Advice to those who are eligible for EAL/D, but are considering English Advanced because they feel 'passionate' about Shakespeare & English at a 'higher level'
OK. I'm writing to the future -- to whomever ending up in this 'dilemma' and needs guidance.
DO NOT DO ENGLISH ADVANCED FOR THE LOVE OF GOD if you are eligible for
EAL/D
QUIT THINKING "OH I LOVE ENGLISH, I AM GOOD AT THE SUBJECT, I AM SO DIFFERENT OMG" (this is more so directed at my y11 self)
ENGLISH EAL/D REMAINS THE 'FUN' ENGLISH WE WERE DOING IN JUNIOR YEARS (well, better than the Advanced hellscape for sure!)
Perhaps do Advanced in y11 (idk).
WHY EAL/D OVER ADVANCED?
The way exam questions are written, are way more accessible and easier to adapt your memorised responses. Let's not kid ourselves in saying we'll be writing anything
entirely spontaneous on the spot. 40 minutes per essay in the HSC... This year's advanced questions were all text specific (Mod A and B). Not a fun experience. Meanwhile, EAL/D's questions were more conceptual and open-ended, making it easier to go in with a polished piece with smoother adaptation.
Let's look at an example for the 'close study of literature' module for the 2025 HSC:
English Advanced (text specific so I'm using my prescribed text):
| English Advanced | English EAL/D |
Question 2 (d) — Poetry – T S Eliot, T S Eliot: Selected Poems (20 marks)
Journey of the Magi (extract)
All this was a long time ago, I remember,
And I would do it again, but set down
This set down
This: were we led all that way for
Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly,
We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death,
But had thought they were different; this Birth was
Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.
We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,
But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,
With an alien people clutching their gods.
I should be glad of another death.
T S Eliot: Collected Poems (1909–1962) Journey of the Magi by T S Eliot, Faber and Faber Ltd.
In what ways is this closing stanza of Journey of the Magi an effective resolution to the poetic tensions explored in Eliot’s poetry?
In your response, make close reference to Journey of the Magi and at least ONE other
prescribed poem.
The prescribed poems are:
* The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock
* Preludes
* Rhapsody on a Windy Night
* The Hollow Men
* Journey of the Magi | Question 2 (20 marks)
How does your prescribed text use language forms and features to evoke empathy, and challenge you to see the world differently?
In your response, make detailed reference to your prescribed text. |
The above is pretty self-explanatory. In the first instance (advanced), if you don't know this particular poem in much depth, you're cooked. The way they specified 'ending' would also be a great challenge to many (myself included). I was lucky enough to have gotten an 18.5/20 for this section, but mainly because I liked this poem and had lots to say about it. In my Trial HSC they specified Preludes which I hated, so I ended up with a 13/20.
Now, you might say: "Advanced must scale better than EAL/D"
Not true.
I worked extremely hard throughout the year and got a 91/100 in advanced (scaled mark 41), while someone in my year who arrived in Australia a few years ago, and to be frank, didn't put as much effort into the subject, got a 93/100 in EAL/D (scaled mark 45)
A scaled mark of 45 is the same as getting a 90/100 in maths extension 2, or 94/100 in physics.
What I am trying to say here is that you will get much higher Return on Investment if you chose EAL/D. As I explained above, Advanced questions are so unpredictable that you have to be ready for anything.
To illustrate further, both English courses require creative writing: imaginative (story), discursive, informative, persuasive. English Advanced (2024) specified discursive, while EAL/D has always given students a CHOICE.
English Advanced has poor ROI -- look the above statements up (text-specific, specifying text type) and you'll find lots of BoSers corroborating my assertions.
I was extremely lucky to have ended up in my desired course. This whole English thing could've ruined my ATAR entirely.
TL;DR: IF YOU CAN, DO ENGLISH EAL/D. NO EXCEPTIONS.
