Stage 1 EAL

Semester 2 2021

Assessment Type 1: Responding to

texts

SACE ID: 913003F

Retelling the story of a Shaun Tan picture book
I wake up in my empty room that seems to consist of no more than four bare walls and a
ceiling stopping the fall of mother nature’s cries. I drag myself out of my bed so that I do not
become bedridden by the hands of the demons hiding in the corners of my mind. They were
the same demons that would leave fingerprints in my room filling all four corners and the
space between. Those fingerprints almost impersonate the leaves that you would see on an
autumn day, but they were not of the same kind of colours you see… they could not be seen
in the dark or bring you any sort of life. Some days, the demons would spend endless hours
running circles in my room to the point where they would leave dunes of the leaves almost
unifying with the ceiling.
Struggling to put one foot in front of the other as I walk the streets, I lower my head so that
lurking thoughts do not become peculiar to souls passing by. Despite my efforts, it seems as
though those thoughts accumulate into an invisible entity of darkness for the sight of those
passing souls. This contradicted the need of having to lower my head in hopes of catching the
attention of such souls. For if I did, would there be any hope in fathoming such thoughts? I
felt as though I was trapped in a ‘glass bottle,’ that was, ‘washed up on shore.’ Isolated and
closed-off I have become the eye of a storm, a storm that engulfs me and leaving me feeling
as though I had been steer clear from by the world.
A deaf machine. That is how I would define the world. A deaf machine that embraces endless
dreams, hopes and marvels but somehow always seems to forget its lesser fragments as to not
pester its function. Regardless, without a sense or reason I yearn for it; I yearn for something
to take place, in hopes that something would change the state of my mind or possibly even
my reality. Feeling as though it is a line away, I continue to count the days with tallies,
maybe if I just stayed kept on counting something would change or arrive in my life.
As if I had been bound to this world, from time to time the concept of expressing the essence
of my being seemed to be irrational and unrealistic… but then moments of my life would
come where I would be experiencing rare and beautiful moments. Today, I found myself
gazing outside of a glass window seeing what seemed to be a flying parade float gliding past
my window, leaving tracks of its confetti as it went by. This is perfect would you not say if
you were in my shoes? Well, you would until you would notice a lock on the window in front
of you. It was these sorts of things that made me feel as though I could never truly be free.
Gazing out my window was the closest feeling I could get to any sense of real freedom. After
the flying parade float had escaped my gaze, I quickly made my way back home before
sunset.
Now unapparent, the leaves have somehow disappeared and left behind the type of leaves
you would see on an autumn day. These leaves were bright and filled with life; they were the
kind you would spend time falling into with a friend. Maybe they were the same leaves I had
seen in the morning light, maybe an angel had come and blessed them with its grace, who
knows, all that I was certain about was that these leaves had now provided me with a sense of
warmth and security. A moment where everything fell into place, it shined a ray of hope into
the darkness that had succumbed me.

-  Communication  Comprehension  Application 

 A  Consistently clear and coherent
writing and speaking, using a
Insightful comprehension and
interpretation of complex
Consistent use of complex
language features and
diverse and sophisticated information, ideas, and opinions in conventions for different
vocabulary.  texts.  purposes and audiences. 
Thorough and consistent Thorough and effective  
demonstration of grammatical understanding of the purpose,
control and complexity.  structure, and language features
of texts. 

B  Mostly clear and coherent writing

and speaking, using a varied
Detailed comprehension and
interpretation of some complex
Effective use of language
features and conventions for
vocabulary.  information, ideas, and opinions in different audiences and
Effective and usually accurate texts.  purposes. 
grammatical control and Well-considered understanding of  
complexity.  the purpose, structure, and
language features of texts. 

C  Generally clear and coherent

writing and speaking, with an
Appropriate comprehension and Appropriate use of language
interpretation of information, ideas, features and conventions for
appropriate vocabulary.  and opinions in texts.  different audiences and
Appropriate grammatical control; Appropriate understanding of the purposes. 
some errors, but these do not purpose, structure, and language  
impede meaning.  features of some texts. 

D  Occasionally clear and coherent

writing and speaking, with a
Comprehension of aspects of Some use of language features
information, ideas, and/or opinions and conventions. 
restricted vocabulary.  in texts.   
Partial grammatical control; some Some recognition and awareness
errors impede meaning.  of the purpose, structure, and/or
language features of texts. 

E  Limited clarity and coherence in Limited comprehension of

writing and speaking, with a information or ideas in a text. 
Attempted use of language
features and conventions. 
limited vocabulary.  Limited recognition and awareness  
Limited grammatical control; errors of the purpose, structure, and
impede meaning.  language features of a text. 

Performance Standards for Stage 1 EAL Retelling the story of a picture book 

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