MODULE C: UNDERSTANDING IT AND
What Is The Purpose Of Module C: The Craft Of Writing?
The module encourages students to engage in varied writing experiences for a range of audiences and purposes. Through engagement with the module students will be provided with opportunities to strengthen and extend their knowledge, skills and confidence in writing. The module also reinforces the important connection between reading and writing.
Selected texts should include texts that exemplify writing styles as well as those that comment on writing so that students have opportunities to:
- Imitate specific aspects of writing – narrative, character, point of view, argument, figurative language, genre, perspective and style
- Write in a range of forms and for different contexts
- Explain the effects of their writing choices for audiences and purposes
- Reflect on their own writing as required by the module
- The module provides students with the opportunity to engage in a wide range of textual experiences, including imaginative recreation and reflection.
What Is An Imaginative Text?
An imaginative text might use metaphor to translate ideas and feelings into a form that can be communicated effectively to an audience. Imaginative texts also make new connections between established ideas or widely recognised experiences in order to create new ideas and images. Imaginative texts are characterised by originality, freshness and insight. These texts include novels, traditional tales, poetry, stories, plays, fiction for young adults and children, including picture books and multimodal texts for example film.
Discursive texts are those whose primary focus is to explore an idea or variety of topics. These texts involve the discussion of an idea(s) or opinion(s) without the direct intention of persuading the reader, listener or viewer to adopt any single point of view. Discursive texts can be humorous or serious in tone and can have a formal or informal register. They include texts such as feature articles, creative nonfiction, blogs, personal essays, documentaries and speeches.
Discursive writing may include some of the following features:
- Explores an issue or an idea and may suggest a position or point of view
- Approaches a topic from different angles and explores themes and issues in a style that balances personal observations with different perspectives
- Uses personal anecdotes and may have a conversational tone
- Primarily uses first person although third person can also be used
- Uses figurative language or may be more factual
- Draws upon real life experiences and/or draws from wide reading
- Uses engaging imagery and language features
- Begins with an event, an anecdote or relevant quote that is then used to explore an idea
- Resolution may be reflective or open-ended
What Is A Persuasive Text?
Persuasive texts are those whose primary purpose is to put forward a point of view and persuade a reader, viewer or listener. They form a significant part of modern communication in both print and digital environments. Persuasive texts seek to convince the responder of the strength of an argument or point of view through information, judicious use of evidence, construction of argument, critical analysis and the use of rhetorical, figurative and emotive language. They include student essays, debates, arguments, discussions, polemics, advertising, propaganda, influential essays and articles. Persuasive texts may be written, spoken, visual or multimodal.
Informative texts are those whose primary purpose is to provide information through explanation, description, argument, analysis, ordering and presentation of evidence and procedures. These texts include reports, explanations and descriptions of natural phenomena, recounts of events, instructions and directions, rules and laws, news bulletins and articles, websites and text analyses. They include texts which are valued for their informative content, as a store of knowledge and for their value as part of everyday life.
Final Tips
Write lots and lots of practise responses. You may (and should) begin setting no timer so that you can clearly express your thoughts without timed pressure, but gradually move on to putting yourself under exam conditions so that the actual assessment will feel familiar to you. This, as well as actually writing responses out on paper and not simply on a computer, is going to make a huge difference.
Themes and rubric statements can and do mix. This is because texts are not produced against such distinct lines or categories. They are only here to provide basic structure to your responses so that you and the marker can better understand the point you are trying to make. It is ideal to discuss form in an essay or personal reflection even if the question does not ask for it. Of course, in that case, it would not have to be your primary concern, but even a sentence or two about the structural features or language used in the texts could show the marker that you really understand the relationship between theme and form
When writing a creative response, try to limit your story to 2 – 4 characters, with the main plot not exceeding 24 hours. This way, your story is more manageable and therefore more detailed.