:
Composition: The image is balanced. The placement of objects on the table draws the eye across different elements before leading toward the natural landscape. There is a clear foreground and background.
Symbols and motifs: The technology (laptop, smartphone, etc.) symbolise modern digital connectivity, while the lake and mountains represent tranquility and escape. The presence of both suggests a theme of work-life balance or the blending of remote work with leisure.
Colour and lighting: Warm sunlight creates a relaxed atmosphere. The greenery and blue water also evoke a sense of calm. The lighting suggests a peaceful yet productive environment, possibly reinforcing the idea of an idyllic workspace.
Perspective and framing: The angle is slightly above the table, giving a first-person perspective as if the viewer is sitting there. The framing of the laptop as the focal point reinforces the tension between digital and natural spaces.
Contrasts and juxtapositions: The biggest contrast is between the modern technology and nature. There is also a juxtaposition between the cluttered workspace and the serene, open background, emphasising the difference between daily responsibilities and the desire for peace.
Context: Likely represents the modern lifestyle of digital nomads. May also reflect contemporary struggles with work-life balance, withthe increasing integration of technology into traditionally disconnected spaces.
Overall themes: 1) Technology v.s. nature, 2) Work-life balance, 3) Escapism and idealised workspaces
Step 2: Identity Literary Techniques
By finding a whole bunch of visual techniques right off the bat you’re able to go into your question feeling more prepared, and immediately pick out which techniques will suit the response you plan to write.
If you read the question first, you may end up trying to find a specific technique you want to talk about even if it’s not there.
Even though it’s a good technique to use, the visual text you’re looking at may not actually have a good example of that technique, so it’s better to find some strong techniques and fit them to the question, rather than trying to make the question fit to weaker techniques.
Here is a quick list of essential visual techniques with brief explanations so you feel confident in identifying each one!
| Visual Technique | Definition |
|---|---|
| Allusions | References to other images/visual media, including art, films, pop culture, religious icons, etc. Sometimes in the form of a parody (referencing another image but making it humorous), these usually recontextualise or “change the meaning” of the original media. |
| Angles/Lines | The ‘direction’ of an image based on the angles or lines within it. Horizontals create a sense of calm, verticals a sense of structure and diagonals a mood of unease or being off balance. |
| Body Language | Facial expressions, body language and gestures used to show character’s attitudes, moods or personality. Often focussed on overall body movement and positioning. |
| Colour (Hue/Tones) | Colours are symbolic of different emotions, moods, etc. and are used to evoke corresponding responses in audiences. For example, purple is a colour of royalty, wealth and luxury whereas red can symbolise lust, passion, anger and so on. Furthermore, you should consider how saturated colours are (are they bright and vivid or dull and desaturated?). |
| Composition | What an image is made up of — where things are placed, how it is framed, the colour and lighting used, etc. This generally refers to the image as a whole. |
| Contrast | Placing things that are considered opposite close to each other. Contrasts can be between colours (black and white), sizes (large and small), textures (rough and smooth), etc. to create interest and complexity. One small contrasting colour/size/shape in an image is also usually highly salient because it stands out. |
| Framing | The camera shots and angles used in images/films to create different audience reactions and emotions. These include close-ups, extreme close-ups, mid shots, aerial shots, etc. |
| Long/Wide Shot | A shot that is made up of a large landscape, cityscape or other kind of scene. Generally these are used to get across lots of information at once, such as the layout of a room, the location of an event, the number of people around, etc. |
Step 3: Break Down the Question
Now’s the time to figure out what you’re being asked about the visual text by breaking down your HSC English question.
It’s usually best to break down the question into its individual key words and phrases to figure out exactly what the markers are looking for. This will allow you to figure out exactly which techniques from earlier best suit the question.
Take the question below and its key terms:
Compare:The markers are looking for you to draw comparisons between two texts, highlighting how different techniques are used in each to convey an idea.
Perspective: What standpoint is the author portraying through this image? What is the message of the text?
Perceive: The question wants you to unpack how the text suggests people respond to their surroundings. How do they see the world around them?
Now to choose our best 3 techniques to focus on in our response from the ones we found in the image from Step 1:
1️⃣ Blur – Blurring the background obscures the scenic landscape in the background and brings attention to the table, laptop and other devices, at the front of the image. This may represent how we can lose sight of our own surroundings due to the prominence of technology in our lives.
2️⃣ Focus – As the camera is focussed on the table and the electronic devices, it draws the viewer’s eye to this part of the image as the focal point. It makes us consider the impacts that technology has on us in everyday life.
3️⃣ Composition – The placement of the electronic devices and cables on the table is quite messy and further draws the viewer’s attention. The laptop screen showing an image of a beautiful view resembles the real-life view in the background, raising questions about how technology may distract us from being present.
Step 4: Use the STEEL Structure
By now your teachers have probably drilled the STEEL format into your brain a thousand times over, but here’s a reminder of what the acronym means just in case.
S: Statement
T: Technique
E: Example
E: Effect
L: Link
Short answer questions like the ones you’ll be getting on visual texts don’t need to follow the STEEL method as strictly, though it’s good to still try to keep it in mind. An edited ‘short-answer STEEL’ like the one below is a great way to keep your answer short but structured:
You’ll want to try to repeat the TEE section once for each technique, so three times all up, but only have one statement and link.
This way your response will be structured and contain all the information you want to get across without it taking 20 minutes to write! Remember, these are short answer questions so you don’t need to go into too much detail. For example:
“The tension between work and nature is effectively portrayed in the image through its use of blur, focus, and composition.
The sharpest focus in the image is on the laptop, which immediately draws the viewer’s attention. This deliberate choice positions technology as the dominant element, reinforcing the idea that digital workspaces can become central even in natural settings. However, the background of the lake and mountains, though slightly blurred, remains strikingly beautiful, suggesting an alternative focus that is just out of reach. This creates a subtle tension—while nature is present and inviting, it is not the primary focus, mirroring the way modern individuals often find themselves surrounded by beauty but preoccupied with screens.
Further reinforcing this contrast is the composition of the image. The laptop is placed centrally, acting as the visual anchor, while the natural environment fills the periphery. This placement subtly suggests that technology is a gateway to experiencing nature, yet also a potential barrier, as the laptop’s screen displays an image of a similar landscape. This duplication blurs the line between direct experience and digital mediation, raising the question of whether technology enhances or distances individuals from their surroundings.
Overall, the image presents a layered exploration of how technology and nature interact, using blur, focus, and composition to highlight the tension between presence and distraction. It suggests that while nature remains an ever-present escape, modern individuals often find themselves drawn back into their digital worlds, even in the most idyllic settings.”
And it’s done — one amazing response to a visual text question!
Ready to practise? Check out our master list of HSC English past papers to get started!
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Luka Russell is an English tutor at Art of Smart Education, and graduated from UTS in 2023 with a Bachelor of Communication, majoring in Journalism. Aside from educational content, she is passionate about health and beauty journalism, having written various articles on female health topics. She also loves to draw in her spare time.
Maddison Leach completed her HSC in 2014, achieving an ATAR of 98.00 and Band 6 in all her subjects. She enjoys helping students through the academic and other aspects of school life, even though it sometimes makes her feel old. Maddison has had a passion for writing since her early teens, having had several short stories published before joining the world of blogging. She’s currently studying a Bachelor of Design at the University of Technology Sydney and spends most of her time trying not to get caught sketching people on trains.
