Subject description

English as an Additional Language is a 10‑credit subject or a 20‑credit subject at Stage 1, and a 20‑credit subject at Stage 2.

English as an Additional Language is designed for students for whom English is a second language or an additional language or dialect. These students have had different experiences in English and one or more other languages. Students who study this subject come from diverse personal, educational, and cultural backgrounds.

Eligibility for enrolment

English as an Additional Language in the SACE is designed for students who speak English as a second or additional language or dialect, and whose English language proficiency is restricted.

All students who want to enrol in an English as an Additional Language subject will be required to apply to their school for eligibility. (Refer to Eligibility for Enrolment Guidelines: English as an Additional Language on the SACE website.) Students whose eligibility applications are approved for Stage 1 English as an Additional Language do not have to reapply for eligibility to enrol in Stage 2 English as an Additional Language.

Capabilities

The capabilities connect student learning within and across subjects in a range of contexts.

The SACE identifies seven capabilities.

Literacy

Literacy is critical in the development of the skills and strategies needed to express, interpret, and communicate complex information and ideas. In English as an Additional Language literacy skills are developed in conjunction with language learning through comprehending and creating written, spoken, visual, and multimodal texts, and using and modifying language for different purposes in a range of social and cultural contexts, including study, work, and community life. In English as an Additional Language students apply, extend, and refine their repertoire of literacy skills and practices by studying the use and impact of English in texts and contexts. English as an Additional Language develops an awareness of the sociocultural and sociolinguistic aspects of language, including the language of business and enterprise, international affairs, and global communications.

Numeracy

Students develop their numeracy skills in English as an Additional Language as they practise and apply the skills of interpreting and analysing, comparing and contrasting, making connections, posing and proving arguments, making inferences, and problem‑solving as they create and respond to a range of texts. They draw conclusions from statistical information, interpret graphic representations of data, use quantitative data as evidence in persuasive texts, and evaluate the use of statistics in media, business, research, and other reports.

Information and communication technology (ICT) capability

There is a focus in English as an Additional Language on ICT; developing students’ capabilities through the use of digital and multimodal texts, including social media communication, in personal and professional contexts; and on understanding and creating multimodal texts. Students use digital technologies when they access, manage, and use information, and when creating their own texts. They develop skills in reading, viewing, and responding to multimodal texts, and create texts using different modes and mediums to practise and consolidate their English language skills. Students recognise that global communication is enhanced through the use of e-literacy skills and context-appropriate etiquette and expectations.

Critical and creative thinking

Critical and creative thinking is integral to the study and creation of texts in English as an Additional Language. Students analyse and evaluate ideas and perspectives presented in texts. In both thinking about and creating their own texts, they recognise and develop arguments, use evidence, and draw reasoned conclusions. Students apply critical thinking when they use their knowledge of language to analyse the purpose, audience, context, and language features of a range of texts. They recognise ways in which language is used to present individuals and social and cultural groups. Students experiment with text structures and language features as they transform and adapt texts for different purposes, audiences, and contexts. Creative thinking enables students to apply imaginative and inventive strategies in the creation of their own original works.

Personal and social capability 

Students develop their sense of self, and understand their role and place in communities, through the development of their language skills. They develop their personal and social capability in this subject by extending their communication skills, teamwork, and understanding of verbal and non‑verbal modes of interaction.

The study of English as an Additional Language helps students to understand different personal and social experiences, perspectives, and challenges. Students identify and express their own opinions, ideas, and responses by interacting with a range of texts and in different social situations. Students learn through working and researching independently and collaboratively. English as an Additional Language assists students in the development of communication skills needed for conversation, research, presentations, and the expression of viewpoints and arguments. They develop empathy with and appreciation of the perspectives of others.

Ethical understanding

When learning to communicate, students consider ethical positions. They learn to acknowledge and value difference in their interactions with others and to develop respect for diverse ways of perceiving the world. Through working with a variety of texts, students question generalisations and stereotypes. English as an Additional Language provides students with opportunities to reflect on their own ethical dispositions.

