Key Concepts in the

Responding Section
Today we’ll cover:

 The main concepts in Units 3 and 4

 The main concepts that have appeared in previous exams
 Some strategies to reinforce your understanding of the concepts
First, to the syllabus!

 At this point, this document should be your

best friend!
 This is where your exam comes from – make
sure you read it!
 Unit 3 Description
 Students explore representations of themes, issues, ideas and concepts
through a comparison of texts. They analyse and compare the relationships
between language, genre and contexts, comparing texts within and/or across
different genres and modes. Students recognise and analyse the conventions
of genre in texts and consider how those conventions may assist
interpretation. Students compare and evaluate the effect of different media,
forms and modes on the structure of texts and how audiences respond to
them. Understanding of these concepts is demonstrated through the creation
of imaginative, interpretive, persuasive and analytical responses.
 Unit 4 Description
 Students examine different interpretations and perspectives to develop
further their knowledge and analysis of purpose and style. They challenge
perspectives, values and attitudes in texts, developing and testing their own
interpretations through debate and argument. Through close study of texts,
students explore relationships between content and structure, voice and
perspectives and the text and context. This provides the opportunity for
students to extend their experience of language and of texts and explore
their ideas through their own reading and viewing. Students demonstrate
understanding of the texts studied through creation of imaginative,
interpretive, persuasive and analytical responses.
The Responding Section

 40 marks / 60 minutes
 This is the section you have the most control over IF you are confident in the
CONCEPTS.
Prevalence of concepts in previous
exams
2016-2019
10
8
6
4
2
0

2019 2018 2017 2016 TOTAL

 2019 2018 2017 2016TOTAL
Compare 2 2 2 3 9
Context 2 1 3 2 8
Genre 2 1 2 2 7
Construction/Textual Features/Language
Features/Structure/Crafted 2 3 1 1 7
Audience 2 1 2 5
YOU/YOUR 2 2 1 5
Representations 1 2 1 4
Themes/Issues/Ideas/Concepts 1 3 4
Perspectives 1 1 1 1 4
Voice 1 1 1 1 4
Interpretations 2 1 3
Values 1 1 1 3
Attitudes 1 1 1 3
Controversy 1 1 1 3
Purpose 2 2
Empathy 1 1 2
Modes 1 1 2
Response 1 1 2
Style/Stylistic Choices 1 1
Transform/Adapt 1 1
Evaluate 1 1
Conflict 1 1
Omissions/Marginalisation 1 1
Narrative Point of View 1 1
Effectiveness/Effective 1 1
Reading 1 1
 2016-2020
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
a re ext nre ted nce UR ves ice ons pts ons ues des rsy ate ose thy des nse ces apt lict ion iew ive ing ing ons
p nt
G e ea ie YO cti Vo ati ce ati al itu ve lu rp pa Mo po oi Ad nf sat V ct ad an pti
m o r / n V o a u s h f e
Co C
d
/C Au YOU rsp
e t
en /Co pre
t t
At ont
r E v P E m
Re ic C rm
/ o l
C a t o Ef i f Re Me um
d s o i n n / s
f te Pe p re eas ter C l ist nsf arg Poi ess As
a Re s/Id In y a /M ive ive
n
/Cr /St Tr s t
e ue e n t
ur ss tyl sio rra fec
ct /I S s
i N Ef a
tru es O m
s/
S
h em
re T
u
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F
age
g u
Lan
/
res
u
e at
alF
u
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n /T
ti o
c
ru
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Co 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 TOTAL
 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016TOTAL
Compare 1 2 2 2 3 10
Context 2 2 1 3 2 10
Genre 3 2 1 2 2 10
Construction/Textual Features/Language
Features/Structure/Crafted/Created 1 2 3 1 1 8
Audience 2 2 1 2 7
YOU/YOUR 2 2 2 1 7
Perspectives 1 1 1 1 1 5
Voice 1 1 1 1 1 5
Representations 1 2 1 4
Themes/Issues/Ideas/Concepts 1 3 4
Interpretations 1 2 1 4
Values 1 1 1 1 4
Attitudes 1 1 1 3
Controversy 1 1 1 3
Evaluate 2 1 3
Purpose 2 2
Empathy 1 1 2
Modes 1 1 2
Response 1 1 2
Style/Stylistic Choices 1 1 2
Transform/Adapt 1 1 2
Conflict 1 1
Omissions/Marginalisation 1 1
Narrative Point of View 1 1
Effectiveness/Effective 1 1
Reading 1 1
Meaning 1 1
Assumptions 1 1
Section Two: Responding
 Questions in this section may require you to:

