The best way to prepare for The Craft of WRiting is practice. And we've got plenty here for you in these 20 Craft of Writing practice questions.
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Module C: The Craft of Writing, was introduced from the 2019 HSC by NESA to ensure students develop the skills to become better writers, it all stops students memorising responses. Although you cannot memorise a response for this module, you can practice answering different types of questions to become more confident in your writing. To help you prepare, we’ve put together 20 Craft of Writing Questions to get you Mod C ready. Working through these questions will allow you to feel more prepared when tackling the question and allow you to save time in the exam.
Are you unsure of how to practice? Unsure what styles of writing you would need to practice? Unsure what questions could possibly be asked in Paper 2 for this module?
Don’t worry! We got you covered.
Below are 20 questions which we’ve put together for you, so you can practice for Module C.
Remember, you’ll only develop mastery through regular creative and discursive writing and answering different types of questions.
“Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.”
George Orwell
a. In his essay, “Politics and the English Language,” Orwell presents this rule for writing. Defy this rule in your re-imagination of a particular scene which stood out to you whilst studying Module A, B or C. (12 marks)
b. Assess your effectiveness in defying the rule and explain the reason behind your choice of the particular stylistic device you have defied. (8 marks)
a. Explore the relationship between 2 characters you have studied in one of your prescribed texts in Module C. Express their thought process, and the emotions which drive their choices through your perspective. (12 marks)
b. Justify the reason behind the creative choices you have made in Part A. (8 marks)
“Not all those who wander are lost.”
J.R.R Tolkein
The Lord Of The Rings
a. Use this quote as a stimulus for a piece of imaginative, discursive or persuasive writing, which is written through the voice of a prominent character you have encountered in a prescribed text in Module A, B or C.
In your response, you must include at least ONE stylistic or literary feature that you have explored during your study of a prescribed text in Module C. (20 marks)
“The climax hits close to the very end of the story. It is the point at which the story turns from being an interrelated deliberately arranged set of scenes to gold.”
Martha Alderson
a. Disobey this rule by Martha Alderson in your persuasive, imaginative or discursive piece by starting it with the climax.
In your response, you must include at least ONE stylistic and literary feature that you have explored during your study of a prescribed text in Module C. (12 marks)
b. Explain the reason behind your choice and how it has influenced your writing in Part A. (8 marks)
“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view … Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.”
Harper Lee
To Kill A Mockingbird
a. Use this quote as a stimulus for an imaginative, discursive or persuasive piece of writing, which presents a unique perspective from the point of view of a character you have encountered in your study of Module A, B or C.
In your response, use at least ONE literary device you have explored in one of your prescribed Module C texts. (12 marks)
b. Justify the creative choices you have made in Part A and how they contribute to presenting a unique perspective. ( 8 marks)
“You know the myth: Everybody had to fit into Procrustes’ bed and if they didn’t, he either stretched them or cut off their feet. I’m not interested in cutting the feet off my characters or stretching them to make them fit my certain point of view.”
Margaret Atwood
Interview with Mother Jones
a. Use this quote by Margaret Atwood as a stimulus for a piece of persuasive, discursive or imaginative writing that expresses a significant concern or idea that you have engaged with in ONE of your prescribed texts from Module A, B or C. (20 marks)
“The Resolution is not just the ending of this story, but also the beginning of the story the characters will live in after readers have closed the back cover.”
K.M. Weiland
a. Use this sentence as a stimulus to write an imaginative, persuasive or discursive piece which is based upon the conclusion of ONE prescribed text you have studied in Module A, B or C.
In your response, you must include at least ONE stylistic feature you have explored during your study of prescribed texts in Module C. (20 marks)
Get detailed feedback on your writing from HSC English Experts. Learn more.
“Radio: it ties a million ears to a single mouth.”
Anthony Doerr
All the light We Cannot See
a. Use this quote as a stimulus to write a re-imagination of a particular scene of conflict present in a prescribed text you have studied in Module A, B or C as an imaginative, discursive, or persuasive piece.
In your response, use at least ONE literary device you have studied during Module C. (14 marks)
b. Reflect on your thought process for writing in Part A, critically analysing the choice of literary device used. (6 marks)
a. Write a short children’s story using an idea or concern conveyed in one of the prescribed texts you have studied in Module A, B or C.
