Free WACE English Flashcard Review

The categories into which texts are grouped. Texts are distinguished as belonging to a genre on the basis of subject matter (detective fiction, romance, science fiction, fantasy) or of form and structure (poetry, novels, biography, short stories). Genre is a grouping, not a technique: in Section Two, name the genre and then the specific conventions the text uses.

An accepted practice that has developed over time and is generally used and understood — for example, a report organised into introduction, background, discussion and recommendations. Conventions can be techniques, features or elements belonging to a genre; to belong to a genre a text should adhere to, abide by or follow that genre's conventions.

The various processes of communication: listening, speaking, reading/viewing and writing/creating. 'Mode' also names the semiotic (meaning-making) resources tied to those processes — sound, print, image and gesture. Do not use 'mode' as a synonym for genre or form: a graphic novel and a film are different modes of delivering narrative.

The shape and structure of texts. Literary texts include a broad range of forms — novels, poetry, short stories, plays, fiction, non-fiction and multimodal texts. In Section Three you choose a form appropriate to the specified audience, context and purpose, and must sustain its conventions across the whole piece.

The features of language that support meaning — sentence structure, noun group/phrase, vocabulary, punctuation, figurative language, framing, camera angles. Choices in language features and text structures together define a type of text and shape its meaning, and vary with purpose, subject matter, audience and mode of production.

The ways information is organised in different types of texts — chapter headings, subheadings, tables of contents, indexes, glossaries, overviews, introductory and concluding paragraphs, sequencing, topic sentences, taxonomies, cause and effect. Structures in literary texts include sonnets, monologues and hypertext. Structure and language features together define a text type and shape meaning.

The features of a text that contribute to its style: lexical choice, syntax, narrative point of view, voice, structure, lighting, composition, language patterns and language features. Recognised examples include the low key lighting of film noir and symmetrical composition in Wes Anderson's films.

The selection of stylistic features to achieve a particular effect. Naming a stylistic feature only earns marks once you show it was chosen — that this syntax, lighting or lexical register rather than an available alternative produces the effect you claim.

The culmination of distinctive qualities that distinguish or characterise a text. Style can be discerned across a body of work (Hemingway's spare prose, Judith Wright's figurative poetry, Baz Luhrmann's opulent films) or across a period, such as the Elizabethan era, and can be appreciated for its aesthetic qualities.

The way people, events, issues or subjects are presented in a text. The term implies texts are not mirrors of the real world but constructions of 'reality', shaped partly through the writer's use of conventions and techniques. Writing about representation therefore means writing about construction and selection, not about accuracy.

The group of readers, listeners or viewers the writer, designer, filmmaker or speaker is addressing. It includes students in the classroom, an individual, the wider community, review writers, critics and the implied audience. In Section One, identify the likely audience from the text's register, publication context and assumed knowledge before analysing effect.

The environment in which a text is responded to or created. It can mean the general social, historical and cultural conditions of response and creation (context of culture) or the specific features of the immediate environment (context of situation). The term is also used for the wording surrounding an unfamiliar word that helps a reader understand it.

The general social, historical and cultural conditions in which a text is created and responded to — the beliefs, institutions and values a text takes for granted. It explains why a genre's conventions carry the meanings they do for a particular readership, and why the same conventions can read differently to another culture or era.

The specific features of a text's immediate environment: where and when it appears, who is speaking to whom, and for what occasion. A speech delivered at a memorial and the same words printed as an opinion column share a context of culture but differ in context of situation, which changes register, structure and audience expectations.

Language used to discuss language — terms such as mise-en-scene, symbolism and characterisation for film or literary study, or 'sentence', 'clause' and 'conjunction' for grammar. The marking key rewards accurate use of metalanguage, so use precise terms rather than 'the author uses words that make you feel'.

The arrangement of identifiable repeated or corresponding elements in a text. Patterns may repeat or be similar (verbs beginning each step of a recipe; a chorus after each verse), may alternate (call and response; the to and fro of dialogue), or may contrast (opposing viewpoints in a discussion; contrasting imagery in a poem). They shape the text's overall organisation and its meaning.

Texts whose primary purpose is to entertain or provoke thought through imaginative use of literary elements, recognised for form, style and artistic or aesthetic value. They include novels, traditional tales, poetry, stories, plays, fiction for young adults and children including picture books, and multimodal texts such as film.

Texts whose primary purpose is to explain and interpret personalities, events, ideas, representations or concepts. They include autobiography, biography, feature articles, documentary, satire and allegory. In Section Three, an interpretive piece explains or interprets something for a reader rather than simply arguing a case or telling a story.

Texts whose primary purpose is to put forward a viewpoint and persuade a reader, viewer or listener. They form a significant part of modern communication in print and digital environments and include advertising, debates, arguments, discussions, polemics, and essays and articles.

Texts whose primary purpose is to identify, examine and draw conclusions about the elements or components that make up other texts; they develop an argument or advance an interpretation. Examples include commentaries, essays in criticism, reflective or discursive responses and reviews. Section Two calls for this type; Section Three does not offer it.