Another module for us to take a look at is Standard’s Module B – Close study of Literature. Whilst we have already done a blog on Advanced, and the modules are very similar, the difference lies in one word and what that means. Advanced students are required to have a critical understanding of the text while standard students must adopt a close study of their text.
Let’s take a look at the rubric and break down the key parts so that we know exactly where we are going:
In this module, students develop an informed understanding, knowledge and appreciation of a substantial literary text. Through their development of considered personal responses to the text in its entirety, students explore and analyse the particular ideas and characteristics of the text and understand the ways in which these characteristics establish its distinctive qualities.
Students study one text chosen from the list of prescribed texts. They engage in the extensive exploration and interpretation of the text and the ways composers (authors, poets, playwrights, directors, designers and so on) portray people, ideas, settings and situations in texts. By analysing the interplay between the ideas, forms and language within the text, students appreciate how these elements may affect those responding to it. Students produce critical and creative responses to the text, basing their judgements on a detailed knowledge of the text and its language features.
Through reading, viewing or listening, students analyse, assess and comment on the text’s specific language features and form. They express increasingly complex ideas, clearly and cohesively, using appropriate register, structure and modality. They draft, appraise and refine their own texts, applying the conventions of syntax, spelling and grammar appropriately.
Through their analyses and assessment of the text and their own compositions, students further develop their personal and intellectual connections with, and enjoyment of the text, enabling them to express their informed personal interpretation of its significance and meaning
Let’s have look at different parts of the rubric and give them some meaning so that you know the type of question you can expect and the best way to prepare an answer that will maximise your marks.
- Substantial literary text
- Each text studied as part of this module will be a text that explores significant ideas, is written by a well known author or has some quality that makes it unique or interesting. So, when you are engaging with your text, be sure to keep an eye out for these elements. We encourage our students not to simply read or watch their text because they have to but to actually take time to sit and contemplate the text is, what purpose it has and how the author has been able to achieve these outcomes. Many find it surprising that the moment they take to sit down and take a moment for themselves with the text a massive difference it has to their learning.
- Distinctive qualities
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- What does this even mean? Good question and lucky you have come to the right place. These are the specific ‘things’ that the text has or does that creates it as a unique piece of literature worthy of being studied as part of this rubric. Remember that no ordinary text finds its way onto the HSC prescribed list so it’s your job to understand the text and reasons why its been listed.
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- Does the text use a specific structure? What is so different about the way structure has been used in this text compared to similar texts? Does it challenge the typical structure or perhaps it creatively uses one and then intertwines another? Perhaps each chapter is structured in a specific way or uses elements that are not typically expected. There are a wide range of qualities that will be specific to the text you are studying. If you are a stuck on this part, feel free to send us an email noting the text you are studying and we will point you in the right direction.
- Portray people, ideas, settings and situations in texts.
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- This is where we come to study the particular content of your text and consider the way that the author has chosen to explore a person, idea, setting and/or situation. Making sure that you have a solid grasp of these key aspects will ensure that you are on your way to a band 6.
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- Let’s take a look at an example text, The Curious Incident of the Dog in The Night-time. A key driving factor of the ideas explored in the text is the experience of a young person who is characterised by Aspergers. Audiences are invited to consider his point of view and are presented with an authentic representation of his struggles and perspective. By adopting this idea, the novel also explores everyday situations in which Christopher finds challenging or difficult. From that we are able to learn about relationships, the effect of behaving in a certain way and develop an in depth understanding.
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- Using this an example, try and do the same activity for your text by starting with the different people, ideas, settings and situations are relevant to you text Then use that to structure the way you express ideas, collect quotes and eventually write your essay.
- Critical and creative responses to the text…they draft, appraise and refine their own text
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- And this is where we always arrive, the requirement for an essay. However, we are also given a hint in this sentence that you might also be asked to respond creatively. This could mean a range of things such as adopting a particular perspective of a character and imagining them in a different situation or perhaps inserting an additional chapter. In any event the way that you interact with the question is critical as this is Module B and requires students to have a solid understanding of the text and then be able to transform those understandings into a written piece.
So now that we have the rubric out of the way, we can look at the different ways we can prepare notes.
