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English & EAL

The Ultimate Guide to Year 9 English

November 2, 2021

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1. What’s the Difference Between Year 9 English and Year 7/8 (Junior years)? 2. What Are You Expected To Cover in Year 9? 3. Assessments and Exams 4. How To Prepare for the Assessments and Exams

Did you know that when you finish high school and you decide to apply for a part time job, you’re expected to recite every single essay you’ve ever written word for word? 

Alright, you got me, I’m kidding!

You may be wondering why is the subject English mandatory? What’s the point of it? When am I ever going to apply the skills I’ll learn in English in real life?

Yes, math, science and even humanities subjects may have more apparent skill transfer to careers like medicine, politics and engineering, but the soft skills that many employers are after these days (such as strong communication skills and confident presentation skills) will develop as you continue with your English studies. And yes, if you plan on being a business owner, these skills are all the more important!

Of course, post-high school won’t involve writing essays and responding to essay topics but they help you build your critical thinking, creativity and understanding intentions (why people do what they do).

These skills will be extremely valuable to you regardless of the path you choose to pursue in life.

Let’s get straight into the nitty gritty of things then...

1. What’s the Difference Between Year 9 English and Year 7/8?

Achievement standards in the Victorian Curriculum from Years 7-9 build upon each other, and the skills learnt during the junior years will be expanded on in Year 9.

In Year 7 , students will be introduced to different text structures (novels, opinion pieces, editorials, speeches, etc.) and focus primarily on the audience, purpose and context of using these text structures. 

You would have had the opportunity to: 

• Explain ideas and issues explored in your texts (e.g. happiness, relationships, conflict, etc.)
• Begin looking at the implied meaning of evidence in your texts (this means forming your own interpretation of what you think the author is trying to say through characterising certain characters the way they are, or through the use of certain symbols, quotes, etc.)

The writing standard predominantly draws from: 

• A mixture of your own personal knowledge and experiences 
• Researched sources, such as news articles, reviews, etc.
• Your own analysis of the assigned texts (usually linking your analysis to a prompt)

Building on the grammatical and foundational writing skills taught in primary school, Year 7 students will need to apply them when writing and editing their work.

Year 8 English develops the students' critical thinking a bit more. You would have been expected to: 

• Interpret assigned texts, ' questioning the reliability of sources of ideas and information ' (know that some texts you will come across may be biased and only expose one side of the argument)
• Make judgments about the effectiveness of language choices used by creators 
• Understand how specific and selective choices of language are used by creators for different effects and purposes (be able to explain your reasoning as to how the conventions of language features used by an author enhance their point of view)

Year 9 English takes the previous two years’ worth of skills even further. This year you will be expected to: 

• Analyse the ways in which different ' text structures can be manipulated for effect '
• Evaluate and integrate ideas from your assigned texts to create your own interpretations
• Realise the importance of planning before writing as well as the need for the drafting process in order to produce A+ level work (an introduction to writing will be provided)
• Be exposed to a wider range of forms of text compared to the junior years which are mainly novels and films 
• Extend your lists of vocabulary and techniques

2. What Are You Expected To Cover in Year 9?

One of the most important skills needed in English is being able to write an analytical essay. This entails presenting an argument about your prompt based on your assigned texts. To do this well, you will need to discuss characters, literary features, structure, themes and big ideas .

The point of the analytical essay is for you to demonstrate your ability to analyse the evidence you choose to incorporate into your essay while linking it back to the idea you’re exploring in the body paragraph. One way to approach this is to provide your own interpretation of evidence. 

This will be elaborated on with examples below.

Structure is also just as important as the content when writing an English essay. Most of the time, particularly in Year 9, your teacher will provide you with a specific structure to follow. This tends to include:

• An introduction (100 words)
• 3x body paragraphs (200 words each)
• A conclusion (50-100 words)

The amount of detail you include in each of your paragraphs will increase over the years. Once you reach Year 12, your essay will sit roughly around the 1000 words mark. For now, try to aim to write around 800 words. Just remember that quality always supersedes quantity . Ensure that the 800 words you write have relevance and are not just word vomit on a page.

The Introduction

Think of the introduction as a to-do list. You can always refer back to it to remind yourself of the points you need to cover and it will keep you on track so you don’t sway from the prompt in your essay. Your introduction sets the scene for the reader. All you have to do is introduce your overall stance (contention) and your three main points (arguments) you want to unpack in the essay. In some cases, teachers would also prefer for you to add in an introduction to the text(s) you’re studying and provide some background information or an overview of the text’s social or historical context. 

The Body Paragraph

The most important components of your essay are the body paragraphs. That is where the bulk of your marks will come from - your analysis! Different schools have different acronyms they may follow for their body paragraphs, but the most common one is TEEL. 

• ‍ T opic Sentence
• E xplanation

As you move up into Year 10, 11 and 12, many schools will extend the acronym to TEEEEEL , meaning that you will be expected to expand on the level and depth of your analysis.

Let’s break up TEEL a bit more…

‘T’ - Topic Sentence

Your topic sentence should support your stance (contention). Your contention should answer the prompt or topic, and your arguments (which form the basis for your topic sentences) should provide a reason for your stance . Because of this, your topic sentence should directly answer the prompt. 

Examples of topic sentences include:

• 'Orwell indicates that for goals to be achieved, teamwork and cooperation among everyone involved will be necessary.' - taken from a Text Response Essay based on George Orwell’s Animal Farm
• The author portrays kindness and understanding as key factors that contribute to successful relationships.

‘E’ - Evidence

Most of the time, the evidence you embed into your body paragraphs will be in the form of quotes from the text . High scoring responses will also analyse evidence such as camera angles (film) or narrative conventions (novels).

Embedding quotes doesn’t always come easy to every student. Preferably, the quote you embed into your analysis will be no more than 10 words and no less than 2 words. 

Rules to keep in mind when you incorporate a quote into your writing:

• Avoid using a quote to form the whole sentence. 
• Don’t begin a sentence with a quote
• Single word quotes should rarely be used. They should only appear in your analysis if you’re exploring a unique, big idea that is conveyed by that one word.
• Use square brackets ‘[  ]’ if you want to change up the quote

It would be helpful to embed the quote into context first as this will help when you’re explaining its relevance to the idea you’re exploring in the body paragraph. 

For Example:

Parallels can be drawn to the ways in which the pigs in the farm have the role of organisers 'naturally [fall] upon' them. Here, the pigs are portrayed as 'the cleverest of the animals', suggesting that they are the leaders who make the decisions on behalf of everyone…

- taken from a Text Response Essay based on George Orwell’s Animal Farm

‘E’ - Explanation

Listing all the quotes you can memorise from the text is not going to get you the marks. You need to analyse the quotes you embed and share your interpretation of the meaning they add to the idea you’re exploring. 

Similar to math, where you need to show all the steps to prove that you know how to get the right answer, in English, the ‘explanation’ section is your opportunity to do just that. You need to explain your thought process regarding how you have reached this conclusion or interpretation. 

Can you pinpoint the differences between the low-scoring response and the high-scoring response below?

Low-Scoring Example:

Big Brother’s lack of compassion is evident through its elimination of personal relationships between the Party members. A marriage is always refused 'if the couple concerned gave the impression of being physically attracted to one another'. This means that the institution of marriage has been manipulated to only serve Big Brother.

- taken from LSG’s How To Write A Killer Text Response study guide

High-Scoring Example:

The distortion of family relationships highlights the cruelty of Big Brother’s institution. Children are taught from an early age to be ‘spies’ for Big Brother. The children symbolise the eyes of Big Brother, as they are always watching members for 'any sign of betrayal to the Party'. Ironically, although Winston believes that 'another year, two years, and they (the children) will be watching (the mother) night and day for signs of unorthodox', it is shown soon after that the father, Parsons, is denounced for 'thoughtcrime'. *** Through this condemnation of their own father, the children also symbolise the destruction of family relationships in return for their loyalty to Big Brother. This unnerving vision of a complete disposal of relationships depicts how brutal a totalitarian society can be for its members in that the very fundamentals of human connection, such as love and family, are corrupted .***

- taken from LSG’s How To Write A Killer Text Response study guide*

***The ‘explanation’/analysis is located between the asterisks.

The linking sentence is the last sentence of your body paragraph and it should always ‘link’ back to the main idea you have explored (topic sentence) as well as the prompt. Avoid merely rewording your topic sentence, and a hint to do this well is to refer to the creator’s intent .

• 'Ultimately, the loss and alteration of meaning within marriage and sex demonstrates how brutal a dystopian society can be for individuals, and as Orwell forewarns, can be the destruction of humanity itself.' - taken from LSG’s How To Write A Killer Text Response study guide
• 'Orwell cautions his readers to be wary of societies such as the Big Brother regime by portraying the cruelty of the Party’s actions.' - taken from LSG’s How To Write A Killer Text Response study guide

Check out our video, ' What do year 9s learn in English? ' for a more in depth look at what's expected of you this year!

3. Year 9 Assessments and Exams

In Year 9, this is where you will gain exposure to an array of forms of texts, ranging from creative responses, speeches, analytical essays, film, poetry and persuasive pieces.

Throughout the year, you will study a range of different texts (the ones mentioned above) and the activities and assessment tasks you will receive will be based on these texts. 

Generally, by the end of Year 9, you will have completed: 

• A creative response,
• A persuasive essay (formatted as an opinion piece, editorial, or letter to the editor),
• An oral presentation about a particular issue,
• A film analysis , and/or 
• An analytical essay based on a play, novel or poems

Throughout the year, you may receive different types of classwork, depending on your teacher. These may include:

• Performances
• Group presentations
• Comprehension questions
• Practise essays/paragraphs
• And so much more!

4. How To Prepare for the Assessments and Exams in Year 9?

Practise, practise, practise! 

One of our most common sayings at LSG is 'study smarter, not harder'. This means knowing where your weaknesses lie and doing what you must to improve upon them. Don’t stick to your comfort zone too much - allow yourself to do the unfamiliar enough times to make it familiar. This will also help you build confidence within yourself when you see the progress you make.

Here are a couple of tips for you to help you prepare for any upcoming assessments and exams like an A+ student:

Reading more than your assigned texts can help you improve your spelling, vocabulary and expression when writing! The more you read, the more knowledge you will gain about fluency and structure. I would recommend reading widely. This means not confining your reading to just purely manga, but also newspaper articles, novels, non-fiction texts, etc.

If you want to become an expert on the text you’re studying and stand out from the rest of your classmates when you get to essay writing, read more about your text. This can include reading up on the background of the author who wrote the text, investigating the social, historical and cultural context of the text. Study guides, interviews, reviews and sample high scoring essays around the text are also very helpful resources!

Drafting and Essay Feedback 

Drafting and getting essay feedback is an important cycle to come back to for the remainder of your high school career.

Going back to what I have just said, practise is key to success in English. English is often deemed to be one of the most confusing subjects because many students claim it to be subjective and will often complain that they have no idea what they’re doing. Generally, this isn’t a good sign. We understand that it can be difficult to know whether you’re on the right track or not, but it’s important we don’t just sit there and wonder the whole time. We must also seek feedback from our teachers or tutors about ways we can improve our work. 

Upon receiving feedback from our teachers or tutors, we can’t just stop there. We must also incorporate this feedback into our re-draft or finalised copy of the work. Any questions or confusion must be addressed during this stage so you know exactly what to do next time.

At LSG, we have high-quality tutors who have received the marks you’re after and can walk you through your high school English journey. 

What will we offer you?

• Regular English advice and support (whether that is homework help, essay feedback or if you just want to go the extra mile and get ahead with your English studies)
• A specialised LSG Signature Program that can cater to your goals and help you develop the knowledge and get all the consistent writing practise you need
• Guidance as we work through the necessary writing skills and strategies that will get you the A+ you desire
• Access to exclusive LSG resources that will save you time creating your own notes (planning and writing templates, sample high-scoring essays and so much more!)

If you want more information on why you should pick us, check out our tutoring page . Otherwise, click here to express your interest today!

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Don't forget to also check out Our Ultimate Guide to Oral Presentations for everything you need to know for Oral Presentations.

Since September 2014, the current affairs has been raging with numerous controversial topics – perfect for your oral presentation! Here are some of the more interesting issues that would be a good starting point for your oral. Remember to offer an interesting and unique argument, even if it may mean adopting the unconventional or unpopular point of view on the issue!

• Should medicinal cannabis be legalised in Australia?
• Should US anti-vaccination campaigner Sherri Tenpenny be allowed to give talks in Australia?
• Should children be vaccinated?
• Should ‘pick-up artist’ Julien Blanc have been banned from visiting Australia?
• Is social media negatively impacting on student studies?
• Should women be allowed to breastfeed in public?
• Should we have more stringent surrogacy laws?
• Should music be free?
• Freezing women’s eggs
• Sexualisation of women in the media
• The media’s portrayal of ‘terrorism’
• Islamophobia
• Freedom of speech (Charlie Hebdo)
• Doctor co-payments
• Gender equality
• University deregulation
• Creativity in schools
• Should children be allowed to roam unsupervised by their parents?
• Should VCE English be compulsory?
• See  Oral Presentation Issues in 2014  for other ongoing issues

Bombshells and The Penelopiad are studied as part of VCE English's Comparative. For one of most popular posts on Comparative (also known as Reading and Comparing), check out our Ultimate Guide to VCE Comparative.

1. Introductions

Bombshells is a collection of six monologues written by Joanna Murray-Smith, each featuring one female character who is symbolic of a specific stage in life and role. Together, they are a telling account of the struggles of being a woman in a modern world, and the monologue format allows the author to emphasise how they are simultaneously unique and universally relatable.

The Penelopiad is Margaret Atwood’s retelling of Homer’s Odyssey from Odysseus’ wife Penelope’s point of view. The story is narrated first-person by Penelope who resides in the underworld, but is also peppered with spoken, sung or chanted testimonies from the twelve dead maids of the story who act as a Chorus, a traditional part of ancient Greek theatre. Although the story is old and much-retold, the voice is modern and the author’s messages concerning women and their position in the world and their relationship with men are universal, regardless of the historical period.

3. Characters

The Penelopiad

4. Sample paragraphs

Prompt: How do Bombshells and The Penelopiad emphasise the subtleties of the male-female relationship dynamic?

Introduction

While the narratives of both Bombshells and The Penelopiad are firmly focused on the female perspective of issues relevant to them, the texts also address the male perspective and role in such issues. Like the women, the men created by the authors have instrumental roles in the way the stories play out, which interestingly are sometimes disproportionate to their actual involvement in the plot.

Body paragraph

One of the main differences between the texts, other than the literary format, is the level of dialogue and active participation afforded to the male characters. In The Penelopiad , the male characters arguably largely direct Penelope’s life, from her father essentially selling her into marriage to Odysseus’ life-disrupting departure, return and ‘lies…tricks and… thieving’, not to mention her ‘quite spoiled’ son Telemachus’ will to usurp and disobey his mother. Penelope’s narration gives them large amounts of dialogue and paints them as three-dimensional people in her life, whereas the male characters in Bombshells have barely any dialogue – most of them have none – and yet manage to cause a similar level of turmoil in the female characters. The marriage of Theresa McTerry to her fiancé Ted, for example, sends her into long, capitalised rants heavily punctuated with exclamation marks and profanities; Murray-Smith does not even give Ted a full description. Even without forming the male characters into rich, detailed personas, she still manages to fully showcase the chaos visited upon Theresa by her ill-considered marriage. She draws greater attention to her inner panic and desperation than we see in Penelope, whose voice retains a sense of shocked detachment even when crying or suffering. As such, the differing approaches of the authors both showcase the fact that men can wreak significant havoc with women’s lives, and that we do not actually need to know much about the particulars of the men or their acts to comprehend the women’s suffering.

The approaches of Atwood and Murray-Smith towards the level of engagement of their male characters differ significantly, yet both show the full impact of their actions on the lives of their female counterparts. Even when the men are given only cursory mentions, their presence as an agent of change within the story is sufficient for them to dramatically alter the courses of the characters they consort with.

More full sample A+ essays available in our Ultimate VCE English Study Guide Bundle.

It’s very hard to look past the overt feminist overtones of both try – even though these are some of the most interesting parts of the texts and you definitely should discuss them, there is more to them than messages about women. Maybe expand your view to more general ideas about human beings, how we live our lives and the ways we react to situations of duress.

Also consider that these texts are in two different formats; how does the live performance of Bombshells change the way it is perceived? How do the different media of these texts support or emphasise the authors’ messages? What can a monologue do better than a book in terms of transmitting an idea and vice versa?

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Hey everyone!

I’m super excited to share with you my  first  ever online tutorial course for VCE English/EAL students on  How to achieve A+ for Language Analysis !!!

I created this course for a few reasons:

Language Analysis is often the  key weakness  for VCE English/EAL students,after my  intensive workshops , students always wish we had spent  even   more  time on Language Analysis,many of you have come to me seeking private tuition however since I am fully booked out, I wanted to still offer you a chance to gain access to my ‘breakthrough’ method of tutoring Language Analysis,I am absolutely confident in my  unique  and  straightforward  way of teaching Language Analysis which has lead to my students securing exceptional A graded SAC and exam scores!