 Identify how texts adhere to, manipulate, or innovate generic conventions to

appeal to an audience, or to represent a context
 Evaluate how similar themes or ideas are treated in texts of different modes,
types of genres
 Consider how ideas, voices and perspectives are constructed for particular
purposes, audiences or contexts
 Examine how your unique response to an idea is formed, reinforced or challenged
by the construction of a text
 Investigate the relationship between texts and contexts; consider how texts
represent a particular context, or compare contexts of production and reception
 Identify how a text generates empathy or controversy through it’s construction
Syllabus concepts

 Context  Values, Attitudes and beliefs

 Perspectives  Voice
 Representations  Adaptation
 Genre  Controversy
 Themes/Issues/Ideas/Concepts  Audience
 Comparison  Conventions
 Interpretations
 Purpose
 Style
Representations

 This literally means to ‘re-present’ or to present again.

 Text creators re-present places, people, events, ideas, issues or subjects for
particular purposes and audiences.

 When analysing the representations in texts, ask yourself these questions:

 What is the representation exactly?
 How is this representation constructed?
 What are the contextual influences of the representation?
 What purposed does this representation serve?
Themes, issues, ideas and concepts

 Themes: An idea, concern or argument in a text, a recurring element (for

example, the subject of a text may be love and its theme could be how love
involves sacrifice.

 Issues: Matters of personal or public concern that are in dispute; things which
directly or indirectly affect a person or members of a society and are
considered to be problems.

 Ideas: in this course the word has an open meaning and can be interpreted as
understandings, thoughts, notion, opinions, views or beliefs.

 Concepts: An abstract idea.

Comparison

A consideration
predominantly of the
similarities, but
which may also
include the
differences,
between two or
more things – in this
case, two or more
texts.
 Genre
 Types or categories of texts

 We can tie this to generic conventions

 Your teachers EXPLICITLY covered this in Semester One.

 Genre

Genre of
Genre of Form
Subject
and Structure
Matter

Novel Feature film Horror Romance

Short Story Still Image Dystopia Thriller

Persuasive
Documentary Western Gothic
essay
Context

 The environment in which a text is responded to or created.

 Context of Reception = You

 Context of Production = The text

Context of Reception –
You!

Your Text

Context of Production
– author/culture
Context

 Context of culture: values and attitudes naturalised

within the text

 Context of situation: immediate information

Interpretations
 The meanings made from texts.

 The meaning YOU make from a text may be influences by a range of things,
including but not limited to:
 Personal context
 Expectations of the genre or text type
 The purpose and function of the text
 Individual values and attitudes

 Often, this concept is accompanied by the word ‘your’ – that’s your cue to
use first person pronouns!
Perspectives
 A position from which things may be viewed or considered… A perspective is
more than an opinion, it is a viewpoint informed by one or more contexts.
 Ultimately, perspective refers to the lens through which we experience the
world represented in the text.

 The text presents [context] perspective on [subject]

viewing it as [opinion]
Purpose
 Analytical Texts  To entertain
 To persuade
 Imaginative Texts  To analyse
 To challenge
 Interpretive Texts  To subvert
 To educate
 Persuasive Texts  To inform
 To instruct
 To advise
 To satirise
 To support
Style – each text has a style which can distinguish
the work of a particular author or genre.

