In Year 11 EAL/D ATAR, explore Communication skills and strategies; Comprehension skills and strategies. See the learning outline, assessment information and original sample before choosing.
Confirm your cohort: The current official course page lists the Year 11 ATAR syllabus for teaching from 2026 (updated 31 July 2026). Its effective date is 1 January 2026 with no end date. The page explicitly lists a 2027 replacement for Year 12 only; no distinct 2027 Year 11 syllabus is published on this page. Continued Year 11 applicability in 2027 is therefore likely, not explicitly verified. UNVERIFIED against the advertised SCSA edition: the existing outline is retained as an earlier resource, not as confirmed current learning.
What will I learn?
Listening (Section One)
Existing outline — UNVERIFIED for the advertised editionTwo aural texts on Unit 3 or Unit 4 themes - conversations, lectures, narratives, interviews, explanations or news broadcasts, with different voices and accents - each played twice. Questions follow the order of information in the text and range from one-mark multiple choice and 'state' items to 2-3 mark outline/explain items and tables. You may take notes at any time; notes are not marked.
Reading and viewing (Section Two)
Existing outline — UNVERIFIED for the advertised editionTwo prose texts and one visual text on a shared theme. Short-answer questions draw only on the text named; then a 15-mark synthesis (2023-2025) asks for three main ideas common to the texts, in your own words, with your own knowledge and/or experience and reference to all three texts.
Extended writing: speech (Section Three Part A)
Existing outline — UNVERIFIED for the advertised editionOne speech from two questions, one tied to each unit, written for the audience and purpose in the prompt. Marked on how fully it addresses the key terms with support, control of speech conventions, grammar and punctuation, register, vocabulary and spelling. Studied texts are not required.
Extended writing: essay (Section Three Part B)
Existing outline — UNVERIFIED for the advertised editionOne essay from two questions (one per unit), each requiring reference to two texts studied in the course. Marked on addressing the key terms with evidence from both texts (9), essay conventions - thesis, topic and tieback sentences, cohesive devices (6) - grammar and punctuation (5), vocabulary (3) and spelling (2).
Language skills (the Language table)
Existing outline — UNVERIFIED for the advertised editionThe syllabus makes its Language table examinable: grammatical structures (modality, nominalisation, voice, conjunctions, reported speech), punctuation, vocabulary (collocations, idioms, register) and spelling. These are scored directly in the speech and essay keys.
Unit 3: Australia as a cultural community
Existing outline — UNVERIFIED for the advertised editionContexts: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples; migration; identity; commonality and difference; Australia's place in the global community - explored through cultural schemas and how culture shapes the way people see the world.
Unit 4: Language and empowerment
Existing outline — UNVERIFIED for the advertised editionSuggested contexts: the power of language; language and culture; contemporary issues; challenges such as language loss and culture shock - how language can privilege or marginalise people and how persuasive devices create power relationships.
Communication skills and strategies
Existing outline — UNVERIFIED for the advertised editionComprehension skills and strategies
Existing outline — UNVERIFIED for the advertised editionLanguage and textual analysis
Existing outline — UNVERIFIED for the advertised editionCreating texts
Existing outline — UNVERIFIED for the advertised editionCommunication skills and strategies
Existing outline — UNVERIFIED for the advertised editionComprehension skills and strategies
Existing outline — UNVERIFIED for the advertised editionLanguage and textual analysis
Existing outline — UNVERIFIED for the advertised editionCreating texts
Existing outline — UNVERIFIED for the advertised editionListening (Section One)
Existing outline — UNVERIFIED for the advertised editionTwo aural texts on Unit 3 or Unit 4 themes - conversations, lectures, narratives, interviews, explanations or news broadcasts, with different voices and accents - each played twice. Questions follow the order of information in the text and range from one-mark multiple choice and 'state' items to 2-3 mark outline/explain items and tables. You may take notes at any time; notes are not marked.
Reading and viewing (Section Two)
Existing outline — UNVERIFIED for the advertised editionTwo prose texts and one visual text on a shared theme. Short-answer questions draw only on the text named; then a 15-mark synthesis (2023-2025) asks for three main ideas common to the texts, in your own words, with your own knowledge and/or experience and reference to all three texts.
Extended writing: speech (Section Three Part A)
Existing outline — UNVERIFIED for the advertised editionOne speech from two questions, one tied to each unit, written for the audience and purpose in the prompt. Marked on how fully it addresses the key terms with support, control of speech conventions, grammar and punctuation, register, vocabulary and spelling. Studied texts are not required.
Extended writing: essay (Section Three Part B)
Existing outline — UNVERIFIED for the advertised editionOne essay from two questions (one per unit), each requiring reference to two texts studied in the course. Marked on addressing the key terms with evidence from both texts (9), essay conventions - thesis, topic and tieback sentences, cohesive devices (6) - grammar and punctuation (5), vocabulary (3) and spelling (2).
Language skills (the Language table)
Existing outline — UNVERIFIED for the advertised editionThe syllabus makes its Language table examinable: grammatical structures (modality, nominalisation, voice, conjunctions, reported speech), punctuation, vocabulary (collocations, idioms, register) and spelling. These are scored directly in the speech and essay keys.
Unit 3: Australia as a cultural community
Existing outline — UNVERIFIED for the advertised editionContexts: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples; migration; identity; commonality and difference; Australia's place in the global community - explored through cultural schemas and how culture shapes the way people see the world.
