Year 8
English
ASENGY8
Year 8 English Achievement Standard – Australian Curriculum v9
This Achievement Standard describes what students are expected to know and do in Year 8 English by the end of the year. Teachers can use it to guide assessment design, collect evidence of learning, and ensure planning stays aligned with the Australian Curriculum v9.
What Students Should Know
By the end of Year 8, students interact with others, and listen to and create spoken and/or multimodal texts including literary texts. With different purposes and for audiences, they discuss, express and elaborate on ideas with supporting evidence. They select and vary text structures to organise, develop and link ideas. They select and vary language features including literary devices, and/or multimodal features and features of voice.
They read, view and comprehend a range of texts created to inform, influence and/or engage audiences. They explain how ideas are represented and how texts reflect or challenge contexts. They explain the aesthetic qualities of texts. They explain how text structures shape meaning. They explain the effects of language features including intertextual references and literary devices, and visual features.
They create written and/or multimodal texts, including literary texts for different purposes and audiences, expressing and advancing ideas with supporting evidence. They select and vary text structures to organise, develop and link ideas. They select and vary language features including literary devices, and/or multimodal features.
Content Descriptors by Strand
This standard is supported by 23 Content Descriptors:
Language
Language for interacting with others
AC9E8LA01 recognise how language shapes relationships and roles AC9E8LA02 understand how layers of meaning can be created when evaluating by using literary devices such as simile and metaphorText structure and organisation
AC9E8LA03 explain how texts are structured depending on their purpose and how language features vary, recognising that some texts are hybrids that combine different genres or elements of different genres AC9E8LA04 understand how cohesion in texts is improved by strengthening the internal structure of paragraphs with examples, quotations and substantiation of claimsLanguage for expressing and developing ideas
AC9E8LA05 examine a variety of clause structures including embedded clauses that add information and expand ideas in sentences AC9E8LA06 understand the effect of nominalisation in texts AC9E8LA07 investigate how visual texts use intertextual references to enhance and layer meaning AC9E8LA08 identify and use vocabulary typical of academic texts AC9E8LA09 understand and use punctuation conventions including semicolons and dashes to extend ideas and support meaningLiterature
Literature and contexts
AC9E8LE01 explain the ways that ideas and points of view may represent the values of individuals and groups in literary texts, drawn from historical, social and cultural contexts, by First Nations Australian, and wide-ranging Australian and world authorsEngaging with and responding to literature
AC9E8LE02 share opinions about the language features, literary devices and text structures that contribute to the styles of literary texts AC9E8LE03 explain how language and/or images in texts position readers to respond and form viewpointsExamining literature
AC9E8LE04 identify intertextual references in literary texts and explain how the references enable new understanding of the aesthetic quality of the text AC9E8LE05 analyse how language features such as sentence patterns create tone, and literary devices such as imagery create meaning and effectCreating literature
AC9E8LE06 create and edit literary texts that experiment with language features and literary devices for particular purposes and effectsLiteracy
Texts in context
AC9E8LY01 identify how texts reflect contextsInteracting with others
AC9E8LY02 use interaction skills for identified purposes and situations, including when supporting or challenging the stated or implied meanings of spoken texts in presentations or discussionAnalysing, interpreting and evaluating
AC9E8LY03 analyse and evaluate the ways that language features vary according to the purpose and audience of the text, and the ways that sources and quotations are used in a text AC9E8LY04 analyse how authors organise ideas to develop and shape meaning AC9E8LY05 use comprehension strategies such as visualising, predicting, connecting, summarising, monitoring, questioning and inferring to interpret and evaluate ideas in textsCreating texts
AC9E8LY06 plan, create, edit and publish written and multimodal texts, organising and expanding ideas, and selecting text structures, language features, literary devices and visual features for purposes and audiences in ways that may be imaginative, reflective, informative, persuasive and/or analytical AC9E8LY07 plan, create, rehearse and deliver spoken and multimodal presentations for audiences and purposes, selecting language features, literary devices, visual features and features of voice to suit formal or informal situations, and organising and developing ideas in texts in ways that may be imaginative, reflective, informative, persuasive and/or analyticalWord knowledge
AC9E8LY08 apply learnt knowledge to spell accurately and to learn new wordsAt a Glance
| Strand | Substrand | CDs | Elaborations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Language | Language for interacting with others | 2 | 3 |
| Language | Text structure and organisation | 2 | 4 |
| Language | Language for expressing and developing ideas | 5 | 8 |
| Literature | Literature and contexts | 1 | 3 |
| Literature | Engaging with and responding to literature | 2 | 4 |
| Literature | Examining literature | 2 | 4 |
| Literature | Creating literature | 1 | 4 |
| Literacy | Texts in context | 1 | 2 |
| Literacy | Interacting with others | 1 | 3 |
| Literacy | Analysing, interpreting and evaluating | 3 | 9 |
| Literacy | Creating texts | 2 | 8 |
| Literacy | Word knowledge | 1 | 2 |
| Total | 23 | 54 | |
Frequently Asked Questions
What should students know by the end of Year 8 English?
By the end of Year 8, students interact with others, and listen to and create spoken and/or multimodal texts including literary texts. With different purposes and for audiences, they discuss, express and elaborate on ideas with supporting evidence. They select and vary text structures to organise, develop and link ideas. They select and vary language features including literary devices, and/or multimodal features and features of voice.
They read, view and comprehend a range of texts created to inform, influence and/or engage audiences. They explain how ideas are represented and how texts reflect or challenge contexts. They explain the aesthetic qualities of texts. They explain how text structures shape meaning. They explain the effects of language features including intertextual references and literary devices, and visual features.
They create written and/or multimodal texts, including literary texts for different purposes and audiences, expressing and advancing ideas with supporting evidence. They select and vary text structures to organise, develop and link ideas. They select and vary language features including literary devices, and/or multimodal features.
How many Content Descriptors support this standard?
23 Content Descriptors support this Achievement Standard (Language: 2, Language: 2, Language: 5, Literature: 1, Literature: 2, Literature: 2, Literature: 1, Literacy: 1, Literacy: 1, Literacy: 3, Literacy: 2, Literacy: 1).
How does this compare to Year 7?
The Year 7 English standard (ASENGY7) covers the preceding year level. Standards build progressively, with Year 8 expectations extending what was introduced in Year 7.
Is this from the latest Australian Curriculum?
Yes, this Achievement Standard is from the Australian Curriculum version 9.0 (AC v9), the most current version published by ACARA.