BlogEnglish48 HSC English Questions for All Standard and Advanced Modules
48 HSC English Questions for All Standard and Advanced Modules
Looking for some HSC English questions to help you study?
In this article, we’ve grouped together all the practice questions you could possibly ever need for both HSC English Standard and Advanced, for all modules!
As someone who received Band 6 results in all 4 HSC English units, I can honestly say that consistently writing responses with practice questions was key to improving my analysis and essay structure.
So without further ado… here are 48 questions and a breakdown of exam technique to help you study!
How to Respond to HSC English Questions on the Spot During Your Exams
Step 1: Break Down the Question (1-2 minutes)
Highlight key terms – look for directive words (e.g. “evaluate,” “analyse”) and thematic ideas.
Identify what the question is asking – do you need to unpack themes or analyse characterisation? Is the question asking for you to give your own perspective or make a judgement?
Quickly brainstorm – jot down argument ideas and relevant examples that you can flesh out while writing.
💡 Personal Advice: It’s always really important to clarify key words to ensure you’re not misinterpreting the question. For example, I remember a question asking me to consider how Text A “collides” with Text B and I hastily assumed collide meant the texts connecting on an idea, but it was actually asking me to talk about how they clash.
Step 2: Plan Your Thesis and Argument (2-3 minutes)
Formulate a clear thesis that directly answers the question.
Outline your main arguments – decide on 2-4 key points (depending on your number of paragraphs) that support your thesis.
Assign evidence – mentally link your arguments to quotes, techniques and analysis.
💡 Personal Advice: Even though planning might seem like a waste of time during exam conditions, having a structured plan actually saves you thinking time in the long run by keeping your essay on track. It doesn’t have to be a super in-depth plan, just write down quotes, key concepts you want to discuss and placeholder topic sentences to elaborate on later.
Step 3: Introduction (5 minutes)
Open with your thesis – ensure that you directly answer the question and take a clear stance, it should be 1-2 sentences max.
Briefly outline your main arguments.
Make sure your wording is precise, your introduction is just to give a clear rundown of your key points so don’t go overly in-depth.
💡 Personal Advice: Don’t spend too much time on your intro because your analysis is what’s going to make up the vast majority of your total marks. A general rule to follow is that your intro should be around 10% of your total word count.
Step 4: Body Paragraphs (Allow 10 minutes max per paragraph for a 3 paragraph essay)
Topic sentence: Directly connect to the question and build on an aspect of your thesis which will be your main focus for the paragraph.
Evidence and analysis: Integrate quotes, analyse techniques and connect it to the author’s purpose and context.
Link back to the thesis: Make sure each paragraph reinforces your overall argument and actively engages with the question.
💡 Personal Advice: Don’t waste time over-explaining context just to show your knowledge, think of it as part of your analysis that you’re using to highlight how influences in the author’s life have shaped their perspective in certain ways.
Step 5: Conclusion (3-5 minutes)
Restate your thesis with a clear final perspective.
Summarise your key points without repeating entire sentences.
Don’t include any more analysis, a conclusion is basically a quick rundown of the points you’ve already made.
💡 Personal Advice: If you’re running out of time, write at least a one-sentence conclusion, a brief wrap-up is better than leaving your essay unfinished and can prevent you from losing marks.
Step 6: Quick Review
Check clarity – does each paragraph directly respond to the question?
Fix obvious errors such as spelling, grammar or awkward phrasing.
Make small refinements – strengthen your topic sentences or phrasing if you have extra time.
If you’re looking to improve your essays without waiting around for feedback, check out Artie, our AI English tutor!
The ‘Enhance Paragraphs’ feature will give you 100 actionable recommendations per 1000 words in under 60 seconds to help you achieve a Band 6 standard through its simple 5-step process:
Common Module: Texts and Human Experiences Essay Questions
Make sure you answer questions correctly by understanding the key verbs of each question. Here’s a few practice questions to get you going:
General Question 1
Through the telling and receiving of stories, we become more aware of ourselves and our shared human experiences.
Explore this statement with close reference to your prescribed text.
General Question 2
Storytelling invites us to see the world differently through challenging our assumptions.
Discuss this statement in relation to your prescribed text.
General Question 3
In what ways does [YOUR TEXT] offer new insights into the anomalies in human behaviour and motivations?
Explore this statement with close reference to your prescribed text
The Merchant of Venice, William Shakespeare
How does Shakespeare use The Merchant of Venice to explore and critique problems within his society?
In your response, make close reference to your prescribed text.
The Crucible, Arthur Miller
Discuss Miller’s portrayal of both internal and external conflicts in The Crucible.
In your response, make close reference to your prescribed text.
