English (Version 8.4)

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Rationale

The study of English is central to the learning and development of all young Australians. It helps create confident communicators, imaginative thinkers and informed citizens. It is through the study of English that individuals learn to analyse, understand, communicate and build relationships with others and with the world around them.

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Aims

The Australian Curriculum: English aims to ensure that students:

learn to listen to, read, view, speak, write, create and reflect on increasingly complex and sophisticated spoken, written and multimodal texts across a growing range of contexts with accuracy, fluency and purpose.

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Key ideas

Texts

Texts provide the means for communication. They can be written, spoken, visual, multimodal, and in print or digital/online forms. Multimodal texts combine language with other means of communication such as visual images, soundtrack or spoken words, as in film or computer presentation media.

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Structure

Strands, sub-strands and threads
The Australian Curriculum: English Foundation to Year 10 is organised into three interrelated strands that support students' growing understanding and use of Standard Australian English (English). Each strand interacts with and enriches the other strands in creative and flexible ways, the fabric of the curriculum being strengthened by the threads within each sub-strand.

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PDF documents

Resources and support materials for the Australian Curriculum: English are available as PDF documents. 
English: Sequence of content
English: Sequence of achievement 

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Glossary

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Year 10

Year 10 Level Description

The English curriculum is built around the three interrelated strands of language, literature and literacy. Teaching and learning programs should balance and integrate all three strands. Together, the strands focus on developing students’ knowledge, understanding and skills in listening, reading, viewing, speaking, writing and creating. Learning in English builds on concepts, skills and processes developed in earlier years, and teachers will revisit and strengthen these as needed.

In Years 9 and 10, students interact with peers, teachers, individuals, groups and community members in a range of face-to-face and online/virtual environments. They experience learning in familiar and unfamiliar contexts, including local community, vocational and global contexts.

Students engage with a variety of texts for enjoyment. They interpret, create, evaluate, discuss and perform a wide range of literary texts in which the primary purpose is aesthetic, as well as texts designed to inform and persuade. These include various types of media texts, including newspapers, film and digital texts, fiction, non-fiction, poetry, dramatic performances and multimodal texts, with themes and issues involving levels of abstraction, higher order reasoning and intertextual references. Students develop critical understanding of the contemporary media and the differences between media texts.

The range of literary texts for Foundation to Year 10 comprises Australian literature, including the oral narrative traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, as well as the contemporary literature of these two cultural groups, and classic and contemporary world literature, including texts from and about Asia.

Literary texts that support and extend students in Years 9 and 10 as independent readers are drawn from a range of genres and involve complex, challenging and unpredictable plot sequences and hybrid structures that may serve multiple purposes. These texts explore themes of human experience and cultural significance, interpersonal relationships, and ethical and global dilemmas within real-world and fictional settings and represent a variety of perspectives. Informative texts represent a synthesis of technical and abstract information (from credible/verifiable sources) about a wide range of specialised topics. Text structures are more complex and include chapters, headings and subheadings, tables of contents, indexes and glossaries. Language features include successive complex sentences with embedded clauses, a high proportion of unfamiliar and technical vocabulary, figurative and rhetorical language, and dense information supported by various types of graphics and images.

Students create a range of imaginative, informative and persuasive types of texts including narratives, procedures, performances, reports, discussions, literary analyses, transformations of texts and reviews.


Year 10 Content Descriptions

Language variation and change

Understand that Standard Australian English in its spoken and written forms has a history of evolution and change and continues to evolve (ACELA1563 - Scootle )
  • Writing
  • Listening
  • Speaking
  • Reading
Literacy

Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
  • Interpret and analyse learning area texts
  • Comprehend texts

Word Knowledge
  • Understand learning area vocabulary

  • investigating differences between spoken and written English by comparing the language of conversation and interviews with the written language of print texts
    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas
    • Organise and process information

    Generating ideas, possibilities and actions
    • Consider alternatives

    Literacy

    Text knowledge
    • Use knowledge of text structures
    • Use knowledge of text cohesion

    Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
    • Navigate, read and view learning area texts
    • Interpret and analyse learning area texts
    • Listen and respond to learning area texts

  • experimenting with and incorporating new words and creative inventions in students’ own written and spoken texts
    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Generating ideas, possibilities and actions
    • Imagine possibilities and connect ideas