Are you a student who:

struggles to identify language techniques?

finds it difficult to identify which tones are adopted in articles?

has no idea explaining  HOW  the author persuades?

finds it difficult to structure your language analysis essay?

becomes even more unsure when comparing 2 or 3 articles?

feels like your teacher at school never explained language analysis properly?

prefers learning when it’s enjoyable and easy to understand?

wants to stand out from other students across the cohort?

wants to know the secrets of 45+ English high achievers?

wants to know what examiners are looking for?

sees room for improvement whether you’re an average student or a pro?

wants to get a head start and maximise your potential in VCE?

This is what you will accomplish by the end of the course:

Be able to successfully identify language techniques in articles and images

Be able to successfully identify tones adopted in articles and images

Be able to analyse a single article or image

Be able to analyse 2 or more articles and/or images

Be able to apply your new skills coherently and clearly in essay writing

You will be able to accurately describe HOW an author uses language to persuade

You will be able to plan and write a language analysis essay structure (single article/image)

You will be able to plan and write a language analysis essay structure (2 or more articles/images)

You will understand common pitfalls and how to avoid these in language analysis

Be confident when approaching your SACs and exam

Know exactly what examiners are looking for and how to ‘WOW’ them

Know how to distinguish yourself from other students

Have unlimited help in course forum from myself and other VCE students

You will become a better VCE English language analysis student!

To find out more, you can check out the full details of the course   here !

See you in the course!

Whether you consider yourself a Frankenstein expert, or someone who is a bit taken back by the density of the novel and Shelley’s writing, do not fret! Below I will outline 3 tips which, will hopefully give you a clearer perspective on how to approach writing on Frankenstein! Let’s get started!

1. ALWAYS TRY TO TALK ABOUT SHELLEY’S CONCERNS

Since the book was set during the Age of Enlightenment and the Romantic era, Shelley essentially used Frankenstein as a vessel to criticise and warn readers against many of the values upheld during her era. It’s therefore crucial that you address this!

The late 18th century and the first decades of the 19th century were exciting times for science and exploration. Shelley’s two main protagonists, Walton and Frankenstein, both passionately sough to discover what had previously been hidden. Walton wanted to be the first to find a passage through the Arctic Circle; Frankenstein wanted to be the first to create manmade life, to uncover the mysteries of Nature.  Both men claimed to be desirous of benefitting humankind but both wanted glory more. This obsession to win accolades for their discoveries will destroy Victor, and turn Walton for a while into a hard taskmaster over his crew.

Juxtaposed against these two characters is Henry Clerval. Clerval, too, has an inquiring mind but he also cares about humanity, family and friends. He represents the balanced human being who is sociable, compassionate, intelligent and loyal to his friends. Victor’s ability to reanimate the dead, to bring to life his gigantic Creature using the newly discovered electricity, makes him a genius but also a monster. In his inexperience he botches the work producing a hideous and terrifying creature with, ironically, initially all the virtues of the ideal man of he world. Repulsed by his amateurish handiwork, Victor abandons his creation, setting in place the vengeance that will unfold later.

Try to ground any response to Shelley’s text in the enormous enthusiasm for new discoveries and new geographic phenomena that attracted lavish praise for those who went where others feared to tread. It was this praise that drove Walton and Frankenstein to exceed reasonable expectations becoming reckless and careless of the consequences of their actions.

2. ALWAYS TRY TO DRAWS LINKS AND CONTRAST DIFFERENT CHARACTERS AND THEMES!

Walton, Frankenstein and the Creature are interconnected in so many ways – whether it be their isolation, ambition, desire for companionship, desire for vengeance or the Romantic values they share. I’ve also noted that it is also really easy to connect themes in Frankenstein as the tragic story-arc of the novel is built upon many different causes. What I mean by this is that there is a clearly define relationship between isolation, ambition and vengeance (and ultimately tragedy) in the sense that isolation is what led to the brewing of unchecked ambition which essentially causes the resultant tragedy.

Take Frankenstein for example: having left his loving family and friends, who provided him with love and companionship for Ingolstadt, there was no one to hold him back from his natural tendencies towards unchecked ambitions, leading him to creating the monster who out of spite towards society kills all of Frankenstein’s loved ones, leading them towards the desire for mutual destruction. Being able to see these links and draw them together will not only add depth to your writing but it also arms you with the ability to be able to deal with a wider array of prompts.

3. ALWAYS TRY TO LOOK FOR MORE NUANCED EXAMPLES AND DISCUSSIONS!

While Walton, Frankenstein and the Creature can be discussed incredibly thoroughly (and by all means go ahead and do it), but it is also very important to consider the novel as a whole and talk about, if not more thoroughly, on the minor characters. While characters such as the De Laceys, villagers and the rustic in the forest can be used to highlight the injustices brought upon the creature and people’s natural instincts of self preservation and prejudice, innocent characters such as Elizabeth and Justine can be used to emphasise the injustice of society and the consequences of unchecked ambition and isolation.

Henry Clerval (like previously mentioned) can be contrasted against Walton and his best friend Frankenstein to show that as long as we have a balanced lifestyle and companionship, ambition will not lead us to ruin. Characters such as the Turkish merchant can also have parallels drawn with Frankenstein in telling how our selfish desire and actions, born out of inconsideration for their consequences, can backfire with great intensity. Lastly the character of Safie (someone I used a lot in my discussions) can be compared and contrasted with the Creature to show the different treatment they receive despite both being “outsiders” to the De Laceys due to their starkly different appearances.

Mentioning these characters and utilising these contrasts can be monumental in showing your understanding of the novel and by extension, your English analytical ability.

[Video Transcription]

‍ Hey guys, I'm Lisa, welcome back to Lisa's Study Guides. Today, we're going to be talking about Frankenstein and breaking down an essay topic for it. So in the past, I've done plenty of videos looking at different types of essay topics and breaking them down by looking at keywords and then going into the body paragraphs and looking at those ideas. This time round, the takeaway message that I want you to leave with is understanding what types of evidence you should be using inside your body paragraphs. Specifically, I wanted to talk about literary devices or metalanguage. Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein uses so many literary devices that it's impossible to ignore. If you are somebody who is studying this text or other texts that you use and are heavily embedded with literary techniques, then it's really important that you don't just use dialogue as part of your quotes, but actually reading between the lines. I'll teach you on how it's not just about finding dialogue, which you include as quotes inside your body paragraphs, but reading between the lines, so looking at literary devices like metaphors, symbols, imagery, so let's get started. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein constitutes escaping critique of the prioritization of scientific advancement over human welfare and relationship. Dr. Frankenstein is fascinated with science and discovery, he is consumed with the idea of a new and more noble race by stitching up dead body parts from a cemetery. He feverishly works away at his experiment until one day the creature is born. Frankenstein is horrified at the living thing he has made and completely rejects the creature, leaving it without a parental figure. The creature is left alone to look after himself. He educates himself and on repeated occasions tries to approach people in society, however, is rejected every time because of his monstrous appearance. As a result, the creature becomes enraged at humanity and Frankenstein's unfair treatment towards him and consequently exacts revenge on Frankenstein and his family. The essay topic we'll be looking at today is, Our sympathies in this novel ultimately lie with the creature. Discuss. So in previous videos, we've looked at keywords, how to identify them and how to define them. Since it's pretty straightforward for this essay topic, I thought I would skip that part and then go into the more nitty gritty with the body paragraphs. But, if you are unfamiliar with these steps, then I'll link them in the card above and also in the description below so you can have a look at how I went ahead and did the keyword section in my planning, now back to the prompt. Unequivocally within Frankenstein, Shelley portrays sympathy as spread throughout the text through depicting the creature as innately human through his desire for relationship and the challenges he faces at the hands of the prejudice enlightenment society he's born into, Shelley elicits sympathy for his situation. However, through the notable absence of the female gender throughout the text, Shelley portrays those silent within society as most deserving of sympathy. So, with this in mind, here are the potential paragraphs in response to this prompt. Paragraph one, Shelley's depiction of the creature as innately human motivates support for his challenges at the hands of a prejudice society. The action of the creature to open his dull yellow eye, symbolic of his nature as a human being alongside a green wrinkled on his cheeks, with one hand stretched out, indicates his simple desire for paternal connection. Through constructing the creature's actions as innately human Shelley acts proleptically of the inequitable experiences the creature will experience throughout the structural architecture of the text. And through doing so, depicts his character as worthy of support. Similarly, through the metaphor of fire, Shelley explores the duality of progress and innovation of which the creature desires. The fire, one that gives light as well as heat, yet also causes a cry of pain, indicates the hardships of the creature in his isolation, whereby, his forced to withdraw from his desire for education. Upon viewing himself in a pool, the creature becomes "fully convinced that I was in reality [a] monster" with the consequent sensations of despondency and mortification granting the reader the opportunity to sympathize with the creature in order to indicate the intensely negative social prejudices that are inflicted upon the creature. So you can see that we've looked at symbols of the creature's nature and the metaphor of fire to support our topic sentence. Using literary techniques is what's going to make the difference between you and another student who might be saying the same thing. Why? Because when you look at literary devices, it means that you're reading just beyond the lines, just beyond what's in front of you. You're now introducing your own interpretation, so you're looking at fire and thinking about what that means in connection to the text, and why Mary Shelley would use the term of a fire and revolve her discussion around that. So let's see how we keep doing this in the next body paragraph. Paragraph two, Shelley indicates the significance of relationships as a key element of human nature that the creature is denied, motivating affinity from readers. In replacement of human relationships, the creature rather seeks comfort within the natural world. The metaphorical huge cloak that the creature takes refuge within indicates this, illustrative of an ecosystem, the forest allows the creator to surround himself with life. The subsequent attempts to "imitate the pleasant songs of the birds" reveals the desperate urge of the creature for companionship as he is abandoned by the paternal relationship represented by Victor Frankenstein, which forms a core of human relationships. Again, here we've discussed the metaphorical huge cloak and its connection with the forest, I strongly encourage you to have the goal of discussing at least one literary device per body paragraph. And no, there is no such thing as talking about too many literary devices because it's really just about whether or not your argument is concise and whether or not you're backing that up with evidence. Paragraph three. However, it is Shelley's depiction of the submissive female sex within Frankenstein that becomes most deserving of sympathy. Each female character is characterized as passive, disposable, and they're serving a utilitarian function, namely as a channel of action for the male characters within the text. Notably, the complete lack of absence of Margaret Saville, functioning only as an audience for Walton's letters exemplifies this. Margaret's role within the text is simply to enable Walton to relay the story of Frankenstein and as such were the most necessary character of the texts whilst the most distant. This ironic dichotomy enables Shelley to exemplify the difficult role of the female within society, arising sympathy from the readership. Here, even the purposeful emission of a character is discussed as a language technique. So, this type of literary device definitely tops the cake because you're literally looking at what's not even there. That's definitely reading between the lines. Frankenstein is a very complex novel, and sometimes that's what makes it a difficult text to study. But, it lends itself to many unique interpretations and it's heavily dressed with heaps of literary devices or metalanguage, however you want to call it. So, that's what makes it an absolutely fantastic text for high school students to study. If you wanted to find out more on how to nail a Frankenstein essay, then I'll link you to my blog just down below, because there are definitely more tips there to help you excel in this particular text. Thank you so much for watching, and especially even if you're not studying this text, I hope you've been able to take something away from this video. And I'm confident that you have because talking about literary devices is definitely a topic that isn't necessarily the fore front of discussion in classrooms, and it's something that a lot of people struggle with. So, I hope you are able to walk away with a new goal in sight in order to improve your English essays. So, I will see you guys next time, thank you so much for joining me, see you guys soon. Bye!

For an overview of the EAL study design plus tips and tricks for reading comprehension, time management and more, check out The Ultimate Guide to EAL .

The listening section of the curriculum was introduced by VCAA in 2017 and I highly recommend having a look at the examination reports from 2017 onwards as they provide valuable insight into what the examiners are looking for in high-scoring responses. In this blog, I will explain three key tips that helped me receive a perfect study score in EAL so that you can better prepare for EAL listening. 

Tip #1: Pay Attention to the Choice of Delivery 

Delivery of speech can be described from 5 aspects:

Pitch refers to the highness or lowness of a sound. High-pitch can be used to heighten the emotion; conversely, a low-pitched voice is often softer and quieter or used to make an important point.

Pace is the speed at which the speech is delivered. Pace can be described as ‘fast’ or ‘slow’.

• Presence of pauses, repetition, hesitation

These are often used in conjunction with pace and pitch of voice to illustrate the speaker’s feelings, attitude or views towards a certain issue.

• Emphasis/stress on certain words

The emphasis a speaker places on specific words or phrases serves to draw the listener’s attention to the most important information.

• Tone of voice

When I first started learning how to nail the listening component, I made an extensive list of descriptive words for tone of voice that can be incorporated into my answers when it comes to SACs and the exam:

It is, of course, awesome and somewhat satisfying to have a glorious list of A+ words under our belt, but they are of no use if we are not comfortable using them. By this, I mean we need to make sure we know the meaning of these fancy words and how to incorporate them into sentences. 

Although the full list is very useful, I found myself frequently tending to use a certain few as highlighted below. This helped me to memorise the words I found most versatile, rather than trying to memorise ones I was unlikely to use. You can select the words that work best for you individually - no right or wrong here!

Tip #2: How To Tackle the 3 Marks Question!

Usually, towards the end of a listening task, you will get a 3 marks question that asks for ‘choice of language and delivery’.

Note: For background information on this ‘Gidon’ question, see this blog . And, if you’re not sure why we have highlighted and underlined certain words, see here .

So how do we formulate a cohesive response for this question and ensure we can get 3/3? The train of thought for answering this question is similar to that of analysing how language is tailored to persuade the readers.

The following is an example of what your final answer might look like: 

Describe Gidon’s response to the change made to hospital fees. Support your answer with his word choice and delivery. 3 marks

Gidon is very happy and proud of the change in hospital fees. Gidon uses a cheerful and hopeful tone (1st mark) to deliver the message that the change brings him ‘a really good feeling’ and he feels ‘unbelievably proud’ that ‘small people can make great change’ (2nd mark). In addition, Gidon states this in a high pitch and at a fast pace, demonstrating that he is pleased and satisfied with the reduction in hospital parking fees (3rd mark).

For background information on this ‘Gidon’ question and its answer, see EAL Listening Practice .

Here is another sample answer question and answer (see this blog for background information):

What is Beverley Wang’s opinion on some apps showing many ‘likes’? Support your answer with an example of word choice and language. (3 marks)

Beverley Wang expresses her opinion that some apps can foster addictive behaviours and can be scary by using a frustrated and alarmed tone (1st mark). Additionally, by repeating the term ‘consuming’ four times in a row (2nd mark), delivered at a fast pace, Wang affirms the unethical and addictive nature of the apps (3rd mark).

Tip #3: Build Your Vocabulary to Describe the Interaction Between Speakers 

In EAL listening, you are often expected to describe the interaction between two or more speakers. This allows you to comment on how multiple speakers express their ideas. There will typically be a question that asks you to describe the interaction between the speakers, such as, ‘Suggest 2 words to describe the interaction between A and B’. The answer you need to provide will typically be a two-word answer. Here is a list of words that I frequently used to answer questions like this: 

Words to describe positive interactions include:

• Friendly, respectful
• Professional, formal, polite
• Relaxed, warm
• Amicable, sanguine

Words to describe negative interactions include:

• Embarrassed
• Teasing, childish
• Tense, unpleasant, disappointed
• Confrontational

Hint: You have probably noticed that a lot of the words used to describe the tone for language analysis overlap with the ones you employ to describe the interaction between speakers. This is a bonus since once you have learned these adjectives, you can use them for both sections of the exam. 

I hope you found these tips useful! For further tips and tricks on tackling the EAL Listening Exam, check out How To ACE the EAL Listening Exam .

Can you believe it’s already 2021? To kick off the year in VCE English, you’ll probably be working on your Oral Presentation sometime soon. The past year has flown by, but so much has happened in that year - there are plenty of juicy and controversial topics to get stuck into for your SAC.

Each heading below represents a broad topic and each subheading under it takes you into more specific debates. A more precise topic can make your speech more engaging and current, so feel free to pick a broad issue that resonates with you but don’t forget to zoom in on more specific questions too.

If you haven’t already, check out our Ultimate Guide to Oral Presentations for some general tips and tricks to get you started!

1. Working From Home

ICYMI, there’s been this global pandemic going around for about a year now. It’ll probably come up in a few speeches this year, but let’s work through some more specific ways of using it in yours.

First up is working from home. In 2020, a lot of people spent a lot of time working from home - but this hasn’t been possible for everyone, meaning that it could be worsening certain forms of inequality. ‘Essential workers’ like supermarket clerks and delivery drivers have not been able to work from home, which might put them at a disadvantage when it comes to the flexibility or even the conditions of their work. Conversely, a ‘ tax on remote workers ’ has been proposed which would see people pay a 5% tax if they chose to work from home instead.

Is working from home all that it’s chalked up to be? Is it a positive sign of flexibility, or a widening gap between the manual working class and white-collar professionals? What can we learn about working from home now that we can apply to the future? Is it the environmentally responsible thing to do?

