VELS+Level+5+(7-8)

  The [|learning focus] statement provides advice about learning experiences that will assist students to work towards the achievement of the standards at Level 5. At Level 5, students read and view imaginative, informative and persuasive texts that explore ideas and information related to challenging topics, themes and issues. They identify the ideas, themes and issues explored in these texts, and provide supporting evidence to justify their interpretations. They produce personal responses, for example, interpretive pieces and character profiles. They infer meanings and messages in texts, analyse how social values or attitudes are conveyed, compare the presentation of information and ideas in different texts, and identify cause and effect in informative texts. At Level 5, students produce, in print and electronic forms, texts for a variety of purposes, including speculating, hypothesising, persuading and reflecting. They write extended narratives or scripts with attention to characterisation, consistency of viewpoint and development of a resolution. They write arguments that state and justify a personal viewpoint; reports incorporating challenging themes and issues; personal reflections on, or evaluations of, texts presenting challenging themes and issues. Students improve the accuracy and readability of their writing, developing confidence in the identification and use of grammatical conventions and features of language and in their use of figurative language. They use a range of punctuation accurately to support meaning, including the use of ellipses, dashes, colons and semi-colons. They control tenses, and subject–verb and noun–pronoun agreement. They accurately identify and use different parts of speech. They edit their writing for clarity, coherence and consistency of style, and proofread and correct spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors. At Level 5, students express creative and analytical responses to texts, themes and issues. They identify main issues in a topic and provide supporting detail and evidence for opinions. They critically evaluate the spoken language of others and select, prepare and present spoken texts for specific audiences and purposes. They use a variety of multimodal texts to support individual presentations in which they inform or persuade an audience. When listening to others, students ask clarifying questions and build on the ideas of others. They identify key ideas and take notes. They show an awareness of the influence of audience on the construction and presentation of spoken texts, and of how situational and sociocultural factors affect audience responses.
 * Progressing towards Level 5**
 * ~  ||~ Progression point 4.25 ||~   ||~ Progression point 4.5 ||~   ||~ Progression point 4.75 ||~   ||
 * ^  ||< At 4.25, the work of a student progressing towards the standard at Level 5 demonstrates, for example: ||^   ||< At 4.5, the work of a student progressing towards the standard at Level 5 demonstrates, for example: ||^   ||< At 4.75, the work of a student progressing towards the standard at Level 5 demonstrates, for example: ||^   ||
 * ^  ||< **Reading*** personal responses to a range of texts; for example, written reviews or role-plays
 * use of knowledge of text organisation to interpret texts containing unfamiliar ideas and information
 * identification and explanations of different interpretations of texts
 * explanations of how authors of print and multimodal texts use a variety of techniques to engage audiences
 * identification of strategies used by authors to persuade others to share a point of view ||^  ||< **Reading*** responses to a range of personal, imaginative, informative and persuasive texts
 * discussion and exploration of ideas and issues presented in a wide range of texts
 * identification of key ideas by skimming, scanning and use of topic sentences
 * explanations about how a text can be interpreted from a variety of perspectives
 * recognition that texts are produced for multiple audiences, purposes and contexts
 * use of evidence from a text to support their own interpretations ||^  ||< **Reading*** development of extended personal responses to a range of texts in oral and dramatic presentations, print and multimodal forms
 * discussion of different views and values presented in texts
 * use of a range of strategies for interpreting texts, including formulation of questions, comparison of different texts, and identification of cause-and-effect connections
 * comparison of how information and ideas are presented in a variety of ways in different texts
 * critical evaluation of information presented in print and multimodal texts ||^  ||
 * ^  ||< **Writing*** composition of print and electronic texts for a range of purposes, including speculative, imaginative, explanatory and persuasive
 * development of topics in coherent ways according to the purpose, and the needs and experience of the intended audience
 * use of a variety of sentence structures, including combinations of simple and compound sentences for particular effects
 * awareness of grammatical conventions; for example, tense and subject–verb agreement, appropriate punctuation
 * use of a range of planning strategies ||^  ||< **Writing*** composition of print and electronic texts in a wide range of forms, including narratives, reports, explanations, procedures and points of view
 * composition of persuasive texts about contemporary issues, including justification of personal points of view with supporting arguments
 * experimentation with different techniques to influence audiences and achieve the intended purpose of their writing
 * correct spelling, except of unfamiliar words with unusual spelling patterns
 * use of headings and subheadings in the organisation of information in texts
 * use of editing and proofreading skills for clarity and cohesion of ideas ||^  ||< **Writing*** control of writing texts in various forms, including narratives, reports, explanations, procedures and persuasive texts
 * composition of imaginative and informative texts presenting challenging ideas and issues
 * appropriate use of figurative language to achieve particular effects
 * strategic use of headings, subheadings, graphics, photographs and art work to support the meaning of the text
 * use of a variety of software packages to plan, organise, revise and present electronic texts ||^  ||
 * ^  ||< **Speaking and listening*** use of some multimodal texts to support meaning in presentations for a variety of purposes and audiences
 * understanding of features of effective oral communication and use of these understandings in evaluating others’ presentations
 * a range of oral responses to texts, themes and issues
 * responsive listening to a range of spoken texts, including small group discussions that deal with common themes of interest ||^  ||< **Speaking and listening*** use of detail and supporting evidence when speaking about their own opinions and ideas
 * use of introductions, conclusions and visual support materials appropriate to the purpose, audience and context
 * awareness of the needs and interests of the audience in development of their own spoken texts
 * questioning that clarifies and builds on ideas presented by others
 * inclusion of main ideas when taking notes from others’ presentations ||^  ||< **Speaking and listening*** selection of appropriate features of spoken language to shape a text for a specific audience and purpose
 * use of a range of strategies to influence audiences; for example, imagery, humour, anecdotes or emotive language
 * development of a range of spoken texts that deal with challenging ideas and issues, including informative, imaginative and persuasive texts
 * use of supporting evidence for their own opinions about others’ presentations
 * use of graphic organisers to assist with note-taking and summaries of key ideas from spoken texts ||^  ||
 * Level 5 standard**
 * Reading**
 * Writing**
 * Speaking and listening**