1984, George Orwell
“Rebellion is the only thing that keeps you alive.” (Marianna Faithfull.)
How has a study of 1984 enhanced your understanding of rebellion? In your response, make close reference to your prescribed text.
Past the Shallows, Favel Parrett
How have the characters in Past the Shallows broadened your understanding of responsibility?
In your response, make detailed reference to your prescribed text.
Billy Elliot, Stephen Daldry
To what extent does the exploration of human experience in Billy Elliot invite you to reconsider your understanding of commitment?
In your response, make detailed reference to your prescribed text.
Common Module: Texts and Human Experiences Short Answer Questions
As this is a new module created by NESA, you probably haven’t had much luck accessing any short answer practice questions for it.
Question 1
Explain how Patrick Haas employs metaphor to evoke the experience of despair. (4 marks)
Laurel finds me at the bar, again. She ignores the bartender and doesn’t sit down. She takes an ice cube from my drink and sets it on the table. “Before this melts,” she says, “you have to decide how it’s gonna be.”
I tell her that water freezes when its temperature drops below zero degrees Celsius. The molecules slow down and bond together. The density of the bonds keeps ice afloat in liquids.
“The kids are in the car, you son-of-a-bitch,” she says and grabs my collar.
When things get too heated, I continue, or there’s too much pressure, the molecules move faster, the bonds break, and gaps form when melting begins.
“This is your last chance.”
And once that begins, I say, as water forms around the base of the ice cube until it looks like it’s drowning in itself and she runs out of the door with the keys jingling in her hand —
there’s not a whole hell-of-a-lot that I can do about it.
— Patrick Haas
Question 2
Explain how the contrast between these images represents the evolutionary nature of the human experience? (4 marks)
Question 3
How does Allen represent an experience of connection within families? (4 marks)
Family Snap Shots
Having satisfied the immediate requirements,
kisses,
hymns,
photos of the bride and groom,
we arm ourselves with champagne glasses
and hunt out the more obscure things.
I find that my grandmother’s ankles
strongly resemble mine,
I find glimpses of my cousin’s father,
who wasn’t invited,
but snuck into the programme as a middle name.
Buried right at the back of one lady’s mind
I find black and white photos
of my father as a child
before he grew up
and died
to be searched for
while my cheeks get sore from smiling.
Everyone searches everyone
for significant absences
or tears or looks
until
we fall down at last
among the pieces of wedding cake
and half-hearted handfuls of confetti.
Tired and bloated with the past
I think someone may have found
fragments of someone in me
but when I checked the mirror
later
I found only myself.
— Elizabeth Allen
Question 4
Compare how each of the two posters explores the power of words and story-telling (4 marks)
Question 5
Analyse how the illustration represents an idea about childhood engagement with fiction and narrative? (3 marks)
‘What we know of the world is captured in the way we talk about it.’
In your answer, refer to your prescribed text and ONE related text.
General Question 2
Has your study of texts focusing on cultural voice affirmed or refuted common stereotypes?
How is this idea explored in your Prescribed text and ONE related text.
General Question 3
How have the texts you have studied explored how groups have adapted to change?
How is this idea explored in your Prescribed text and ONE related text.
Contemporary Asian Australian Poets, Several Authors
Poetry is by nature expressive and disruptive. How have the poets in this collection challenged assumptions about culture to express their unique identities?
Respond to this question with detailed reference to your prescribed text for Module A.
Inside My Mother, Ali Cobby Eckermann
Analyse how Ali Cobby Eckerman uses language to represent her personal identity, while also challenging prevailing assumptions about her culture.
Discuss how this statement applies in TWO of Eckermann’s poems.
Pygmalion, Bernard Shaw
The greatest influence on an individual’s identity is their cultural connections.
To what extent does your study of Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion agree with this statement? In your response, make detailed reference to your prescribed text.
One Night the Moon, Rachel Perkins
How has Perkins used the features of musical film to depict clashing cultural perspectives in One Night the Moon?
In your response, make close reference to your prescribed text.
The Castle, Rob Sitch
Examine how Rob Sitch uses the medium of film to convey messages about belonging and collective identity.
Respond to this question with detailed reference to your prescribed text for Module A.
To what extent do the texts you have studied demonstrate that the values a text presents are shaped by its context?How true is this statement of the two texts you studied?
Respond to this question in relation to your prescribed text.
General Question 2
‘Context determines the ways in which similar issues are explored across texts.’
Discuss this statement in relation to your prescribed texts.
General Question 3
‘How has your comparative study enhanced your understanding of the ways in which texts are influenced by other text in how they shape meaning?
Discuss this statement in relation to your prescribed texts.