The hidden impact of the coronavirus pandemic is rising urban inequality – 26/11/2020 ‍ Rebound in carbon emissions expected in 2021 after fall caused by Covid – 11/12/2020

Possible Contentions: 

• All workplaces, especially those with essential manual or physical labour, should provide paid health and safety training to staff who are for example more at risk of disease
• A working from home tax is a bad idea - it encourages people to commute and pollute. We should look to ways of promoting flexibility and sustainability instead
• Casual workers in manual professions should be given paid sick leave and other entitlements to make their jobs as flexible as remote office workers

2. Education

You might’ve spent 2020 learning from home too. Everything happened pretty quickly right at the start of the year, but as the months wore on it became clearer that some students were adjusting better than others. In particular, ‘ digital exclusion ’ became a big problem for many students around the country. Inequality is once again a big theme: access to the internet and other technology is vastly uneven, and students who were already dealing with things like mental ill-health were set further back by remote learning. Even though the Victorian government applied special considerations to all Year 12 students in 2020, this is far from a long-term fix.

What can be done about the education system to make it fairer, or even just to make it work better for you? Is it an issue with technology, or are there underlying problems around, say, mental health and wellbeing? Maybe it’s time to axe the ATAR system - would a new scoring system solve these problems?

Coronavirus kept Victorian students out of class. This is what we know about long-term effects of school closures – 21/09/2020 ‍ Government must address barriers to education in rural and remote areas, inquiry finds – 12/11/2020 ‍ The ATAR Benefits No-One: Reflections of a ‘High-Achiever’ – 02/11/2020 (yes this is a shameless plug for my own piece)

Possible Contentions : 

• The government should supply public schools with tech for every student, including iPads and broadband devices
• The government should implement a needs-based approach to technology in schools
• Schools need engagement staff as well as teaching staff: COVID-19 has shown just how easy it is for students to disconnect
• Replace the ATAR with something that measures skills and interests, rather than just results

The Climate Crisis

1. the paris agreement.

The Paris Agreement is an international agreement that was signed a little over five years ago. It binds every country to a commitment of carbon neutrality by 2050 - this means that everyone will be taking as much CO2 out of the atmosphere as we emit. Part of the Agreement is that countries have to commit to new, increasingly ambitious plans every five years, and this deadline has just passed.

How did we do, you might ask. While the mid-century goal still stands, the five-year increment isn’t looking fantastic - most countries , including Australia , haven’t strengthened their climate targets. The Prime Minister was even snubbed out of a speaking slot at a UN climate summit, some suggest because of his inaction on climate. None of this has really snatched headlines though.

Is this something that you’ve been following? If not, is it a problem that this news isn’t really getting out there? What can Australia do better with regard to the climate crisis?

The Paris agreement five years on: is it strong enough to avert climate catastrophe? – 08/12/2020 ‍ The Paris Agreement 5 years on: big coal exporters like Australia face a reckoning – 14/12/2020 ‍ Australia records fourth hottest year as it risks being isolated globally on climate change – 05/01/2021

• Australia needs to be proactive on the Paris Agreement, rather than doing the bare minimum
• Australia needs to transition away from coal
• Our country’s lack of climate action is a great source of shame, particularly for young Australians who want a better future
• The Australian media should take the climate crisis more seriously

2. Environmental Racism

One aspect of the climate crisis we’re starting to talk about more now is environmental racism. The term started in the US , where it was used to describe the disproportionate impacts of environmental problems like pollution on working class people of colour. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t apply in Australia though - earlier in 2020 , a sacred Aboriginal site was blasted by Rio Tinto in order to expand a mine. Now, taxpayer money is being set aside for fracking in the Northern Territory. This will have an adverse impact on not only the climate, but also the local water quality on which First Nations communities depend.

What can be done about environmental racism? Is it about making changes in government, or about activism from outside the halls of power? If environmental racism is the problem, is there a solution that can tackle both problems at once? Is it even accurate to refer to them as two separate problems?

The young Indigenous woman fighting fracking in remote NT – 11/11/2020 ‍ $50 Million Hand-Out to Northern Territory Frackers – 17/12/2020 ‍ Fighting not just to survive, but to flourish – 21/12/2020 ‍ Making sense of Australia’s climate exceptionalism – 01/01/2021

• Indigenous land rights is not just a social movement: it could help us avoid environmental disaster as well
• Politicians are too reliant on fossil fuel companies: we need more grassroots activism around climate justice
• Fracking is dangerous, its impacts disproportionately affect BIPOC communities and as such it should be banned

3. A Carbon Price?

This topic was kind of on our 2020 topic list , but the debate around climate action has changed a little bit since. A carbon price would make the atmosphere a commodity basically - corporations would have to pay in order to pollute.

But maybe that’s still giving them too much power? If you can just pay your way out of environmental responsibility, who’s to stop you from polluting? Maybe there isn’t a capitalistic or free-market solution to carbon emissions - maybe we need to rethink our entire relationship with land and country. What can and should Australia learn from its First People in this regard?

Australia’s plants and animals have long been used without Indigenous consent. Now Queensland has taken a stand – 16/09/2020 ‍ ‘As an Australian it will affect you. It’s your land as well’: Indigenous tourism’s new online travel agency – 03/12/2020 ‍ What is cultural burning? – 31/12/2020 ‍ The barriers to a carbon fee and dividend policy – 07/01/2021

• A carbon price is still necessary, but it’s a stepping stone in a larger conversation
• Putting a price on excessive pollution isn’t the same as creating laws to prevent it: as such, it is no longer enough

1. First Nations Justice

You might recall the huge impact that George Floyd’s death had on conversations about race around the world. Though this erupted in a wave of furore last June, the conversation has been shifting ever since. In Australia, we’ve been grappling in particular with First Nations justice. While the Prime Minister ’s made attempts to unify the country through certain words and gestures, First Nations leaders such as Lidia Thorpe , the first Indigenous senator from Victoria, have been calling for something more substantive. In the meantime, police brutality against First Nations people continues.

Where to from here? What does the future of First Nations justice look like in Australia, and what is the role of leaders like Ms Thorpe? Where do non-Aboriginal folks fit into this? What could we do better?

Lidia Thorpe: Victoria's first Aboriginal senator urges end to deaths in custody and mass incarceration – 09/09/2020 ‍ ‘We have the fight in us’: Lidia Thorpe’s incredible journey to historic place in the Victorian Senate – 23/09/2020 ‍ 'Unfinished business': Senator Lidia Thorpe on fighting for Treaty for Indigenous Australians – 10/12/2020 ‍ Can we breathe? – 31/12/2020

• Reconciliation is an outdated term; it implies two parties are coming together as equals, when history would tell us otherwise
• Lidia Thorpe’s election is the first step in a longer journey towards representation, truth-telling and self-determination
• Even after the #BlackLivesMatter movement in 2020, we still a long way to go with anti-racism
• Australia is far from a multicultural utopia: we need to learn to treat politicians like Lidia Thorpe with more respect

2. Refugees

In 2019, the ‘medevac’ bill allowed refugees to be brought to mainland Australia for medical care. That bill has since been repealed, but it did allow some refugees to leave their detention centres and receive medical treatment. 60 of them have now been detained in various Melbourne hotels for over a year now. In December, they were moved to a former COVID-19 quarantine hotel, where they will continue to be isolated and detained.

What injustices (plural) are going on here? Did medevac force us to confront our out-of-sight-out-of-mind asylum seeker policy? And if this isn’t the impetus we need to shut offshore detention once and for all, what exactly will it take?

The Mantra 60 should be freed from torture. Here’s why the Coalition won’t do it – 15/12/2020 ‍ Former mayor among protesters arrested as police escort refugees and asylum seekers to new Melbourne hotel – 17/12/2020 ‍ Refugees and asylum seekers moved from Mantra hotel in Melbourne – 17/12/2020 ‍ ‘We are human, we are not animals’: Mantra refugees transferred to another hotel – 17/12/2020

• Bring back medevac: it was a bare minimum policy to begin with, and it’s unconscionable that it would be repealed, thereby denying sick people healthcare
• Australia’s refugee policy is as lazy as it is harmful: something needs to change
• The hotel industry is profiting off detention and we should consider boycotting chains like Mantra

3. COVID-Related Racism

This could’ve gone in the first section, but it poses important questions about ongoing and future race relations in Australia. During 2020, Asian Australians and particularly those with Chinese heritage experienced a sharp increase in racially-provoked harassment. Towards the end of the year, Chinese Australians were asked in a Senate committee hearing to condemn the Chinese Communist Party, which many have described as race-baiting. Many Australians with Chinese heritage have no relation to the Chinese government, so it’s jarring that they’d be called upon to give an opinion like this.

How does race still impact civic life in Australia? If you’re Australian, should you be expected to have opinions about or deny loyalties to foreign governments? Does it matter what race you are, and if so, how is that problematic?

Chinese Australians say questions from Senator Eric Abetz about their loyalties are not asked of other communities – 15/10/2020 ‍ Eric Abetz refuses to apologise for demanding Chinese-Australians denounce Communist party – 16/10/2020 ‍ More than eight in 10 Asian Australians report discrimination during coronavirus pandemic – 02/11/2020 ‍ Too many men in pin-striped suits – 10/12/2020 (this is an interesting one that also touches on gender and class in civic life)

• Politicians are increasingly out of touch with Australia’s diverse communities because they are just so overwhelmingly undiverse
• Again, Australia is not a multicultural utopia. When times get tough, the racism really jumps out
• Australians are yet to confront the reality that there are Chinese Australians (which sounds like a joke, but based on these articles isn’t really a joke) - their behaviour continues to ‘other’ people who actually really are Australian, telling them they somehow don’t belong
• More people of colour should run for public office; this starts with civic empowerment in schools

1. Representation

As it turns out, journalism isn’t a very diverse profession. When issues about disability come up, for example, they’re often covered by abled journalists in a “pity party” or “inspiration porn” manner. When issues about race come up, it’s also often white people who cover them, usually with racist undertones as well. We started seeing a bit of this in 2020: the stories that kept coming up about people breaking COVID restrictions were often targeting minorities - their names and faces would be splashed across newspaper front pages, while their white counterparts were afforded privacy and forgiven for making a mistake.

How fair is the media landscape towards people from minority backgrounds? What different forms might racism and ableism take in the media, and how can we overcome them? Is it as simple as allowing disabled people to tell their own stories, for example?

Muslims, Chinese Australians and Indigenous people most targeted in racist media coverage – 11/11/2020 ‍ ‘Double standard’: Experts weigh in on publicly shaming only certain COVID rule-breakers – 22/12/2020

• The media landscape isn’t fair towards minorities: stereotypes can be subtle but persistent
• Journalism schools should create more scholarships for diverse applicants
• Australian media should adopt a code of ethics around representation of minorities

This may or may not come as a surprise to you, but young people are also one of the groups that are likely to be underrepresented in the media. A report from the Foundation for Young Australians found that there were not only less stories about young people in the media in 2020, but barely half of them actually quoted a young person.

Again, we return to questions around representation - does the media have an ethical obligation to let young people tell their own stories? How much do you, as a young person, trust the media to accurately depict you? What can be done about this?

Young People Have Been Pretty Much Ignored By The Media During COVID – 28/10/2020 ‍ Research Report: mainstream media either ignores young Australians or castigates them – 21/12/2020

• Young people can no longer trust the media, and this is detrimental to civic society
• There needs to be a national youth broadcaster, kind of like the ABC, run by young people for young people

Remember Kevin Rudd? The former Prime Minister has been making waves recently for starting a parliamentary petition for a royal commission into media diversity. The petition was signed by a record 501,876 people, and it looks like the commission - a bit like a government inquiry - will go ahead. The ‘media diversity’ in question isn’t about race or disability though - it’s more about media ownership. In Australia, Rupert Murdoch owns almost two-thirds of metropolitan media circulation. He’s also a climate sceptic , which means a large chunk of his media output is also climate-sceptic.

What is the role of media in democracy, and can it still fulfill that role if one person gets to own so much of it? What are some ways Murdoch has used his influence, and what have been the consequences for the Australian people? What should the royal commission look to now achieve?

Petition calling for media royal commission and setting Australian record tabled in Parliament – 09/11/2020 ‍ Rudd and Turnbull will be called to give evidence at Senate inquiry into media diversity – 11/11/2020  

• Because the media holds government to account in the eyes of the people, one person owning this much of the media gives them too much power
• Australia’s climate inaction is a direct result of Murdoch’s media empire, and we need to break it apart to get honest debate and coverage

Pop Culture

In December 2020, the Australian singer Sia was caught in a bit of Twitter beef. She defended casting Maddie Ziegler, an abled actress, in a disabled role for her upcoming film. Disability justice activists argued that autistic people should be able to portray themselves, and that roles for autistic people should be written by them as well. Sia later admitted this was “ableism”, but didn’t back down on her decision.

What is the appropriate way for celebrities and creatives to approach representation? Without debating anyone’s actual identity, how can the film industry do better here?

Sia opens up about lashing out on Twitter to defend her new film – 19/12/2020 

• Abled people shouldn’t write roles for disabled people, nor should they play these roles; if a disabled person can’t play the role, then it isn’t appropriate in the first place
• Cancel culture isn’t a thing, given how comfortable Sia feels admitting to ableism and then committing to her decision anyway
• We shouldn’t cancel people, but we still need new ways to really hold them to account: otherwise, they can still get away with discrimination

The Grammy Awards have been oft-criticised for racial biases, including once again in this year ’s coming ceremony. Black artists like Beyonce are often relegated to subcategories like R&B and rap - of her 24 Grammy Awards, only one was awarded in a major category (Best Music Video in 2017 for ‘Formation’). Meanwhile, she was arguably snubbed for Album of the Year wins in both 2017 (Adele won) and 2015 (Beck won). Now though, the Grammys are hoping to #ChangeMusic and acknowledge the contributions of Black artists to the industry. 

What should this look like? Are award wins all it will take? Is a change for the future enough to fix wrongs of the past? Maybe awards aren’t even that important - is cultural impact what really matters?

#ChangeMusic Roadmap aims to redress racism in music industry – 17/12/2020 

• The cultural impact of Bla(c)k artists can’t be measured through awards
• Awards are a necessary first step to acknowledging Bla(c)k talent in the music industry
• Radios stations should make more of an effort to diversify their sets, particularly when local BIPOC talent in Australia is at an all-time high (think Thelma Plum, Sampa the Great etc.)

Be sure to check out our Ultimate Guide to Oral Presentations for more advice on how to write your speech, presentation tips and more. Or, if you really want to dive in further to make sure you absolutely nail your Oral, then you'll definitely want to check out our How To Write A Killer Oral Presentation ebook - it explores essay structure, the written explanation and even has sample A+ essays so that you can learn from past students who have succeeded in VCE!!

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205 Essay Topics for Grade 8, 9, 10, 12 + Writing Tips [2024]

We came up with this guide to make school essay writing easy for you. Need some creative writing topics for grade 8? Or recommendations for the 11th-grade expository paper? We’ve got you!

Helpful tips and essay topics for grades 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12— our Custom-writing.org team has advice for everyone. Here, you’ll find:

• 205 great essay ideas;
• tips on how to write argumentative and persuasive papers.

In fact, our recommendations will be perfectly suitable for both middle and high school students. Still, there will be some grade-specific information. So, start with the 8th-grade essay topics and tips and read till the end!

• ✏️ 8th Grade Essay
• 📜 9th Grade Essay
• 📚 10th Grade Essay
• 🧑‍🎓 11th Grade Essay
• 🎓 12th Grade Essay

🔗 References

✏️ essay or class 8: topics & tips, top 10 essay topics for grade 8  .

• The future of print books
• Aliens in science fiction
• Why do people need art?
• What’s the point of fashion?
• Why homework is useless
• A book that changed the world
• Should all education be free?
• Should people learn foreign languages?
• The world’s biggest secret
• The next scientific breakthrough

8th Grade Essay: How to Write

You already know how to write short, simple essays. In an 8th grade, however, you need to make a point , collect evidence , and present it in your paper. This is when learners start experiencing difficulties with their essay writing.

We want to present to you some helpful tips that will help you write excellent papers. Check them out:

• Do your research. It’s especially important with argumentative, persuasive, and analytical papers. So, before you start writing, you should go to a library or at least search for information online.
• Make outlines. 8th grade is the right time to start making outlines for your essays if you haven’t made them before. It’s best to write an outline after researching the topic since you need to organize all the information.
• Be positive. Thinking of your essay as a burden won’t do you any good. You can make things easier by being more positive. Try to pretend your essay is a story you want to tell your friends. It has a main storyline ( thesis statement ), plot twists (arguments), and you wrap everything up in the end.
• Make it interesting for yourself. Find the things that excite you the most about your topic. For example, you can try to think of surprising facts you’ve learned while researching it.
• Start with 5 sentences.  Feeling overwhelmed is another factor that makes it hard to write an excellent essay. The thing to remember is that at the core of any essay there are just 5 sentences. The rest is just additional information to back them up. So, what are these sentences? 
• Thesis statement.  This is where you describe the whole idea of your paper.
• Topic sentence 1.  The first sentence develops your thesis a bit more.
• Topic sentence 2.  You add a counterargument here.
• Topic sentence 3.  Here, you explain how that counterargument helps the case and introduce ways to solve the issue.
• Conclusion.  Summarize and wrap everything up.
• Write the body paragraphs first. After they’re done, it will be easier for you to write the conclusion and introduction since they both basically summarize your whole paper.
• Always proofread and edit your essays. 8th-grade teachers are strict when it comes to mistakes and inaccuracies.