    Reflecting on thinking and processes
    • Transfer knowledge into new contexts

    Literacy

    Composing texts through speaking, writing and creating
    • Use language to interact with others

    Text knowledge
    • Use knowledge of text structures
    • Use knowledge of text cohesion

    Word Knowledge
    • Understand learning area vocabulary

  • understanding how and why spelling became standardised and how conventions have changed over time and continue to change through common usage, the invention of new words and creative combinations of existing words
    Literacy

    Word Knowledge
    • Use spelling knowledge
    • Understand learning area vocabulary

    Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
    • Navigate, read and view learning area texts
    • Interpret and analyse learning area texts

Language for interaction

Understand how language use can have inclusive and exclusive social effects, and can empower or disempower people (ACELA1564 - Scootle )
  • Writing
  • Listening
  • Speaking
  • Reading
Literacy

Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
  • Comprehend texts
  • Interpret and analyse learning area texts

Word Knowledge
  • Understand learning area vocabulary

Grammar knowledge
  • Express opinion and point of view
  • Use knowledge of words and word groups

Composing texts through speaking, writing and creating
  • Use language to interact with others

Personal and Social Capability

Self-awareness
  • Recognise emotions

Social awareness
  • Understand relationships
  • Appreciate diverse perspectives

  • identifying language that seeks to align the listener or reader (for example 'of course', 'obviously', 'as you can imagine')
    Literacy

    Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
    • Interpret and analyse learning area texts

    Word Knowledge
    • Understand learning area vocabulary

    Grammar knowledge
    • Use knowledge of words and word groups

    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas
    • Organise and process information

  • identifying the use of first person ‘I’, ‘we’ and second person pronouns ‘you’ to distance or involve the audience, for example in a speech made to a local cultural community
    Literacy

    Grammar knowledge
    • Use knowledge of words and word groups

    Word Knowledge
    • Understand learning area vocabulary

    Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
    • Interpret and analyse learning area texts

  • identifying references to shared assumptions
    Literacy

    Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
    • Interpret and analyse learning area texts

    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Organise and process information

  • identifying appeals to shared cultural knowledge, values and beliefs
    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Organise and process information
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas

    Intercultural Understanding

    Recognising culture and developing respect
    • Explore and compare cultural knowledge, beliefs and practices

    Interacting and empathising with others
    • Communicate across cultures
    • Empathise with others

    Personal and Social Capability

    Social awareness
    • Appreciate diverse perspectives
    • Understand relationships

    Literacy

    Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
    • Interpret and analyse learning area texts

  • reflecting on experiences of when language includes, distances or marginalises others
    Personal and Social Capability

    Self-awareness
    • Develop reflective practice

    Social awareness
    • Understand relationships

    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Organise and process information
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas

    Reflecting on thinking and processes
    • Reflect on processes

    Literacy

    Word Knowledge
    • Understand learning area vocabulary

    Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
    • Interpret and analyse learning area texts

  • creating texts that represent personal belief systems (such as credos, statements of ethical judgements, guidelines, letters to the editor and blog entries)
    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Reflecting on thinking and processes
    • Transfer knowledge into new contexts

    Literacy

    Word Knowledge
    • Understand learning area vocabulary

    Composing texts through speaking, writing and creating
    • Compose spoken, written, visual and multimodal learning area texts
    • Use language to interact with others

    Grammar knowledge
    • Express opinion and point of view
    • Use knowledge of sentence structures

    Text knowledge
    • Use knowledge of text structures

    Personal and Social Capability

    Self-management
    • Express emotions appropriately

    Self-awareness
    • Recognise personal qualities and achievements

    Ethical Understanding

    Understanding ethical concepts and issues
    • Explore ethical concepts in context

Understand that people’s evaluations of texts are influenced by their value systems, the context and the purpose and mode of communication (ACELA1565 - Scootle )
  • Writing
  • Listening
  • Speaking
  • Reading
Literacy

Grammar knowledge
  • Express opinion and point of view
  • Use knowledge of words and word groups

Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
  • Comprehend texts
  • Interpret and analyse learning area texts

Text knowledge
  • Use knowledge of text structures

Ethical Understanding

Exploring values, rights and responsibilities
  • Examine values

  • considering whether ethical judgements of good, bad, right or wrong are absolute or relative through consideration of texts with varying points of view and through discussion with others

