When you see a Module C creative writing stimulus in an exam, your brain usually does one of two things:
- Panic.
- Overthink it.
Especially when the stimulus sounds philosophical, something like “What is the meaning of life?”
Suddenly you feel like you need to solve existence in 40 minutes.
The truth? You don’t.
One of the biggest misconceptions about HSC creative writing is that you need a dramatic revelation, a shocking twist, or some grand epiphany to score highly. But often, it’s the opposite. The strongest Band 6 responses are controlled, conceptually cohesive, and quietly powerful.
In this post, I’ll break down a high Band 6 creative response I wrote to a James Ruse Trials 2024 stimulus from To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf, and explain exactly why it works.
The Creative Writing Stimulus
Compose a piece of imaginative, discursive or persuasive writing that begins with the words:
What is the meaning of life? That was all — a simple question; one that tended to close in on one with years, the great revelation had never come. The great revelation perhaps never did come. Instead, there were little daily miracles, illuminations, matches struck unexpectedly in the dark; here was one. [Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse ]
You are NOT required to write out the extract as part of your response (12 marks)
The sunlight lit up the roof of the church, each beam spilling onto the pillars that reached out towards the statue of Mother Mary. Maria’s gaze remained fixated on her eyes which were permanently tilted, overtly affectionate, and her arms which were stretched outwardly, gently welcoming everyone into her Son’s house; the chamber of all the answers to which she had been eagerly seeking. Yet, she knew. The great revelation would not come.
The stimulus suggests that “the great revelation perhaps never did come” and that meaning instead lies in “little daily miracles.” In this response, that idea is not explained directly; it is dramatised.
From the very first paragraph, Maria is positioned as someone waiting for a spiritual answer: “the chamber of all the answers to which she had been eagerly seeking.” However, the truncated sentence, “Yet, she knew” signals to the audience that this revelation will never arrive. This mirrors the stimulus structurally and shows markers that your engagement is not only conceptual, but structural.
The concept is then resolved through the granddaughter. The “match struck” metaphor directly transforms Woolf’s idea of “matches struck unexpectedly in the dark.” Instead of copying the phrase, the image is embedded naturally into Maria’s emotional response to her granddaughter. This shows the marker that the stimulus has been internalised and reinterpreted, not simply referenced. That transformation of concept, rather than surface-level borrowing, is what elevates this into high Band 6 territory.
People endlessly crowded around her, grabbing her swollen, wrinkled hands to express Allah Yerhamo, telling her - as if she had not thought about it a million times in the dark, as if it did not close in on her every day - it was incredibly sad and unfortunate how her son had passed away. That she had outlived him.
At no point does the piece explicitly state that Maria is devastated or broken. Instead, grief is conveyed through physical detail and repetition. For example, mourners “grabbing her swollen, wrinkled hands” communicates both age and exhaustion. The dash-interrupted clause, “as if she had not thought about it a million times in the dark,” reveals that her suffering is ongoing and private. This layered syntax mirrors the way grief interrupts thought. By avoiding direct emotional labelling, the writing allows readers to infer Maria’s pain themselves. This subtlety demonstrates control and sophistication, which are key traits of a Band 6 creative response.
As she watched her youngest granddaughter Jamie swiftly climb up the stairs to the church’s entrance - her tongue poking the side of the mouth as she did - her heart, like a match, struck, fuelled with love for the beautiful, mischievous brown-haired girl.
High Band 6 responses often feel cohesive because they repeat imagery deliberately. In this piece, light and fire imagery recur throughout: “The sunlight lit up the roof,” “The sunlight lit up the roof,” Candlesticks “glimmered,” Her heart “like a match, struck” and Sympathy “kindled the fire within her.”
These references are not random. They reinforce the stimulus’s metaphor of illumination in darkness. The granddaughter scratching her polished shoes and noticing her reflection also extends the motif of light and reflection in a more innocent, childlike way. Because these images are sustained rather than isolated, the piece feels intentional and unified, a quality markers associate with advanced craft.
Her uncle had loved her very much too. He had only just passed two days after her birthday party last week. A smile stretched on her face as she remembered the way she had scolded him for his frayed denim shirt and ripped denim jeans, which had far too many holes to be socially acceptable, but he had explained, eyes crinkling, that it was the ‘trend,’ laughing and smacking a wet kiss on her cheek. He held a beer that seemed perpetually unfinished, something she regularly scolded him for, yet her heart brimmed with joy remembering how he would lift up his niece, ignoring her giggle-filled cries to let her down.
