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Home > English > ESL > Module B: Texts and society > Elective 1: Living and Working in the Community > Living and Working in the Community

Module B: Texts and Society

Elective 1: Living and Working in the Community

This material was prepared by Eve Mayes, Condell Park High School.

Resources on the internet
Paper 2 Section II
Rubric
Understanding the HSC question
Time management
Key vocabulary to know while studying Living and Working in the Community
Vocabulary to use to improve your extended responses
Summary of living and working in the community text types
Past Living and Working in the Community questions
Sample assessment task
Marking criteria

Resources on the internet

The Board of Studies Workplace and Community Texts Support Document should be used for examples of texts. These texts can also be deconstructed for key language features and structures.

The Australian Government's youth.gov.au website is an excellent source of information for young people for both the community and workplace. There are a number of authentic ways for you to 'have a say' and to consider the issues facing young people in the community and the workplace. There are also links to a range of other websites for young people.

The Victorian Government's Youth Central website has a range of advice about writing resumes, cover letters and general workplace advice tailored to young people. This material may be helpful in writing these texts yourself, or in formulating a text that gives advice to others about how to apply for a job.

The Sydney Morning Herald's My Career website often includes articles that are helpful when considering applying for a job..

Your local council community website (e.g. http://www.bankstown.nsw.gov.au/ ) will give you some ideas on issues of concern in your community. In this Elective, you may be asked to write a text as a citizen to your local council member. You should familiarise yourself with community issues e.g. development concerns, sustainability/ environmental concerns, community centres, activities for young people, multicultural services, disability services, seniors, public transport and emergency management.

The Daily Telegraph's Opinion page provides a range of examples of "Having a Say". You can analyse written pieces on this site for how they have used emotive and persuasive language and consider how you can use these strategies in your own letters to the editor. There are also some examples of persuasive blogs and cartoon texts on this website.

Paper 2 Section II

All candidates undertaking English (ESL) complete this Paper 2 Section II (Module B: Texts and Society).

Elective 1: Living and Working in the Community does not require you to refer to any texts beyond what is presented in this section. Including a reference to prescribed or related texts will not enhance responses or results. However, you may be asked to refer to your own ideas and experiences.

The knownfact is that the Living and Working in the Community question will ask you to write a workplace or community text OR write abouta workplace or community text.

The unknown fact is the text type that you will be required to write and the content of the text that you will be required to write. Some past papers have given students stimulus material to assist them in constructing their answer. In other papers, students have been given a question only without stimulus material.

This is a paper where memorised responses are useless. Your ability to adapt your knowledge about text forms, features and structures and your creativity and flair is being assessed.

Rubric

All HSC examination papers are printed and formatted in the same manner. At the beginning of any question is the rubric, which defines the guidelines or criteria their response will be aligned to in determining the mark for particular questions. It is essential that for every HSC question, in any subject, these guidelines are read and considered before composing a response to any question.

Look at the 2009 HSC English (ESL) Paper 2 .

In 2009 the criteria for Paper 2 Section II was:

Understanding the purpose, audience, context, language and structure of the text that you are being asked to write is essential to success in this section. Your ability to communicate information, ideas and attitudes in an organised, fluent and clear way is also being assessed.

Understanding the HSC question

Read the question carefully, highlighting key words in the question.

Ensure you understand the question by quickly summarising:

• Purpose -What is the purpose of the text that I am being asked to write? (To inform, persuade, entertain, recount…?)
• Audience - Who is the audience for my text? (Students, my local council member, the local community?)
• Context - What is the context of my text? (School, workplace, community?)
• Language - What language should I use to suit my purpose, audience and context? (Formal, informal, colloquial, persuasive, emotive?)
• Structure - What is the structure of the text that I am being asked to write?

This can be summarised on your examination paper with the mnemonic:

• P
• A
• C
• L
• S
• (Or S-C-A-L-P)

Plan your response using these points to maximise your marks. This will be much more effective than rushing into writing and misinterpreting the question!

