How to Write Band 6 HSC English Short Answers (with 2024 Annotated Solutions)
Table of Contents
- How should you structure a Band 6 Short Answer Response?
- Example 1
- Example 2
- Example 3
- Final Thoughts
- FAQs
How should you structure a Band 6 Short Answer Response?
Think about all the PEEL paragraphs you’ve written for your essays - a short answer response is just a smaller version of the same thing, except with unseen texts.
- Topic sentence - use the key words of the question to outline the main point of your argument in one sentence.
- Evidence - choose quotes that best suit your argument, and analyse them in chronological order of the text; you should pick one less quote than the amount of marks available.
- Concluding sentence (for longer responses) - summarise the key element of all the points of evidence you used to produce your answer, and link it back to the given question.
Now that we’ve revised the basic structure, let’s apply this to the 2024 HSC English Advanced Paper 1!
Example 1
Text 5 - Poem (3 marks)
Analyse how Wilson represents the relationship between discomfort and joy.
Before reading the text at all, we should read and annotate the question to understand what themes we should be focused on. In this question, we need to find two quotes that explore the “relationship” between emotions of “discomfort and joy”.
Upon reading the text, I can pinpoint the main idea of a narrator experiencing happiness and exhilaration while running through an extreme natural environment. The most prominent techniques are visual and tactile imagery, as well as poetic enjambment of phrases.
When analysing any text, try to use language and techniques that relate to its form - for example, this poem includes enjambment.
Faye Wilson intertwines the narrator’s joy and exhilaration with the extreme dangers of their environment to represent the complex relationship between their emotions of discomfort and joy. As the narrator runs through the landscape, their contrasting descriptions of dark imagery in “hectic zig zag branches, burnt black” and the natural beauty of “crystal-beaded spider webs” attributes both positive and negative traits to the environment. This paradoxical relationship is reinforced as the narrator feels “soaked with rain,/scared… /for one moment/I am immeasurably happy.” By implementing enjambment between juxtaposed phrases, Wilson explores the connection between physical discomfort and exhilaration from the experience.
Instead of simply stating your evidence, make sure you always link techniques with the author’s purpose and your own argument to show the marker that you can stay on topic and analyse critically!
Example 2
Text 2 - Nonfiction extract (4 marks)
Analyse how Vincent connects the significance of measurement to human experience.
The key words of this question want us to relate “significance of measurement” with “human experience”. We also know that this text will be written discursively, so keeping a look out for non-fiction techniques like the narrator’s voice, anecdotes, analogies, and rhetorical questions is essential!
Remember, we want to connect how the author conveys his ideas (his stylistic features) with why he believes measurement is significant to human experience (his overall purpose).
When I read this text, I notice how the author is genuinely curious about the scope of what measurement impacts in our perception of reality (why), and how he uses a conversational tone and real anecdotes to take the readers through his journey of his discoveries too (how).
When choosing which quotes to include in your response, make sure to find ones that draw on different aspects of your main argument and build on other quotes! In my response, I touch on the causality and authority linked to measurement that makes it significant, and point out the author’s fascination that pulls us into his text.
Example 3
Text 3 and Text 4 - Prose fiction extract and Photograph (5 marks)
Compare how Text 3 and Text 4 offer a perspective on the ways individuals perceive their surroundings.
Almost every HSC English short-answer exam will have a comparative question, so make sure you note down this scaffold to craft a cohesive response ✅
The goal of a comparative question is to address the similarities and differences between two texts. Start with something along the lines of, “Text 3 and Text 4 both [similarity]. However, Text 3 [unique difference], whereas Text 4 [unique difference].” This succinctly shows the marker that you understand how to answer to the ‘compare’ verb of the question!
As for the other elements of structure in this question, make sure you:
- Organise your response into two paragraphs, one for each text
- Find 4-5 pieces of evidence in total, split evenly across both paragraphs
Text 3 and Text 4 both offer unique yet profound perspectives on the ways individuals perceive their surroundings. However, Text 3 examines the beauty of the natural environment, whereas Text 4 interrogates a worldview warped by technology.
Strout utilises the narrator’s profound preoccupation with nature to create a deep spiritual connection between individual and the environment. Through the intense and shifting visual and tactile imagery of the sky’s colours from “pink and soft” to “slightly blue again” to “orange line of horizon” to “lingering, then finally dark”, the narrator marvels at the beauty in nature’s continuous changes. The narrator’s detailed, run-on description inspires a sense of awe and inability to capture the world around her in words. Her conclusion, “All life amazes me” amplifies how appreciation for nature can foster introspection and the development of one’s perspective.
On the other hand, Text 4 foregrounds the use of technology which distracts from and warps the individual’s view of the natural world. The nonsensical wires that surround everything in the foreground draws the viewer’s attention away from the mountains to the electronic devices at hand, and becomes symbolic of our current entanglement within a network of technology. Furthermore, the defined image on the laptop screen of the same landscape behind the table which is blurred suggests the distortion of our perspective of nature due to a focus on technology.
While Text 3 emphasises the potential for examination of natural surroundings to awaken our spiritual and introspective perspectives, Text 4 comments on the disconnect and distortion of reality due to overreliance on technology.
Final Thoughts
In the end, the best preparation is just to practise responding to a variety of texts and questions, focusing on developing an approach that works for you. Analyse and answer using a “why?” and “how?” mindset, and follow the PEEL paragraph structure to ensure you address the questions thoroughly. Always link your evidence, techniques, and overall analysis together, as well as to the question - that ability to connect is what the markers are looking for.
That’s all for today! Best of luck, and happy writing!
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FAQs
How to write a short answer response?
Start by directly addressing the question, then support your answer with evidence (like a quote, example, or statistic), and explain how it links back to the question. Keep your response clear, concise, and focused — every sentence should add value.
What’s the ideal structure for a short answer?
A strong short answer usually follows the PEEL structure:
- Point – State your main idea or answer.
- Evidence – Provide supporting detail (quote, example, data).
- Explanation – Explain how the evidence proves your point.
- Link – Tie it back to the question or main theme.
How many quotes should I use in each question?
As a rule of thumb, find one less piece of evidence than the total amount of marks expected from you. For example, a question worth 4 marks would require you to find 3 pieces of evidence. Of course, relevant and sophisticated analysis must be paired with it to be rewarded with a mark!
How do I manage my time with so many questions?
Regularly check the clock and plan out the time you spend on responses by looking at the mark value! You should be spending an average of 2 minutes per mark (e.g. One 4-mark response should take you 8 minutes to write).
You should also be mentally noting the most effective quotes to address questions during your reading time. Trust me, this will save you so much thinking time!
How can I practice analysing different forms of unseen texts?
Start with HSC English past papers and your school’s English trial past papers, then branch out to other schools’ trial past papers too. This will expose you to a variety of different forms and structures of texts, from discursive essays and fiction extracts to poems and images! Remember to practise hand-writing under timed conditions to get yourself accustomed to the exam pressure.
Written by KIS Academics Tutor for HSC English, Rachel Xie. Rachel is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Commerce/Fine Arts at UNSW and has received stellar reviews from her past KIS Academics students. You can view Rachel's profile here and request her as a tutor.