Essay Topics for Class 8 in Various Subjects

The deadline is approaching, and you’re out of ideas? This section is for you. Topics provided below can prompt you to write an excellent paper:

• Noise pollution, or Let me hear nature. Noise pollution refers to exposure to high sound levels. In your paper, examine the level of noise pollution in modern cities. Alternatively, you may concentrate on the impact it has on people or domestic animals.
• Can robots replace people? Robots perform many tasks faster and better than people do. You can think of professions that may disappear in the near future because of it. You may also think about the spheres that robots can never dominate.
• Do children need handwriting skills? Many children (and adults) hate writing by hand. Some even say that people don’t need such skills anymore. Messages are mainly typed now. What do you think about the value of handwriting skills? Should students still be taught them?
• Can people live in isolation? The COVID-19 pandemic made countries launch strict lockdowns. People had to be isolated for many weeks. Such isolation leads to health problems, such as depression and anxiety. What does it tell us about the importance of communication?
• Age-based film ratings. Do you agree that age restrictions should exist? Can some movies be excessively violent and inappropriate for some age groups? Is it a kind of discrimination? What aspects should be considered to impose age restrictions?  
• Should people go to Mars or the Moon? Why or why not?
• What can make a person truly happy?
• Who is the mightiest hero among fictional characters?
• Write about the bad habits you have and how you can get rid of them
• What is the most essential discipline at school?
• Describe humanity’s best and worst qualities
• Explain how society benefits from using the Internet
• If you could change one part of your life , what would you change, and why?
• Is it possible to fall in love with someone you’ve never met?
• If you had a time machine, what time would you travel to?
• Can you judge people without knowing them and how they live their lives?
• How would humanity change if we knew the world would end in 10 years?
• What would it be like if you couldn’t use your smartphone for a month?
• What consequences may occur if artificial intelligence keeps developing?

📜 Essay for Class 9: Topics & Tips

Top 10 essay topics for grade 9.

• What is the right age to start dating?
• Choosing your future occupation.
• Solving urgent environmental issues.
• Should animal testing be banned?
• The difference between knowledge and wisdom.
• What is the greatest invention in history?
• How important is trust in a friendship?
• What misunderstandings do you have with your parents?
• Should students discuss controversial topics in classes?
• Why do some teenagers flee from their homes?

9th-Grade Essay: How to Write

Writing grade 9 essays amounts to improving your skills, gaining more knowledge, and developing your position on various issues. If you need more details about grade 9 essays, keep reading!

First, we want to talk about different types of written assignments that you may receive:

Essays are the most common academic paper assignment that you can master with our free tips:

• Use quotes. Sometimes, when researching for your essay, you may stumble across a source that perfectly describes your thesis or some other thought you wanted to use in your paper. Why not quote it, then? Just make sure to include your own ideas as well.
• Use Wikipedia the right way. If you’ve got a topic you know nothing about, Wikipedia will quickly help you familiarize yourself with it. Another way to use it is for finding sources. Read an article on your topic and then check its reference section to select some trustworthy ones.
• You’re not the only one writing a paper. Your teacher will probably read several more works like yours. This fact makes it even more important to make your text unique and exciting.
• Your teacher won’t have enough time to reread if something’s unclear. The clarity of information will definitely influence the result, so make sure that your writing is flawless.

Essay Topics for Class 9 in Various Subjects

Below you will find unique topics for argumentative or persuasive essays:

• What is the future of music? Many people don’t like modern pop music and believe that it was better back in the day. What’s your opinion on it? Discuss what’s in store for pop music. What directions of music development can you predict?
• What makes people come up with conspiracy theories? Some people believe in the secret world government or Americas’ fake Moon mission. You can describe a particularly interesting conspiracy theory. You may also explore the reasons for the existence of such ideas.
• Can humans prevent or at least slow down global warming? Scientists are sure that human negative impact on the environment is significant. What do they think of our ability to address the problem? To what extent can we affect life on the planet?
• How much should parents control their children? Rearing children is difficult, and it’s hard to set the balance between restrictions and freedom. Should children and adolescents be allowed to behave the way they want? How can it affect children’s self-esteem in the future?
• Do best friends exist? This essay can start with the definition or description of a good friend. Can two people really be best friends ? In what situations is it impossible? Are all people able to be good friends? How can you detect fake friends?
• What extracurricular activities should be available in all schools (a specific kind of sport or art)?
• Is it a threat to people’s privacy to use cameras as a security measure?
• When is the right time to allow children to make their own life decisions?
• How does a feeling of importance influence a person’s ego?

📚 10th-Grade Essay Topics & Tips

Top 10 essay topics for grade 10.

• What makes a good parent?
• Fantasy: origins and future
• Friendships in the Information Age
• Marriage vs. cohabitation
• Your most memorable trip
• What defines a hero?
• Millennials vs. Gen Z
• Is urbanization a positive trend?
• Communism: a dream that failed
• Things to do before graduating

Grade 10 Essay: How to Write

Like any typical sophomore, you want to get good grades and write excellent essays. But what if your written assignments never grade higher than a B? Don’t give up! We can help you with it.

What follows next are the necessary attributes of an A+ essay. Pay attention to them while writing and you will surely succeed:

Read the tips below and learn about the essentials of writing excellent essays.

• Resort to advanced storytelling. Even if you’re not working on a narrative essay, you can try applying the following 3-act structure to your writing. According to Indiana University, the structure consists of 3 parts: setup, confrontation, and resolution . The acts set an uninterrupted narrative flow. As a result, the reader doesn’t even notice the transition from one part of the work to another. Here’s how to use this technique:

• Don’t let go of your ideas . The thing is always to be prepared for writing, just in case you suddenly find inspiration or a brilliant idea pops into your head. Don’t risk trying to remember it and write it down later—you’ll likely end up forgetting it. To avoid such regrettable situations, make sure to always have a notebook with you.
• Check out other people’s essays. Apart from getting ideas for the content of your essay, you’ll also be able to consider the writing style and format of the paper. The more samples you can look through, the better. You’ll see all the possible options and variations of how this type of assignment can be done.

10th-Grade Essay Topics in Various Subjects

Need creative essay ideas? Check out this list:

• Censorship and social media. Answer these questions: What is censorship related to social media content? Should any topics be considered taboo? What are the adverse outcomes of such a practice? Where is the line between censorship and fundamental rights violation?
• Music and student productivity. The essay can examine the latest findings regarding the effects of different music genres on people’s cognitive abilities. What have neuroscientists discovered? Why does music influence people in such a way? You can describe your personal attitudes and anecdotes.
• Why do people have holidays? All nations have their unique holidays. Why is that so? Do people just need more days to rest from work? Do Americans need more national holidays? You may explore the role different holidays play in the development of a nation.
• Should individuals, nations, or international bodies interfere in other people’s affairs? Thousands of messages regarding people’s suffering appear every minute. Individuals, charities, governments, and international institutions try to help people across the globe. Is this involvement always justified? Can such interference be regarded as a form of cultural expansion?
• What can national cuisine tell about a nation? Compare the national food of several countries in your essay. Think about whether the environment plays a role in developing cuisines.
• Would societies develop without the use of fossil fuels ?
• Does science fiction influence the development of technology or vice versa?
• How has school life changed throughout the last 20 years?
• What’s the best way to choose which school to go to?
• How vital is a personal understanding of people’s lives ?
• What are the consequences of having too much money?
• Do teens need to follow all of their parents’ guidelines?
• Does doing less homework make you a better student?
• How do celebrities influence the way teenagers look and behave?

Grade 10 English Essay Topics

If you’re a 10-grader, you probably write many essays for your English classes. Can’t choose a topic? Have a look at these ideas:

• The role fairy tales play in people’s lives. This essay can be concerned with the way fairy tales contribute to the norms as well as prejudice. Why do people create fairy tales? What is their place in world literature? Can children develop properly without reading them?
• The history and significance of comic books. Some people think comic books are inferior to literary works. Do you agree with this viewpoint? What role do comic books play in American society? Why did this art form appear?
• The role the setting plays in literary works. You can analyze a specific genre or a text. For example, explore how the setting reflects Emily’s character in A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner.
• Should all plastic be banned? Writing an argumentative essay is always a good idea. Students may try to decide whether plastic should be prohibited. Can people (especially in developing countries) live without plastic? What can be a cost-effective replacement?
• Oscar Wilde: a master of epigrams. Focus on his plays or The Picture of Dorian Gray . What characteristic features can be found in Wilde’s epigrams? What is the purpose of their use?
• What makes Macbeth one of the greatest literary works in English (and world) literature?
• Should students read ancient literature, such as The Epic of Gilgamesh ?
• What can we learn from books written by politicians?
• What distinguishes the epistolary genre?
• How the image of the vampire evolved: from folklore to pop culture
• Female writers in antiquity and Middle Ages
• What is the future of world literature ?

Grade 10 Essay Topics for Creative Writing

The following list of topics will inspire an outstanding composition or even a short story:

• A detective story of a failed assignment/meeting/ exam. Students become genuinely creative when they try to explain the reasons for not doing their homework . Why not make it an essay topic? Describe a force majeure that made doing something impossible.
• A dystopia or a utopia. You can create your own world based on an optimistic or pessimistic view. How perfect can a society be? What atrocities can become accepted in the future? What hierarchies, political orders, or economic models can emerge?
• A letter from a historical leader. Imagine you are a ruler of Medieval France or any other monarch. You can write a letter to your royal relative or enemy. A letter from Elizabeth I to future generations can make an excellent essay!
• Creative description. Come up with a detailed description of an interesting thing, person, or event. For example, describe a charm on your bracelet and its meaning. Describing someone’s personality traits can be another option.
• Writing memoirs . Create a biography of a historical person, fictional character, or modern celebrity. Or, imagine you became famous and write about your way to glory.
• A narrative about the most remarkable or tiresome waiting experience
• A poem about first love
• A parody of A Song of Ice and Fire
• Pretend to be a future historian analyzing a current popular song or movie (or any other artifact)
• Ponder on the nature and relevance of creativity
• Your stream of consciousness (the road to school, a minute in a class, enjoying the sunrise, and so on)
• Elaborate on the theory regarding the nature of Agent Smith of The Matrix
• Write down the associations connected with your favorite song
• Description of the dream you had last night

🧑‍🎓 Grade 11 Essay Topics & Tips

Top 10 essay topics for grade 11.

• Can positive discrimination be beneficial?
• Is violence a human invention?
• Should we give scientists more funding?
• Should science interfere with natural processes?
• Reasons for keeping a journal.
• Which country is the most difficult to live in?
• Can online education replace other forms of schooling?
• Should all countries give up their nuclear arsenals?
• Reasons why Donald Trump lost the 2020 elections.
• The role of successful athletes in popularizing sports.

11th Grade Essay: How to Write

You can consider 11th-grade essay writing to be a combination of everything you’ve learned in the previous 3 years. One of its main goals is to demonstrate that you have a clear understanding of all essential writing elements.

You’re going to have the chance to practice various forms of writing. The following tips will help you excel at it.

• Try practicing ACT Writing. ACT Writing is a test that requires you to create an essay in just 40 minutes. There are several limitations and requirements associated with it (if you want to learn more, you can check out this article by Southern Utah University on ACT tests and their characteristics ). Practicing this kind of writing with a timer can be highly beneficial for developing your skills. Here’s what you need to keep in mind:
• Ideas and analysis.  Answer the question given in the prompt as clearly as possible. You also need to demonstrate your perspective and analyze how it relates to other aspects under discussion.
• Development and support.  Explain all the points you make. The trick here is to make each explanation fit into 2 or 3 sentences—not because of word count requirements, but due to the time limit.
• Language use.  While writing your essay, make your sentences clear and easy to understand. You should also avoid repetition. You may use some terms or fancy words, but if you do, make sure you know what they mean.
• Organization.  Even though there are no strict rules for formatting your paper, it doesn’t mean you can turn it into a chaotic mess. The easiest thing to do is to separate each of your ideas into a paragraph. Make sure that the overall structure is logical, and take care of smooth transitions.
• Try the Elevator Pitch. It’s a technique salespeople use when developing a short, catchy product summary. When using this technique to write an essay for high school, you boil your ideas down to the essentials. Even though it’s a challenging task, it leaves you with a perfect summary . And you can use it to write an introduction that will undoubtedly grab your reader’s attention.
• Know the limits. It’s important to know when to stop. This statement is especially true when you’re selecting a position to take or choosing the main point you want to prove in your essay. Your argument needs to be compelling enough to capture your reader’s attention. But at the same time, you don’t want to overdo it.

Here are some other things that are better to avoid:

• An overly broad or poorly written thesis statement.
• Topic sentences without a proper focus.
• Off-topic writing.
• Inadequate conclusion.
• Inability to foresee and refute objections.
• Talking about things that are too obvious to discuss.

Essay Topics for Grade 11 in Various Subjects

Senior students are required to write about serious subjects. Here we’ve compiled a list of great thought-provoking topics to kickstart your writing:

• Pros and cons of criminalizing the sales of alcohol. Alternatively, you can think about the consequences of banning cigarettes.
• Nature vs. nurture. Researchers are still unsure whether the environment or inborn traits play a key role in people’s personal development . You may try to provide an answer to this challenging question. You can concentrate on the notorious case of Three Identical Strangers . The examination of the ethical issues related to this kind of research is also a good idea.
• Career path plans. Naturally, eleventh-graders need to consider their future careers. It can be a good idea to write a professional development plan. What kind of higher education or skills do you need? How can you acquire them?
• Autocratic and democratic regimes in the times of pandemics. You may try to compare the effectiveness of authoritarian or democratic countries when addressing the COVID-19 crisis. How do different regimes address the problem? What role does access to information play in the process? Compare the outcomes of the measures undertaken in the US and China.
• Identity in the cyber world. Adolescence is the period of paying considerable attention to one’s identity. The Internet has changed our lives, including the process of identity-making. Why do young people create fake identities in the digital environment? Do these identities affect their authentic selves?
• Can English be replaced as an international communication language any time soon?
• Is it necessary to punish those who download content from the Internet illegally?
• What digital devices can be used to improve education?
• Should everyone switch to electric or environmentally friendly vehicles?
• Do the world’s wealthiest countries help poor ones enough?
• Is it appropriate for students and teachers to interact on social media?

Grade 11 Essay Topics for Narrative Writing

Choosing the most exciting and potentially successful topic can be challenging. Here are some ideas for the best narrative papers.

• The hardest goodbye you’ve ever said. A common approach to this topic is to write about saying goodbye to a friend or loved one. Creative students may describe the moment when they said goodbye to their childhood.
• A disaster that led to good outcomes. Write about an event or action that seemed like a mistake but turned out to be beneficial. It can be connected to extracurricular activities, going to a party, taking up responsibility, etc.
• Science in our daily lives. It may seem that science is just a school subject. However, every person has conducted at least one experiment or observation in their lifetime. The narrative composition of this essay can deal with such an observation.
• The evolution of your professional inclinations. Children often dream of being athletes or movie stars. Some want to be teachers or writers. You may describe the way your idea of a dream job changed throughout your life. What factors affected this evolution?
• Conflict management. Describe a situation when you used conflict management skills. These cases can include working on a project, debating with other students, or distributing chores. What skills are needed to manage conflicts effectively?
• The most challenging aspects of being an adolescent
• Describing the first time doing something ( first day at college , first driving experience, etc.)
• The most significant event in a specific year or century
• The first considerable success in your life
• Growing up in the 21st century
• When did Murphy’s Law work in your life?
• A day in the life of the world’s happiest person
• The most important piece of advice someone gave you

11th Grade Writing Prompts & Topics for Argumentative Essays

Select a topic from the the list below and impress your teacher with a stunning essay:

• Should the system of American presidential elections be changed? During the past few years, Americans have started criticizing the existing presidential election system. The Electoral College seems outdated to many. In this essay, you may share your views on the strengths and weaknesses of the voting system.
• Should female students be encouraged to study science rather than humanities? Many researchers point out that the scientific world is highly disproportioned when it comes to gender. Women often choose to study humanities rather than sciences due to bias or lack of confidence. How can we encourage talented girls to pursue scientific careers?
• Restrictions and totalitarianism. Can governments impose restrictions related to certain areas of people’s lives? Is it a pathway to dictatorship? Can people be responsible enough to have personal limits? You can focus on such aspects as marriage age and access to information.
• Student loans: an opportunity or a burden? Student loans have become a serious issue leading to substantial economic constraints for individuals and the educational system. Older generations stress that they managed to work and pay their tuition fees . Should young people use student loans? Can they receive higher education without this financial burden?
• Is conservation a proper approach to treating endangered species? Many species are on the brink of extinction due to various reasons. Governments and non-governmental organizations try to preserve natural diversity. Conservation is one of the employed methods. Is it effective? Do people have the right to interfere with the natural evolution of species?

• Autocratic leaders and technological breakthroughs: the cases of Steve Jobs and Elon Musk
• Should physical punishment make a comeback in the American educational system?
• Should humans consume products containing GMOs?
• Should the US government invest in the exploration of outer space ?