Look at the following deconstruction of the 2009 Living and Working in the Community questionas an example of this process:

Time management during the exam

Time your completion of Paper 2 to ensure that both sections of the paper are completed with time allocation appropriate to the mark for each section.

Section I (Experience through Language) and Section II (Texts and Society) are both worth 20 marks. 30 minutes is the time that you should spend on each section.

Do not spend too much time on Module A and sacrifice time for Module B. Choosing to spend 40 minutes on one module and 20 minutes on the other is foolish. Follow the recommendations for time limits on the examination paper.

You should ensure you have a watch or a clear view of a wall clock to maintain a consistent and appropriate pace in completing both sections of the paper.

Key vocabulary to know while studying Living and Working in the Community

Look at the list of words related to Living and Working in the Community.

The "Red light" words are important to know to understand questions and write well in this Elective. "Amber light" words are reasonably important. "Green light" words are good to know to enhance your response.

Look up and learn any words that you are unfamiliar with.

RED LIGHT - You HAVE to know these words and what they mean

Words from the Syllabus about Module B: Advertisements Applications Compose Editorials Feature articles Imply Information brochures Interviews Job advertisements Job application letters Language techniques Letters of appreciation Letters of complaint Letters of request Letters to the editor News reports Personal resumés Purpose Relevant Respond to Specific situations Speeches Supplement Technical manuals Web pages Work and accident reports

Words related to Living and Working in the Community: Appeal Audience Citizen Complaint Consumer Context Council Councilor Discrimination Editor Employee Employer Environment Evacuation Language Mayor Neighbour Persuasive Procedure Prospective Referee Reference Structure Sustainability Transport

AMBER LIGHT- You SHOULD know these words and what they mean

Words related to the workplace/ community: Agency Agenda Agreeableness Ambition Annual leave Apprentice Availability Business hours Casual Characteristics Correspondence Dependability Desirable Dispute resolution Eagerness to learn Enterprise Equal employment opportunity (EEO) Equity Essential Experience Full-time Leave loading Long service Memorandum Minutes Overtime Part-time Per annum Permanent Personal attributes Pre-requisite Public holiday Punctuality Qualification Recruitment Reliability Retirement Salary Temporary Traineeship Wages

Action words that could be used in work-related texts: Achieved Addressed Assisted Authorised Budgeted Calculated Collaborated Collected Composed Conducted Constructed Contracted Converted Designed Distributed Drafted Established Expanded Formulated Founded Hired Implemented Inspected Launched Maintained Marketed Monitored Negotiated Promoted Programmed Publicised Supervised

GREEN LIGHT -It's GOOD for you to know these words

Words related to the workplace/ community: Commission Criticism Demeanor Juvenile Polling Survey Utilities Welfare

Action words that could be used in work-related texts: Acquired Adapted Audited Cultivated Devised Disseminated Eliminated Endorsed Initiated Oversaw Verified

Link to PDF poster of this table

Vocabulary to use to improve your extended responses

Persuasive and Emotive Language

Positive

Negative

High modality: must, have to, should Commands: Write, Do, Take action, Stop, Discover Accurate Advantage Always Announcing Bargain Beseech Best Certain Certainly Confident Convenient Definitely Delighted Easy Ecstatic Effective Emphasise Entreat Extremely Expect Freedom Good Guaranteed Health Highly effective/ likely Implore Improvement Interesting Introducing Investment Magic Magnificent Miracle Most Most Important New Now Popular Profitable Proven Quick Remarkable Results Revolutionary Safe Save Sensational Should Startling Strongly agree/ recommend Strongly suggest Superb Superior Tremendous Truly Trustworthy Urge Very Wanted Workable Worthwhile

High modality: must not, have to, should not, never Abolish Aggravate Agony Appalled Atrocious Awful Careless Confusing Corrupting Cruel Damaging Deplorable Disadvantages Disastrous Disgusted Displeased Dreadful Dreadful Eliminate Harmful Harsh Heaven forbid Horrible Inconsiderate Inferior Insensitive Irritate Never Offend Ordeal Outrageousness Produces disastrous results Provoke Repulsive Scandal Severe Shameful Shocking Spells the death of… Strongly disagree Terrible Tragic Unreliable Unstable Wicked

