Overview: HSC Common Module & Module C Lessons

Why study them together?

The Common Module: Texts and Human Experiences and Module C: The Craft of Writing are two of the most significant components of the HSC English Advanced and Standard courses. The Common Module is examined in Paper 1, requiring students to respond to unseen texts and write a conceptual essay on their prescribed text. Module C is examined in Paper 2, focusing on students’ ability to craft original writing across a range of forms including: imaginative, discursive, and persuasive texts.

Studying them together creates a powerful synergy: students learn how to analyse great writing in the Common Module and then apply those insights to become skilled composers in Module C.

What students will gain?

1. Common Module (Paper 1) – Texts and Human Experiences

• Unseen Comprehension Practice: Strategies to analyse, interpret, and write short, timed responses to unfamiliar texts.

• Essay Writing Mastery: Developing purpose-driven, conceptual thesis statements, constructing evaluative arguments, integrating context, form, values and ideas.

• Close Textual Analysis: Understanding how prescribed texts represent the paradoxes, anomalies, and complexities in human behaviour and motivation.

• Exam Preparation: Building confidence for Paper 1 Section I (Comprehension) and Paper 1 Section II (Essay).

2. Module C (Paper 2) – The Craft of Writing

Module C is about developing a writer’s craft, informed by insights from the texts students have studied as well as the Module C prescribed texts. Students will explore and deconstruct models of quality writing including: imaginative, discursive, persuasive, and reflective writing. In doing so, students will:

• Learn the process of writing: generating, drafting, redrafting, and reflecting.

• Analyse mentor texts (exemplar HSC responses and professional writers) to model craft.

• Develop reflection statements to explain writing choices and demonstrate metacognitive control.

• Build a portfolio of adaptable pieces to use in the Paper 2 Module C section of the HSC Examination. 

Benefits of an integrated program

• Cross-pollination of skills

• Exam readiness for both Paper 1 and Paper 2 

• Students emerge with strong conceptual thinking, close reading ability, and versatility across multiple writing modes.