Essay Topics for Grade 11: Persuasive Writing

When writing persuasive essays, students need to find the right words to convince their opponents or the reader. Here are some ideas for such a paper:

• Nudging is manipulation, so it should be banned. Companies and even governments often influence people’s choices. Using a coffee smell to boost the sales of food is one such technique. Is it ethical?
• Cigarettes should be banned altogether. Everybody knows of the long-term effects of smoking. The negative impact of cigarettes is severe and compatible with substance abuse. Is it necessary to make smoking cigarettes illegal?
• Blogging for young people. Many adolescents find blogging a sphere where they can excel. For some, blogging becomes a profession. However, to be a successful blogger , a person should have experience, knowledge, and skills. Do you agree that young people should study hard instead of blogging?
• Zoos cannot exist in the modern world. Animal rights gained momentum decades ago, but zoos are still popular places visited by millions. In modern zoos, animals live in cages that can be pretty spacious. However, this does not make them an appropriate place for wild animals. Is it possible to stick to wildlife parks as an alternative?
• Birth control. Birth control is a common area of concern for many countries. The Chinese government even had a policy regarding the number of children in a family. Should such policies exist? Are they effective?
• Should the age of presidential candidates be changed?
• Silent praying time at public schools: is it necessary?
• Standardized tests in schools should be banned
• Teachers should pass qualification testing regularly
• Toy manufacturers shouldn’t advertise their products on kids’ channels
• Children committing violent crimes require appropriate punishment
• Sex education is necessary for public schools

🎓 Grade 12 Essay Topics & Tips

Top 10 essay topics for grade 12.

• How do you survive isolation?
• What makes politicians lie?
• Causes of obesity in low-income groups
• Taxation as a way to address the income gap
• Outsourcing as a viable business model
• The geography of your hometown
• The end of Sumer civilization
• Low-performing schools should be closed
• Teachers should follow a dress code
• The role of economics in our everyday lives.

Grade 12 Essay: How to Write

Grade 12 essays are very similar to those you have completed before. They’re just a bit longer and require more effort and knowledge from you. Here are our tips that will help you write such essays:

• Organize your essays adequately and write strong thesis statements.
• Make your arguments well-grounded and support them with evidence.
• Use terms and various sentence structures.
• Make sure your text is grammatically correct.

Bonus: College Essay Tips

When it comes to grade 12, the trickiest writing assignment you’re likely to receive is a college application essay. Don’t worry, though: the tips below will help you ace it! Have a look:

• Keep the right amount of detail. To make your college essay memorable, choose the most exciting event from your life. Describe it in great detail, without wasting space on boring trivia. This way, you’ll paint a clear picture of what happened and how it influenced you.
• Avoid clichés. Clichés are words and phrases that are often overused and don’t add any value to our writing. Thinking outside the box and using a couple of witty phrases is a good thing. But using age-old clichés defeats the purpose.
• Make yourself memorable. Your story needs to stay in the minds of those who are going to read it. Make a strong personal statement so that even sometime later, they can pick your essay up and say, “Yes, I know this one…it’s about that student.”
• Check your essay yourself after writing the first draft. Does the story leave a powerful impression? If not, what can you do to make it better? The committee will appreciate that you’ve put some serious work into writing a personal essay.
• Don’t settle for an average result. You can do much better than that. To understand the task better, look through some college essay examples and make your work far superior to those.

For more helpful tips and topics, check out our article on writing successful college essays .

Essay Topics for Grade 12 in Various Subjects

Here are some of the current topics that can inspire an outstanding essay:

• The future of space exploration . Elon Musk has revolutionized space exploration, giving it a new life. What countries will be leaders in this sphere in the nearest future? Will people colonize Mars any time soon?
• What is the background of the Black Lives Matter movement? Discuss what connects BLM and the Civil Rights movements. What factors led to its rise in the late 2010s? What about other ethnic groups and minorities?
• Living in a post-COVID era. Will communication become more digitalized? Can we transform healthcare systems accordingly? How did the pandemic affect people’s personal lives?
• The future of movie theaters. Can they recover completely from pandemic-related restrictions? Is watching blockbusters at home a more comfortable option?
• Body positivity . Can the body-positive approach lead to unhealthy behaviors? The focus on being too slim or too fat is harmful. Is it better to focus on health and wellness? Should we establish a new health-positive trend instead of the existing appearance-based movements?
• The background of the gender pay gap in the scientific world
• To what extent can communities interfere with people’s family lives?
• The limits of the First Amendment in the contemporary USA
• How can we make political debates more civil and focused on solving problems?
• If you were a senior mentor, what wisdom would you pass on to a first-year student?
• What are effective ways of convincing people to exercise more?
• What skills should students have to convince a school that they deserve a scholarship?
• What might be the cause of World War III? What would be the consequences?
• Are books still relevant, or should we all switch to computers, iPhones, and tablets?
• How do the obstacles we encounter in life make us better?
• What sparks your desire for personal growth and self-development ?
• Without which fact, quality, or story would your life be incomplete?

Essay Topics for Grade 12: Creative Writing

Creative writing can be challenging for some students. However, an essay’s success often depends on the chosen topic. The following ideas will boost your creative potential.

• When Hulk met Mr. Hyde. It can be interesting to imagine a meeting or a battle between Mr. Hyde and his later version, Hulk. Which one is stronger? Who is more malicious?
• Happy new holiday! Come up with a brand-new holiday for the US. What can it be based on? Why do Americans need this celebration?
• Being a book on a shelf. It can be exciting to write from the perspective of a mundane object found in any home. What could books on the shelves think of? What are the biggest fears of a fridge?
• The best robot ever! Imagine that you live in a future where all people can own robots. What qualities will such robots have? What kinds of chores can they do? Can they complete school assignments for students? What ethical concerns could exist in the society of the future regarding robots?
• Home alone. The story of the eight-year-old Kevin is well-known. What would you do in his place? How challenging or relaxing can such an experience be? How soon would you feel lonely?
• Should evil be romanticized in literature and cinema?
• Being in a 14 th -century classroom
• The class in the fantasy world with fictional characters
• Imagine a global government of the future
• Being a President of the US and proclaiming an inaugural speech
• If God were one of us
• Lessons from creative people of the past
• How to find true love: a guide

Grade 12 Essay Topics for Narrative Writing

Tell your own unique story with one of our imaginative topic ideas:

• Being an activist. Youth activism is now on the rise. You can write about your personal contribution or analyze existing movements. What activities are appropriate for students of your age? Where is the line between activism and delinquency?
• Talk about your family’s values. Are they culture-based? How did religious beliefs affect these values ? Why should families have such values?
• People are responsible for those they have tamed. What did Antoine de Saint-Exupéry mean by this? What kind of responsibility is it? Does it refer to pets or people? You can write your own story of being responsible for someone.
• What to do with a billion dollars. Imagine you received an enormous sum of money. What would be the first thing to do? Think of any purchases or orders such as a house, a journey around the world, or even your own island . With this topic, it’s easy to be creative!
• The most embarrassing moment of your life . Write from experience or imagination. You can focus on a fictional or famous person. What awkward moments can politicians and movie stars go through?
• Things to say to your future self
• Becoming a true leader for peers and family
• Self-improvement plan to follow after the graduation
• Who is the role model for modern children?
• Is being a teenager as bad as people say?
• The most profound moment in your life
• The most striking news of the past year

If you need more ideas, you can try using our topic generator .

Have you found what you were looking for? We hope our guide helped you with your school essay writing. Make sure to share your experience in the comments below!

This might be interesting for you:

• Primary School Essay: Simple Writing Guide
• What Does an Excellent Essay Look Like?
• 1000-Word Essays: Quick Answers
• Breaking Down the Types of Essays
• A Complete Guide to Essay Writing
• How to Write a Good 5 Paragraph Essay
• 140 Excellent Analysis Essay Topics & Questions
• 200 Interesting Cause and Effect Essay Topics & Ideas
• 260 Good Descriptive Essay Topics and Writing Tips
• 150+ Excellent Narrative Essay Topics
• 420 Good Compare and Contrast Essay Topics
• 180 Process Essay Topics

❓ School Essay FAQ

Students write essays on every educational level. Naturally, middle school essays are different from that of a high school. But the general principle is to choose a good topic, research it, make an outline, write the essay, and proofread it.

On that level, the best choice would be to write an argumentative, informative, or narrative essay. Pick a topic that is familiar, interesting, or not too difficult for you. Then, research it, make an outline, and write your essay.

To write a 9th-grade essay, you need to:

1. Choose a suitable topic; 2. Do your research in a library or online; 3. Outline your essay; 4. Write the body paragraphs; 5. Write the introduction and the conclusion.

It’s better not to pick overly narrow college-level topics for an 8th-grade essay. It is better to write about the environment, career choice, nature, or yourself. Choose something broad enough to identify several pros and cons, causes and effects, and other essay components.

• How to Do Research: A Step-By-Step Guide, Get Started: LibGuides at Elmira College
• Overview of the Academic Essay: Harvard College Writing Center
• A Comprehensive Guide for Writing Research Papers, Humanities Edition: Southwestern University
• Student Guide to Academic Writing & Research: Accredited Online Schools
• Generate Topic Ideas Quickly and Easily: Online Research Library, Questia
• Thesis Statements: KU Writing Center
• Narrative Essays: Literacy Education Online
• Writing Topics: Thoughtful Learning K-12
• 50 Writing Prompts for All Grade Levels: Edutopia, George Lucas Educational Foundation
• 100 Persuasive Essay Topics: Grace Fleming, ThoughtCo
• Essay Tips: 7 Tips on Writing an Effective Essay: The Fastweb Team
• Essay Topics: Oral Roberts University
• Essay Topics and Tips: College of Arts and Sciences, Lewis & Clark
• UChicago Supplemental Essay Questions: The University of Chicago
• 50 Narrative Essay Topics: Reading and Writing Resource
• High School Essay Writing Course: Time4Writing
• Creative Writing Prompts: The Write Practice
• 81 Creative Writing Prompts for Writers: Writer’s Digest
• Short Story Ideas: Creative Writing Now
• 25 Controversial Topics: The Best Schools
• Research Topic Ideas: University Michigan-Flint
• Climate Change: ProCon
• Prompts for Narrative and Personal Writing: The New York Times
• Interesting Debate Topics: Udemy
• 10 Creative Writing Prompts for Story Ideas: MasterClass
• Research Topics: Frontiers
• Research Topics: National Archives
• Essay Topic Suggestions: Gallaudet University
• Past Essay Topics: University of Warwick
• Literature Topics and Research: Purdue University
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we need conversation questions for the same paragraph writing would be super.

Okay, so I’m in extension English (highest English), and we’ve just written our first essay on To Kill A Mockingbird. Last year I was getting high C’s, mostly B’s and the odd A. But this year, I have a different teacher, and he is not so satisfied with my writing. I got a C- for my first essay this year. He said my ideas were great, logical, and enthusiastic, but the way I’m writing it is not as appealing, motivating and persuasive. How can I improve my writing, so that I can easily get my ideas on the page without making them less effective?

Hi, It’s cool that you want to improve your writing. These are a few suggestions from our experts: 1) use strong thesis statements in your papers (examples are here: https://custom-writing.org/blog/thesis-statement-examples) or download our guide on how to write a thesis statement (you can see it on a pop-up when you come to our blog); 2) use examples to illustrate your position; 3) avoid using too long sentences, so that readers could follow your train of thoughts; 4) subscribe to our bi-monthly newsletter (in the upper right sidebar of the blog) and receive our expert tips directly to your e-mail. Good luck! We are sure that you will learn how to write only A+ papers pretty soon. See you!

I came to college as a mature student. Now I need to write a 4-page essay. I need help.

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Thank you so much! It’s a big help. I hope I get an A* for my O/L exams this year May. Wish me luck!

Katherine, we aren’t going to wish you luck! You don’t need it:) You will get A+, that’s for sure! 🙂

But if you’re that superstitious – GOOD LUCK! 🙂

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Class 9 Essay Topics | Interesting Essay Writing Topics & Ideas for 9th Grade

May 2, 2023 by Veerendra

Get inspired with great narratives and Class 9 Essay Topics. Avail the Grade Specific Essay Writing Topics curated belonging to different categories. Bring up the Creative Mind and Imagination in you by referring to the 9th Standard Essay Topics. Enhance your Vocabulary with the Grade 9 Essay Writing Topics & Ideas and express your thoughts into essays on your own. 9th Std Essays are beneficial to win prizes in your competitions or speeches.

Essay Topics List for Grade 9 Students & Children

Not everyone can express their views in the form of Essays.  Try to read the Class 9th Essays belonging to diverse categories. All of them are given in an efficient manner and you can access the Grade 9 Essay Topics of different subjects via quick links available. The 9th Standard Essay Topics prevailing encourages self-study among kids and gives a fair idea on what to write on several topics.

• Essay on School’s Surroundings and Examinations
• Essay on Festivals
• Essay on Persons We Come Across
• Essay on About Myself
• Essay on Relationships
• Essay on Visits
• Essay on Scenes, Sights, and Journeys
• Essay on Health and Fitness
• Essay on Personalities/People
• Essay on Events
• Essay on Monuments
• Essay on Vacation/Holidays
• Nature Essay
• Essay on Sports
• Essay on Cities
• Essay on Life
• Essay on Animals
• General Essays
• Global Warming
• Essay on Environmental Issues & Awareness
• Essay Topics Based on Proverbs
• Essay on Moral Values
• Education Essay
• Essay on India
• Essay on Science & Technology
• Essay on Social Issues & Social Awareness
• Argumentative Essay Topics

FAQs on 9th Class Essay Writing Topics & Ideas

1. Where do I get Subject Specific 9th Standard Essay Topics?

You can get Subject Specific 9th Standard Essay Topics on our page.

2. How to access Grade 9 Essay Writing Topics & Ideas?

All you need to do is simply tap on the quick links available to access Class 9th Essay Writing Topics & Ideas.

3. Is there any website that provides the 9th Class Essay Suggestions free of cost?

Aplustopper.com is a trusted portal that provides the 9th Class Essay Suggestions free of cost on our page.

Hoping the knowledge shared regarding the 9th Std Essay Topics has helped you a lot. Do leave us your suggestions via the comment section and we will look into them and add them at the earliest. Stay in touch with our site to avail latest updates on Essays of Different Classes.

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Example of a Great Essay | Explanations, Tips & Tricks

Published on February 9, 2015 by Shane Bryson . Revised on July 23, 2023 by Shona McCombes.

This example guides you through the structure of an essay. It shows how to build an effective introduction , focused paragraphs , clear transitions between ideas, and a strong conclusion .

Each paragraph addresses a single central point, introduced by a topic sentence , and each point is directly related to the thesis statement .

As you read, hover over the highlighted parts to learn what they do and why they work.

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Other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about writing an essay, an appeal to the senses: the development of the braille system in nineteenth-century france.

The invention of Braille was a major turning point in the history of disability. The writing system of raised dots used by visually impaired people was developed by Louis Braille in nineteenth-century France. In a society that did not value disabled people in general, blindness was particularly stigmatized, and lack of access to reading and writing was a significant barrier to social participation. The idea of tactile reading was not entirely new, but existing methods based on sighted systems were difficult to learn and use. As the first writing system designed for blind people’s needs, Braille was a groundbreaking new accessibility tool. It not only provided practical benefits, but also helped change the cultural status of blindness. This essay begins by discussing the situation of blind people in nineteenth-century Europe. It then describes the invention of Braille and the gradual process of its acceptance within blind education. Subsequently, it explores the wide-ranging effects of this invention on blind people’s social and cultural lives.

Lack of access to reading and writing put blind people at a serious disadvantage in nineteenth-century society. Text was one of the primary methods through which people engaged with culture, communicated with others, and accessed information; without a well-developed reading system that did not rely on sight, blind people were excluded from social participation (Weygand, 2009). While disabled people in general suffered from discrimination, blindness was widely viewed as the worst disability, and it was commonly believed that blind people were incapable of pursuing a profession or improving themselves through culture (Weygand, 2009). This demonstrates the importance of reading and writing to social status at the time: without access to text, it was considered impossible to fully participate in society. Blind people were excluded from the sighted world, but also entirely dependent on sighted people for information and education.

In France, debates about how to deal with disability led to the adoption of different strategies over time. While people with temporary difficulties were able to access public welfare, the most common response to people with long-term disabilities, such as hearing or vision loss, was to group them together in institutions (Tombs, 1996). At first, a joint institute for the blind and deaf was created, and although the partnership was motivated more by financial considerations than by the well-being of the residents, the institute aimed to help people develop skills valuable to society (Weygand, 2009). Eventually blind institutions were separated from deaf institutions, and the focus shifted towards education of the blind, as was the case for the Royal Institute for Blind Youth, which Louis Braille attended (Jimenez et al, 2009). The growing acknowledgement of the uniqueness of different disabilities led to more targeted education strategies, fostering an environment in which the benefits of a specifically blind education could be more widely recognized.

Several different systems of tactile reading can be seen as forerunners to the method Louis Braille developed, but these systems were all developed based on the sighted system. The Royal Institute for Blind Youth in Paris taught the students to read embossed roman letters, a method created by the school’s founder, Valentin Hauy (Jimenez et al., 2009). Reading this way proved to be a rather arduous task, as the letters were difficult to distinguish by touch. The embossed letter method was based on the reading system of sighted people, with minimal adaptation for those with vision loss. As a result, this method did not gain significant success among blind students.

Louis Braille was bound to be influenced by his school’s founder, but the most influential pre-Braille tactile reading system was Charles Barbier’s night writing. A soldier in Napoleon’s army, Barbier developed a system in 1819 that used 12 dots with a five line musical staff (Kersten, 1997). His intention was to develop a system that would allow the military to communicate at night without the need for light (Herron, 2009). The code developed by Barbier was phonetic (Jimenez et al., 2009); in other words, the code was designed for sighted people and was based on the sounds of words, not on an actual alphabet. Barbier discovered that variants of raised dots within a square were the easiest method of reading by touch (Jimenez et al., 2009). This system proved effective for the transmission of short messages between military personnel, but the symbols were too large for the fingertip, greatly reducing the speed at which a message could be read (Herron, 2009). For this reason, it was unsuitable for daily use and was not widely adopted in the blind community.