Link to PDF poster of this table

Language of Comparison/ Contrast

Compare	Contrast
… akin to…. All the same Also … analogous to… As well …. comparable to…. Equally Furthermore Just as…, so too … In addition In a similar way, In like manner Like… Likewise … parallels … mirrors Moreover … reflects … same as… Similarly, Still Too	At the same time But Contrastingly, Conversely Despite …different to… …distinguishes itself from… For all that However In contrast, …is not… Rather Nonetheless … nothing like… Notwithstanding On the contrary, On the other hand, There is a difference/ gap/ distinction/ disparity between… Though Unlike… Yet

 

Other words for shows'	Other words for 'emphasises'	Other evaluative terms
conveys demonstrates depicts describes displays explores expresses indicates means presents reflects represents reveals suggests symbolises	accentuates amplifies focuses highlights reinforces strengthens supports	achieves affects creates engages illustrates implies proves proves resolves uses

 

Explaining ideas	Putting ideas in order	Cause and effect	Concluding words
As already stated For example For instance In other words Namely Such as That is	Afterwards Finally Firstly Further Importantly Initially Lastly Later Most Next Secondly Then	As a result Consequently For For that reason Hence So Therefore Thus	All in all… All this evidence points to… All this leads to… All this suggests that… Consequently Finally In conclusion This results in To sum up

Link to PDF version of these tables

Summaries of Living and Working in the Community Text Types

http://www.flickr.com/photos/moriza/57111960/

Note:The Prescription Statements for Module B: Elective 1: Living and Working in the Community were changed for 2009-2012. The texts listed were modified. The new Prescriptions statements specify the texts that students are required to read and respond to and the texts that students are required to compose. This is an important distinction to know when revising texts.

Other texts included in the Board of Studies Support Document have also been included in the table. They have been placed in italics to indicate that they are not in the Prescriptions list.

The divisions within the table (Working Lives, Community Living and Having a Voice) also come from the sections used in the Support Document.

Revise the key features of the texts listed in the prescriptions by filling in the following table. Each text has a note specifying whether you need to be able to read and respond to it and/ or compose it.

Text Type/ Form	Purpose & Audience	Context	Language	Structure	Layout
Working lives Applying for Jobs Job advertisements (Read/ respond to)
Job application letter, addressing the job criteria (Compose)
Resume/ Curriculum Vitae (Compose)
Interviews (Read/ respond to / Compose)
Communicating at Work Work and accident reports (Compose)
Business letters (Compose)
Applications/ Statutory declarations/ Other forms(Read/ respond to)
Community Living Advertisements (Read/ respond to/ Compose)
Information brochures (Read/ respond to/ Compose)
Technical manuals (Read/ respond to)
Web pages (Read/ respond to/ Compose)
Newsletters/ news reports (Read/ respond to)
Feature articles (Read/ respond to/ Compose)
Editorials (Read/ respond to)
Having a Voice Letters to the Editor (Compose)
Letters of complaint, appreciation and request (Compose)
Speeches/ conference presentation (Read/ respond to/ compose)
Radio interviews (Read/ respond to/ compose)
Talkback radio (Read/ respond to/ compose)
Blogs
Cartoons

Download Word version of this activity

Past Living and Working in the Community Questions

The following table summarises the type of texts that students have been required to write in the past, the purpose, audience and context of these texts, whether students were required to write a workplace or community text or write about a workplace or community text and whether or not stimulus material was provided.

Note:The Prescription Statements for Module B: Elective 1: Living and Working in the Community were changed for 2009-2012. The texts listed were modified. Take this into account when considering the possible questions for this year's Paper 2 Section II.