Ethical understanding is explored in English as an Additional Language through the selection of texts for study, for example, when students engage with ethical dilemmas presented in texts, and consider reasons for actions and implications of decisions. They examine and question information, ideas, and perspectives in texts, comparing these with their own knowledge and understanding. Students develop empathy with the rights and opinions of others by interacting with and interrogating a range of texts in different social situations. English as an Additional Language assists students to develop the skills of visualising and predicting the consequences of certain behaviours and exploring rights and responsibilities. They develop ethical research strategies and research protocols.

Intercultural understanding

English as an Additional Language develops an intercultural capability that includes an understanding of diversity and difference, and openness to different perspectives and experiences that, in turn, develop world‑mindedness, respect for the rights of others, and a sense of global citizenship.

Through the study of past and contemporary texts, and texts from diverse cultures, students explore and analyse these connections. Students understand and can express the interdependence of language, culture, and identity and are able to appreciate and empathise with the cultural perspectives and values of others. They study how cultural concepts, beliefs, practices, and perspectives are represented in a range of textual forms and for a variety of purposes and audiences. Students appreciate that English is used differently in different cultural and national settings. Intercultural understanding is enhanced by developing intercultural communication skills and an understanding of international etiquette.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge, cultures, and perspectives

In partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and schools and school sectors, the SACE Board of South Australia supports the development of high-quality learning and assessment design that respects the diverse knowledge, cultures, and perspectives of Indigenous Australians.

The SACE Board encourages teachers to include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge and perspectives in the design, delivery, and assessment of teaching and learning programs by:

• providing opportunities in SACE subjects for students to learn about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures, and contemporary experiences
• recognising and respecting the significant contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to Australian society
• drawing students’ attention to the value of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge and perspectives from the past and the present
• promoting the use of culturally appropriate protocols when engaging with and learning from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities.  

SACE literacy requirement

Students who complete 20 credits of Stage 1 English as an Additional Language with a C grade or better, or Stage 2 English as an Additional Language with a C– grade or better, will meet the literacy requirement of the SACE. Credits gained from any of the subjects can be combined with credits gained from other subjects in the English Learning Area.

Learning requirements

The learning requirements summarise the knowledge, skills, and understanding that students are expected to develop and demonstrate through their learning in Stage 2 English as an Additional Language.

In this subject, students are expected to:

1. understand and analyse how language and stylistic features are used to achieve different purposes
2. comprehend and evaluate information, ideas, and opinions presented in texts
3. analyse and evaluate personal, social, and/or cultural perspectives in texts 
4. respond to information, ideas, and opinions, using sustained, persuasive, and effective communication
5. create extended oral, written, and multimodal texts appropriate to different purposes, audiences, and contexts.

Content

Stage 2 English as an Additional Language is a 20‑credit subject.

This subject focuses on the development and use of skills and strategies in communication, comprehension, language and text analysis, and text creation.

Through studying a variety of oral, written, and multimodal texts, including informational and literary texts, students develop an understanding of text structures and language features. Texts could include, for example, a newspaper article, a podcast, a short story, an extract from a prose text, or a scene from a film. Students explore the relationship between the structures and features and the purpose, audience, and context of texts. Information, ideas, and opinions in texts are identified and evaluated. Personal, social, and cultural perspectives in texts are analysed and evaluated.

Students develop confidence in creating texts for different purposes in both real and imagined contexts. Students broaden their understanding of sociocultural and sociolinguistic aspects of English, through their study of texts and language. They develop skills for research and academic study.

The subject focuses on the following skills and strategies:

• Communication skills and strategies
• Comprehension skills and strategies
• Language and text analysis skills and strategies
• Text creation skills and strategies.

Communication skills and strategies

Students understand and analyse how language and stylistic features are used to achieve different purposes.

For example, they:

• develop oral communication skills by participating in and managing collaborative discussions and presentations in a range of contexts, including the academic context
• use stress, pitch, pace, and intonation for particular effects
• use a range of non‑verbal cues to complement and enhance meaning
• understand and use technical and/or other context‑specific language
• develop the use of cultural references, idioms, and colloquialisms
• develop written communication skills through creating texts for varied purposes and audiences
• develop the skills to make stylistic choices through the grammatical control of language and an increasing vocabulary.