Learning focus
As students work towards the achievement of Level 5 standards in English, they consolidate and expand their knowledge and understanding of a range of [|texts] and appreciate how to use formal language to construct texts for school purposes, and for purposes relevant to their lives beyond school. Students begin to respond in more detached and critical ways to a wide range of print, visual, electronic and [|multimodal texts] that explore familiar and more challenging themes and issues. They include [|literary texts] such as novels, short stories, plays and poetry, and informative and persuasive texts including [|everyday texts] and [|media texts]. Students discuss texts analytically and develop confidence in the use of [|metalanguage] to describe and discuss particular [|structures and features of language]. They explore the power of language and the ways it can influence roles and relationships and represent ideas, information and concepts. They learn that texts can be created for multiple purposes. Students read and interpret texts that present some challenging issues. They compare texts that explore similar themes and ideas, and recognise that writers can express views and values other than their own. They develop a critical understanding about the ways that writers and producers of texts try to position readers to accept particular views of people, characters, events, ideas and information. They discuss the ways in which persuasive texts present opinions and evidence, justify positions and persuade. Students learn to use formal language to construct spoken and written texts for a range of purposes and audiences. They extend their knowledge of the structure of a variety of text forms (such as narratives, transactions, reports, procedures, explanations and persuasive texts) and practise writing expressively and in detail about challenging ideas and information. They continue to adjust their writing in response to purpose, context, and audience needs. They improve the accuracy and readability of their writing through the use of appropriate spelling and punctuation, and the control of tenses, subject-verb agreement and noun-pronoun agreement. They continue to develop their planning, drafting, editing and proofreading skills, using computer technology to organise, format, revise and present their texts. Students work cooperatively in discussion groups, using talk to explore and analyse challenging themes and issues. They develop their skills in identifying main issues in a topic, providing supporting detail and evidence for opinions, asking relevant clarifying questions and building on the ideas of others. They apply their knowledge of spoken texts and oral language to experiment with techniques to influence audiences, including vocabulary, rhythm, intonation, timing, pausing, body language and facial expression. They examine how situational and sociocultural factors affect audience responses and the impact of different text and sentence structures on readers and viewers. They explore ways of using multimodal texts to enhance visual and verbal communication.

National Statements of Learning
This learning focus statement, in conjunction with aspects of the Communication Level 5 learning focus statement, incorporates aspects of the Year 7 National Statement of Learning for English.

Reading
At Level 4, students read, interpret and respond to a wide range of literary, everyday and media texts in print and in multimodal formats. They analyse these texts and support interpretations with evidence drawn from the text. They describe how texts are constructed for particular purposes, and identify how sociocultural values, attitudes and beliefs are presented in texts. They analyse imagery, characterisation, dialogue, point of view, plot and setting. They use strategies such as reading on, using contextual cues, and drawing on knowledge of text organisation when interpreting texts containing unfamiliar ideas and information.

Writing
At Level 4, students produce, in print and electronic forms, a variety of texts for different purposes using structures and features of language appropriate to the purpose, audience and context of the writing. They begin to use simple figurative language and visual images. They use a range of vocabulary, a variety of sentence structures, and use punctuation accurately, including apostrophes. They identify and use different parts of speech, including nouns, pronouns, adverbs, comparative adverbs and adjectives, and use appropriate prepositions and conjunctions. They use a range of approaches to spelling, applying morphemic knowledge and an understanding of visual and phonic patterns. They employ a variety of strategies for writing, including note-making, using models, planning, editing and proofreading.

Speaking and listening
At Level 4, students plan, rehearse and make presentations for different purposes. They sustain a point of view and provide succinct accounts of personal experiences or events. They adjust their speaking to take account of context, purpose and audience, and vary tone, volume and pace of speech to create or emphasise meaning. When listening to spoken texts, they identify the main idea and supporting details and summarise them for others. They identify opinions offered by others, propose other relevant viewpoints and extend ideas in a constructive manner.