Nevertheless, Barbier’s military dot system was more efficient than Hauy’s embossed letters, and it provided the framework within which Louis Braille developed his method. Barbier’s system, with its dashes and dots, could form over 4000 combinations (Jimenez et al., 2009). Compared to the 26 letters of the Latin alphabet, this was an absurdly high number. Braille kept the raised dot form, but developed a more manageable system that would reflect the sighted alphabet. He replaced Barbier’s dashes and dots with just six dots in a rectangular configuration (Jimenez et al., 2009). The result was that the blind population in France had a tactile reading system using dots (like Barbier’s) that was based on the structure of the sighted alphabet (like Hauy’s); crucially, this system was the first developed specifically for the purposes of the blind.

While the Braille system gained immediate popularity with the blind students at the Institute in Paris, it had to gain acceptance among the sighted before its adoption throughout France. This support was necessary because sighted teachers and leaders had ultimate control over the propagation of Braille resources. Many of the teachers at the Royal Institute for Blind Youth resisted learning Braille’s system because they found the tactile method of reading difficult to learn (Bullock & Galst, 2009). This resistance was symptomatic of the prevalent attitude that the blind population had to adapt to the sighted world rather than develop their own tools and methods. Over time, however, with the increasing impetus to make social contribution possible for all, teachers began to appreciate the usefulness of Braille’s system (Bullock & Galst, 2009), realizing that access to reading could help improve the productivity and integration of people with vision loss. It took approximately 30 years, but the French government eventually approved the Braille system, and it was established throughout the country (Bullock & Galst, 2009).

Although Blind people remained marginalized throughout the nineteenth century, the Braille system granted them growing opportunities for social participation. Most obviously, Braille allowed people with vision loss to read the same alphabet used by sighted people (Bullock & Galst, 2009), allowing them to participate in certain cultural experiences previously unavailable to them. Written works, such as books and poetry, had previously been inaccessible to the blind population without the aid of a reader, limiting their autonomy. As books began to be distributed in Braille, this barrier was reduced, enabling people with vision loss to access information autonomously. The closing of the gap between the abilities of blind and the sighted contributed to a gradual shift in blind people’s status, lessening the cultural perception of the blind as essentially different and facilitating greater social integration.

The Braille system also had important cultural effects beyond the sphere of written culture. Its invention later led to the development of a music notation system for the blind, although Louis Braille did not develop this system himself (Jimenez, et al., 2009). This development helped remove a cultural obstacle that had been introduced by the popularization of written musical notation in the early 1500s. While music had previously been an arena in which the blind could participate on equal footing, the transition from memory-based performance to notation-based performance meant that blind musicians were no longer able to compete with sighted musicians (Kersten, 1997). As a result, a tactile musical notation system became necessary for professional equality between blind and sighted musicians (Kersten, 1997).

Braille paved the way for dramatic cultural changes in the way blind people were treated and the opportunities available to them. Louis Braille’s innovation was to reimagine existing reading systems from a blind perspective, and the success of this invention required sighted teachers to adapt to their students’ reality instead of the other way around. In this sense, Braille helped drive broader social changes in the status of blindness. New accessibility tools provide practical advantages to those who need them, but they can also change the perspectives and attitudes of those who do not.

Bullock, J. D., & Galst, J. M. (2009). The Story of Louis Braille. Archives of Ophthalmology , 127(11), 1532. https://​doi.org/10.1001/​archophthalmol.2009.286.

Herron, M. (2009, May 6). Blind visionary. Retrieved from https://​eandt.theiet.org/​content/​articles/2009/05/​blind-visionary/.

Jiménez, J., Olea, J., Torres, J., Alonso, I., Harder, D., & Fischer, K. (2009). Biography of Louis Braille and Invention of the Braille Alphabet. Survey of Ophthalmology , 54(1), 142–149. https://​doi.org/10.1016/​j.survophthal.2008.10.006.

Kersten, F.G. (1997). The history and development of Braille music methodology. The Bulletin of Historical Research in Music Education , 18(2). Retrieved from https://​www.jstor.org/​stable/40214926.

Mellor, C.M. (2006). Louis Braille: A touch of genius . Boston: National Braille Press.

Tombs, R. (1996). France: 1814-1914 . London: Pearson Education Ltd.

Weygand, Z. (2009). The blind in French society from the Middle Ages to the century of Louis Braille . Stanford: Stanford University Press.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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An essay is a focused piece of writing that explains, argues, describes, or narrates.

In high school, you may have to write many different types of essays to develop your writing skills.

Academic essays at college level are usually argumentative : you develop a clear thesis about your topic and make a case for your position using evidence, analysis and interpretation.

The structure of an essay is divided into an introduction that presents your topic and thesis statement , a body containing your in-depth analysis and arguments, and a conclusion wrapping up your ideas.

The structure of the body is flexible, but you should always spend some time thinking about how you can organize your essay to best serve your ideas.

Your essay introduction should include three main things, in this order:

• An opening hook to catch the reader’s attention.
• Relevant background information that the reader needs to know.
• A thesis statement that presents your main point or argument.

The length of each part depends on the length and complexity of your essay .

A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . Everything else you write should relate to this key idea.

A topic sentence is a sentence that expresses the main point of a paragraph . Everything else in the paragraph should relate to the topic sentence.

At college level, you must properly cite your sources in all essays , research papers , and other academic texts (except exams and in-class exercises).

Add a citation whenever you quote , paraphrase , or summarize information or ideas from a source. You should also give full source details in a bibliography or reference list at the end of your text.

The exact format of your citations depends on which citation style you are instructed to use. The most common styles are APA , MLA , and Chicago .

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Bryson, S. (2023, July 23). Example of a Great Essay | Explanations, Tips & Tricks. Scribbr. Retrieved September 5, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/academic-essay/example-essay-structure/

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Shane finished his master's degree in English literature in 2013 and has been working as a writing tutor and editor since 2009. He began proofreading and editing essays with Scribbr in early summer, 2014.

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2 Grade 9 Creative Writing Examples

I recently asked my year 11s to pen a piece of description and/or narrative writing for their mini assessment. I gave them the following prompts:

Your school wants you to contribute to a collection of creative writing.

EITHER: Write a short story as suggested by this picture:

OR: Write a description about a person who has made a strong impression on you.

The following were two COMPELLING and CONVINCING examples of the second choice – one pupil taking ‘you’ as a fictional invitation, the other as a biographical one:

EXAMPLE ONE:

Gradually, I awake and open my eyes only to see the cracked white ceiling which greets me every day. Here I sit, slumped in the bed with the scratchy white sheets hugging me and muffled beeping noises jumping into my ears. Rubbing the sleep crust from my bloodshot eyes, I observe the scene before me. The sound of footsteps overlapping as nurses rush from bed to bed; the metallic tang from stainless steel invading my nostrils; the cold metal bed rail imprisoning and mocking me; the pungent scent of antiseptic troubling me and the blood-curdling cries and moans utterly terrifying me. Using all my strength, I try to imagine I am somewhere else, anywhere else but here.

Crowds, signs, roars: it was 1903 and the suffragette movement had begun. It was a crisp night, refreshing almost and I had taken to the streets. It was like I was possessed by something that night, some urge and deep desire within me that had led me there, surrounded by women like myself. I stood clueless and lost in the crowd; the women yelling ‘Deeds not words’ in unison; passionately parading with large wooden signs and viciously shattering windows with bricks and stones. Despite the violence that was displayed before me, I was not afraid of what was happening and I didn’t deem it unnecessary or improper, in fact I wanted the same as these women, I wanted equality. Abruptly, all of the roars and cheers became muted and faint, one woman walked slowly towards me, her hair messily swooped into an updo, her clothes somewhat dirtied and her chocolate brown corset slightly loosened. There was a glimmer in her eyes as tears seemed to swell within their hazel pools, she seemed inspired, hopeful. After reaching me in the crowd, she held out her hand, gently passing me a sign. Immediately, I clasped it and the yelling and chanting rang loudly in my ears once more. My journey had begun.

Here however, is where it ends. I am aware I do not have much time left, as the doctors have told me so, and spending my last moments in this hospital room is not optimal. However, as I look around I can see beauty within a room which at first glance seems void of it. The hollow medical tubes by my side remind me of the awful act of force feeding I have faced in the past; the shrieks and bawls of patients reflecting the pain women had felt in my time and the bed bars mirroring the prisons we were thrown into and the gates we would chain ourselves too. I know these things may seem far from beautiful, but I can see my past within this room, the power I possessed and the changes I have contributed to today. I know now that I can leave this earth having had an impact. Slowly I close my eyes, I can see her, the women who changed my life many years ago, her name, Emmeline Pankhurst.

EXAMPLE TWO:

I will never forget that day. The hazel pools of her eyes glazed over, and hands delicately placed at her sides. Nobody in the room could quite grasp the fact that this was happening. The crowds of black attire row on row seemed to mimic the thing she loves most in life, the piano. However, this time she had taken the ivory natural keys with her and left everyone else with the sharp tones. You needed both to create beautiful symphonies but all that filled the room was the excruciating silence of her absense. Even the metronone like ticks of the clock seemed to come to a standstill.

It had all began that day, she seemed to open up this whole new world for us to explore together as she placed my fingers onto the keys for the first time. I knew that this was what I was meant to do. She was the most passionately beautiful pianist I had ever seen in my life. Often, I would peer round the oak doorway before my lessons just to catch a glimpse at her. It seemed like nothing in the world mattered to her at the time.

As the years progressed, so did the scope of this world we were exploring. Each sheet of lovingly handwritten sheet music was like a new section of the map we were slowly creating together. Each of her students had their own map. Each as beautiful and each as unique as the pianist. The crotchets and quavers that adorned the staves directed the different paths we could take as my fingers graced the keys. This may not have been a beautiful ballet routine, but this was our dance and it had been carefully choreographed just for us.

That piano room was the safest place in the world. Every inch of it her: the potent scent of her floral perfume; shelves full of scruffy and well loved sheet music; rows upon rows of framed photos of her and her students; the vintage piano which she always kept in tune, it was home. I couldn’t bear the

idea that someone else was going move in and rip away the music room without a second thought. It was her music room.

It was up to me now. Up to me to finish this journey we had begun together.

She may not be with me in person anymore, but she will always live within the world we built together and nothing could ever change that. For she could never truly be gone since she left a piece of her within every one of her students; the passion for piano.

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Secondary English teacher in Herts. View all posts by gcseenglishwithmisshuttlestone

2 thoughts on “2 Grade 9 Creative Writing Examples”

This has helped me a lot, I myself am preparing for a narrative test like this and these prompts and descriptive short stories are marvellous! Thank you for sharing this! 🙂

My pleasure!

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40 Strong Persuasive Writing Examples (Essays, Speeches, Ads, and More)

Learn from the experts.

The more we read, the better writers we become. Teaching students to write strong persuasive essays should always start with reading some top-notch models. This round-up of persuasive writing examples includes famous speeches, influential ad campaigns, contemporary reviews of famous books, and more. Use them to inspire your students to write their own essays. (Need persuasive essay topics? Check out our list of interesting persuasive essay ideas here! )

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Persuasive Essay Writing Examples

From the earliest days of print, authors have used persuasive essays to try to sway others to their own point of view. Check out these top persuasive essay writing examples.

Professions for Women by Virginia Woolf

Sample lines: “Outwardly, what is simpler than to write books? Outwardly, what obstacles are there for a woman rather than for a man? Inwardly, I think, the case is very different; she has still many ghosts to fight, many prejudices to overcome. Indeed it will be a long time still, I think, before a woman can sit down to write a book without finding a phantom to be slain, a rock to be dashed against. And if this is so in literature, the freest of all professions for women, how is it in the new professions which you are now for the first time entering?”

The Crisis by Thomas Paine

Sample lines: “These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value.”

Politics and the English Language by George Orwell

Sample lines: “As I have tried to show, modern writing at its worst does not consist in picking out words for the sake of their meaning and inventing images in order to make the meaning clearer. It consists in gumming together long strips of words which have already been set in order by someone else, and making the results presentable by sheer humbug.”

Letter From a Birmingham Jail by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Sample lines: “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. Frankly, I have yet to engage in a direct action campaign that was ‘well timed’ in the view of those who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation. For years now I have heard the word ‘Wait!’ It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This ‘Wait’ has almost always meant ‘Never.’ We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that ‘justice too long delayed is justice denied.'”

Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau

Sample lines: “Even voting for the right is doing nothing for it. It is only expressing to men feebly your desire that it should prevail. A wise man will not leave the right to the mercy of chance, nor wish it to prevail through the power of the majority. There is but little virtue in the action of masses of men.”

Go Gentle Into That Good Night by Roger Ebert

Sample lines: “‘Kindness’ covers all of my political beliefs. No need to spell them out. I believe that if, at the end of it all, according to our abilities, we have done something to make others a little happier, and something to make ourselves a little happier, that is about the best we can do. To make others less happy is a crime.”

The Way to Wealth by Benjamin Franklin

Sample lines: “Methinks I hear some of you say, must a man afford himself no leisure? I will tell thee, my friend, what Poor Richard says, employ thy time well if thou meanest to gain leisure; and, since thou art not sure of a minute, throw not away an hour. Leisure is time for doing something useful; this leisure the diligent man will obtain, but the lazy man never; so that, as Poor Richard says, a life of leisure and a life of laziness are two things.” ADVERTISEMENT

The Crack-Up by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Sample lines: “Of course all life is a process of breaking down, but the blows that do the dramatic side of the work—the big sudden blows that come, or seem to come, from outside—the ones you remember and blame things on and, in moments of weakness, tell your friends about, don’t show their effect all at once.”

Open Letter to the Kansas School Board by Bobby Henderson

Sample lines: “I am writing you with much concern after having read of your hearing to decide whether the alternative theory of Intelligent Design should be taught along with the theory of Evolution. … Let us remember that there are multiple theories of Intelligent Design. I and many others around the world are of the strong belief that the universe was created by a Flying Spaghetti Monster. … We feel strongly that the overwhelming scientific evidence pointing towards evolutionary processes is nothing but a coincidence, put in place by Him. It is for this reason that I’m writing you today, to formally request that this alternative theory be taught in your schools, along with the other two theories.”

Open Letter to the United Nations by Niels Bohr

Sample lines: “Humanity will, therefore, be confronted with dangers of unprecedented character unless, in due time, measures can be taken to forestall a disastrous competition in such formidable armaments and to establish an international control of the manufacture and use of the powerful materials.”

Persuasive Speech Writing Examples

Many persuasive speeches are political in nature, often addressing subjects like human rights. Here are some of history’s most well-known persuasive writing examples in the form of speeches.

I Have a Dream by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Sample lines: “And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”

Woodrow Wilson’s War Message to Congress, 1917

Sample lines: “There are, it may be, many months of fiery trial and sacrifice ahead of us. It is a fearful thing to lead this great peaceful people into war, into the most terrible and disastrous of all wars, civilization itself seeming to be in the balance. But the right is more precious than peace, and we shall fight for the things which we have always carried nearest our hearts—for democracy, for the right of those who submit to authority to have a voice in their own governments, for the rights and liberties of small nations, for a universal dominion of right by such a concert of free peoples as shall bring peace and safety to all nations and make the world itself at last free.”

Chief Seattle’s 1854 Oration

Sample lines: “I here and now make this condition that we will not be denied the privilege without molestation of visiting at any time the tombs of our ancestors, friends, and children. Every part of this soil is sacred in the estimation of my people. Every hillside, every valley, every plain and grove, has been hallowed by some sad or happy event in days long vanished. Even the rocks, which seem to be dumb and dead as they swelter in the sun along the silent shore, thrill with memories of stirring events connected with the lives of my people, and the very dust upon which you now stand responds more lovingly to their footsteps than yours, because it is rich with the blood of our ancestors, and our bare feet are conscious of the sympathetic touch.”

Women’s Rights Are Human Rights, Hillary Rodham Clinton

Sample lines: “What we are learning around the world is that if women are healthy and educated, their families will flourish. If women are free from violence, their families will flourish. If women have a chance to work and earn as full and equal partners in society, their families will flourish. And when families flourish, communities and nations do as well. … If there is one message that echoes forth from this conference, let it be that human rights are women’s rights and women’s rights are human rights once and for all.”

I Am Prepared to Die, Nelson Mandela

Sample lines: “Above all, My Lord, we want equal political rights, because without them our disabilities will be permanent. I know this sounds revolutionary to the whites in this country, because the majority of voters will be Africans. This makes the white man fear democracy. But this fear cannot be allowed to stand in the way of the only solution which will guarantee racial harmony and freedom for all. It is not true that the enfranchisement of all will result in racial domination. Political division, based on color, is entirely artificial and, when it disappears, so will the domination of one color group by another. … This then is what the ANC is fighting. Our struggle is a truly national one. It is a struggle of the African people, inspired by our own suffering and our own experience. It is a struggle for the right to live.”

