How to Approach Module C (tips from a James Ruse graduate)

Module C: The Craft of Writing is arguable one of the hardest modules to prepare for in the English Advanced Course. So, if you’ve been struggling to digest it all, chances are, you’re not the only one. Luckily for you, we’ve summed up what this module is all about and how you can approach it to put your best foot forward on assessment day!

1. Understand the Rubric – What do they actually want you to do?

The purpose of the module is to enhance your composition skills, as examined through assessments that require students to produce “highly crafted imaginative, discursive, persuasive and informative texts”. 

The rubric provides that in this module, “Students appreciate, examine and analyse…prescribed texts…as models and stimulus for the development of their own complex ideas and written expression.”

Put simply, this means that the prescribed texts serve as exemplars for you to borrow concepts and stylistic features which you then imbue with your own ideas to produce original pieces of writing. You should also evaluate the purpose behind these prescribed compositions, namely, “to express insights, evoke emotion, describe the wonder of the natural world, shape a perspective or to share an aesthetic vision”. Carefully consider the composers’ creative choices, so that you may emulate similar stylistic choices to effectively convey your own purpose, when you get around to writing.

The rubric states that “Students consider purpose, audience and context to deliberately shape meaning”. These four elements of writing serve as a solid starting point for any piece you intend to compose, so it’s a good idea to have all four clearly mapped out beforehand. Though some details may change and evolve as you refine your piece, always begin with the end in mind.

From analysing this rubric, we see that the markers look for holistic responses to the prescribed texts stimuli provided and cohesive writing that is crafted around a specific purpose, audience and meaning.

• Read and break down your prescribed texts.

It’s imperative that you not only read your prescribed texts, but also re-read them to pick out any stylistic features that are relevant to the author’s purpose, meaning, and audience. As you go through your prescribed texts, consider how you could use similar features such as “allusion, imagery, narrative voice, characterisation and tone”, to name a few, in your own writing.

Paying close attention to the figurative, linguistic and rhetorical devices in your prescribed texts not only shapes your writing but is also handy when you’re required to reflect on your creative compositions. Prompts for reflective writing frequently encourage students to make reference to their prescribed texts and, as such, knowing which stylistic features you adopted from your prescribed works or even how the meaning or purpose of those works inspired you becomes all the more relevant.

The following are just some examples of stylistic features and forms that you can pick out from the current prescribed texts:

Spotty-Handed Villainesses by Margaret Atwood: anecdotes, literary allusions, extended metaphors, motifs, hybrid structure

A Home in Fiction by Geraldine Brooks: extended metaphor, anecdotes

That Crafty Feeling by Zadie Smith: anecdotes, extended metaphors, imagery, literary allusions

Father and Child (Barn Owl and Night Fall) by Gwen Harwood: diptych structure, imagery, symbolism

13 Ways of Looking by Colum McCann: metafiction, parenthesis, parallel plotlines, authorial intrusion

Love and honour and pity and pride and compassion and sacrifice by Nam Le: flashbacks, imagery, metafiction, symbol

Politics and the English Language by George Orwell: rhetorical devices, subheadings

The Awakening by Kate Chopin: motifs, symbols, characterisation

It’s also a good idea to read and evaluate as many of the Module C prescribed texts as possible, beyond ones studied at school. Having a broader range of inspiration from prescribed texts will allow greater flexibility when you find yourself having to tackle an unseen stimulus in exam, as you’ll have a wider range of prescribed texts from which you can gather ideas for your own writing.

• Read widely and keep up to date.

Though it can be hard to do so during the busy year that is Year 12, wide and extensive reading is necessary for success in this module.

Read short novellas, poems, articles or even listen to podcasts, when you get the time. It’s also a good idea to focus on imaginative, discursive, informative and persuasive texts, so that you gain a sound comprehension of all the elements of those text types which you could be required to produce. At JP English, we go through exemplars from past students who have gotten high band 6s or state ranks to see the different topics that top students come up with.

Keeping up with current affairs is also a great way to broaden your horizons and ensure you have a comprehensive bank of topics to explore in your writing. This is as simple as following local and international news pages on social media platforms or even opting for a free email subscription to daily newspaper briefings such as the New York Times.

Wide reading not only supplements your understanding of stylistic features, but also expands your mind to the vast array of subject matters that are worth exploring in your own writing.

• Practice, practice, practice. Then, more practice.

However much you might dread the thought of sitting at a computer with that annoyingly expectant cursor awaiting your next words, practice really does get you as close to perfect as is humanly possible. To get into the habit of writing for a wide range of audiences and conveying a broad spectrum of meanings, you need to engage with as many stimuli as possible and work out an exam process for yourself.

The following is a general list of elements to think about when you approach a stimulus for writing:

• Purpose: What meaning do you want to convey?
• Audience: Who do you want to convey this meaning to? What register of writing would best achieve this?
• Context
• Structure

However, this process will most definitely grow to include more elements and evolve to best suit your own style of writing as you practice.

·     The most important yet often neglected task is to ensure you’re getting feedback on your practice responses. For instance, JP English provides individualised feedback for every student enrolled in term lessons. Actively engage with the feedback you receive and make it a point to prioritise mitigating past mistakes in future practice.

As you near assessments, ensure that you time your practice to get yourself into the habit of thinking on your feet. Whether you’re adapting previous responses to the question or coming up with brand new ideas to write about on the spot, it’s important that you are comfortable with your exam approach to increase your adaptability to any and all types of questions.

Follow these steps, and you too will be able to conquer Module C!

As we recognise that Modules C is the most difficult module of the HSC, JP English integrates the different forms of writing required by this module throughout our Year 7-11 weekly booklets. Our english tutors also help student refine writing skills and exam technique all throughout Year 12. See more on how guides on how to write creative pieces and discursives.