Assessment

Type 2:
Responses to
Texts
Task 1 (10%)

English as an Additional Language (EAL)

Subject code: 2EAL20
 Task 1: A response to one or more texts with a
focus on an issue
(Internal Assessment 10%)

• This task focuses on developing comprehension and language skills, and text
analysis strategies.
• Students evaluate and compare ideas and opinions about an issue in one speech
and/or one media text of their choice.
• Students explain personal, social and/or cultural attitudes and perspectives
reflected in texts. The response should focus on at least one of these.
• The response is in the form of a 500 to 600 word (maximum) essay.
 What makes an ‘issue’ ?

• Controversial subjects that divide public opinion

• Focus of public debate and media attention
• Something that might be discussed in the media for a short time or over a long
period of time
• The issue must be social in nature:
- i.e. discrimination, euthanasia, graffiti, refugees, homosexuality, abortion
• Pick an issue that interests you and that shows various perspectives.

SACE EAL Handbook, Year 12

 Different points of view

• There can be different views on one issue as each perspective is influenced by

factors such as:
– Background (special knowledge/expertise, interests, ethical, moral or religious
upbringing, social or financial status, location)
– Personal experience
– Political bias
– Personal bias

SACE EAL Handbook, Year 12

 Different points of view

• Although there are usually two sides ‘for’ or ‘against’, there will also be different
views within each side
• People who have a particular interest in an issue are called stakeholders

SACE EAL Handbook, Year 12

 Attitudes and perspectives

• Personal perspective is the writer or stakeholder’s opinion about the issue.

• Social perspective is the attitude of a group or society (Malaysian) about the issue.
• Cultural perspective is the opinion of a specific community i.e. Malay, Chinese,
Indian, indigenous, religious groups
Issue: Women-only train carriages.
Instructions: What opinions might the following
stakeholders have on this issue?
Stakeholder For/Against Why?
A businesswoman who Against • Women-only carriages suggest women
catches peak-hour trains to are weak and less able than men
and from her office in the • Harassment of women on public
city each day transport is not a significant problem

A conservative Muslim
woman who has
experienced harassment
on trains due to her
traditional dress
A teenage boy who catches
the train to school most
days
A female tourist from
Tokyo, where women-only
carriages were introduced
in 2000
SACE EAL Handbook, Year 12
 Assessment criteria

• As a class we will study some texts as practice and you can choose to use one or none of
these in your response.

• In this task you should:

• Demonstrate good and consistent grammatical control and complexity (C2)
• Demonstrate comprehension and evaluation of the information, ideas and opinions
presented in the texts (Cp1)
• Comprehension of ways in which texts are composed for varied purposes, audiences and
context (Cp2)
• Analyse and evaluate personal, social and/or cultural perspectives and attitudes (An1)
 Assessment Format

– Essay structure – Introduction, 2 body paragraphs that explain/compare the cause/effect

of each perspective, concluding paragraph, use 3rd person perspective
– Introduction – Introduce the author and the context in which the texts were created,
state the issue and perspectives (thesis statement)
– Body – Explanation of causes and/or effects from various perspectives, evidence used
– Conclusion – Summarise causes and/or effects (Which perspective is more convincing?
Are the perspectives interesting?)
– References - Harvard referencing (Alphabetical order)
 Assessment Criteria

Body paragraph – Evaluation of ideas and perspectives

– Compare the ideas i.e. causes/effects related to personal/social/cultural perspectives or
– Explain the causes in the first paragraph and effects in the second paragraph related to
personal/social/cultural perspectives
– In each paragraph, state the kind of evidence used to explain/support the issue/perspective i.e. a
study/research, anecdote, personal experience, emotive words, appeal to justice or family values or fear
or hip-pocket nerve, humour and irony, repetition of words and phrases, inclusive language, strong tone
or voice, exaggeration/hyperbole, attack a person or idea or situation, rhetorical questions,
generalisations, allusion, use of experts or statistics or reports or graphs and metaphors and similes
 Assessment Layout

 Essay question/title (topic)

 Essay to be in Font: Times New Roman, Size 12, 2.0 spaced, Justified
 Page number
 Reference list that follows Harvard referencing
 Turnitin report
 Deadlines

Draft: 25 February 2019, Monday

Final: 26 March 2018, Tuesday

 Considering different points of
view on an issue of choice
a) Find an issue that has been discussed in the media within the last two months. Provide the
text(s) or links to the text(s).
b) Identify two/three different groups of people who might have a strong opinion on the issue
c) Identify two different opinions on the issue, and give the reasons and evidence for each.
d) Imagine you are a member of one of the groups you identified in question. Write a paragraph
identifying the group you belong to and giving your opinion on the issue, along with reasons for
that opinion.

SACE EAL Handbook, Year 12

 Possible issues to consider

• Issues that allow you to write about personal, social and/or cultural perspective
– Child marriage or child brides, dowry killings, honor killings
– Arranged marriages
– Human trafficking
– Child labor (parents, children, companies, NGOs)
– Gender equality (pay)
– Discrimination (racial, workplace, gender, age)
– Female genital mutilation
– Refugees
– Illegal immigrants
• Narrow the issue down to a specific region/country. Provide a context. Explain causes, effects, evaluate the
various perspectives (consider the evidence used to support the perspectives)