Year	Type of text	Purpose	Audience	Context	Write a workplace/ community text or write about a workplace / community text?	Stimulus material provided?
2009	Speech	To present ideas/ recommend	Local council members	Community (council)	Write a community text	No
2008	Transcript of an interview	To discuss work exp. report	Work experience student	Work-place	Write a text from the workplace (transcript of spoken text)	Yes
2007	Opinion letter	To express opinion	Local councilor	Community	Write a community text	No
2006	Radio advertisement script	To encourage people to use water wisely	Young people	Community	Write a community text	Yes
2005	Information sheet	To inform students about texts in this elective	Year 11 students	School	Write abouttwo texts studied in elective	No
2004	Feature article	To describe, explain, evaluate Elective 1	Parents and community members	Community	Write about the elective in a community text (local paper)	No
2003	Letter of application	To persuade employer to employ you	Recruitment coordinator, Sunshine Bay Resort	Work-place	Write a workplace text	Yes
2002	Letter	To persuade to bring school groups	Excursion co-coordinators at schools	Work-place	Write a workplace text	Yes
2001	Speech	To persuade students to volunteer	Students	School	Write a text	Yes

Sample assessment task
Writing Folder

Outcomes to be assessed:

Key concept/ Main idea: Purpose, audience and context shape the language and structure of texts.

TASK DESCRIPTION:

Students are to submit a writing folder that contains THREE pieces of writing based on the stimulus material provided. Each piece of writing needs to be on a separate page.

Stimulus material:
http://en.travelnt.com/experience/aboriginal-culture.aspx

TASKS (Complete ALL THREE tasks)

• You are the composer of the "Tourism NT" website. You have just finished designing the "Experience Aboriginal Culture" webpage for Tourism NT. Write a Report for the Board of Directors, explaining the layout (textual and visual features) of the webpage. Explain how AT LEAST THREE website techniques are used to achieve the purpose of the website. Explain why you think that the webpage will be effective in encouraging tourists to come to the Northern Territory.
  
  (250-300 words) 10 marks
  
  AND
  
  
• Write a formal letter to the principal at your school persuading her to give permission for a Year 12 excursion to the Northern Territory. Outline the value of the excursion. The value of the excursion may include understanding about indigenous culture, relevance to HSC studies, opportunities to build friendships and rest from HSC studies.
  
  (200-250 words) 5 marks
  
  AND
  
  
• Tourism NT is advertising for an interpreter/ tour guide to work on their guided tours of the area around Uluru. They are looking for a highly motivated person with good communication skills in at least 2 languages (to interpret the tour for tourists from your country). The person must also be fit, and familiar with Aboriginal culture. Write your letter of application.
  
  (250-300 words) 5 marks

You will be assessed on how well you:

• Use the stimulus material provided to shape your written responses
• Write material that suits the purpose, audienceand context of the three texts;
• Organise and present your ideas according to the structureand conventionsof the text type.
• Use language relevant to the study of English.

NOTE:

If you are absent on the date of the assessment task you are required to provide a medical certificate to the Head Teacher of English on the morning of your return to school. Failure to comply with this Board of Studies regulation will result in zero marks.

HSC COURSE
ASSESSMENT TASK
Assessment Task 5: Writing Folder
MARKING CRITERIA

Task 1: Report

Demonstrates insightful understanding of the information, ideas and attitudes communicated in and through workplace and community texts Demonstrates highly developed ability to organise, develop and communicate information, ideas and attitudes (explains AT LEAST THREE specific website techniques) Demonstrates highly developed ability to select language forms and features appropriate to the context, purpose and audience Demonstrates sustained control of expression and use of language relevant to the study of English (hyperlinks, navigate etc.)	9-10
Demonstrates thorough understanding of the information, ideas and attitudes communicated in and through workplace and community texts Demonstrates well developed ability to organise, develop and communicate information, ideas and attitudes (explains AT LEAST THREE specific website techniques) Demonstrates well developed ability to select language forms and features appropriate to the context, purpose and audience Demonstrates good control of expression and use of language relevant to the study of English	7-8
Demonstrates sound understanding of the information, ideas and attitudes communicated in and through workplace and community texts Demonstrates satisfactory ability to organise, develop and communicate information, ideas and attitudes (explains AT LEAST TWO specific website technique) Demonstrates satisfactory ability to select language forms and features appropriate to the context, purpose and audience Demonstrates control of expression	5-6
Demonstrates generalised understanding of the information, ideas and attitudes communicated in and through workplace and community texts Demonstrates developing ability to organise, develop and communicate information, ideas and attitudes (explains AT LEAST ONE specific website techniques) Demonstrates developing ability to select language forms and features appropriate to the context, purpose and audience Demonstrates developing control of expression	3-4
Demonstrates elementary understanding of the information, ideas and attitudes communicated in and through workplace and community texts Composes an undeveloped response Demonstrates limited ability to select language forms and features appropriate to the context, purpose and audience Demonstrates limited control of expression	1-2