    Ethical Understanding

    Reasoning in decision making and actions
    • Consider consequences

    Exploring values, rights and responsibilities
    • Consider points of view

    Literacy

    Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
    • Interpret and analyse learning area texts

    Personal and Social Capability

    Social management
    • Work collaboratively

    Social awareness
    • Appreciate diverse perspectives

    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Organise and process information
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas

  • interpreting texts by drawing on knowledge of the historical context in which texts were created
    Literacy

    Word Knowledge
    • Understand learning area vocabulary

    Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
    • Interpret and analyse learning area texts

    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Organise and process information
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas

Text structure and organisation

Compare the purposes, text structures and language features of traditional and contemporary texts in different media (ACELA1566 - Scootle )
  • Writing
  • Listening
  • Speaking
  • Reading
Critical and Creative Thinking

Analysing, synthesising and evaluating reasoning and procedures
  • Apply logic and reasoning

Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
  • Identify and clarify information and ideas
  • Organise and process information

Generating ideas, possibilities and actions
  • Consider alternatives

Reflecting on thinking and processes
  • Reflect on processes

Literacy

Composing texts through speaking, writing and creating
  • Compose texts
  • Compose spoken, written, visual and multimodal learning area texts

Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
  • Comprehend texts
  • Interpret and analyse learning area texts

Word Knowledge
  • Understand learning area vocabulary

Visual Knowledge
  • Understand how visual elements create meaning

Text knowledge
  • Use knowledge of text structures

  • reproducing and adapting existing print texts for an online environment and explaining the reasons for the adaptations (for example accounting for the navigation and use of hyperlinks as structuring principles in hypertext narratives)
    Literacy

    Visual Knowledge
    • Understand how visual elements create meaning

    Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
    • Interpret and analyse learning area texts

    Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability

    Communicating with ICT
    • Understand computer mediated communications

    Creating with ICT
    • Generate solutions to challenges and learning area tasks

    Investigating with ICT
    • Select and evaluate data and information

    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Reflecting on thinking and processes
    • Transfer knowledge into new contexts

  • investigating the structure and language of similar text types like information reports and narratives and how these are influenced by different technological affordances (for example hyperlinks as structuring principles in hypertext narratives versus linear text sequencing principles in print narratives)
    Literacy

    Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
    • Navigate, read and view learning area texts
    • Interpret and analyse learning area texts

    Grammar knowledge
    • Use knowledge of words and word groups
    • Use knowledge of sentence structures

    Word Knowledge
    • Understand learning area vocabulary

    Text knowledge
    • Use knowledge of text cohesion
    • Use knowledge of text structures

    Visual Knowledge
    • Understand how visual elements create meaning

    Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability

    Applying social and ethical protocols and practices when using ICT
    • Identify the impacts of ICT in society

    Communicating with ICT
    • Understand computer mediated communications

    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Reflecting on thinking and processes
    • Reflect on processes

    Generating ideas, possibilities and actions
    • Consider alternatives

    Analysing, synthesising and evaluating reasoning and procedures
    • Apply logic and reasoning

Understand how paragraphs and images can be arranged for different purposes, audiences, perspectives and stylistic effects (ACELA1567 - Scootle )
  • Writing
  • Reading
Literacy

Text knowledge
  • Use knowledge of text structures
  • Use knowledge of text cohesion

Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
  • Comprehend texts
  • Interpret and analyse learning area texts

Visual Knowledge
  • Understand how visual elements create meaning

  • analysing and experimenting with combinations of graphics, text and sound in the production of multimodal texts such as documentaries, media reports, online magazines and digital books
    Literacy

    Visual Knowledge
    • Understand how visual elements create meaning

    Composing texts through speaking, writing and creating
    • Compose spoken, written, visual and multimodal learning area texts

    Text knowledge
    • Use knowledge of text structures
    • Use knowledge of text cohesion

    Word Knowledge
    • Understand learning area vocabulary

    Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability

    Communicating with ICT
    • Understand computer mediated communications

    Creating with ICT
    • Generate solutions to challenges and learning area tasks

    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Generating ideas, possibilities and actions
    • Consider alternatives
    • Imagine possibilities and connect ideas

Understand conventions for citing others, and how to reference these in different ways (ACELA1568 - Scootle )
  • Writing
  • Reading
Literacy

Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
  • Comprehend texts
  • Interpret and analyse learning area texts

Text knowledge
  • Use knowledge of text structures

  • understanding who to cite in essays, reviews and academic assignments and when it is appropriate to use direct quotations or to report sources more generally
    Literacy

    Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
    • Interpret and analyse learning area texts

    Text knowledge
    • Use knowledge of text cohesion
    • Use knowledge of text structures

    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Reflecting on thinking and processes
    • Reflect on processes

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas
    • Organise and process information

Expressing and developing ideas

Analyse and evaluate the effectiveness of a wide range of sentence and clause structures as authors design and craft texts (ACELA1569 - Scootle )
  • Writing
  • Reading
Literacy

Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
  • Comprehend texts
  • Interpret and analyse learning area texts

Grammar knowledge
  • Use knowledge of sentence structures

Critical and Creative Thinking

Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
  • Organise and process information
  • Identify and clarify information and ideas

Generating ideas, possibilities and actions
  • Consider alternatives
  • Imagine possibilities and connect ideas

Analysing, synthesising and evaluating reasoning and procedures
  • Apply logic and reasoning
  • Evaluate procedures and outcomes

  • recognising how emphasis in sentences can be changed by reordering clauses (for example, ‘She made her way home because she was feeling ill’ as compared with ‘Because she was feeling ill, she made her way home’) or parts of clauses (for example, ‘The horses raced up from the valley’ as compared with ‘Up from the valley raced the horses’)
    Literacy

    Grammar knowledge
    • Use knowledge of sentence structures

    Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
    • Interpret and analyse learning area texts

  • recognising how the focus of a sentence can be changed through the use of the passive voice (for example compare active, ‘The police had caught the thief.’ with passive ‘The thief had been caught.’)
    Literacy

    Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
    • Interpret and analyse learning area texts

    Grammar knowledge
    • Use knowledge of sentence structures

  • observing how authors sometimes use verbless clauses for effect (for example, ‘And what about the other woman? With her long black eyelashes and red lipstick’)
    Literacy

    Grammar knowledge
    • Use knowledge of sentence structures

    Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
    • Interpret and analyse learning area texts

  • understanding that a sentence can begin with a coordinating conjunction for stylistic effect (for example, ‘And she went on planning to herself how she would manage it’)
    Literacy

    Grammar knowledge
    • Use knowledge of sentence structures

    Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
    • Interpret and analyse learning area texts

Analyse how higher order concepts are developed in complex texts through language features including nominalisation, clause combinations, technicality and abstraction (ACELA1570 - Scootle )
  • Writing
  • Listening
  • Speaking
  • Reading
Critical and Creative Thinking

Generating ideas, possibilities and actions
  • Consider alternatives

Analysing, synthesising and evaluating reasoning and procedures
  • Evaluate procedures and outcomes

Reflecting on thinking and processes
  • Think about thinking (metacognition)
  • Reflect on processes

Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
  • Organise and process information
  • Identify and clarify information and ideas

Literacy

Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
  • Interpret and analyse learning area texts
  • Comprehend texts

Grammar knowledge
  • Use knowledge of words and word groups
  • Use knowledge of sentence structures

Word Knowledge
  • Understand learning area vocabulary

  • considering how nominalisation affects the way in which events are constructed and explained, making some information more explicit and other information less so
    Literacy

    Grammar knowledge
    • Use knowledge of sentence structures
    • Use knowledge of words and word groups

    Word Knowledge
    • Understand learning area vocabulary

    Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
    • Interpret and analyse learning area texts

    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Organise and process information

  • analysing how logical relations between ideas are built up by combining main with subordinate clauses indicating cause, result, manner, concession, condition, and so on (for example, ‘Although his poems were not generally well received by critics during his life (concession), Keats’ reputation grew substantially after his death’)
    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas
    • Organise and process information

    Literacy

    Grammar knowledge
    • Use knowledge of words and word groups
    • Use knowledge of sentence structures

    Word Knowledge
    • Understand learning area vocabulary

    Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
    • Interpret and analyse learning area texts

  • noting how technicality allows for efficient reference to shared knowledge, indicating growing expertise in the field (for example, ‘The Romantic poetry of Keats is characterised by sensual imagery, most notably in the series of odes.’)
    Literacy

    Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
    • Interpret and analyse learning area texts