Comprehension skills and strategies

Students comprehend and evaluate information, ideas, and opinions presented in texts.

For example, they:

• comprehend and evaluate information, ideas, and opinions in a range of texts of increasing complexity
• distinguish between and evaluate facts and opinions
• compare and contrast the different purposes, forms, and mediums of texts
• reflect on and evaluate how language choices and rhetorical devices are designed to influence personal interpretations and those of others
• integrate ideas and information from texts.

Language and text analysis skills and strategies

Students analyse and evaluate personal, social, and cultural perspectives in texts.

For example, they:

• analyse how language features and conventions are used to influence or persuade audiences
• analyse how texts present different perspectives on information, ideas, and opinions
• consider how concepts such as knowledge or authority are conveyed through language choices
• analyse how variations of the English language, and choice of register, convey meaning in different cultures
• examine the use of text structures and language features to achieve particular purposes
• evaluate the relevance and bias of evidence and assumptions in texts
• reflect on personal and cultural values, attitudes, and beliefs.

Text creation skills and strategies

Students respond to information, ideas, and opinions, using sustained, persuasive, and effective communication. They create extended oral, written, and multimodal texts appropriate to different purposes, audiences, and contexts.

For example, they:

• create a range of types of texts, using digital, multimodal, and print‑based technologies, particularly those suited to academic settings
• use language appropriate to the context
• make stylistic and grammatical choices for appropriate effect
• use culturally specific phrases, idioms, and ideas
• select language features and text structures suited to purpose and audience
• use a range of research sources and appropriate referencing methods
• plan, edit, and refine their texts.

Evidence of learning

All Stage 2 subjects have a school assessment component and an external assessment component.

The following assessment types enable students to demonstrate their learning in Stage 2 English as an Additional Language:

School assessment (70%)

• Assessment Type 1: Academic Literacy Study (30%)
• Assessment Type 2: Responses to Texts (40%)

External assessment (30%)

• Assessment Type 3: Examination (30%).

Students provide evidence of their learning through seven assessments, including the external assessment component. Students complete:

• two tasks for the academic literacy study (one oral and one written)
• four tasks for the responses to texts (at least one oral and two written)
• one examination. 

Assessment design criteria

The assessment design criteria are based on the learning requirements and are used by:

• teachers to clarify for the student what they need to learn
• teachers and assessors to design opportunities for the student to provide evidence of their learning at the highest possible level of achievement.

The assessment design criteria consist of specific features that:

• students should demonstrate in their learning
• teachers and assessors look for as evidence that students have met the learning requirements.

For this subject, the assessment design criteria are:

• communication
• comprehension
• analysis
• application.

The specific features of these criteria are described below.

The set of assessments, as a whole, must give students opportunities to demonstrate each of the specific features by the completion of study of the subject.

Communication 

The specific features are as follows:

Comprehension  

The specific features are as follows:

Analysis

The specific features are as follows:

Application

The specific features are as follows:

School assessment

The school assessment component for Stage 2 English as an Additional Language consists of two assessment types:

• Assessment Type 1: Academic Literacy Study
• Assessment Type 2: Responses to Texts.

Assessment Type 1: Academic Literacy Study (30%)

Students develop their academic literacy skills through creating written and oral academic texts and extending their communication skills and strategies.

Students investigate a question or a topic and present their findings in an academic style by producing two tasks:

• a written report
• an oral interaction, such as a tutorial or discussion.

When investigating the question or topic, students use a range of sources. One of the sources must include a listening and/or multimodal presentation on an aspect of the question or topic studied (e.g. public lecture, online lecture, conference keynote address, public address, seminar, broadcast, podcast, TED talk, interview, speech).

In presenting their findings, students use language appropriate to an academic context.

Written Report

The written report consists of the findings of the study.

