2.3 Unfamiliar Text
Prose, Poetry and Non-fiction Analysis
2.3 Unfamiliar Texts External ( 4 writing or reading credits)
This external is similar to the literary and non-literary in class tests you completed in Year 11. However, you will
have three different texts and text types to analyse: a poem, prose and non-fiction. You must write a response to
ALL of them. However, this does not mean you will be writing three essays, rather, you will be writing a small
introduction and an extended paragraph response for each text. Your exam is three hours long. In this time you
must complete your Written Text exam (2.1) and your Unfamiliar Text exam (2.3).
You will be given a practice test in class for both externals in addition to the prelim examinations, so you will be
able to practise and have access to valuable feedback before the final examinations.
You will also be issued a workbook to assist you with this standard. Some of the activities you will complete in
class and others will be set for homework.
Please ensure you attend these practice tests as they count towards prizegiving and past years examination
questions are used so you are able to have an accurate experience.
Some of the texts we study in preparation for this external can be used for your Significant Connections Across
Text essay (2.7).
What does the paper look like?
On the day, you will be provided with two
booklets. One booklet will be the resource
booklet, containing the texts you will analyse,
and the other will be the answer booklet. This
is a digital exam, but paper copies will be
available.
The answer booklet will also contain the
question that you are required to answer for
each text.
Text types to be studied
The unfamiliar text exam is split into three sections.
You will analyse prose (unstructured fiction), a poem , and a non-fiction piece.
Exemplars
What the different grade boundaries can look like with annotated examples.
Checklist
Reading and Preparation
● Read the question carefully and note key requirements.
Highlight the key words in the question. You aim is to
answer the question using evidence from the text.
● Read the text thoroughly at least once. Highlight
language that immediately relates to the question.
● Identify the text type (prose, poem, or non-fiction)
Checklist
Analysis
● Identify at least three language features with at
least two relevant quotes.
● Consider the author's purpose and intended
audience.
● Think about the overall tone and mood of the text.
Checklist
Writing
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Start with a brief introduction addressing the main idea. You only need an introduction and
one body paragraph, it is most important to address the question.
Make a point, prove a point.
You can use TEAL structure for paragraphs (Topic sentence which is your main point,
evidence, explanation, link back to the question to prove you have answered the
question.)
Include at least one quote per paragraph to support your points.
Identify language features and explain how each language feature contributes to the text's
meaning. You need to link language features to the questions.
Discuss the effect of language features on the reader.
Connect language features to the author's purpose.
Show how different aspects of the text work together.
Use words from the question to prove you are answering the question.
Conclude by summarising the main points and overall effect.
Checklist
Advanced Techniques
● Discuss the relationship between language
features and wider context.
● Consider the text's structure and how it impacts
meaning.
● Analyse the author's style and its effectiveness.
Checklist
Final Check
● Ensure you've addressed all parts of the question.
● Proofread for spelling and grammatical errors.
● Check that all quotes are accurately transcribed.
Remember to write perceptively, showing a deep understanding of how the
text creates meaning and effect. Always support your points with specific
evidence from the text and explain the significance of each feature you
identify. Make sure you have addressed the question throughout your
analysis.
How your Unfamiliar Text exam is marked
How your grade are
calculated:
For each of the three
texts you respond to,
you will get a mark out of
8 (N1, N2, A3, A4, M5,
M6, E7, E8).
This grades will be
totaled to give you an
overall grade.
For example:
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Text one = N2
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Text two = A3
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Text Three = M5
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Final grade:
Achieved
Examiner’s Comments (2018)
Achieved:
Merit:
To gain an Achieved, students did the
following:
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Answered all three questions.
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Provided some language
techniques in support of their
answer.
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Unpacked one or more
language techniques to help
develop an answer.
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Showed an understanding of the
text or of techniques (or both).
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May have shown a
misunderstanding of part of the
text, producing an inconsistent
answer.
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Did not develop an in-depth
answer.
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Looked with reasonable depth
at only one part of the text so
didn’t assess the whole text, or
how parts of the text related to
one another.
To gain a Merit, students did the
following:
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Addressed the questions with a
clear focus.
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Showed a confident knowledge
and understanding of language
techniques.
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Analysed how techniques
created ideas and/or effects,
unpacking in some detail how
the techniques contributed to
the impact of the text.
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Showed a clear understanding
of the text.
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Showed some awareness of the
writer’s purpose and deliberate
crafting of the text.
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Made connections across the
text.
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Wrote fluently.
Excellence:
To gain an Excellence, students did the
following:
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Analysed and interpreted the text
with originality or insight.
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Demonstrated insight in their
explanation of key ideas, techniques
and examples, and how these
worked together.
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Demonstrated a clear, mature
understanding of the ideas in the
text, often going beyond the text,
linking the ideas to other relevant
contexts.
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Discussed ideas beyond the text and
acknowledged either their personal
response to it and/or made a link to
human experience.
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Appreciated the choices made by the
writer and how they impacted the
reader’s understanding/experience of
the text.