In your response, you must include at least ONE stylistic or literary feature that you have explored during your study of a prescribed text in Module C. (12 marks)
b. Explain how at least ONE of your prescribed texts from Module C has influenced your writing style in Part A. (8 marks)
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
Maya Angelou
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
a. Use this quote as stimuli for a piece of imaginative, discursive or persuasive writing which has arisen from an idea you engaged with in a prescribed text from Module A, B or C. (12 marks)
b. Reflect on the idea you chose and why you were inspired to write about it. In your reflection, focus particularly on the stylistic choices you have made to convey the untold story inside you. (8 marks)
Write a discursive, creative, or persuasive piece about a key event that has occurred in one of the prescribed texts you have studied in Module C.
In your response, you must include at least ONE stylistic or literary feature that you have explored during your study of a prescribed text in Module C. (20 marks)
“There is no real ending. It’s just the place where you stop the story.”
Frank Herbert
a. Using this quote as stimuli, write a new ending for a prescribed text you have studied in Module A, B or C.
In your writing, ensure you pay close attention to the emotions felt by the characters that you have encountered in the text. (12 marks)
b. Justify why you believe this ending would also be suitable for the prescribed text. (8 marks)
Enclosure
Seeking
the
big picture
he
instead
fell into a smaller frame
and
ever since has been
unable to break out of
it
unable or
unwilling
Will Fraser
Use Will Fraser’s poem as stimuli to write a creative, persuasive or discursive piece which focuses on feelings of disorientation.
In your piece, draw upon ideas and concerns which have been explored in ONE or more of your prescribed texts. (20 marks)
Choose a moment of tension that has occurred in ONE of the prescribed texts you have studied in Module C and re-write it from the point of view of an outsider watching the moment play out. Express the thought process of the outsider, what they have seen, and its impact on them. (20 marks)
a. Write an excerpt which could be inserted near the climax of a prescribed text you have studied in Module A, B or C. (12 marks)
b. Explain the choices you made whilst writing this excerpt and the process of editing you went through. Focus particularly on how these choices influenced the final composition. (8 marks)
a. Use the image above as stimuli, to write a discursive, imaginative or persuasive piece which has arisen from an idea you engaged with in a prescribed text from Module A, B or C. (12 marks)
b. Evaluate the stylistic features you have used and their effect on creating meaning in your piece. (8 marks)
“And if you didn’t know better, you’d think that no one lived here anymore. That all these places were abandoned. But people were in there somewhere, hidden and burrowed in. They were there.”
Favel Parrett
Past The Shallows
Or
“There are some people who leave impressions not so lasting as the imprint of an oar upon the water.”
Kate Chopin
The Awakening
a. Use one of the quotes above as stimuli for the start of a discursive, imaginative or persuasive piece, written from the point of view of a persona you have encountered in Module A. B or C. In your piece incorporate at least ONE extended metaphor. (20 marks)
a. Write a discursive, imaginative or persuasive piece which causes feelings of uncertainty within a young reader.
In your response, you must include at least TWO stylistic or literary devices which you have explored in the prescribed texts you have studied in Module C. (12 marks)
b. Evaluate the stylistic or literary devices you have used in your piece and how they contribute to feelings of uncertainty. (8 marks)
a. Use the image as stimuli to write about an internal conflict experienced by characters in one of your Module A, B or C prescribed texts, in the form of a discursive, imaginative or persuasive piece.
In your response, use at least ONE literary device or stylistic feature that you have encountered in Module C. (12 marks)
b. Critically analyse the literary choices you have made and their impact on the piece you have crafted. (8 marks)
Write a discursive, imaginative or persuasive piece which uses rhetorical and linguistic devices to shape meaning. Your piece should present a unique perspective to ideas or concerns which you have encountered in at least ONE of the prescribed texts you have studied in Module C. (20 marks)
We hope these questions help you prepare for the upcoming exam.
Practice answering these questions and get them marked for feedback! This will help you hone in on your craft of writing and become a better, more confident writer for Paper 2.
If you want some advice on how to write Module c responses, you should read our Guide on Module C: The Craft of Writing.
Written by Matrix English Team
The Matrix English Team are tutors and teachers with a passion for English and a dedication to seeing Matrix Students achieving their academic goals.
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