How to Choose a Related Text for the Common Module | HSC English

For the Common Module – Texts and Human Experiences, NESA requires that “assessment of the Common Module must integrate student selected related material”¹. This is the only time you will be assessed on a text of your own choosing, but it is still a significant aspect of the Common Module and your overall assessment in English.

Here are some tips to help you in selecting a text to examine.

1. Look beyond your set text.

If you focus on only choosing a related text that “fits” with your set text, you may struggle to use this related text in a thorough and sophisticated way. It is important to remember that your school may ask you to

• write about the related with your set text in an essay,
• present a multimodal on the related with your set text,
• demonstrate your knowledge of your related in a short-answer style question,
• or even compare your related text with your set text in an unseen question!

Studying 1984 does not mean you need to use a text that portrays a dystopian society, or a text that is a post-WW2 reaction to totalitarianism. Your related text is about human experiences and the module first and foremost. Which brings us to the next point:

2. Start with the module statement.

As with everything in English, you should start with the module statement. You want to choose a text that relates to Human Experiences. 

That being said, some of the key aspects of the module statement that you should thinking about as you choose a related text and then as you analyse it are: 

• What individual and collective human experiences are represented in the text?
• What human qualities are being represented?
• How are the emotions arising from human experiences explored?
• What anomalies, paradoxes or inconsistencies in human behaviour are depicted in the text?
• What motivates the specific human behaviours the text explores? Are these behaviours universal, or are they specific to individuals and sub groups?

3. Variety matters.

After you consider the module statement, your next step in selecting a related text is to think about what type of text you want to use. This is not a rule as such, but you will only be able to demonstrate to your teachers your informed understanding of the module by using a variety of texts. Your teachers (because NESA asked them to) will be assessing you on how “different modes and media use visual, verbal and/or digital language element”1. It’s therefore not a good idea to select a related text that is the same text type as your set text.

The exception to this is if your text is prose fiction. In that case, it is more than acceptable to choose another written text type (you might go wild and try poetry though!). 

Short films are often fabulous options. Past Tropfest winners provide a rich variety of options if you are confident in your ability to analyse film techniques. Likewise, you might like to look at anthologies or collections of essays for diverse examples of human experience.

4. Not all related texts are created equal.

It’s essential that you select a text that is sophisticated enough to support close analysis. For film, avoid Disney or animated films. Likewise, it will be hard to convince your teachers that you have a sophisticated understanding of the module if you use a Marvel movie or an episode of Brooklyn 99. And you think the latest TikTok book trend will be a great option—think again. “Popular” or genre novels will generally not withstand rigorous analysis.

Your related text selection is also your opportunity to lean into your strengths: pick a text type that works for your ability to identify, analyse and evaluate. If you hate writing about poetry, for instance, don’t choose a poem!

5. Consider concepts and contexts.

Once you have a rough idea of what your options are, you can start thinking about the key concepts (themes) that you’ve been studying for Common Module. Are you looking at belonging, othering, prejudice, love, familial connections, the universal connection to place, communication and language, power… ? You get the idea. 

At this point, you should return to any discussions of the key concepts of the module you’ve had with your teacher, because these can be a good indicator as to the direction you should be moving in. 

This is where you should consider context as well. A text may appear rigorous and a great choice up until now, but when and where was it written? Who was it written by, and for what purpose? You might also consider whose experience is being explored. 

6. The canon is great but…

The classics provide a rich source of texts for you to choose from. If a work has ‘stood the test of time’, it is likely to be sophisticated enough to support an insightful analysis. However, classic works tend to tell stories from the perspective of the dominant culture at the time they were composed. Most classic novels, for example, were written by dead white men. 

There are many newer texts from diverse composers who also have magnificent stories to tell. This module is about human experiences, so you should consider the many different perspectives available to you when selecting your text.

However, if you do choose an obscure text, be prepared to know it really well. You will need to be able to be highly effective in your use of textual evidence, as it’s likely your teacher or marker will not be familiar with the text.

7. Be original.

It is very important that you don’t use a text you have studied in Extension or even in Year 11. If you studied Othello in Year 11, for example, your English teacher knows that, and will know that (in all likelihood) your analysis is repurposed. Remember that you’re demonstrating your ability to choose and analyse a text, not your ability to reuse something you were taught last year. 

The same goes for choosing a text that is anywhere in the prescriptions for the HSC. If you choose a text that is set for study by NESA in another unit, you will struggle to show that the analysis you have produced is original and your own. There is a lot of information about all the HSC texts at all levels, and while this can seem like something that will help you, it will mean you have to work very hard to make your ideas original.

8. Explore!

Do not think that you will just magically find a great related text. Look at a variety of texts, in a variety of styles. 

Once you have found a text, you will need to watch or read it multiple times in order to be able to discuss it effectively. This will be true regardless of what your assessment task looks like. Be prepared to put in the hard work!

¹ https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/11-12/stage-6-learning-areas/stage-6-english/english-advanced-2017/assessment-and-reporting