H O W T O U S E T H E T E X T I N Y O U R W R I T I N G

 The texts are a way in to thought
 You must be flexible – you need to have two texts prepared but it is better to use one in your answer

There needs to be a clear relationship between the answer and the text specified as the focus text
 The Context Response must not be a Text Response answer

 It is important that you do more than just re-tell the story of the focus text
 The starting point must be the ideas, issues and
arguments from the focus text, not the plot

 Just moving the same story/material into another geographic place or another time is not developing the ideas
 You are not expected to include quotes from the focus text
 Supplementary material can be useful to stimulate ideas but does not need to be referred to in the response

 You are provided with a prompt. It is not a topic as in the Text Response question
 The prompt is the springboard for ideas, but it
cannot be ignored while you write your own selfchosen response
 The relationship between the focus text and the response must be clear and apparent

You do not necessarily need to mention the focus text in your actual response

‘The inner landscape and its relationship to the outer world is significant in people’s lives.’
(VCAA, 2010)

This Context is concerned with:

 The physical landscape
 A sense of place
 Humans and their relationship with the natural world
The features of the physical landscape - its beauty as well as its harshness
 Connections with the landscape

The influences of the physical landscape on:


Our internal landscape
Our emotional state
 Our imagination


 Our memories
Our sense of self
Our views of the world
 Our senses

Links to the
‘Imaginative
Landscape’
Island – Alistair MacLeod

The short stories in Island explore the ways that the landscape represents:

 Tradition
A sense of place
 Danger
 Beauty


Limitations
Freedom

 A way of life


A challenge
The past
 The future
 Memories

MacLeod uses a variety of techniques to describe life on Cape Breton
Island. Some of these include:
• A first-person narrator who is often unnamed to represent the many people who share similar thoughts, feelings and experiences
• A strong use of colour to describe the physical features of the landscape
Language techniques you can use in your own writing to make your connections clear

MacLeod uses a variety of techniques to describe life on Cape Breton
Island. Some of these include:
• Images that recur through the stories, such as, fishermen, drunks or young men who feel trapped by their environment
• A sad tone that pervades the stories and often reflects the landscape itself
Language techniques you can use in your own writing to make your connections clear

How to write on the Context
Youwill have the option of responding to the Context in one of the following forms:
1.
2.
3.
Expository
Persuasive
Imaginative

 Expose or explain a detailed view of the Context
 A discussion of how the Context works, not only in the world of the text, but also in your world
 Consider different points of view on the Context

Possible forms include:


 An essay
A feature article
A news report
 An interview

 Responds to the Context by presenting a point of
view on it
 Argues a clear perspective for one side of the issue generated by the text/s
 The world outside the text informs the response






 Can step inside the text and write from the point of view of a character
 Can remain outside the text and use the language features, structures or conventions of the focus text to explore the Context
 Can use personal experience as the base from which to explore the ideas in an imaginative way

Appropriate forms include:

 A short story
A scene, interior monologue or section of script
 An epilogue or a prologue
 A reflective narrative

 Prompt – handling of, the connection with, the relevance to
 Ideas – the quality and development of
 Expression – control of language, spelling, punctuation & clarity

 ‘The place in which we live has an impact on our understanding of the world.’
 ‘The physical setting of a place can often reflect the state of our emotions.’
 ‘The way we relate to our physical environment can determine the kind of person we become.’