BlogEnglishModule A Standard English: Rubric Breakdown and Essay Tips
Module A Standard English: Rubric Breakdown and Essay Tips
If you’re looking to ace HSC Module A Standard English and find out how exactly you’re meant to analyse cultures and identities, this is the article for you.
As a senior HSC English tutor with 200+ hours of experience who also graduated with a 95+ ATAR, I’ll tell you all you need to know to understand Module A and score top marks in your essay!
This article will give you:
A line-by-line explanation of the Module A rubric
Upcoming assessments so you know what to expect
Advice on how to study and analyse your texts at the same time
The most common student mistakes and how to overcome them
A FREE cheat sheet explaining how all the prescribed texts connect to the rubric PLUS sample thesis statements
Module A Standard English focuses on unpacking how authors use language to “affirm, ignore, reveal, challenge or disrupt prevailing assumptions and beliefs about themselves, individuals and cultural groups.”
Essentially, you’ll be looking into how your text represents ideas about personal and collective identity, cultural connections and storytelling – while also examining how the author engages with external contexts and preconceived notions to reshape their own socio-cultural narrative.
What does the Module A rubric for English Standard even mean?
Take a look at the rubric put out by NESA. Read through it carefully and then skim through our table unpacking it line by line.
Extract from Rubric
Explanation
Students consider how their responses to written, spoken, audio and visual texts can shape their self-perception.
You’ll be looking at how texts can influence how you see yourself and relate to the world around you.
They also consider the impact texts have on shaping a sense of identity for individuals and/or communities.
You’ll need to examine how texts characterise specific cultures, communities and living situations.
Students deepen their understanding of how language can be used to affirm, ignore, reveal, challenge or disrupt prevailing assumptions and beliefs about themselves, individuals and cultural groups.
You’ll be studying texts that represent the experiences of real social or cultural groups, meaning they will have an impact on how these groups are perceived in the real world. This could mean challenging racial stereotypes, revealing the importance of cultural traditions etc.
[Students] explore, analyse and assess the ways in which meaning about individual and community identity, as well as cultural perspectives, is shaped in and through texts.
You’ll be unpacking how texts depict individual identity (what people personally believe in and associate themselves with) and collective identity (groups associating themselves with a defined set of norms, customs or other defining practices).
They investigate how textual forms and conventions, as well as language structures and features, are used to communicate information, ideas, values and attitudes which inform and influence perceptions of ourselves and other people and various cultural perspectives.
You’ll be exploring how texts can provide unique insights that change the way we view ourselves, certain cultures and other people and groups.
How will I be assessed?
You can have one internal (in-school) assessment specifically on this Module.
As there is a cap of 4 internal assessments for Year 12, including the Trial HSC exam, only 3 modules will have assessments attached to them. This means that you may not have a formal essay assessment for Module A Standard English before the HSC Trial Exam.
In addition to this limit, there is a cap of one formal written assessment for Year 12.
- Home and belonging
- Ethnicity and identity
- Racism
Ray Lawler, Summer of the Seventeenth Doll
- Home and belonging
- Work and identity
- Class issues
Bernard Shaw, Pygmalion
- Class issues
- Gender and identity
- Work and identity
Alana Valentine, Shafana and Aunt Sarrinah
- Religious identity
- Gender and identity
- Ethnicity and cultural background
Alice Pung, Unpolished Gem
- Home and belonging
- Immigration
- Ethnicity and identity
Rachel Perkins, One Night the Moon
- Racism
- Ethnicity and cultural background
- Home and belonging
Rob Sitch, The Castle
- Working class issues
- Home and belonging
- Immigration
Janet Merewether, Reindeer in my Saami Heart
- Home and belonging
- Ethnicity and identity
- Racism
Struggling to find any techniques while reading through your prescribed text? Just ask Artie, our AI English tutor! Select the ‘Identify Techniques’ feature and paste any quote then Artie will instantly find you several techniques plus analysis:
How to Read and Analyse your Texts at the Same Time to Save Time
➡️ Step 1: Active Reading
As you read, underline or highlight anything that stands out – not just quotes, but moments that make you feel something, show a character changing or represent a specific idea. Scribble quick notes in the margins like “shows hypocrisy” or “contrast with earlier scene.” This keeps you alert and helps you form initial ideas about the text that you can flesh out in your broader HSC English notes.
➡️ Step 2: Think About Techniques
As you read, scan the text for literary techniques and explain their effect e.g. “simile shows emotional distance” or “motif of eyes = awareness.” This strengthens your ability to connect technique with meaning. Techniques like imagery, characterisation and structural devices (short sentences, fragmentation, flashbacks etc.) are the easiest to spot.
➡️ Step 3: Looking for Patterns
Take note of any themes, shifts in tone, character developments, subtextual implications or deeper meanings. These textual features are especially important as they are often directly related to the perspective or messages the author is trying to convey to their audience.
➡️ Step 4: Running Table of Quotes and Analysis
Make a TEE table with three columns: Technique / Example, Quote / Effect. Add to it regularly, ideally after each reading session. This becomes your go-to revision resource since you’re building your essay evidence while you read, which saves a ton of time later.
