What does the course entail?

The Literature ATAR course explores how literary texts construct representations, shape perceptions of the world and enable us to enter other worlds of the imagination.
Students enjoy and respond creatively and critically to literary texts drawn from the past and present and from Australian and other cultures. They reflect on what these texts offer them as individuals, as members of Australian society and as world citizens.
Students establish and articulate their views through creative response and logical argument. They reflect on qualities of literary texts, appreciate the power of language and inquire into the relationships between texts, authors, readers, audiences and contexts as they explore ideas, concepts, attitudes and values.
"English class is really enjoyable and it teaches us important skills while keeping us engaged and interested."

What units will be covered in this course?

Year 11
Units 1 & 2

Unit 1
This unit develops knowledge and understanding of different literary conventions and storytelling traditions and their relationships with audiences. A range of literary forms is considered: prose fiction, poetry and drama. The significance of ideas and the distinctive qualities of texts are analysed through detailed textual study. Through the creation of analytical responses, students frame consistent arguments that are substantiated by relevant evidence. In the creation of imaginative texts, students explore and experiment with aspects of style and form.
Engagement in this course will allow students to:
  • understand how language, structure and stylistic choices are used in different literary forms.
  • examine the ways in which contexts shape how a text is produced then received and responded to by readers/audiences.
  • create oral, written and multimodal responses that explore the structure and style of literary texts.

Unit 2
Unit 2 develops students’ knowledge and understanding of intertextuality, the ways literary texts connect with each other. Drawing on a range of language and literary experiences, students consider the relationships between texts, genres, authors, readers, audiences and contexts. The ideas, language and structure of different texts are compared and contrasted.
Engagement in this course will allow students to:
  • examine the ways in which texts resemble and/or refer to other texts, including through parody, imitation, appropriation and transformation and the ways in which adaptations of earlier texts allow new insights into original texts.
  • explore how aspects of literary texts have been appropriated into popular culture.
  • investigate the ways in which different literary forms may evolve by blending and borrowing conventions from other texts and/or genres.
  • appreciate the use of literary techniques, including poetic, dramatic and narrative structure and devices.

Assessment Structure
There are five types of assessment in the Literature ATAR course. The weightings of these assessments are set by the School Curriculum and Standards Authority.
They are:
  • Extended written response 10-20%
This can include analytical, discursive and reflective responses in a number of forms, for example, long essays, research assignments, feature articles or a collection of journal entries.
  • Short written response 30-40%
This can include analytical, discursive and reflective responses in a number of forms, for example, short essays, close readings, short responses to a series of questions or individual journal entries.
  • Creative production of a literary text 10-20%
This can include writing in the three genres of poetry, prose fiction and drama, for example, poems, short stories, scripts or the production of multimodal texts that make use of literary conventions.
  • Oral 10-20%
This can include oral work in a number of forms, for example, speeches, tutorials, group discussions, panel discussions or performances such as role play or readers’ theatre.
  • Examination 20-30%
Typically conducted at the end of each semester and/or unit. In preparation for Unit 3 and Unit 4, the examination should reflect the examination design brief included in the ATAR Year 12 syllabus for this course.

Year 12
Units 3 & 4

Unit 3
Unit 3 develops students’ knowledge and understanding of the relationship between language, culture and identity in literary texts. Students inquire into the power of language to represent ideas, events and people, comparing these across a range of texts, contexts, modes and forms.
Engagement in this course will allow students to:
  • examine how readers are influenced to respond to their own and others’ cultural experiences.
  • understand the power of language to represent ideas, events and people in particular ways, understanding that language is a cultural medium and that its meanings may vary according to context.
  • explore how representations of culture support or challenge various ideologies. Representations may reinforce habitual ways of thinking about the world or they may challenge popular ways of thinking, and in doing so, re-shape values, attitudes and beliefs.
  • appreciate the ways in which authors represent Australian culture, place and identity both to Australians and the wider world.

Unit 4
The unit focuses on the dynamic nature of literary interpretation and considers the insights texts offer, their use of literary conventions and aesthetic appeal. Students’ analytical responses demonstrate increasing independence in interpreting texts and synthesising a range of perspectives into critical and imaginative responses.
Engagement in this course will allow students to:
  • examine how literature represents and/or reflects cultural change and difference.
  • appreciate the ways in which the expectations and values of audiences shape readings of texts and perceptions of their significance and how the social, cultural and historical spaces in which texts are produced and read mediate readings.
  • appreciate how interpretations of texts vary over time.
  • understand the ways in which ideological perspectives are conveyed through texts drawn from other times and cultures, and how these perspectives may be reviewed by a contemporary Australian audience.

Assessment Structure
There are five types of assessment in the Literature ATAR course. The weightings of these assessments are set by the School Curriculum and Standards Authority.
They are:
  • Extended written response 15%
This can include analytical, discursive and reflective responses in a number of forms, for example, long essays, research assignments, feature articles or a collection of journal entries.
  • Short written response 35%
This can include analytical, discursive and reflective responses in a number of forms, for example, short essays, close readings, short responses to a series of questions or individual journal entries.
  • Creative production of a literary text 10%
This can include writing in the three genres of poetry, prose fiction and drama, for example, poems, short stories, scripts or the production of multimodal texts that make use of literary conventions.
  • Oral 10%
This can include oral work in a number of forms, for example, speeches, tutorials, group discussions, panel discussions or performances such as role play or readers’ theatre.
  • Examination 30%
Typically conducted at the end of each semester and/or unit. The examination should reflect the examination design brief included in the ATAR Year 12 syllabus for this course.
Head of Learning Area: Mr Robert Armitage
Contact Number: 9591 4237
​Contact Email: [email protected]