1. Performance Standards
Stage 2 English
Performance Standards

2. Out with the old, in with the new
The new Stage 2 English course has a lot to recommend it as both the tasks and performance standards are significantly streamlined.
Throw away your old Task Sheets and write new ones.

3. Changes No An2 No ‘familiar’ or ‘unfamiliar’
Communication and Application Performance Standards have been merged
Comparison is required in Analysis
Nine standards overall instead of eleven

4. New Assessment Design Criteria
Knowledge and Understanding
The specific features are as follows:
KU1 Knowledge and understanding of ideas and perspectives in texts.
KU2 Knowledge and understanding of ways in which creators of texts use language features, stylistic features, and conventions to make meaning.
KU3 Knowledge and understanding of ways in which texts are created for different purposes, audiences, and contexts.
Analysis
An1 Analysis of ideas, perspectives, and/or aspects of culture represented in texts.
An2 Analysis of language features, stylistic features, and conventions, and evaluation of how they influence audiences.
An3 Analysis of similarities and differences when comparing texts.
Application
Ap1 Use of language and stylistic features to create texts that address the purpose, audience, and context.
Ap2 Use of evidence from texts to develop and support a response.
Ap3 Use of clear, accurate, and fluent expression.

5. Knowledge and Understanding
KU1: ideas and perspectives in a range of texts.
Theme, belief, idea, value, perspective are synonymous terms
These reflect the dominant social and or cultural values of the time and place from which the text is derived and as such are inextricably linked to the context.
Examples include: war should be avoided at all costs, the American dream, greed, love, grief, etc.
Students should study a variety of texts that provide scope in terms of text type, techniques and or ideas and perspectives.
KU2: ways in which authors of texts use a range of language features, stylistic features, and conventions.
Language features = metaphors, similes, personification, onomatopoeia, allusion, hyperbole etc.
Stylistic features = relates to the level of sophistication with which these techniques are applied in order to achieve a particular tone and the effect they have on the audience
Conventions = are the ‘rules’ about how to construct particular text types.
KU3: wide range of ways in which texts are created for different purposes, audiences, and contexts.
A broad number of literary techniques used across all tasks in order to reach a range of purposes, audiences and contexts.
Purpose: inform, entertain, educate, persuade
Audience: age, education, gender, occupation, personal interest, cultural values
Contexts: historical, geographic, cultural setting of the text

6. Analysis
An1: language features, stylistic features, and conventions and how they influence audiences.
Language = literary devices such as similes, metaphors, allusions, hyperbole, alliteration, etc.
Stylistic features = the tone achieved through the level of sophistication with which they are applied and their effect on the audience.
Conventions = the accepted standards for layout and structure of different text types
An2: ways in which ideas, perspectives, and aspects of culture.
Ways = techniques (language features, stylistic features and text conventions)
Ideas, perspectives, aspects of culture = themes/main ideas
An3: similarities and differences
Comparison and contrast that exists between two texts

7. Application
language features to create a wide range of coherent texts that address the purpose, audience, and context.
Use a range of language features in a range of texts to reach varying purposes, audiences and contexts.
Fluently incorporated use of evidence from texts to develop and support a response.
Integrated, direct reference to texts under analysis in the form of quotations.
This does not extend to wider research, but the actual texts you have studied.
Use of accurate, clear, and fluent expression.
Planned, drafted and edited writing and speaking that is well-considered and free of errors.