5 Common Student Struggles + Solutions
#1:Superficial inclusion of context
Many students know they have to include context to show their understanding of a text, but they don’t know how to actually integrate it into their argument.
In my experience as an essay marker, I’ve seen so many essays where one sentence about context was just stuck right at the end, completely disconnected from any of the points in the paragraph.
Including context isn’t just about demonstrating knowledge; it serves to deepen and enhance the legitimacy of your analysis by giving relevant real-world examples about the background of the author or the text.
This is especially important for Module A as all the authors have connections to a specific culture, ethnic group or social class and are representing that part of their identity through the text.
Here’s an example of just bringing up context vs using it to enhance your analysis: “Cobby Eckermann’s poetry reflects on her Indigenous identity and was written in a post-colonial society.”
While the above statement is factually correct, the purpose of including this context is to elaborate on how these contextual details shape her perspective “Cobby Eckermann’s Indigenous identity influences her poetic exploration of connection to country and informs her critique of the deprivation of traditional land rights and systemic racism within a post-colonial context.”
#2: Not mentioning the form
Many students neglect to include any examples relevant to their text’s form (novel, movie, play, etc.) in their essay. This is a big oversight because an author typically chooses their form very carefully in order to deliver their message in a certain way.
You should aim to discuss elements of your form which differentiate it from other kinds of forms, for example, the verse structure of a poem or particular camera angles in a film. Think hard about what your text does that would not be possible to translate into other mediums. This helps to show your understanding of not just the textual content, but also its presentation.
#3: Vague analysis of identity
One of my biggest struggles in school was avoiding vague or overly broad terms when writing about identity because it’s such an inherent and subjective concept. However, the reality is phrases like “the text explores identity” or “the author shows cultural experiences” don’t demonstrate a clear understanding of what kind of identity is being explored or how it’s represented.
So, when writing my analysis, it really helped me to narrow the specific aspect of identity being represented. Is it ethnic, religious, cultural or something else? And how does the text communicate that experience through language?
For example, instead of saying: “The text shows the challenges of identity.”
Try: “The author reflects his struggle to form a cohesive personal identity and feel a sense of belonging due the tension between his inherited Vietnamese cultural background and his desire to assimilate into Australian society.”
The more specific your analysis, the more insightful and relevant it becomes to the module.
#4: Underutilising language techniques
Many students list techniques like similes or repetition without linking them to meaning. They just name them and move on. But Module A Standard English is titled “Language, Identity and Culture” for a reason: you’re being assessed on how language is used to represent ideas about identity and culture.
For example, instead of saying: “The author uses a metaphor to show cultural erasure.”
Try: “The extended metaphor of a “fading photograph” captures the speaker’s gradual loss of cultural memory, reinforcing the emotional cost of assimilation in feeling disconnected from one’s family and decades of cultural heritage.”
In general, analysis is not just about stating techniques, it’s about explaining their literary effect and connecting that to the deeper meaning the author is trying to convey.
#5:Surface level analysis of identity
A lot of students latch onto one aspect of identity, like ethnicity or religion, and forget that identity is layered, shifting and often contradictory. In Module A, you’re not just being asked to show how identity exists, but how it’s constructed, challenged or transformed by language and culture.
Instead of writing a paragraph that says “this text is about being Chinese-Australian,” consider how this identity shapes their experiences and self-perception.
For example, you could consider:
What does being Chinese or Australian actually mean to the protagonist?
How does the composer represent the tension between cultural expectations and personal desire?
Does the text portray identity as fixed or fluid, self-ascribed or imposed by society?
Looking for some extra help with Module A of Year 12 Standard English?
We have an incredible team of HSC English tutors and mentors who are new HSC syllabus experts!
We can help you master your HSC English text and ace your upcoming HSC English assessments with personalised lessons conducted one-on-one in your home, online or at one of our state-of-the-art campuses in Chatswood, Hornsby or the Hills!
Looking for expert tutoring near you? Explore our tutoring locations to find high-quality tutoring services in your area, including NSW, VIC, and QLD. We’ve supported over 8,000 students over the last 11 years, and on average, our students score mark improvements of over 20%!
To find out more and get started with an inspirational HSC English tutor and mentor, get in touch today or give us a ring on 1300 267 888!
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.
Anna Dvorak graduated from High School last year and is now studying a Bachelor of Communications, majoring in media, arts & production and journalism, at UTS. Alongside studying, Anna works as an Academic Coach & Mentor at Art of Smart while also doing freelance work. She is very passionate about the art of storytelling and helping people fulfil their potential. In her free time, you’ll find Anna working on her craft, reading, watching Netflix, somewhere outside or catching up on sleep.
Cameron Croese completed his HSC in 2013, earning first place in his cohort in Advanced English, Extension English 1, and Extension English 2. Privately tutoring throughout his university career as an English and Education student, he enjoys helping his students at Art of Smart understand, write well on, and enjoy their texts, as well as assisting with other aspects of school life. He is a contributing editor to his student magazine, in which he has had reviews, feature articles, and short stories published.