The structure of the piece is deliberately controlled. It begins with light imagery in the church, moves through communal grief and private memory, and concludes with a quiet domestic exchange. Importantly, there is no dramatic twist or exaggerated climax. The emotional shift occurs internally when Maria realises “it would never come” and instead chooses to “soak in the little miracles around her.” The resolution is subtle and reflective rather than theatrical. Markers reward this kind of restraint because it reflects maturity. The piece does not rely on shock value. Instead, it sustains a consistent emotional tone and resolves the concept calmly and cohesively.
Now, seated behind the oak pillars, Maria sat with a dark veiling framing her weathered face and draping across her greying hair. The hum of Arabic hymns echoed throughout the sacred space, while bakhoor smoke wafted around her, the rich scents of frankincense and myrrh tickling her nose. Around her, the emotions of people shifted in a kaleidoscopic fashion. Her other son’s gaze, like her own, remained steadfastly fixed on the altar, as light glimmered off heavy, gilded candlesticks standing like sentinels around the altar, a white spray of lilies resting on top. Maria could not recognise the faces of all those that had filled the church in respect for Francis, but their sympathy kindled the fire within her. As she turned to face her granddaughter, she let out a haphazard laugh as the young girl scratched at her new polished shoes, still perplexed by how she could see her own reflection in them, and asked her mother in a quiet whisper if they were going to go to Tayta’s after for lunch.
Specific cultural details grounded in Lebanese culture, such as Arabic hymns, bakhoor, Allah Yerhamo, and Tayta, anchor the story in a recognisable community. Rather than writing a generic funeral scene, these inclusions create texture and authenticity. They demonstrate confidence in voice and perspective, which prevents the piece from feeling like a template response. Markers often read hundreds of similar exam stories. Cultural specificity makes a response memorable and signals originality, because it shows the setting and characters have been crafted deliberately rather than left vague.
It struck her right then that her simple question, the one that she had been patiently waiting for, the one that she had spent each night, sat in bed with her rosary, praying for; it would never come. Instead, she would soak in the little miracles around her.
The piece alternates between long, flowing sentences and truncated ones. For instance: “The sunlight lit up the roof of the church…” followed later by “Yet, she knew.”
The truncated sentences create emphasis and emotional pause. They also mirror the certainty that the “great revelation would not come.” This rhythm prevents the writing from becoming monotonous and reflects deliberate stylistic control. Sentence variety is not accidental here. It shapes tone and pacing, which is critical for performing well in Module C.
Maria gently whispered to her granddaughter, “Of course you can come for lunch.”
The quiet domestic gesture contrasts with the grandeur of the earlier religious setting. The meaning Maria was seeking is not found in divine revelation, but in continuing to nurture her granddaughter. Ending with restraint rather than explanation shows confidence. The writer trusts the reader to understand the significance. That trust, and that control, are hallmarks of a high Band 6 response.
Check out more of our HSC English guides below!
Manoj Arachige
Manoj Arachige
KIS Academics
FAQs
How do you get a Band 6 in HSC Creative Writing?
Focus on concept first, techniques second. Your imagery, symbolism, and structure must serve a central idea. Avoid forcing techniques for the sake of sophistication, cohesion is what elevates a response.
Do you need complex vocabulary to score high in HSC Creative Writing?
No. Markers look for clarity and control. Precision is more impressive than complexity. Short, intentional sentences can be more powerful than elaborate ones.
Should you memorise your Module C HSC Creative Writing Response
You should not fully memorize rigid, pre-written responses for Module C, as the questions are designed to test your ability to adapt to a specific, unseen stimulus. Instead, you should memorize flexible, high-quality "modules" of writing, including versatile opening/closing lines, key techniques, and themes, which can be rapidly adapted to the exam question.
- Memorize Adaptable Components: Memorize specific phrases, techniques, and structural ideas that can be adapted rather than a fixed story.
- Practice Adaptation: Practice adapting your creative or discursive pieces to different, random stimuli (e.g., photos, quotes).
- Be Prepared to Pivot: If the stimulus is a photo of a lighthouse, you must be able to weave that into your existing story without it feeling forced.
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Written by KIS Academics Tutor for HSC English Advanced, Crista-Nicole Gahdmar. Crista-Nicole is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Commerce/Law at the University of Sydney and has received stellar reviews from her past KIS Academics students. You can view Crista-Nicole’s profile here and request her as a tutor.