John Keats’ Poetry and Jane Campion’s Bright Star
“Campion’s film transforms, reimagines and reframes the poetry of Keats and creatively represents the historical, personal and literary contexts of this Romantic writer.”
How does this statement align with your understanding and appreciation of the conversations between the texts? In your response, make close reference to TWO of Keats’ poems and to Campion’s film.
John Donne’s Poetry and Margaret Edson’s W;t
A textual conversation between the poetry of John Donne and Margaret’s Edson’s W;t offers new insights on death and redemption.
To what extent is this statement true in light of your study of Textual Conversations? In your response, make close reference to the pair of prescribed texts that you have studied in Module A.
Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes’ Poetry
A textual conversation between the poetry of Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes offers new insights on memory and relationships.
To what extent is this statement true in light of your study of Textual Conversations? In your response, make close reference to the pair of prescribed texts that you have studied in Module A.
Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway and Stephen Daldry’s The Hours
How is your appreciation and understanding of Mrs Dalloway influenced by your viewing of The Hours?
In your response, make close reference to the pair of prescribed texts that you have studied in Module A.
William Shakespeare’s The Tempest and Margaret Atwood’s Hag-Seed
Explore the ways in which Shakespeare’s The Tempest and Atwood’s Hag-Seed engage in a textual conversation about the nature of growth and journey to reconciliation.
In your response, make close reference to the pair of prescribed texts that you have studied in Module A.
How does The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time use the voice of its protagonist in order to allow insight into his unique perspective?
In your response, refer to the novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.
Coast Road, Robert Gray
“Amongst these vast grey plastic sheets of heat,
shadowy figures
who seem engaged in identifying the dead –
they are the attendants, in overalls and goggles.”
How does Robert Gray use imagery in order to convey ideas about humanity’s relationship with nature? In your response, refer to the quote,Flames and Dangling Wire and one other poem from Coast Road.
“Life isn’t about finding yourself: it’s about creating yourself.” (Henry David Thoreau)
To what extent does this statement reflect your understanding of the novel set for study?
General Question 2
“We forge the chains we wear in life.” (Charles Dickens)
To what extent does the statement represent the concerns and significance of your prescribed text?
General Question 3
In literature we see our essential selves.
To what extent is this true of the prescribed text you have studied in this mod
Emma, Jane Austen
How do realisations work to further the narrative of Emma?
In your answer, refer to the novel, Emma.
TS Eliot: Selected Poems, TS Eliot
It is through his vivid imagery of the new urban landscape that Eliot’s work captures alienation.
To what extent does this statement relate to your own understanding of your prescribed text? In your response, refer to the quotation and your two of the prescribed poems.
Within King Henry IV Part I, for what purposes does Shakespeare use contrast?
In your response, refer to your understanding of the play, King Henry IV Part I by William Shakespeare.
Speak, Memory, Vladimir Nabokov
The distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubborn illusion.
To what degree does this statement conform to your perception of Speak, Memory?
In your response, make close reference to your prescribed text.
The Hare with Amber Eyes, Edmund de Waal
Art is the result of going through an experience to the end.
To what degree does this statement conform to your perception of The Hare with Amber Eyes? In your response, make close reference to your prescribed text.
The questions for Module C will ask you to write either a discursive, persuasive or imaginative piece that has been inspired by one of your prescribed texts from Modules A, B or C.
It is also possible that in the HSC they may split the question into Part (a) and Part (b), where in the former you are asked to write a creative piece and the latter you are required to write a ‘reflective statement’ which reflects upon creative decisions you have made.
Without further ado, here are some practice questions to get you going!
Question 1
“No one should be ashamed to admit they are wrong, which is but saying, in other words, that they are wiser today than they were yesterday.”
– Alexander Pope
Use this quote 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.
Question 2
a) Choose a character, persona or speaker from ONE prescribed text that you have studied in Module C. Express the thoughts and beliefs of this figure, through an alternative perspective to the one presented in your text.
(b) Justify the creative decisions that you have made in your writing in part (a).
Question 3
“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
– Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Use this quote 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.
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Christina Ugov is currently completing a double degree in International and Global Studies and Theatre and Performance at the University of Sydney. Outside of her studies, she enjoys exploring creative writing projects, analysing literature and playing with her cat. She spends her spare time reading, listening to music and drinking lots of tea.
Momoko Metham is a Media and Communications student at the University of Sydney who is currently a writer and creative for the university’s newspaper, Honi Soit. She is always on the hunt for funky pieces to add to her closet or collecting postcards from art galleries to add to her mini art gallery at home. She is also the 2019 General Editor of the ARNA Literary Journal.