  • observing how abstraction allows for greater generalisation at a higher level (for example, ‘the political, religious, social and economic features of the society’ – which is an abstract noun group/phrase)
    Literacy

    Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
    • Interpret and analyse learning area texts

Evaluate the impact on audiences of different choices in the representation of still and moving images (ACELA1572 - Scootle )
  • Writing
  • Listening
  • Speaking
  • Reading
Literacy

Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
  • Comprehend texts
  • Navigate, read and view learning area texts
  • Interpret and analyse learning area texts

Text knowledge
  • Use knowledge of text structures

Visual Knowledge
  • Understand how visual elements create meaning

Critical and Creative Thinking

Analysing, synthesising and evaluating reasoning and procedures
  • Evaluate procedures and outcomes
  • Apply logic and reasoning

Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
  • Organise and process information
  • Identify and clarify information and ideas

Generating ideas, possibilities and actions
  • Consider alternatives

Reflecting on thinking and processes
  • Reflect on processes

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability

Communicating with ICT
  • Understand computer mediated communications

  • experimenting with aspects of visual texts to establish different nuances, for example evaluating the impact of the movement of camera or light in moving images
    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Reflecting on thinking and processes
    • Reflect on processes

    Generating ideas, possibilities and actions
    • Consider alternatives

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas
    • Organise and process information

    Analysing, synthesising and evaluating reasoning and procedures
    • Apply logic and reasoning

    Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability

    Communicating with ICT
    • Understand computer mediated communications

    Literacy

    Text knowledge
    • Use knowledge of text structures

    Visual Knowledge
    • Understand how visual elements create meaning

    Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
    • Interpret and analyse learning area texts

    Composing texts through speaking, writing and creating
    • Compose spoken, written, visual and multimodal learning area texts

Refine vocabulary choices to discriminate between shades of meaning, with deliberate attention to the effect on audiences (ACELA1571 - Scootle )
  • Writing
  • Listening
  • Speaking
Literacy

Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing
  • Comprehend texts
  • Interpret and analyse learning area texts

Word Knowledge
  • Understand learning area vocabulary

Critical and Creative Thinking

Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
  • Organise and process information
  • Identify and clarify information and ideas

Generating ideas, possibilities and actions
  • Seek solutions and put ideas into action

Reflecting on thinking and processes
  • Reflect on processes

  • creating texts that demand complex processes of responding, for example the inclusion of symbolism in advertising, foreshadowing in documentary and irony in humorous texts
    Literacy

    Composing texts through speaking, writing and creating
    • Compose spoken, written, visual and multimodal learning area texts
    • Use language to interact with others

    Word Knowledge
    • Understand learning area vocabulary

    Text knowledge
    • Use knowledge of text cohesion

    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
    • Organise and process information
    • Identify and clarify information and ideas

    Analysing, synthesising and evaluating reasoning and procedures
    • Apply logic and reasoning

    Reflecting on thinking and processes
    • Reflect on processes

    Generating ideas, possibilities and actions
    • Imagine possibilities and connect ideas

Understand how to use knowledge of the spelling system to spell unusual and technical words accurately, for example those based on uncommon Greek and Latin roots (ACELA1573 - Scootle )
  • Writing
  • Listening
  • Speaking
  • Reading
Literacy

Word Knowledge
  • Use spelling knowledge


Year 10 Achievement Standards

Receptive modes (listening, reading and viewing)

By the end of Year 10, students evaluate how text structures can be used in innovative ways by different authors. They explain how the choice of language features, images and vocabulary contributes to the development of individual style.

They develop and justify their own interpretations of texts. They evaluate other interpretations, analysing the evidence used to support them. They listen for ways features within texts can be manipulated to achieve particular effects.

Productive modes (speaking, writing and creating)

Students show how the selection of language features can achieve precision and stylistic effect. They explain different viewpoints, attitudes and perspectives through the development of cohesive and logical arguments. They develop their own style by experimenting with language features, stylistic devices, text structures and images.

Students create a wide range of texts to articulate complex ideas. They make presentations and contribute actively to class and group discussions, building on others' ideas, solving problems, justifying opinions and developing and expanding arguments. They demonstrate understanding of grammar, vary vocabulary choices for impact, and accurately use spelling and punctuation when creating and editing texts.


Year 10 Work Sample Portfolios