Define:
Lexical Choice Lexical choice
Figurative
Language
Narrative point
of view
Narrative Point of View
Text title: Syntax
________________

Structure of
Nominalisation
Juxtaposition Type of Text: whole text of
________________ paragraphs
Juxtaposition
Figurative language
Nominalisation Syntax
  Principles of significant important or worth.
Values  We tend to empathise with and like a character if they share our own
values and we generally perceive those with opposing values as
antagonists.

safety Equality Independence trust fame wealth Freedom Honour

Acceptance Fun Tradition Adventure Affection Beauty Academia Health

Ambition Wisdom Celebrity Courtesy Family Loyalty Modesty Popularity

Pride Equity Diversity Strength Courage Youth Imagination Humility

Material
Respect Patriotism Creativity Order Mateship Fertility Adventure
possessions

Faith Organisation Love

Attitudes

 An outlook or a specific feeling about something.

 Under pinned by values.
 Expressed by what we say, do and wear. 

You should write about attitudes in the following manner:

The author promotes a [feeling] attitude towards [subject]

e.g. …a critical attitude towards coal mining e.g. …an encouraging attitude towards men’s
involvement in feminism
e.g. …a scathing attitude towards the Australian government
Other words you can use to describe
attitudes:
 Apathetic  Indifferent  Considerate
 Contemptuous  Defiant  Mature
 Jovial  Optimistic  Determined
 Critical  Selfish  Hopeful
 Bitter  Irresponsible  Regretful
 Sincere  Caring  Insincere
 Concerned  Sceptical  Thoughtless
 Urgent  Condescending
 Solemn  Ambitious
Voice
The voice of a text is the role or persona of the author, the
narrator or a character in the text.

From SCSA Glossary:

Authorial voice
In the literary sense, voice can be used to refer to the nature of
the voice projected in a text by an author; the persona, role or
character adopted by an author.

Narrative voice
The ways in which a narrator may be related to the story. For
example, the narrator might take the role of first or third
person, omniscient or restricted in knowledge of events, reliable
or unreliable in interpreting what happens.
Effect of the concept of Voice
Reader
response to
the text

Reader
response to
Voic Reader
attitudes
towards

e
character,
the author
events and
topics

Readers own
creation of
voice in their
writing
Some terms for describing voice
Academic Compassionate Florid Juvenile Sanguine
Accepting Conciliatory Forceful Knowledgeable Sarcastic
Accusatory Contemptuous Formal Laconic Sceptical
Aggressive Conversational Frustrated Lascivious Scornful
Alienated Convincing Ghoulish Laudatory Self-important
Ambivalent Curt Gossipy Mature Serious
Amused Cynical Grandiloquent Melancholic Sombre
Angry Derisory Harsh Nostalgic Strident
Apathetic Detached Hopeful Oppressive Unassuming
Articulate Disaffected Humble Optimistic Uneducated
Authoritative Disdainful Humorous Outraged Unfeeling
Bleak Disgusted Immature Passive Unpretentious
Caustic Dispassionate Impatient Patronising Uplifting
Casual Earnest Incredulous Peaceful Urgent
Chatty Educated Indignant Pensive Verbose
Cheerful Egocentric Informal Personable Whimsical
Colloquial Emphatic Informed Pessimistic World-weary
Comic Energetic Inspiring Playful Wry
Comical Enthusiastic Intimate Philosophical  
  Exasperated Ironic Poetic
  Irritated Pompous
Jaded Pretentious
  Proud
Rambling
Rebellious
Regretful
Romantic
Sad
Audience
 The person or people for whom the text is intended. Consider the following
factors when determining the audience:
 Age
 Gender
 Cultural background
 Class
 Profession
 Ideology

 You really do need to be specific when identifying an audience.

 ‘the audience’ will not award you marks.
 Describe your audience: contemporary audience; Australian middle class audience;
Australian male teenage audience
Bringing it all together

 The exam is not going to ask you to define or describe the concepts we talked
about. The English ATAR exam is all about APPLICATION.

 The Responding section assessed your ability to respond to an unseen question

using your studied texts. It is the section you have the most control over.
 Study Strategy
 Tables are your friend!
 Checklists are also helpful.

There are so many options!
Text Overview Charts are designed to guide your
consideration of the concepts.

Ask your teacher for access to these

 Your teacher has already provided you with these!

resources
Let’s review:

 The Syllabus is your best friend!

 So is the Glossary!

 But you also need to actively apply the concepts to your texts.

 The exam requires you to THINK. Avoid memorising an essay and trust what
you have learned over these two years!
Questions?