Preparing notes for your essay
- As mentioned above, a good starting point is looking at the people, ideas, settings and situations that your text explores. It would be best to arrange your ideas in a table format so that you can capture particular examples together with quotes/techniques. Here is an example using The Curious Incident of the Dog in The Night-time.
| Example | Evidence | Technique | Effect | |
| People | Christopher’s character is underpinned by his Aspergers and audiences are positioned to consider his perspective from a gunione point of view – developing a sense of empathy – contribute to their understanding | “This will not be a funny book. I cannot tell jokes because i do not understand them.” Pg 10 | -Truncated sentences
-High modality |
Creates a sense that Christopher is talking directly to the responder and positions them to actively engage with the text |
| Idea | The novel is constructed as a hybrid genre novel – the form therefore reflects the idea of challenging dominant concepts in society | -Murder mystery/crime fiction
“Lots of things are mysteries. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t an answer to them. It’s just that scientists haven’t found the answer yet” page 125 -Quest narrative -Bildungsroman |
This is a structural technique so a literary technique is not strictly required.
For bildungsroman you may wish to use a quote from the beginning & end to show development |
Provide further insight into Christopher’s thoughts and emotions – always fluid and changing nothing is set one particular way |
| Setting | Christopher finds it difficult to regulate his emotions in certain settings – he also acknowledges that he finds it challenging to understand what motivates individuals to experience a range of different emotions | Occurs throughout the novel – for example on page 2, Christopher uses symbols to represent different emotions | Emoticons-
symbols used to convey emotional content through illustration |
Used throughout the novel to portray how Christopher struggles with certain settings – reduces it to simple emotions to allow audiences to appreciate his perspective/ challenges |
| Situation | Christopher often finds himself in situations which are ordinary but his reactions give an alternate insight | “It was nice in the police cell. It was almost a perfect cube, 2 metres long by 2 metres wide by 2 metres high. It contained approximately 8 cubic metres of air” pg 17 | Technical jargon (using mathematical terms) | Allows readers to understand that Christopher’s reaction to the situation isn’t what is expected – it is unusual and again showing his perspective |
- Once you have the above set out, it is best that you start writing. Remember the more that you can write and adopt your argument to the question will prove for the best study methods. If you take a look at the sample paper and our blogs on the set up of paper 2, you’ll know that the Module B question can take three different forms
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- The first – a specific question in relation to the particular text that includes a quote. If you receive this question you need to make sure that you include part of the quote in your analysis. We recommend doing this in the first paragraph so it’s obvious to the marker and they don’t have to go looking to award you marks. Use your reading time to think about how you can use the quote with the rest of the evidence you have prepared.
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- The second – a question that relates to the form of a text. That means that you need to make sure you identify the correct question depending on what you are studying. If you are asked a question specific to form, make sure that you absolutely discuss structural features in your essay!
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- The third – anything really that NESA believes fits in with the rubric! Module B is notorious for throwing a curveball. This means that you have to be ready for anything they throw at you. So long as you have you ideas set and know the evidence you are going to rely on you will be able to answer any question.
- Let’s take a look at a sample question and put together some ideas on how best to attack it – this is a question that is specific to fiction so are going to continue using The Curious Incident of the Dog in The Night-time as our example
Effective fiction uses the narrative voice to engage the reader’s emotions and intellect. To what extent is this true of your prescribed text?
Where do we even start with this question!? Well, lets pick out the key words: Narrative voice, readers emotions and intellect
So using the above words, we are going to structure our three ideas to speak to that.
Narrative voice: This is how the writer develops Christopher’s view and ideas achieved through the above notes (check out emoticons, technical jargon). What techniques are employed to develop his narrative voice? What is the narrative voice that has been established?
Emotions and intellect: How are reader’s emotions and intellect engaged? This is usually through the above – that is where the marks are awarded. In the ability for students to make a conceptual link between the different parts of the question.
Sample Thesis: So if we were to adopt the above and put together a thesis statement for this question, here are a few ideas
Effective fiction uses the narrative voice to engage the reader’s emotions and intellect. To what extent is this true of your prescribed text?
Haddon has effectively created a piece of fiction that engages reader’s intellect and emotions as he captures the journey of Christopher by adopting a unique narrative voice.
- In this we have established that is it a unique narrative voice and have linked the ideas of fiction and readers intellect.
Topic Sentences: Each of the topic sentences would have to focus on the including the above elements and also introduce the idea of that paragraph. This means having a specific idea or aspect about the narrative voice and an example to use in your body.
Argument: Ensure that each analysis sentence relates back to the question and your thesis statement. As this is Module B, you are required to have an intricate and deep understanding of the ideas so don’t quickly skim over this part – show off your skills and understanding to the marker.
This brings us to end of our blog on this module. We hope that it helped and like always feel free to drop us a line if you wish to chat further or have a question.
Happy Studying!