English, Years 11 & 12

At the end of Year 10 all students intending to go onto Senior School are asked to choose their English course for the H.S.C. A tough choice when one considers the variety on offer. Students must consider their interests, ability and career choice. They have the luxury of the Year 11 Preliminary year to trial a particular course before making their final decision at the end of Term 3.

Each year Cerdon achieves excellent results in all courses and this can be attributed to the motivation of students, fine teaching and informed decisions on course selections. The following guidelines are provided to assist students when making their choices.

2 Unit Related

This course is for students who are passionate about all things literary, who swoon when they read the poetic works of Keats, Donne or Browning and understand why they are moved by Shakespearean Tragedy.

This is a language based course so students need to enjoy manipulating a metaphor and know that an oxymoron is not just a dumb welder.

Studying such works as Hamlet, Maestro, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern and Othello, this course is a challenging yet rewarding journey into the world of literature.

3 Unit English

This option is available to 2 Unit Related students in Year 12 only. Although a distinct 1 Unit course in its own right, it builds on many of the concepts taught in the 2 Unit course. It allows more capable students a chance to study a range of literary works under such theme units as "Novel of Awakening", "Modern Prose", and the "Poetry of Yeats".

2 Unit General

This is the most popular of all the English courses. This course offers students a modern alternative to the classical literature studied in the 2 Unit Related Course. In addition to studying such works as Educating Rita, Looking for Alibrandi, The Color Purple, and the poetry of Bruce Dawe, it also gives students the opportunity to explore the many possibilities in a topic area through literary, non literary and media texts.

An interesting course which offers a meaningful alternative for average students

2 Unit Contemporary

For students who have discovered after years of studying literature that they will never be members of the William Shakespeare fan club and for those whom reading and writing is a chore, the 2 Unit Contemporary Course offers a more practical "hands on" alternative to the other courses.

Less emphasis on literature allows time for students to develop their practical reading, writing, speaking and listening skills through studies of contemporary issues such as "Peace and War", "Growing Up" and "Sport".

This is a rewarding and valuable course which offers less able English students not only a chance to achieve in English but also a chance to become proficient users of the English language.