Download a Word Document version of this task.

Task 2: Formal letter to principal

Demonstrates insightful understanding of the information, ideas and attitudes communicated in and through workplace and community texts Demonstrates highly developed ability to organise, develop and communicate information, ideas and attitudes (explanation of reasons for excursion) Demonstrates highly developed ability to select language forms and features appropriate to the context, purpose and audience Demonstrates sustained control of expression and use of language relevant to the study of English	5
Demonstrates thorough understanding of the information, ideas and attitudes communicated in and through workplace and community texts Demonstrates well developed ability to organise, develop and communicate information, ideas and attitudes (explanation of reasons for excursion) Demonstrates well developed ability to select language forms and features appropriate to the context, purpose and audience Demonstrates good control of expression and use of language relevant to the study of English	4
Demonstrates sound understanding of the information, ideas and attitudes communicated in and through workplace and community texts Demonstrates satisfactory ability to organise, develop and communicate information, ideas and attitudes (explanation of reasons for excursion) Demonstrates satisfactory ability to select language forms and features appropriate to the context, purpose and audience Demonstrates control of expression	3
Demonstrates generalised understanding of the information, ideas and attitudes communicated in and through workplace and community texts Demonstrates developing ability to organise, develop and communicate information, ideas and attitudes Demonstrates developing ability to select language forms and features appropriate to the context, purpose and audience Demonstrates developing control of expression	2
Demonstrates elementary understanding of the information, ideas and attitudes communicated in and through workplace and community texts Composes an undeveloped response Demonstrates limited ability to select language forms and features appropriate to the context, purpose and audience Demonstrates limited control of expression	1

Task 3: Letter of Application

Demonstrates insightful understanding of the information, ideas and attitudes communicated in and through workplace and community texts Demonstrates highly developed ability to organise, develop and communicate information, ideas and attitudes (letter of application) Demonstrates highly developed ability to select language forms and features appropriate to the context, purpose and audience Demonstrates sustained control of expression and use of language relevant to the study of English	5
Demonstrates thorough understanding of the information, ideas and attitudes communicated in and through workplace and community texts Demonstrates well developed ability to organise, develop and communicate information, ideas and attitudes (letter of application) Demonstrates well developed ability to select language forms and features appropriate to the context, purpose and audience Demonstrates good control of expression and use of language relevant to the study of English	4
Demonstrates sound understanding of the information, ideas and attitudes communicated in and through workplace and community texts Demonstrates satisfactory ability to organise, develop and communicate information, ideas and attitudes (letter of application) Demonstrates satisfactory ability to select language forms and features appropriate to the context, purpose and audience Demonstrates control of expression	3
Demonstrates generalised understanding of the information, ideas and attitudes communicated in and through workplace and community texts Demonstrates developing ability to organise, develop and communicate information, ideas and attitudes Demonstrates developing ability to select language forms and features appropriate to the context, purpose and audience Demonstrates developing control of expression	2
Demonstrates elementary understanding of the information, ideas and attitudes communicated in and through workplace and community texts Composes an undeveloped response Demonstrates limited ability to select language forms and features appropriate to the context, purpose and audience Demonstrates limited control of expression	1

Download a Word Document version of this task