The Struggle for Human Rights by Eleanor Roosevelt

Sample lines: “It is my belief, and I am sure it is also yours, that the struggle for democracy and freedom is a critical struggle, for their preservation is essential to the great objective of the United Nations to maintain international peace and security. Among free men the end cannot justify the means. We know the patterns of totalitarianism—the single political party, the control of schools, press, radio, the arts, the sciences, and the church to support autocratic authority; these are the age-old patterns against which men have struggled for 3,000 years. These are the signs of reaction, retreat, and retrogression. The United Nations must hold fast to the heritage of freedom won by the struggle of its people; it must help us to pass it on to generations to come.”

Freedom From Fear by Aung San Suu Kyi

Sample lines: “Saints, it has been said, are the sinners who go on trying. So free men are the oppressed who go on trying and who in the process make themselves fit to bear the responsibilities and to uphold the disciplines which will maintain a free society. Among the basic freedoms to which men aspire that their lives might be full and uncramped, freedom from fear stands out as both a means and an end. A people who would build a nation in which strong, democratic institutions are firmly established as a guarantee against state-induced power must first learn to liberate their own minds from apathy and fear.”

Harvey Milk’s “The Hope” Speech

Sample lines: “Some people are satisfied. And some people are not. You see there is a major difference—and it remains a vital difference—between a friend and a gay person, a friend in office and a gay person in office. Gay people have been slandered nationwide. We’ve been tarred and we’ve been brushed with the picture of pornography. In Dade County, we were accused of child molestation. It is not enough anymore just to have friends represent us, no matter how good that friend may be.”

The Union and the Strike, Cesar Chavez

Sample lines: “We are showing our unity in our strike. Our strike is stopping the work in the fields; our strike is stopping ships that would carry grapes; our strike is stopping the trucks that would carry the grapes. Our strike will stop every way the grower makes money until we have a union contract that guarantees us a fair share of the money he makes from our work! We are a union and we are strong and we are striking to force the growers to respect our strength!”

Nobel Lecture by Malala Yousafzai

Sample lines: “The world can no longer accept that basic education is enough. Why do leaders accept that for children in developing countries, only basic literacy is sufficient, when their own children do homework in algebra, mathematics, science, and physics? Leaders must seize this opportunity to guarantee a free, quality, primary and secondary education for every child. Some will say this is impractical, or too expensive, or too hard. Or maybe even impossible. But it is time the world thinks bigger.”   

Persuasive Writing Examples in Advertising Campaigns

Ads are prime persuasive writing examples. You can flip open any magazine or watch TV for an hour or two to see sample after sample of persuasive language. Here are some of the most popular ad campaigns of all time, with links to articles explaining why they were so successful.

Nike: Just Do It

The iconic swoosh with the simple tagline has persuaded millions to buy their kicks from Nike and Nike alone. Teamed with pro sports-star endorsements, this campaign is one for the ages. Blinkist offers an opinion on what made it work.

Dove: Real Beauty

Beauty brand Dove changed the game by choosing “real” women to tell their stories instead of models. They used relatable images and language to make connections, and inspired other brands to try the same concept. Learn why Global Brands considers this one a true success story.

Wendy’s: Where’s the Beef?

Today’s kids are too young to remember the cranky old woman demanding to know where the beef was on her fast-food hamburger. But in the 1980s, it was a catchphrase that sold millions of Wendy’s burgers. Learn from Better Marketing how this ad campaign even found its way into the 1984 presidential debate.

De Beers: A Diamond Is Forever

A diamond engagement ring has become a standard these days, but the tradition isn’t as old as you might think. In fact, it was De Beers jewelry company’s 1948 campaign that created the modern engagement ring trend. The Drum has the whole story of this sparkling campaign.

Volkswagen: Think Small

Americans have always loved big cars. So in the 1960s, when Volkswagen wanted to introduce their small cars to a bigger market, they had a problem. The clever “Think Small” campaign gave buyers clever reasons to consider these models, like “If you run out of gas, it’s easy to push.” Learn how advertisers interested American buyers in little cars at Visual Rhetoric.

American Express: Don’t Leave Home Without It

AmEx was once better known for traveler’s checks than credit cards, and the original slogan was “Don’t leave home without them.” A simple word change convinced travelers that American Express was the credit card they needed when they headed out on adventures. Discover more about this persuasive campaign from Medium.

Skittles: Taste the Rainbow

These candy ads are weird and intriguing and probably not for everyone. But they definitely get you thinking, and that often leads to buying. Learn more about why these wacky ads are successful from The Drum.

Maybelline: Maybe She’s Born With It

Smart wordplay made this ad campaign slogan an instant hit. The ads teased, “Maybe she’s born with it. Maybe it’s Maybelline.” (So many literary devices all in one phrase!) Fashionista has more on this beauty campaign.

Coca-Cola: Share a Coke

Seeing their own name on a bottle made teens more likely to want to buy a Coke. What can that teach us about persuasive writing in general? It’s an interesting question to consider. Learn more about the “Share a Coke” campaign from Digital Vidya.

Always: #LikeaGirl

Talk about the power of words! This Always campaign turned the derogatory phrase “like a girl” on its head, and the world embraced it. Storytelling is an important part of persuasive writing, and these ads really do it well. Medium has more on this stereotype-bashing campaign.   

Editorial Persuasive Writing Examples

Newspaper editors or publishers use editorials to share their personal opinions. Noted politicians, experts, or pundits may also offer their opinions on behalf of the editors or publishers. Here are a couple of older well-known editorials, along with a selection from current newspapers.

Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus (1897)

Sample lines: “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias.”

What’s the Matter With Kansas? (1896)

Sample lines: “Oh, this IS a state to be proud of! We are a people who can hold up our heads! What we need is not more money, but less capital, fewer white shirts and brains, fewer men with business judgment, and more of those fellows who boast that they are ‘just ordinary clodhoppers, but they know more in a minute about finance than John Sherman,’ we need more men … who hate prosperity, and who think, because a man believes in national honor, he is a tool of Wall Street.”

America Can Have Democracy or Political Violence. Not Both. (The New York Times)

Sample lines: “The nation is not powerless to stop a slide toward deadly chaos. If institutions and individuals do more to make it unacceptable in American public life, organized violence in the service of political objectives can still be pushed to the fringes. When a faction of one of the country’s two main political parties embraces extremism, that makes thwarting it both more difficult and more necessary. A well-functioning democracy demands it.”

The Booster Isn’t Perfect, But Still Can Help Against COVID (The Washington Post)

Sample lines: “The booster shots are still free, readily available and work better than the previous boosters even as the virus evolves. Much still needs to be done to build better vaccines that protect longer and against more variants, including those that might emerge in the future. But it is worth grabbing the booster that exists today, the jab being a small price for any measure that can help keep COVID at bay.”

If We Want Wildlife To Thrive in L.A., We Have To Share Our Neighborhoods With Them (Los Angeles Times)

Sample lines: “If there are no corridors for wildlife movement and if excessive excavation of dirt to build bigger, taller houses erodes the slope of a hillside, then we are slowly destroying wildlife habitat. For those people fretting about what this will do to their property values—isn’t open space, trees, and wildlife an amenity in these communities?”   

Persuasive Review Writing Examples

Book or movie reviews are more great persuasive writing examples. Look for those written by professionals for the strongest arguments and writing styles. Here are reviews of some popular books and movies by well-known critics to use as samples.

The Great Gatsby (The Chicago Tribune, 1925)

Sample lines: “What ails it, fundamentally, is the plain fact that it is simply a story—that Fitzgerald seems to be far more interested in maintaining its suspense than in getting under the skins of its people. It is not that they are false: It is that they are taken too much for granted. Only Gatsby himself genuinely lives and breathes. The rest are mere marionettes—often astonishingly lifelike, but nevertheless not quite alive.”

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (The Washington Post, 1999)

Sample lines: “Obviously, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone should make any modern 11-year-old a very happy reader. The novel moves quickly, packs in everything from a boa constrictor that winks to a melancholy Zen-spouting centaur to an owl postal system, and ends with a scary surprise. Yet it is, essentially, a light-hearted thriller, interrupted by occasional seriousness (the implications of Harry’s miserable childhood, a moral about the power of love).”

Twilight (The Telegraph, 2009)

Sample lines: “No secret, of course, at whom this book is aimed, and no doubt, either, that it has hit its mark. The four Twilight novels are not so much enjoyed, as devoured, by legions of young female fans worldwide. That’s not to say boys can’t enjoy these books; it’s just that the pages of heart-searching dialogue between Edward and Bella may prove too long on chat and too short on action for the average male reader.”

To Kill a Mockingbird (Time, 1960)

Sample lines: “Author Lee, 34, an Alabaman, has written her first novel with all of the tactile brilliance and none of the preciosity generally supposed to be standard swamp-warfare issue for Southern writers. The novel is an account of an awakening to good and evil, and a faint catechistic flavor may have been inevitable. But it is faint indeed; novelist Lee’s prose has an edge that cuts through cant, and she teaches the reader an astonishing number of useful truths about little girls and about Southern life.”

The Diary of Anne Frank (The New York Times, 1952)

Sample lines: “And this quality brings it home to any family in the world today. Just as the Franks lived in momentary fear of the Gestapo’s knock on their hidden door, so every family today lives in fear of the knock of war. Anne’s diary is a great affirmative answer to the life-question of today, for she shows how ordinary people, within this ordeal, consistently hold to the greater human values.”   

What are your favorite persuasive writing examples to use with students? Come share your ideas in the WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook .

Plus, the big list of essay topics for high school (120+ ideas) ..

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101 Interesting Persuasive Essay Topics for Kids and Teens

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Your digital toolkit for Year 9 English

Table of contents, honing skills and sparking creativity with year 9 english.

As a foundational subject, English learning should progress steadily through the high school years. By capturing the imagination of Year 9 students, English lessons should build on the skills introduced as they enter high school, with the goal of ensuring progress and ultimately, an appreciation of the written word continues through to Year 12.

Reading for a variety of reasons

In Year 9, students should be introduced to a wide variety of texts with a range of different purposes. This will include literary texts, such as poetry and prose, written for aesthetic beauty and to move a reader, as well as media texts, such as newspaper, film and digital texts; dramatic texts such as plays, movies and performances; persuasive texts, and those requiring reasoning and higher thought processes.

By exposing students to a wide variety of literary forms over the course of the year, the skills to unpack and critique them are likely to develop naturally. This will also allow students the opportunity to discover forms of writing that really work for them, which may help to spark more independent reading and writing.

Getting critical

Rather than simply absorbing texts, Year 9 students are ready to dissect and reconsider them. Developing the skills to critique contemporary media is an important part of Year 9 English learning. This side of the curriculum can lead to great discussions and debates among students and mentors about the ways in which facts — or otherwise — are presented by different forms of media. Viewing media through a critical lens is not only important for getting through Year 9 English but also for appreciating literature, film and art once they leave school.

This can also extend to critiquing fictional works, which involves a more personal viewpoint. Through careful analysis of word choice, language features and imagery formation, Year 9 students will develop skills to recognise the ways in which text structures can be manipulated to create different effects in the minds of the reader. They will also see how different authors use these effects in different ways, and how those authors develop a recognisable style of their own. Being able to constructively critique the work of others will also better enable students to consider the intended effects of their own work.

When it comes to interpreting informative and persuasive texts, students are not only unpacking the ways in which the author has constructed them, but also developing skills for creating their own texts. Any lesson in analysing another author’s work can be followed up by creating a work of their own, with those skills and ideas still fresh in the mind. Another way to follow up a text analysis might be to transform it from one form into another – for instance taking a newspaper article and forming it into a fiction piece to see how word choice and emotive language can change a text.

A sense of place

It might seem obvious, but looking beyond well known classical texts and best seller fiction and absorbing the work of Australian writers will help Australian students to better understand the world they live in. This should include Australian short stories, novels and poetry, as well as the oral narrative traditions and contemporary literature work of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Extending this exposure beyond the borders of Australia and into Asia and the Pacific can also be helpful in gaining an understanding of the context of life in Australia. This will also help them to see beyond the window of their own world and develop empathy and personal skills in relation to others.

Interpreting the ways in which different cultures are represented in these texts can be a means to exploring persuasive essay writing skills. Year 9 English students can discover how to back up their opinions and thoughts with evidence and examples gleaned from texts, and how best to present an argument or thought process over the course of a written report. In this way, students learn how their language choices can influence an audience.

Assessing progress in Year 9 English

For those working with homeschooled students, assessments might happen organically, with written reports and fictional writing carried out as it comes to light through school work and discussions. According to the Australian Year 9 English curriculum, assessments tend to happen twice per term as follows:

• Persuasive written review of an Australian text, enabling students to both explore the cultures of their home country and to develop skills in persuasive writing.
• Persuasive group discussion comparing and contrasting the representation of Australian identity in different texts. In a home setting this could be carried out between family members or by video call.
• A review of an informative text such as a newspaper article, to see the ways in which the structure and presentation of details helps convey the message.
• Using a non fictional article as a basis for a fictional text using creative writing skills.
• Using a form of media, such as a film, to explore the ways in which cinematic techniques help the audience to form opinions and process information.
• Looking at how Asia is represented by different texts and creating a written report discussing these findings.
• Creating media texts, both informative and persuasive, and using them to create a publication.
• Discussing how this publication can be used to form different opinions and thoughts by different audiences, depending on the texts within it and how they are presented, and making reference to other forms of media through this analysis.

For most students, the Year 9 English curriculum will contain a good deal of interesting content, with many opportunities to absorb thought-provoking texts and form opinions based on reading and watching media. By the end of Year 9, students will have a great understanding of how their language choices influence others. What’s more, they’ll begin to develop an eye for critiquing the choices of a range of creators.

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The Essential Guide to Year 9 English

English is a subject that requires students to build and develop their skills in writing and communicating effectively. Now, like all skills, practice is the key to getting better, especially in Year 9 English! 

If you’d like to know more about what your child will specifically learn this year, we’ve put together this handy guide to make it easier to understand the various things your child will pick up in class.

So let’s begin!

What do students learn in the Year 9 Australian English Curriculum? Assessment Types in Year 9 English Year 9 English Resources

Looking for English guides for other year groups?

If you have a child in a different year group to Year 9, we’ve also got English guides for them! Have a look at our guides for the various year groups:

Year 1  |  Year 2  |  Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5  |  Year 6  |  Year 7 | Year 8 | Year 10

What do students learn in the year 9 australian english curriculum.

Year 9 English covers a variety of key skills and concepts that will be built upon in senior english.

If you are a parent that would like to know the ins and outs of your child’s Year 9 english curriculum, or a Year 9 student who is curious to know what you will be learning in the following year, you have come to the right place!

This guide will give you a detailed outline of all the learning areas in the Year 9 English curriculum, including things Year 9 students will learn, how these can be applied outside of school and the standards that Year 9 students will reach by the end of the year.

Although these things may vary between schools based on teachers’ preferences, this article should give you a good idea of what a year 9 student will learn over the next year.

The Year 9 English curriculum has 3 key components that tap into key English skills. 

These broad components are:

• Literature 

These learning areas are important to enhance students’ communication, analysis, reading, understanding, and creating skills. 

Speaking of curriculums… have you heard yet? The Years 7-10 Maths is changing in major ways from 2024 onwards!

Now, let’s take a deep dive into each component!

This is a super important component for all English levels, and really, is the foundation for effective and fluent written and verbal communication. A sophisticated use of language will involve using proper vocabulary, sentence structure, and ensuring that the phrasing of sentences have a flow to them. 

The subtopics covered in ‘Language’ are as follows: 

Language variation and change This topic has two main subtopics that cover some basic historical and grammatical knowledge. A Year 9 student will develop an understanding that language is ever changing. This will be understood through a study of changing grammar through time , an example of this being from archaic uses of ‘thee’ to more modern words such as ‘you’. Students will also briefly explore concepts from ‘Globish’ English to get a better understanding of just how much the English language has evolved in the past years. 

Language for interaction This topic features a more practical application of English, in that students are to develop an understanding that language is what allows for the creation of interpersonal connections. Students will discuss a variety of literary techniques in lessons on evaluative language, and will touch upon how culture alters the use of language and how one interacts with different communities . The literary techniques that students may cover include allusion, evocative language, metaphors, and similes among others. 

Text structure and organisation This subtopic begins to take a deep dive into the writing process itself, introducing students to new and innovative ways of writing texts and using language and form to shape meaning . Students will experiment with different writing styles and narrative voices whilst comparing and contrasting the use of different styles in various texts. Students will also learn how to develop arguments in persuasive writing with the proper argument structure and language. 

Expressing and developing ideas This topic allows students to go into an in-depth analysis of the forms, features, and development of language used in other texts that allows for the creation of meaning . Through this, students gain skills in creating and developing their own ideas and effectively expressing these ideas. 

This component delves into a study of various types of literature, picking apart elements such as context, style and meaning. These concepts allow students to develop an understanding of not only how texts are written, but how they are highly influenced by the context of their time — giving insight into how authors come up with such elaborate and engaging texts.

Such knowledge can then be extended to students’ own writing, where they will have practice in coming up with their own unique texts. 

The subtopics covered in ‘Literature’ are as follows: 

Literature and context This topic delves into the different representations of people and culture available in different texts and reflects how cultural and social values can influence the content of different texts. 

Responding to literature This topic introduces students to persuasive and responsive writing in that they are able to gain skills on how to properly critique and analyse literature using their own personal understanding. 