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Presented an integrated discussion
that valued the text as a whole.
Examiner’s Comments (2019)
Achieved:
Merit:
To gain an Achieved, students did
the following:
To gain a Merit, students did the following:
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identified one or two language
features and explained how
they were used to create effect
used examples from the texts to
support their answers
used key words from the
question in their answers
displayed a basic understanding
of the text and the author’s
purpose
began to focus on the effects of
the language features
provided some analysis,
perhaps with some weakness,
but did answer the question
did not develop their answer
with an understanding of the
purpose of the technique or how
it achieved this purpose
may have not achieved all the
questions but attempted an
answer to each one.
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answered questions fully
developed their answers further,
showing some understanding of the
purpose of the author or text
showed a sound knowledge of
language techniques and wrote with a
level of confidence about their effects
gave more than one example of
techniques that worked together to
create an overall effect
were confident in their naming and
analysis of techniques
provided accurate evidence and
unpacked it clearly
used analysis-related terminology to
make their answers convincing
wrote a developed answer succinctly
chose their own language features,
rather than using the “might include”
hints
used and linked several examples of a
feature.
Excellence:
To gain an Excellence, students did the following:
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Began strongly and with originality.
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were forthright in discussing ideas, often
linked to specific and relevant events in
the real world
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had a wide range of imagery, structures,
and sentence types in their toolbox
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used terminology accurately
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peeled the text back just that bit further,
showing appreciation of how language
was used in patterns / motifs and
explaining how each example added a
little more
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wrote fluently without repetition
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used a sophisticated vocabulary to
express their ideas
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evaluated the techniques
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appeared to enjoy answering the
question
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attempted all questions and often wrote
a significant amount about the texts,
using a good number of language
techniques to illustrate how the author
achieved their purpose
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showed insight into the wider purpose of
the text or how the author achieved this
purpose.
Examiner’s Comments (2023)
Achieved:
Merit:
To gain an Achieved, students did the
following:
To gain a Merit, students did the following:
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reframed the question, rather than simply
repeating it
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did not repeat material or paraphrase
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made a clear and direct response to the
question
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showed a solid understanding of and
engagement with the text
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showed understanding of the purpose of
the texts in relation to the question
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wrote a well-structured, articulate
response to answer the question in depth
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identified and showed understanding of
techniques and their effect in relation to
the main idea
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referred to several features, using and
linking several examples of each
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unpacked the evidence provided in
examples from the text, showing
understanding
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showed a very good understanding of the
author’s purpose, and awareness of the
audience of the text
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made relevant comments on contexts
beyond the text
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presented a formulaic response,
repeating the words of the question to
frame their answer
addressed the question clearly, using
relevant quotations from the texts and
explaining an idea in clear and simple
words
showed some evidence of having
understood the text
identified a language feature and
linked it to the writer’s purpose
began to focus on the effects of the
language features
unpacked the main idea simply
provided some analysis
attempted to explain the author’s
purpose
added a personal response
related their answer to contexts
outside the text, for instance by
making generalisations, referring to a
personal context, or making a
judgement about the author’s stance
Excellence:
To gain an Excellence, students did the
following:
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developed an idea throughout their
response in a sophisticated way
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demonstrated original ideas and
perspectives on the text and related
these back to the question
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showed maturity of insight in
response to the text, the writer’s
purpose, and technical aspects of
writing
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discussed ideas in a forthright way,
making links to specific and relevant
aspects of the world outside the text
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showed awareness of different
perspectives
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evaluated techniques by comparing,
contrasting, or combining language
features
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referred to relevant personal
experiences where appropriate
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wrote fluently, using sophisticated
and mature vocabulary and a wide
range of imagery, structures,
language features, and sentence
types
Examiner’s Comments
Here are some other important comments from examiners in 2026, 2019 and 2023:
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Those who responded with an in-depth analysis were rewarded; the quality of the response is more important than the
quantity of language features identified.
A candidate cannot achieve Excellence if only answer two questions are answered.
Candidates are not required to write three “literary essay” style answers. Rather, they should focus on examining the
effect of the choices made by each writer, in the context of the question provided. Lengthy introductions and conclusions
do not always add to a candidate’s result. Candidates should be encouraged to focus on fewer, carefully selected,
techniques (again “show a discriminating understanding…”) so that they can develop their discussion in more detail.
Some answers were strongly directed by a formula (e.g. PILATES or PATMI) and were at risk of following the formula
rather than answering the question.
Candidates are using the keywords from the question in their opening lines which helps to start them on the right path. It
is important that these keywords are then continued throughout the response.
It is important that candidates relate their discussion directly to the question posed in the examination, and that they focus
their discussion on the techniques employed by the author. The number of techniques mentioned in an answer is less
important than the quality of discussion of each technique; answers benefit from discussion of fewer techniques and more
analysis of how they work in the context of the text and in relation to the question.
Candidates should attempt all three questions. Some candidates provided high-level evidence on single questions but
didn’t answer a second or third question, resulting in an overall score that did not appear to reflect their ability.