Preliminary English Extension

1 unit of study for each of Preliminary and HSC.

Prerequisites

(a) The English Advanced course
(b) The Preliminary English Extension Course is a prerequisite for HSC Extension 1
(c) The Preliminary English Extension Course is a prerequisite for HSC Extension 2

Exclusions: English Standard

Course Description

Preliminary English Extension is designed for students taking English Advanced who choose to study English at a more intensive level. They enjoy engaging with complex levels of conceptualisation and seek the opportunity to work in increasingly independent ways. Students must be aware that the English Extension course is an elite course and is not to be undertaken as a means of improving general English ability. It is assumed that students taking this course are already excelling in their English studies.

In the HSC English Extension 1 course, students explore a common module, ‘Literary Worlds’ as well as an elective linked to the common module. They explore, investigate, experiment with and evaluate the ways texts represent and illuminate the complexity of individual and collective lives in literary worlds. In the HSC English Extension 2 course, students develop a sustained composition, such as a 6,000 word short story or an 8 minute film (amongst a range of other forms), and document their reflection on this process in a comprehensive journal and reflection statement.

Main Topics Covered

Preliminary Extension Course: This course is called ‘Texts, Culture and Value’. At Barker, it involves exploring colonial and postcolonial literature, exploring contemporary values and the nature of appropriation through texts like ‘Heart of Darkness’ and ‘Apocalypse Now’.

HSC Extension 1: Students complete the common module, ‘Literary Worlds’, and then one elective module. Barker does the elective, ‘Reimagined Worlds’.

HSC Extension 2 (HSC year only): The topic is chosen by the student, in consultation with their teacher, and is explored in a Major Work, a Journal and a Reflection Statement.

READ MORE

Assessment Structure

In Year 11 and Year 12 English Extension courses, there is normally one assessment per term. Students are required to write in a range of forms including the imaginative, discursive, persuasive, reflective and informative, as well as the conventional essay as well. A variety of modes will be assessed including reading, writing, viewing, representing, speaking and listening.