MERIDAN STATE COLLEGE

9 ENGLISH 2023
Summative Item: 2.2

UNIT 2: Stranger than Fiction

ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUE: Written assignment

NAME:
CLASS: TEACHER:
DIMENSION RESULT
Productive
INTERNAL MODERATION
☐ AGREED ☐ CONSULTATION ☐ REVIEWED
MONITORED BY: DATE:

FINAL SUBMISSION DATE: Thursday 15th June (Week 9)

CONDITIONS
Genre: Research/Story Planner + Short Story Excerpt
Audience: Speculative Fiction fans
Word Limit: Research Planner + Short Story Plan: 300-500 words
Short Story Excerpt: Min 200 words
Max 400 words
Class Preparation: 4 weeks
Personal Preparation: 4 weeks
Feedback: Verbal feedback from teacher during class, regarding story plan & excerpt
draft.

Assessment Approval: Date Distributed: Monday 22nd May (Week 6)

CHECKPOINT 1 Week 7
• Verbal feedback from teacher about research notes and story plan

CHECKPOINT 2 Monday 12th June (Week 9)

• Submit your Research and Story Planners, as well as a draft of your Short story excerpt to Canvas by 5pm.
Your teacher will provide ongoing verbal feedback, in class, as you work on your assessment
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
• Research planner, Short Story Plan and short story excerpt, fully edited, submitted to CANVAS by
5pm on Thursday 15th June

Issues relating to due dates are governed by the school assessment guidelines found in the Student Handbook. Extensions
can only be granted by the Head of Department and must be accompanied by a completed ‘Request for Special Provisions’
form.
TASK CONTEXT
In this unit you have developed an understanding of the elements of great short story
telling, including how authors use text structures and language features for effect. You
have also explored the speculative fiction genre and developed an understanding of
how it blends science and truth with speculation and hypothesis, asking the reader to
expand their imagination to consider “What if…?” To do this, you will have researched a
topic and integrated some of these ideas to form a detailed plan for a speculative fiction
story.

TASK
Create a plan for a speculative fiction short story which integrates information that you
have sourced from non-fiction (information) texts.
Part A:
 Research a speculative fiction topic that you are interested in and record your
notes and ideas on the provided Research Planner.
 Use the information and ideas you have generated (and one of the Story Planner
templates provided by your teacher) to create a detailed plan for an
entertaining/original speculative fiction short story.
Part B:
Choose a section of your story plan (orientation, rising tension, climax etc.) and write it,
using a range of language features and text structures for effect.

TASK GUIDELINES
1. Select a topic that lends itself to a speculative fiction story (space travel, cloning, AI,
cryogenics, apocalypse/end of the world scenarios etc.)
2. Research your topic – locate information from non-fiction texts (websites,
magazine article, news reports etc.) and record/organise your notes on the
Research Planner provided by your teacher.
3. Using the information you’ve found, devise an idea for a plausible short story.
4. Structure /organise your ideas into a detailed plan using one of the Story
Planner templates provided by your teacher.
5. Draft a section of your short story – ensure you use the language features of
this text type (dialogue, descriptive passages, figurative language etc.) and
make sure you synthesise the information/ideas from your research into your
short story (such as technical vocabulary).
6. Based on teacher and peer feedback, edit and refine your final short story
excerpt and submit your Research and Story Planner and Short Story Excerpt
to Canvas.
Purpose: Write a speculative fiction short story
PRODUCTIVE MODES
Aspects of the understand how to use a variety of language features create texts that respond to issues, interpreting and integrating edit for effect, selecting vocabulary and grammar that
Achievement Standards to create different levels of meaning ideas from other texts contribute to the precision and persuasiveness of texts,
using accurate spelling and punctuation

discerning use of a variety of language features
STANDARD (including imagery, figurative devices and dialogue) to
show, not tell and engage the reader
A
effective use of a variety of language features to show,
STANDARD not tell and engage the reader
B
+ integration of technical vocabulary
+ creation of a short story that is discerningly structured (uses
bookending, flashback/flashforward, foreshadowing, omits all
unnecessary detail etc.)
thoughtful interpretation and seamless integration of ideas from
other non-fiction texts to create a speculative fiction short story
that responds to an issue
+ use of varied sentence structure for effect (such as to
increase the pace of the story)
+ use of an effective range of punctuation
+ use of evocative vocabulary to bring the characters,
action and setting to life
+ use of accurate spelling of some complex/challenging
words

use of a variety of language features to create different interpretation and integration of ideas from other non-fiction selection of vocabulary and grammar that contributes to
STANDARD levels of meaning texts to create a speculative fiction short story that responds to the precision of your short story
an issue edits for effect, using accurate spelling and punctuation
C

use of language features to create meaning partial integration of ideas from a non-fiction text to create a selection of some appropriate vocabulary and grammar
STANDARD speculative fiction short story for your short story
use of mostly accurate spelling and punctuation, with
D
some errors

some use of language features fragmented or ineffective integration of ideas from a non-fiction ineffective selection of vocabulary and lapses in use of
STANDARD text to create a speculative fiction short story grammar
E frequent lapses and errors in spelling and punctuation