Mentor: Dr Jenny Wells Role at Talent 100: Head of English, teaches Year 12 English Adv Online and authors Talent 100’s resources and exercises. Tell us a bit about yourself: I hold a Ph.D at the University of Sydney in English Literature, as well as Bachelor of Arts (Hons). Professionally, I was the former Head of […]

Name: Saniya Sharma School: Smith’s Hill Now you have finished the HSC, what is your number 1 tip for students?  A study technique that worked really well for me this year, was talking out loud through content as if I were teaching it to someone. This works really well for content heavy subjects such as economics and […]

Name: Hritika Ghosh School: Abbotsleigh Now you have finished the HSC, what is your number 1 tip for students?  My number one study tip is a combination of all the advice and wisdom that I was given throughout Year 12. It consists of 3D’s: The first D is to Dream. I feel it is important to have […]

Reading a poem in light of its context Analysing one of the most famous Romantic poems of the 18th century, Kubla Khan by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Let’s explore Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s text ‘Kubla Khan’. Its prose Preface is also by Coleridge, so you can consider it part of his text (but it’s not part of […]

Literary periods which influenced literature Exploring major literary periods which shaped English and contemporary literature – which helps us find meaning in the texts written in this time. The Romantic Era (1785 – 1830) Romanticism was a specific, complex, widespread movement in thought and culture. It continues to have a huge influence on our own […]

Exploring the importance of context in literature Context and how it shapes the meaning of texts and how we study them According to English Textual Concepts, ‘context refers to factors acting upon composers and responders that impinge on meaning.. To understand context we need to look beyond the text and consider the world in which […]

Speeches are a powerful form of communication We hope that you will gain an appreciation of what speeches can do in a society, as well as the language they use that makes them such a great way to educate, encourage, and inspire the people who hear them. We will explore how truly unforgettable speech is […]

Imagery is a language technique where the author uses words and descriptions to convey a sense When used well, imagery helps us as readers to form a picture of what is happening in the story, and it makes the reading experience more immersive. First up, let’s take a look at this example, which does not […]

Don’t use passive voice in your HSC examinations and assessments Passive voice in grammar means expressing actions without actually saying who’s doing them, or who they apply to. A lot of high school students try to use passive voice because they believe that is sounds more sophisticated or academic to a reader. In reality, it’s […]

HSC 2020: English Advanced Paper 1 & 2 To prepare for the upcoming school term, we will start by exploring the key differences between English Advanced Paper 1 and Paper 2 of the HSC exams, since many students will commence the Module A studies upon returning to school. We will have a look at why […]