Examining literature Yet again, students exercise the skill of analysis, in that they will be exposed to a whole range of concepts and texts which will require critical analysis. Through this, Year 9 students will continue to develop analysis skills which are at the centre of senior essay writing. 

Creating literature Students are given the opportunity to exercise their own writing skills and will write in a variety of forms which can include hybrid texts such as parodies and appropriations. 

This concept, similar to the previous one, further develops students’ skills in understanding how texts are created, how one can analyse and dissect the meaning of texts, and how one can transfer these skills to their own writing. 

The subtopics covered in ‘Literacy’ are as follows: 

Texts in context This topic develops from previous topics in that it discusses how the construction and interpretation of texts are greatly influenced by society and culture. 

Interacting with others Students will practice not only their written communication, but delve into the world of verbal communication too, in that they may be required to complete tasks that involve presentation and speaking. Valuable skills such as persuasive, confident speaking will be gained among others. 

Interpreting, analysing, evaluating In this topic, students will further enhance their critical thinking abilities as they develop their analytical skills whilst analysing a wide variety of texts. 

Creating texts In this topic, students will further develop their writing skills, practising to write in styles including persuasive, informative and creative styles. This will build the foundation for a confident start to senior english. 

Assessment Types in Year 9 English

Over the course of the year, Year 9 students will practise writing a variety of text types which include: 

• Creative writing pieces 
• Persuasives  
• Analytical pieces 
• Discursives 

These may vary across schools; however, your child will be exposed to all of these texts over the course of the year. Here’s an idea of the texts and the standards to which your child will be writing:

• Satisfactory
• Above Satisfactory
• Below Satisfactory

Still not sure how How to Study for English in Year 9? Check out our ultimate guide here!

Year 9 English Resources

Searching for additional resources for your child in Year 9? We’ve got a range of useful ones below!

Reading and Viewing List

Unsure of which books or media are suited for your child? Not to worry, as we’ve put together a list of various fiction, picture books and graphic novels, poetry, film and non-fiction texts that are recommended by NESA.

Some of these texts will be studied in class, but others you might want to encourage your child to read or view independently. Browse through the list below:

The Ultimate Year 9 Recommended Reading List

Your child will be sitting the NAPLAN for the very last time. As per usual, they will be assessed on their literacy skills and other aspects related to English.

You can learn more about the Year 9 NAPLAN with our various resources below:

The Ultimate Guide To The Year 9 NAPLAN How to Get a Band 8 in Year 9 NAPLAN Reading How to Get a Band 8 in Year 9 NAPLAN Writing How to get a Band 8 in Year 9 NAPLAN Language Conventions

Essay Writing

Essays can seem overwhelming and daunting, especially if it’s your child’s first time ever writing one. But they don’t need to be!

Our guide below breaks down a simple structure that students can follow and includes numerous tips and tricks to writing a cohesive essay. Check it out:

How to Write an English Essay in Years 9 and 10

And that’s it for our guide to Year 9 English! If you want to check out the full course, head over to the curriculum website here!

We wish you the best of luck for your studies, and are super excited for you to engage with the course!

Studying English in NSW? The curriculum is undergoing changes that you need to know about! Read more here

Looking for some extra help for your child with Year 9 English?

We have an incredible team of english tutors and mentors.

We offer tutoring and mentoring for students in Years K-12 in a variety of subjects, with personalised lessons conducted one-on-one in your home or at one of our state of the art campuses in Hornsby or the Hills! Find your personalised tutor in Parramatta , or your favourite tutor in Penrith !

We’ve supported over  8,000 students over the last 11 years , and on average our students score mark improvements of over 20%!

To find out more and get started with an inspirational English tutor and mentor,   get in touch today  or give us a ring on  1300 267 888!

Yasmin Hasan is a current first year psychology student at UNSW. She loves making art, playing piano or reading in her spare time. She graduated from high school in 2021 so her memories of her own high school experience are still quite fresh. She would love to use her own experiences to help other students build their confidence and improve in their academics!

• Topics: ✍️ Learn , ✏️ English

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Part 11: How to Write Creative Responses in Year 9 | The Basics of Narrative

Guide Chapters

• 1. How to make notes
• 2. Textual Analysis
• 3. How to analyse prose fiction
• 4. How to analyse poetry
• 5. How to analyse Shakespeare
• 6. How to analyse film
• 7. How to analyse images & visual texts
• 8. How to analyse prose non-fiction
• 9. Composing English responses in Year 9
• 10. How to write persuasive essays
• 11. How to write creative responses
• 12. How to write speeches & presentations
• 13. Year 9 Exam Skills

Unsure of how to write creative responses in Year 9? Don’t fear! We will go through different types of creative writing, things markers are looking for and a step-by-step process of how to write creative responses.

What is in this article?

Why must you write creative responses in year 9, types of imaginative writing tasks, what are markers looking for.

• How to write creative responses – Step-by-step

Creative writing in High School is about demonstrating your understanding of the techniques that you have studied.

In High School, most of your assessments require you to analyse texts, including novels and short stories.

This means that you should already have a good understanding of their structure, figurative language and how they convey meaning.

So, when you are asked to write a creative piece in Year 9, you are being assessed on your ability to put your knowledge into practice!

In Year 9, you can be asked to write 2 types of creative pieces: creative writing and creative re-imaginings.

Let’s see what they are.

Creative writing

Creative writing is a fictional piece of writing.

This is  NESA ‘s definition of imaginative texts:

• Texts that represent ideas, feelings and mental images in words or visual images.
• Uses metaphor to translate ideas and feelings into a form that can be communicated effectively to an audience.
• Make new connections between established ideas or widely recognised experiences in order to create new ideas and images.
• Characterised by originality, freshness and insight.

Keep these dot points in mind when you write creative responses in Year 9. Focusing on these areas will help you build strong creatives.

Creative re-imaginings

According to NESA , creative re-imagining is a re-interpretation an existing piece of literature.

You may have come across some of these in your English classes or on the internet!

Here are some notable examples:

• Macbeth Retold (Macbeth)
• 12 Things I Hate About You (Taming of the Shrew)
• A Cinderella Story (Cinderella)
• Gnomeo and Juliet (Romeo and Juliet)

So, why do people re-imagine existing literature? 

While some values and circumstances can change with the times, other qualities of being human remain the same.

Literature always reflects the context that it is composed in.

This includes the composer’s personal, social, historical, economical and political contexts.

However, times are always changing. This means that hot topic issues and widely accepted perspectives are also changing.

For example, climate change is a relatively recent phenomenon. You wouldn’t find Shakespeare commenting on this issue.

But remember, many things in our society stay constant. These are usually elements of the human experience or deeply ingrained social issues.

For example, human’s thirst for power or the expectations of men and women during different places and times (eg. patriarchal values).

So, when composer’s re-imagine texts, they force audiences to compare the two contexts.

We notice similarities and differences by identifying what the composer kept and changed.

When you write creative re-imaginings, keep this point in mind!

When you write creative responses in Year 9, there are some things that you need to keep in mind.

Let’s see what they are:

Characterisation

No one wants to read about a basic, cliche, stock-character.

So, when you write creative responses in Year 9, you need to make them complex .

They have flaws, motivations, and even mixed intentions. Basically, they are realistic.  

So, how do we create complex characters when we write creative responses in Year 9?

You need to build a strong understanding of your character.

Some basic points that you MUST know are:

• Personality
• Where they live
• What time period are they living in?
• What is their relationship with or to the other characters?

These are some points that you SHOULD know to make your characters more complex:

• Likes and dislikes

However, even though you know your character well, you don’t need to share everything with the reader.

Don’t mention all of this information when you write creative responses in Year 9.

Only bring them up what is necessary to your plot.

When you create complex characters, you give them space to grow and change. They can ‘fix their flaws’ as the story continues.

This is your character arc !

It is important that your characters are always changing and growing. No one wants to read about a character who stays the same for the whole story.

When you write creative responses in Year 9, you need to have an interesting and original plot to get good marks.

Here are some tips:

• Have a complication

When there is a complication, there is a goal… whether it is defeating the dark lord, or dating the new boy or girl.

Having a complication will make your plot more entertaining and meaningful.

• Avoid cliches

Cliches are unoriginal, over-used, and predictable ideas and phrases.

Using cliches when you write creative responses in Year 9, will make your stories seem lazy and lack creativity.

Setting provides the backdrop to your creative responses. This is where all the events occur and what shapes your characters. Settings are more important than you think!

So, it is important that you pick the right setting when you write creative responses in Year 9.

Here are are some tips:

• Think about the mood/atmosphere you want for your stories

Different moods and atmospheres will shape the reader’s expectations about your stories. These can be created through your setting.

For example, an empty forest at night will have a spooky atmosphere. Readers assume that something bad is going to happen and feel the tension.

On the other hand, a bright, sunny beach gives off a happy and exciting vibe. Readers will feel cheered by this.

Select your settings carefully because they will help you create meaning.

• Stick to facts

You need to make sure that your facts are accurate when you choose to use a real-life setting or historic period.

Your characters can’t use phones in Ancient Egypt, because phones didn’t exist at that time! Unless your story is about time travel…

People don’t want to read a story that has their facts mixed up (things out of time are called “anachronisms”). It will draw their attention away from the plot, and focus on the inaccurate facts.

Incongruities and plot holes draw people out of the story.

So, make sure that you research enough about the context you want to use. Even if it is set  today .

Dialogue is the element that students struggle with most.

Some student misuse dialogue. Other’s punctuate them incorrectly. And some don’t use them at all because they’re too scared.

But using dialogue when you write creative responses in Year 9 shouldn’t be hard!

Let’s see how we can change that:

• Only write meaningful dialogue

Too often, students write dialogue that don’t serve any purpose. Like, “Hi! How are you doing” or “I’m good thanks!”.

However, you need to remember that stories are not a minute-to-minute recount of someone’s day. Instead, stories are meant to be concise and effective.

Everything has to serve a purpose. It either advances the plot or develops characterisation.

Dialogue works in the same way. Don’t include filler sentences. They take up word space, and they don’t serve a purpose.

Only write what is necessary.

• Use correct punctuation!

In Year 9, many students still misuse punctuation when they write dialogue.

One important rule to remember is the  hamburger rule .

Basically, this is a good way to remember that all punctuation goes INSIDE the speech marks.

Here are some CORRECT examples:

“I want to eat a hamburger,” John said. 

“Do you want to eat something? I’m feeling like a hamburger.”

“I’m hungry,” John said as he stood up, “Let’s eat hamburgers!”

Here are some INCORRECT examples:

“I want to eat a hamburger”, John said. 

“Do you want to eat something?” “I’m feeling like a hamburger” 

“I’m hungry”, John said as he stood up. “Let’s eat hamburgers!” 

Do you notice the differences?

If you want to learn more about grammar rules, read our essential guide to English grammar .

Employing figurative devices

It is important that you are consistently improving your writing as you progress through High School.

One way to do this is by using figurative devices when you write creative responses in Year 9.

Why do we need to use figurative language? 

Well, you would have heard about “ show, don’t tell “, before. Figurative language helps you achieve this.

Essentially, when you are telling , you are simply stating what happened.

Eg. Sally was embarassed. 

However, when you show what happened, you are painting a picture for your readers. They need to take in the information and deduce what is happening.

Eg. Sally’s face turned as red as a tomato. 

Notice the difference?

Basically, figurative language is an advanced way of  showing what is happening.

Think, metaphors , symbolism , personification etc.

They all convey meaning in a much more memorable and effective way than telling. This is because readers take more meaning away when they have to do the work themselves and infer things.

Click HERE to see a list of literary techniques that you can use when you write creative responses in Year 9.

How to write creative responses in Year 9 – Step-by-step

So, now that you know what the markers are expecting, let’s see how we can put all of it together.

We will go through a step-by-step process to write creative responses in Year 9.

It is crucial that you plan because it actually saves you time when you write!

You don’t need to stop and think about what’s happening next in your story. You just write!

To plan, you need to:

1. Brainstorm 

You need to carefully read the question, stimulus and/or prompt.

Identify any keywords and important ideas that you need to address.

Now, write down everything you can think of about these ideas; plots, characters, settings, messages and so much more!

Even if you think the idea is bad, jot it down anyway.

The point of brainstorming is just to get the ball rolling in your mind.

However, remember to set yourself a time limit!

Give yourself a few minutes to brainstorm. You don’t want to get too caught up in this step. There’s still a lot to do.

Now you need to decide which ideas you want to write about.

To do this, ask yourself to questions:

• Is this something that I am interested in?
• Does it relate to the question/stimulus/prompt?

If you answer yes to both, then it is a possible story idea!

3. Scaffold

Now that know what you want to write, you need to figure out the fine details.

• Perspective : Whose perspective will the story be told?
• Who : Who is the protagonist?
• What : What is the problem?
• When : When do things take place?
• Where : Where is it happening?

You need to scaffold a rough outline of your plot too! Read the next section to see how.

Also, you can  read this article to learn HOW TO WRITE NOTES .

Structure: Three act structure

When you write creative responses in Year 9, you need to make sure that it follows the three-act structure.

This ensures that your story progresses and is interesting to read.

So, what is the three-act structure? 

• Orientation : Establishes the story world, characters and introduces the conflict.
• Complication : Protagonist attempts to solve the problem… but things seem to get worst.
• Resolution : The problem is ‘resolved’. Events settle down and the story wraps up.

When you write your story plan, make sure you know the rough events for each section. This will ensure that you have a progressive creative response.

It is important that you think about characterisation in your planning stage.

We already went through what characterisation is and how to do it. But, here’s a quick reminder:

Characterisation is the creation of a 3-dimensional, complex character and their growth throughout the story.

You can refresh your knowledge about characterisation in detail above .

Openings-hooks

How your story begins is very important. Opening-hooks are basically the first thing your reader reads.

Usually, it is the deciding factor between someone keeping the book opened and closing it.

“One sunny day, Jamie woke up and got out of bed. He quickly brushed his teeth, changed into his suit, and ran downstairs.”

Now read this:

“Hurry up!” 

Jamie’s eyes shot open. There was no need to look at the clock. Jamie knew he was late for his interview.  

Which one is more interesting to read?

You see, your opening-hook is very important. It has to ‘hook’ the reader’s attention and ‘reel’ them in.

So, how do you write great opening hooks? 

Start with:

• Dramatic action or speech
• Hint about the complication
• Something unexpected
• An indication of change.

These opening will create suspense and spark curiosity to keep your reader wanting to know more.

Drafting and editing

When you write creative responses in Year 9, expect to have numerous drafts.

You should be constantly drafting, redrafting and editing your work to produce the best possible creative.

Drafting is putting your ideas into words and simply writing!

Drafts are meant to be imperfect.

Your aim is to get your ideas on paper, not write perfect sentences.

To draft, you need to:

• Revise your plan : Know what you are going to write. This includes your characters, plots, themes etc.
• Start writing! Don’t be afraid to start. Remember, drafts are meant to be  imperfect .
• Don’t stop writing. it might be tempting to go back and edit as you draft your creative responses. But don’t do this! Stop worrying about how your sentences sound… just get your ideas out!
• If you get stuck, write another part : You don’t want to stop your writing flow! So, instead of wasting 30 minutes trying to formulate the sentence, just write another paragraph! You can always go back and finish it up later

Editing is basically reading over your creative responses and fixing it to make it better.

To edit, you need to:

• Fix grammatical, punctuation and spelling errors .
• Reword and rewrite sentences and paragraphs : If you don’t like the way a sentence or paragraph sounds, then this is your chance to change it. Sometimes, you might have to rewrite whole paragraphs.
• Make sure everything makes sense : If something is confusing, remove or change it! Sometimes, you need to restructure your whole creative response to do this.
• Add more figurative language : Take this chance to add some techniques in your story to make it stronger.

Yes, drafting and editing is a lengthy process… Sometimes, you might even end up with 5 different drafts.

But is worth the time and effort.

Many students don’t ask for feedback because they don’t see the importance of feedback, or they don’t know who to ask.

Feedback is very important because it will help you:

• Identify your common mistakes and fix them :

Most people have some bad writing habits that they never notice. Feedback will help you identify these, so you can fix them.

• Improve your general writing skills :

When you get feedback, you build good writing habits. You begin to identify your mistakes and continually edit your work.

• View your writing from a new perspective :

When you put so much effort and time in your writing, you will struggle to critique it. So, getting feedback will show you a different perspective of your writing. Then, you can go back and edit or keep things.

• Produce a strong creative :

After numerous feedback and editing sessions, your final creative will be very strong.

So, to get feedback, you should: 

• Ask people who can give you constructive feedback :

This can be your school or Matrix teachers, classmates, or even your parents. Remember, there is no point asking someone who can’t give you constructive feedback because it will just confuse you more. So, be selective in who you choose.

• Ask MANY people :

It’s always a good idea to get a second, third, and even fourth opinion. Different people will have different critiques.

• Prepare a set of questions you want them to focus on :

Don’t just hand your essay and ask for feedback. Tell your readers what you expect from them. Does the story makes sense? Are there any grammatical errors? Be specific.

• Always edit your work after :

There is no point in getting feedback if you are not incorporating it in your writing. However, also be selective about what you want to fix. Not all feedback are good.

Final piece

After a long process of planning, researching, drafting, editing, and more editing, you will have your final creative writing piece.

Remember, you can’t keep editing forever and ever.

You need to know when to sit down and be satisfied with your writing.

Be proud of what you produced.

Part 12: How to Write Speeches and Presentations in Year 9 English

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