Unit 4: Language and empowerment
Existing outline — UNVERIFIED for the advertised editionSuggested contexts: the power of language; language and culture; contemporary issues; challenges such as language loss and culture shock - how language can privilege or marginalise people and how persuasive devices create power relationships.
How will I be assessed?
Needs verification: UNVERIFIED current assessment mix. Use the advertised SCSA syllabus and the school's outline; earlier guide weights are not substituted.
Progression and companion subjects
No complete companion or exclusion review is attached to this profile. Check the official course-entry conditions, language eligibility and your school’s sequence before enrolling. Links between resource hubs show related learning; they do not establish a compulsory prerequisite.
Will I find it hard?
Difficulty depends on your experience, interests, teaching and assessment. These are our reflection prompts, not an official difficulty rating.
- Do you enjoy close reading, developing an interpretation and supporting it with evidence?
- Would you rather revise a piece of writing over time or respond to a text under timed conditions? Check the actual assessment mix.
Does it scale up or down?
English as an Additional Language or Dialect, 2025. TISC’s mean scaled scores summarise all students with a scaled score in the published course. The mean describes a cohort and gives no individual raw-to-scaled conversion. A scaled mean alone cannot establish whether this subject scaled up or down. Historical cohort data cannot predict your result or a future scaling direction.
| Mean scaled score | Students |
|---|---|
| 53.6 | 832 |
Scaling is not a measure of difficulty or a guaranteed bonus. Prioritise content you can engage with and required subjects for courses you are considering.
Try a little of the subject
Communicating across ways of life
Communication succeeds when people reach a shared understanding, not when every sentence is perfect. In a social conversation, begin with a greeting and an invitation related to the situation. In an academic conversation, identify the topic and explain what you need. Maintain both kinds of conversation by responding to the other person's actual words. Close by confirming the next step and thanking the person. A closing signals that an interaction has ended without suggesting that the other person's contribution was unimportant. Clarification asks another speaker to make meaning clearer: “When you say draft, do you mean a complete response or an outline?” Repair corrects a misunderstanding: “I said Tuesday, but I meant Thursday.” Seek help precisely by identifying the difficult word or instruction. Negotiating meaning goes further than repeating a question: propose an interpretation, invite correction and confirm the agreed meaning. Your home language or dialect can support thinking. You might first name an idea in that language, explain its meaning in SAE and check whether the listener understands. Nobody needs to abandon their language or disclose private cultural knowledge. Model conversation. Student: “Good morning, Ms Lee. Could you help me understand the feedback on my interview?” Teacher: “Make the opening more focused.” Student: “Do you mean I should ask about one part of the person's daily routine?” Teacher: “Yes, start with their journey to work.” Student: “So I could ask how they travel and then why they choose that method?” Teacher: “Exactly.” Student: “Thank you. I will revise those opening questions today.” The greeting opens a formal exchange. The student's question offers a possible meaning, the teacher confirms it and the final sentence makes the outcome
Original practice question: A teacher asks for a “brief account”. Which response best negotiates meaning?
Show the worked answer
A
This is ATARMAxxing’s original sample learning material. It is not an official assessment task or a prediction of your school’s workload.
Explore the resources
Open the English as an Additional Language or Dialect (ATAR) subject hub and free preview
Core subject information and planning are free. Full study resources are optional.
Sources, versions and verification dates
Profile source metadata last checked: 2026-10-24. A source check is not an endorsement by the authority or confirmation that a future course version is unchanged.
- ATARMAxxing English as an Additional Language or Dialect ATAR Course Year 12 Syllabus (for teaching from 2027) guide — ATARMAxxing; 2026-11-14. Original existing study guide, not an independent official verification or a forecast of a future syllabus.
- TISC 2025 scaling report: English as an Additional Language or Dialect — TISC; 2026-11-12. TISC’s mean scaled scores summarise all students with a scaled score in the published course. The mean describes a cohort and gives no individual raw-to-scaled conversion.
- English as an Additional Language or Dialect course page — SCSA; 2026-10-24. Published version Current listing accessed 24 October 2026; Year 11 syllabus for teaching from 2026. Confirm applicability to your cohort.
- English as an Additional Language or Dialect ATAR Year 11 syllabus — SCSA; 2026-10-24. Published version For teaching from 2026; 2013/28222[v8]; effective 1 January 2026. Confirm applicability to your cohort.
- ATARMAxxing English as an Additional Language or Dialect ATAR Course Year 12 Syllabus (for teaching from 2027) guide — ATARMAxxing; 2026-11-14. Original existing study guide, not an independent official verification or a forecast of a future syllabus.
- TISC 2025 scaling report: English as an Additional Language or Dialect — TISC; 2026-11-12. TISC’s mean scaled scores summarise all students with a scaled score in the published course. The mean describes a cohort and gives no individual raw-to-scaled conversion.
- English as an Additional Language or Dialect ATAR: advertised Year 11 syllabus — SCSA; 2026-11-13. Observed source link. Current learning/assessment detail is not transcribed or independently verified in this profile.
- English as an Additional Language or Dialect ATAR: advertised Year 12 syllabus — SCSA; 2026-11-13. Observed source link. Current learning/assessment detail is not transcribed or independently verified in this profile.
- TISC 2025 scaling report: English as an Additional Language or Dialect — TISC; 2026-11-12. TISC’s mean scaled scores summarise all students with a scaled score in the published course. The mean describes a cohort and gives no individual raw-to-scaled conversion.