So, you’ve survived Year 11 English! And now you’re looking to up your game for Year 12.
But what exactly is the difference between the courses? (Aside from the fact that one counts towards our ATAR and the other one doesn’t).
In Year 11, teachers are generous. They focus on fundamentals: structure, techniques, and cohesion. By Year 12, they start marking like HSC examiners.
- What are you actually saying about the world?
- Why does this text matter?
- How well are you engaging with the rubric?
In this guide, I’ll share the 5 things I wish someone had told me when starting Year 12 English. These aren’t surface-level tips — they’re high-return, high-impact shifts that helped me write responses I was genuinely proud of.
If you want to write some really high-quality responses in Year 12… read on.
1. Say something meaningful — not just something correct
In Year 11, most of us wrote to show we understood the text. We’d hit the technique, throw in a quote, and explain how it related to the theme. Job well done, right?
