20 Paper 1 Practice Essay Questions to Get Ready for the English Adv HSC

Need help preparing for HSC English Advanced Paper 1? Well, Matrix has your back, again! In this post, we’ve got 20 Common Module practice essay questions for you to get HSC ready with.

20 Paper 1 practice essay questions to get ready for the English Adv HSC | Common Module: Text and Human Experiences

Below are 20 practice questions for the Common Module Paper 1. Some of these questions are general questions and others are specific to form.

We recommend that you use these practice questions to either:

1. Write practice essays to gain essay confidence
2. Do mock exams to a 40-minute timer (Yes, that’s right, not 45 minutes. Get used to responding in less than the allotted time!)
3. Practise scaffolding drills where you plan out an essay in 5 minutes and write a practice introduction and three topic sentences!
4. All of the above

Note: Some of these questions asks you to discuss a specific text. Feel free to adapt these to your own prescribed texts!

Remember, it is always a good idea to practice a wide range of questions. You must not rely on a prepared response.

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20 Common Module practice essay questions

Question 1

Inevitable conflict invites individuals to see the world differently and bring anomalies to light.

Evaluate this statement with close references to your prescribed text.

Question 2

Evaluate how composers use evocative imagery to represent the power of human desires and their effect on individuals.

In your response, make detailed reference to the text.

Question 3

Storytelling is simply a metaphor that helps people deal with the harsh truth of the human condition.

How does the text you studied affirm or challenge this statement? In your response, make detailed reference to the text.

Question 4

Humans need to embrace every aspect of the human experience – including the goods and bads – to undergo pleasantly surprising changes in life.

Critically evaluate this statement with references to at least 2 of Rosemary Dobson’s poems. In your response, make detailed reference to the text.

Question 5

Composers use features unique to their media and form to offer insightful perspectives on human experiences that forces audiences to self-reflect.

Evaluate this statement with close references to your prescribed text.

Question 6

“Living a good life is like flipping pancakes. If you hesitate, it splatters all over the place.” – Matt Simpson.

Evaluate how George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four reflects this statement by functioning as a cautionary tale. In your response, make detailed reference to the text.

Question 7

Composers document their personal experiences in stories to reflect and learn. As such, their personal and wider contexts are usually interwoven in these stories.

Explain how the use of narrative voice in non-fiction texts reflect the above statement. In your response, make detailed reference to the text.

Question 8

To what extent does Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice challenge audiences to reflect on the complexities and tensions of human experiences throughout time.

In your response, make detailed reference to the text.

Question 9

Texts are known to explore human flaws that are uncomfortable, yet simultaneously, wonderful.

Evaluate how Arthur Miller’s use of representation in The Crucible explores the above statement. In your response, make detailed reference to the text.

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Question 10

How does Tim Winton’s innovative representation of the landscape present an insightful vision of the human experience?

In your response, make detailed reference to at least 2 stories from The Boy Behind the Curtain.

Question 11

Stories often invite audiences to appreciate the power of human interactions and relationships to offer new insights into the world and oneself.

How does your text affirm or challenge the above statement? In your response, make detailed reference to the text.

Question 12

Evaluate how George Orwell uses metaphors to represent the weaknesses and strengths of human qualities within a turbulent political zeitgeist. In your response, make detailed reference to the text.

Question 13

Humans have an innate desire to judge others.

Discuss the effects of stereotypes and judgement on an individual’s sense of self in Ivan O’Mahoney’s Go Back to Where You Came From. In your response, make detailed reference to the text.

Question 14

Evaluate how composers use evocative imagery to explore the similarities and differences between individual and collective human experiences.

Make close reference to your prescribed text.

Question 15

One’s identity is ultimately shaped by their experiences and interaction with the wider world.

To what extent does your prescribed text explore this statement. In your response, make detailed reference to the text.

Question 16

Human emotions and desires have the power to move mountains.

Discuss how your prescribed text uses its media and form to explore the above statement. In your response, make detailed reference to the text.

Question 17

Society and their perspectives may change over time, but the human condition remains constant.

To what extent does Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb’s I am Malala explore the above statement. In your response, make detailed reference to the text.

Question 18

An exploration of the human experience offers new insight on the world and of oneself.

Discuss how the composer of your prescribed text represented different experiences and attitudes to explore the above statement. In your response, make detailed reference to the text.

Question 19

Question 20

Composers represent relatable experiences to encourage audiences to recognise the connection between themselves and the wider world.

Evaluate the above statement and explore the importance of connections and relationships with detailed references to your prescribed text.