The findings of the study should be a maximum of 1500 words. The written report must be structured with an introduction that indicates the question or topic. The body of the report should be organised under headings and subheadings. Elements such as an abstract, a sources analysis, an annotated bibliography, or an account of the research methodology may be included as part of the report, provided that they are within the word count. The conclusion should summarise the findings, evaluate information, and/or make recommendations. The report must include references to sources, using consistent referencing.

Oral Interaction

In the oral interaction, within a group context, students should:

• briefly present the findings of their study or an aspect of their study
• answer questions posed by other group members, and/or lead a group discussion, and/or contribute collaboratively to the group.

The oral interaction focuses on the spontaneous use of language within a prepared structure.

Students may use technology to aid the presentation of the oral interaction.

The oral interaction should be a maximum of 10 minutes.

For this assessment type, students provide evidence of their learning primarily in relation to the following assessment design criteria:

• communication
• comprehension
• application.

Assessment Type 2: Responses to Texts (40%)

The responses to texts focus on developing comprehension skills and language and text analysis strategies.

In developing comprehension skills, students evaluate facts and opinions in texts. They also explain personal, social, and cultural perspectives reflected in texts. Each response to texts should focus on at least one of these perspectives, but it is not necessary for all three to be covered each time. 

In developing language and text analysis strategies, students analyse the effects of persuasive techniques and how language features and conventions influence audiences.

Students complete four responses to a range of texts, at least one of which must be a literary text. (A suggested text list is available on the subject minisite.) At least one response must be presented in oral form and two must be in written form. These responses must include:

• a response to one or more texts with a focus on a theme or issue
• a creative response to a text or texts (e.g. a journal entry written by a character in the text; a narrative from a minor character’s viewpoint; a speech by a character from the text; a role play)
• an analysis of a persuasive text or the emotive elements of a text (e.g. poem, short story, film trailer).

Students also complete a fourth, free‑choice response (i.e. teachers and students may choose the form of this response). The responses should total a maximum of 3000 words or the equivalent in oral or multimodal form, where 6 minutes is equivalent to 1000 words.

For this assessment type, students provide evidence of their learning primarily in relation to the following assessment design criteria:

• communication
• comprehension
• analysis.

External assessment

The external assessment component for Stage 2 English as an Additional Language consists of an examination.

Assessment Type 3: Examination (30%)

Students complete a 160‑minute external examination that is divided into two sections:

• Section 1: Comprehending Multimodal Texts
• Section 2: Extended Response.

Section 1: Comprehending Multimodal Texts

This section is divided into two parts. In both parts students respond to aural and/or visual texts. In their answers to questions, students must use information from the texts. Texts may be drawn from a range of oral and visual text types such as discussions, interviews, broadcasts, podcasts, lectures, and advertisements.

Part A

The text for Part A will be heard twice. There will be no set pause times before or after the listening text. Students can spend as much or little time on the answers as needed.

In answering the questions, students may be required to, for example:

• take notes from a lecture
• insert information in a table, chart, or diagram
• respond to cues in the text or texts
• provide a summary of the text
• plan the structure of an extended response.

Part B

For Part B, students analyse two texts. One of these texts will have an aural component (.g. excerpt from a radio broadcast, recording of an interview, aural advertisement) or an aural and visual component (e.g. film trailer, television interview, video recording of a lecture, YouTube). Students demonstrate an understanding of the text(s) and analyse how language is used to persuade an audience.

The listening text(s) will be heard twice. There will be no set pause times before or after the listening text(s). Students can spend as much or as little time on the answers as needed.

Students may be required, for example, to:

• analyse the texts
• evaluate how successfully the texts achieve their intended purpose
• consider the techniques (for example, persuasive language in an advertisement or arguments in a short debate)
• focus on the language, purpose, audience, or context.

Section 2: Extended Response

Students are required to read and interpret related texts. Texts presented could contain information, opinions, and descriptions of experiences. The texts could also include information in the form of graphs, diagrams, or pictures.

Students use the information and opinions in the texts to produce an extended written response in the form of an essay, a persuasive piece, or a report.

For this assessment type, students provide evidence of their learning in relation to the following assessment design criteria:

• communication
• comprehension
• analysis
• application.

Performance standards

The performance standards describe five levels of achievement, A to E. 

