So you’re studying Standard English Module A: Language, Identity and Culture and need some practice essay questions, hey?
I graduated Year 12 with a Band 6 in English Advanced and have been an English Tutor for over 2 years, so I know a thing or two about how to approach your Module A responses.
Read on to find tips on writing top notch responses, a rundown of what the rubric is asking of you, and a solid list of 32 general and 17 text-specific practice essay questions you can use to sharpen your writing skills.
How to Get Ace Your Module A Essay
General Module A Questions
Text-Specific Module A Questions
→ Prose Fiction
→ Poetry
→ Drama
→ Nonfiction
→ Film
→ Media
How to Get Full Marks on a Language, Identity and Culture Essay
Tip 1: Develop a deep understanding of the text’s form.
Is it prose fiction? A film? A poem?
Spend time really unpacking what is so unique about that particular form of text, its structure, and how it is effective in conveying the author’s ideas about language, identity and culture.
Tip 2: Use language from the rubric in your responses.
One of the simplest and most effective ways of bumping up your Module A essay marks is to use terminology from the rubric in your writing.
Even using the terms “language”, “identity” and “culture” is key in showing markers that you understand the focus of this module.
You’ll also want to include discussion about individual and collective identity, as the concept of culture is very complex in how it can create both a sense of belonging and isolation for some.
Tip 3: Get your head around exactly what the rubric means.
You may be wondering, “but what does the Standard English Module A rubric really mean?”
Some of the terminology used can be a little confusing so we’ve broken down the main rubric statements and explained how you can meet its requirements in the table below.
| Rubric Statement | How to Achieve This |
|---|---|
| “Language has the power to both reflect and shape individual and collective identity. In this module, students consider how their responses to written, spoken, audio and visual texts can shape their self perception.” | The focus of this module is to explore how language and different forms of storytelling affects our lives, feelings of belonging and sense of identity. |
| “Through their responding and composing 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 will study the different ways language is used to highlight, support or go against societal and cultural norms, and how different communities are seen and treated. |
| “[Students] 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. | Within your prescribed text(s), you will investigate factors such as the author’s use of language techniques, structures and genre and how these impact how we view ourselves, others and different cultures. |
| “Through reading, viewing and listening, students analyse, assess and critique the specific language features and form of texts.” | You will identify which literary techniques and structures are at play, and make a judgment on how effective they are in conveying messages. |
| “In their responding and composing students develop increasingly complex arguments and express their ideas clearly and cohesively using appropriate register, structure and modality.” | Your written responses to the prescribed text(s) should contain thorough personal interpretations, expressed clearly using the correct essay structure. |
| “Students also experiment with language and form to compose imaginative texts that explore representations of identity and culture, including their own. Students draft, appraise and refine their own texts, applying the conventions of syntax, spelling and grammar appropriately and for particular effects.” | In writing your own imaginative pieces you should try using different language devices and forms to explore aspects of culture and identity, even your own. Be sure to draft and edit your work, ensuring correct spelling, grammar and sentence structures. |
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20 General Module A Essay Questions
Question 1
“What we know of the world is captured in the way we talk about it.” In your answer, refer to your prescribed text.
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?
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?
Question 4
How do texts use voice and other cultural signifiers to explore differences between groups of people? Respond with reference to your prescribed text.
Question 5
“To understand language is to understand human connection.” How is this idea explored in your prescribed text?
Question 6
How has your study of texts that explore cultural voices enhanced your understanding of individual identity? Respond with reference to your prescribed text.
Question 7
Within the texts you have studied, what have you learned about the connection between cultural groups and space? Respond with reference to your prescribed text.
Question 8
“Only through close attention to the way its people speak can one understand a culture.” How has this idea been reflected in the texts you have studied? Respond with reference to your prescribed text.
Question 9
How do texts explore the way that cultural identities can change in time? Respond with reference to your prescribed text.
Question 10
“The moments when a culture is the most vibrant is when it is being threatened.” To what extent to you agree? Respond with reference to your prescribed text.
Question 11
How have the texts you have studied used voice in order to explore the complexities of cultural identity? Respond with reference to your prescribed text.
Question 12
In what ways have the texts you have studied explore the role of culture in an individual’s sense of self? Respond with reference to your prescribed text.
Question 13
How has conflict been used in the texts you have studied to explore the distinct features of social groups? Respond with reference to your prescribed text.
Question 14
In what ways has your study of cultural voices enhanced your perspective of the social groups your texts have depicted? Respond with reference to your prescribed text.
Question 15
In what ways has your study of cultural voices enhanced your perspective on the ways relationships within groups change over time? Respond with reference to your prescribed text.
Question 16
‘One of the key conceptions of quality texts is their ability to challenge popular perspectives on particular social groups.’ To what extent do you agree? In your response, refer to your prescribed text.
Question 17
‘One of the key conceptions of quality texts is their ability to challenge popular perspectives on particular social groups.’ To what extent do you agree? In your response, refer to your prescribed text.
Question 18
How have the texts you have studied demonstrated how composers can play with audience’s expectations and assumptions for effect? In your response, refer to your prescribed text.
Question 19
In what ways have the composers of the texts you have studied experimented with voice in order to create meaning? In your response, refer to your prescribed text.
Question 20
How have the texts you have studied explored the tension between personal identity and cultural identity? In your response, refer to your prescribed text.
Question 21
Analyse how personalities and attitudes are conveyed by the use of distinctive voices in the texts you have studied. In your response, make detailed reference to your prescribed text.
