The Common Module is common to students taking English Standard, English Advanced and English Studies. Some texts may be shared between exams of these levels of HSC English, but they each also contain texts that are unique to them. Consider the 2019 HSC, shared texts were:
- The New Yorker (magazine cover) - included in both the English Standard Paper 1 and the English Studies paper.
- Boomerangs in a Thunderstorm (poem) - included in both the English Standard Paper 1 and the English Advanced Paper 1.
- Extract from A Kindness Cup (prose fiction extract) - included in both the English Standard Paper 1 and the English Advanced Paper 1.
In terms of the number of papers and the structure thereof, both English Standard and English Advanced have 2 papers to be sat on 2 consecutive days and are allocated identical time limits, which are as follows:
- Paper 1 – Texts and Human Experiences (1 hour and 40 minutes)
- Paper 2 – Modules (2 hours and 5 minutes)
English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EAL/D) requires students to sit 3 papers on 2 consecutive days, with one paper to be sat on the first day and the remaining 2 papers to be sat on the following day. The papers and their time limits are as follows:
- Paper 1 – Module A and Focus on Writing (1 hour and 40 minutes)
- Paper 2 – Module B and Module C (1 hour and 5 minutes)
- Listening Paper - (30 minutes)
As you can see, EAL/D contains an assessable listening component, as opposed to the other levels of HSC English. This is also the case of HSC language subjects, although the purpose of taking a language subject at HSC level is commonly to learn a new language, whereas EAL/D is intended to be taken by students whose first language is a language or dialect other than English and who require additional support to assist them to develop proficiency in English, not to mention the fact that English is compulsory, whereas a language subject is not.
The English Studies Examination is comprised of one paper to be sat by students on the same day as Paper 1 of English Standard, English Advanced and EAL/D. It goes for 2 hours and 40 minutes, which is significantly shorter than the total time required by the papers of other levels of English. In addition, the exam itself is out of 70 whereas the papers of the other levels of English amount to 100 marks. While this may suggest that English Studies is easier compared to other levels of English, it is important to note that the HSC mark (final mark) reported on student credentials for English Studies is based on the HSC exam only. This means that school-based assessment does not contribute 50% of this mark as it does for the other levels of English.
I hope this helps!