Each level of achievement describes the knowledge, skills, and understanding that teachers and assessors refer to in deciding how well students have demonstrated their learning on the basis of the evidence provided. 

During the teaching and learning program the teacher gives students feedback on their learning, with reference to the performance standards.

At the student’s completion of study of each school assessment type, the teacher makes a decision about the quality of the student’s learning by:

• referring to the performance standards
• assigning a grade between A+ and E– for the assessment type.  

The student’s school assessment and external assessment are combined for a final result, which is reported as a grade between A+ and E–.

Performance standards

Stage 2 performance standards for English as an Additional Language can be viewed below. You can also download in Word format [DOC 239KB].

To learn more about what performance standards are, how they are used, and other general information, see performance standards and grades. 

Glossary

Audience

The group of readers, listeners, or viewers that the writer, designer, film‑maker, or speaker is addressing. Audience includes students in the classroom, an individual, the wider community, review writers, critics, and the implied audience.

Context

The environment in which a text is responded to or created. Context can include the general social, historical, and cultural conditions in which a text is responded to and created (the context of culture) or the specific features of its immediate environment (context of situation).

Convention

An accepted practice that has developed over time and is generally used and understood, for example, the use of specific structural aspects of texts, such as in report writing, sections for introduction, background, discussion, and recommendations.

Language features

The features of language that support meaning (e.g. sentence structure, noun group/phrase, vocabulary, punctuation, figurative language, framing, camera angles). These choices vary according to the purpose of a text, its subject matter, audience, and mode or medium of production.

Literary text

Literary texts refer to past and contemporary texts across a range of cultural contexts. They are valued for their form and style and are recognised as having enduring or artistic value. All texts in the text list on the subject minisite under the categories ‘film’, ‘non‑fiction’, ‘novels’, ‘poets and poetry’, and ‘short stories’ are examples of literary texts. Some texts within the digital media category may also be considered literary texts.

Medium

The resources used in the production of texts, including tools and materials (e.g. digital text and the computer, writing and the pen, or typewriter).

Metalanguage

Language used to discuss language, for example, language used to discuss film or literary study (e.g. mise‑en‑scène, symbolism, characterisation) or language used to talk about grammatical terms (e.g. ‘sentence’, ‘clause’, ‘conjunction’)

Mode

The various processes of communication: listening, speaking, reading/viewing, and writing/creating. Modes are also used to refer to the semiotic (meaning‑making) resources associated with these communicative processes (e.g. sound, print, image, gesture).

Multimodal text

Combination of two or more communication modes (e.g. print, image, and spoken text, as in film or computer presentations)

Perspective

The way a reader/viewer is positioned by the author through the text, or how a particular ideology is embedded in a text (e.g. a feminist perspective).

Stylistic features

The ways in which aspects of texts (e.g. words, sentences, images) are arranged and how they affect meaning. Style can distinguish the work of individual authors (e.g. Paul Jennings’s stories, Henry Lawson’s poems), as well as the work of a particular period (e.g. Elizabethan drama), or of a particular genre or type of text (e.g. recipes, scientific articles, play‑by‑play commentary). Examples of stylistic features are narrative viewpoint, structure of stanzas, juxtaposition, nominalisation, alliteration, metaphor, and lexical choice.

Text types

Classifications of texts according to the particular purposes they are designed to achieve. In general, in the senior English subjects in the Australian Curriculum texts are classified as imaginative, interpretive, analytical, or persuasive.

Subject changes 2024

Assessment Type 3: Examination

Minor change in wording to better reflect the structure of the online exam.

Part A - reword to read:

The text will be heard twice. There will be no set pause times before or after the listening text. Students can spend as much or as little time on the answers as needed.

Part B - reword to read:

For Part B, students analyse two texts. One of these texts will have an aural component (e.g. excerpt from a radio broadcast, recording of an interview, aural advertisement) or an aural and visual component (e.g. film trailer, television interview, video recording of a lecture . . .'

Second paragraph reword to read:

the listening text(s) will be heard twice. There will be no set pause times before or after the listening text(s). Students can spend as much or as little time on the answers as needed.