Question 22
Analyse how language is used in your prescribed text to express identity and culture. In your response, make close reference to your prescribed text.
Question 23
By telling each other stories, we recreate ourselves over and over again. Where do we come from? Where are we going? . . . These stories pass [on] our values as a society . . . It’s how we understand each other. – Olga and Christopher Werby, Twin Time
Explain how ideas in this statement highlight the way cultural values and identity are represented in your prescribed text. In your response, make close reference to your prescribed text.
Question 24
Examine the way cultural values are revealed through different experiences in your prescribed text. In your response, make close reference to your prescribed text.
Question 25
The greatest influence on an individual’s identity is their cultural connections. To what extent do you agree with this statement? In your response, make detailed reference to your prescribed text.
Question 26
Transitions can lead to shifts in attitudes and beliefs. Discuss this statement making close reference to your prescribed text and at least ONE related text of your choice.
Question 27
Analyse how language creates a sense of identity for individuals within a community in your prescribed text. In your response, make detailed reference to your prescribed text.
Question 28
Identity and culture are never fixed. They are part of an ongoing conversation within society. Discuss this idea with close reference to your prescribed text.
Question 29
Explain how the language used in your prescribed text changed your perceptions about identity. In your response, make detailed reference to your prescribed text.
Question 30
A composer’s use of conflict promotes a deeper exploration of identity and culture. To what extent do you agree with this statement? In your response, make detailed reference to the text.
Question 31
How does the form of your prescribed text support the way it represents cultural identity? In your response, make detailed reference to your prescribed text.
Question 32
To what extent does your prescribed text disrupt assumptions about culture? In your response, make close reference to your prescribed text.
17 Text-Specific Module A Essay Questions
1️⃣ Prose Fiction
Henry Lawson Short Stories (The Drover’s Wife’, ‘The Union Buries Its Dead’, ‘Shooting the Moon’, ‘Our Pipes’, ‘The Loaded Dog’)
Question 33
Explain how Henry Lawson’s perspective in his short stories has influenced your thinking about an individual’s sense of identity in society. In your response, make reference to at least ONE individual in each of TWO of Henry Lawson’s short stories.
Question 34
Examine the way cultural values are revealed through different experiences in your prescribed text. In your response, make close reference to your prescribed text.
Andrea Levy, Small Island
Question 35
Prose fiction relies primarily on setting to create cultural tension. To what extent do you agree with this statement? In your response, make detailed reference to your prescribed text.
2️⃣ Poetry
Contemporary Asian Australian Poets featuring poems from Merlinda Bobis, Ouyang Yu and Maureen Ten
Question 36
Explain how sensory imagery is used to shape the representation of various cultural perspectives in your prescribed text. In your response make close reference to at least TWO poems.
Question 37
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.
Question 38
How has the poet’s use of language challenged prevailing assumptions and beliefs about cultural identity? In your response make reference to society’s and your own assumptions and beliefs. You must refer to TWO of the poems set for study.
Cobby Eckermann, ‘Ali’, ‘Inside my Mother’, ‘Trance’, ‘Unearth’, ‘Oombulgarri’, ‘Eyes’, ‘Leaves’, ‘Key’
Question 39
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.
Question 40
Poetry relies primarily on symbolism to create cultural tension. To what extent do you agree with this statement? In your response, make detailed reference to your prescribed text.
Question 41
“Language brings with it an identity and a culture, or at least the perception of it” – Trevor Noah. Discuss how this statement aligns with your understanding of the relationships between language, culture and identity. Make close reference to at least TWO of the poems.
3️⃣ Drama
Ray Lawler, Summer of the Seventeenth Doll
Question 42
Analyse how experiences and attitudes are conveyed by the use of distinctive images in the texts you have studied. In your response, make detailed reference to your prescribed text.
Question 43
Drama relies primarily on characterisation to create cultural tension. To what extent do you agree with this statement? In your response, make detailed reference to your prescribed text.
Bernard Shaw, Pygmalion
Question 44
Examine how the dramatic form of George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion is used to present messages about the connections between Language, Identity and Culture.
Alana Valentine, Shafana and Aunt Sarrinah
Question 45
Analyse how Alana Valentine explores the relationship between cultural perspectives and how it has an impact on our individual identity in Shafana and Aunt Sarrinah.
4️⃣ Nonfiction
Alice Pung, Unpolished Gem
Question 46
Nonfiction relies primarily on storytelling to create cultural tension. To what extent do you agree with this statement? In your response, make detailed reference to your prescribed text.
5️⃣ Film
Rachel Perkins, One Night the Moon
Question 47
How has Perkins used the features of musical film to depict clashing cultural perspectives in One Night the Moon?
Question 48
Explain how sound and music contribute to the representation of identity and culture in One Night the Moon.
Rob Sitch, The Castle
Question 49
Film relies primarily on dialogue to create cultural tension. To what extent do you agree with this statement? In your response, make detailed reference to your prescribed text.
6️⃣ Media
Janet Merewether, Reindeer in my Saami Heart
Question 50
Media relies primarily on images to create cultural tension. To what extent do you agree with this statement? In your response, make detailed reference to your prescribed text.
On the hunt for other English standard resources?
Check out some of our other articles, guides and practice questions below:
- Guide to HSC English Standard Module B: Close Study of Literature
- How to Analyse Pygmalion for HSC Standard English
- How to Analyse Henry Lawson’s ‘The Union Buries its Dead’ for Module A Standard English
- The Master List of HSC English Past Papers: Advanced, Standard and Extension 1
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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.
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.
