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Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority

English Version 2.0

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Level 5

Level 5 Description

The English curriculum is organised under 3 interrelated strands: Language, Literature and Literacy. While each strand articulates the essential skills of English, they should be seen as interlinked and interconnected. Together, the 3 strands focus on developing students’ knowledge, understanding and skills in listening, speaking, reading, viewing and writing...

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Level 5 Content Descriptions

Language

Language for interacting with others
  1. understand how language is selected for social contexts and that it helps to signal social roles and relationships (VC2E5LA01)
    1. using language that signals the roles of chairperson and the different speaker positions in a debate
    2. identifying ways in which cultures differ in making and responding to common requests, for example periods of silence or degrees of formality
    3. identifying some cultural protocols and communication processes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
  2. understand how to move beyond making bare assertions by taking account of differing ideas or opinions and authoritative sources (VC2E5LA02)
    1. recognising that a bare assertion (for example, ‘It's the best film this year.’) often needs to be tempered by using the ‘impersonal it’ to distance oneself (for example, ‘It could be said that it is the best film this year.’); recruiting anonymous support (for example, ‘It is generally agreed that it is the best film this year.’); indicating a general source of the opinion (for example, ‘Most critics agree that it is the best film this year.’); specifying the source of the opinion (for example, ‘Reviewers for The Reel Film stated that it is the best film this year.’) and reflecting on the effect of these different choices
Text structure and organisation
  1. describe how different types of texts use language features and are typically organised into characteristic stages and phases, depending on purposes (VC2E5LA03)
    1. becoming familiar with the typical stages and language features of types of texts such as narrative, procedure, argument, explanation, discussion and informative texts, and how they can be composed in written, digital and multimedia forms to achieve their purpose
    2. recognising that paragraphs vary in their function and how they are organised in a text and between different types of texts, for example the differences between paragraphs in a narrative, an argument and a procedure
    3. describing the stages and phases, and purposes, of narratives, historical recounts, procedural recounts, causal explanations, discussions of alternative positions on an issue, information reports, reviews and types of poems
  2. understand how texts are sequenced and can be made cohesive by using the starting point of a sentence or paragraph to give prominence to the message and to guide the reader through the text (VC2E5LA04)
    1. observing how writers use the beginning of a sentence to signal to the reader how the text is developing, for example ‘Snakes are reptiles. They have scales and no legs. Many snakes are poisonous. However, in Australia they are protected.’
    2. recognising that a sequence of clauses may use different tenses but remain connected through a topic, for example ‘Snakes were a problem in Australia. However, urban sprawl is ruining their habitats and they are now protected.’
    3. recognising that sentence openers signal what the sentence will be about, and the rest of the sentence typically elaborates on the sentence opener by providing new information
Language for expressing and developing ideas
  1. understand that the structure of a complex sentence includes an independent clause and at least one dependent clause, and understand how writers can use this structure for effect (VC2E5LA05)
    1. knowing that complex sentences make connections between ideas to provide a reason (for example, ‘He jumped up because the bell rang.’); state a purpose (for example, ‘She raced home to confront her brother.’); express a condition (for example, ‘It will break if you push it.’); make a concession (for example, ‘She finished her work even though she was feeling tired.’); or link 2 ideas in terms of various time relations (for example, ‘Nero fiddled while Rome burned.’)
  2. understand how noun groups can be expanded in a variety of ways to provide a fuller description of a person, place, thing or idea (VC2E5LA06)
    1. learning how to expand a description by combining a related set of nouns and adjectives, for example ‘two old brown cattle dogs’
    2. observing how descriptive details can be built up around a noun or an adjective, forming a group (for example, ‘this very smelly cleaning cloth in the sink’ is a noun group and ‘as pretty as the flowers in May’ is an adjective group)
  3. explain how the sequence of still and moving images and the use of sound in texts affect meaning (VC2E5LA07)
    1. interpreting narrative texts told through wordless picture books
    2. identifying and comparing sequences of images revealed through different hyperlink choices
    3. viewing a short film or segment from a film without sound and comparing interpretations after viewing it with sound
    4. recognising how the sequence of images in texts creates meaning
  4. understand how vocabulary is used to express greater precision of meaning, including through the use of specialist and technical terms (VC2E5LA08)
    1. using precise words for naming; for example, instead of ‘mammal’ or ‘whale’, using ‘humpback whale’
  5. understand how to use commas to indicate prepositional phrases, and how to use apostrophes where there is multiple possession in regular and irregular nouns (VC2E5LA09)
    1. learning that in Standard Australian English, regular plural nouns ending in ‘s’ form the possessive by adding just the apostrophe, for example ‘the students’ classroom’
    2. learning that in Standard Australian English, for proper nouns the regular possessive form is always possible but a variant form without the second ‘s’ is sometimes found, for example ‘James’s house’ or ‘James’ house’
    3. learning that when there is more than one owner, the apostrophe is usually used for the last owner in the list, for example ‘the cat and kitten’s bowls’
    4. using commas to signal a prepositional phrase, for example ‘On Saturday, before it rained, we went to the beach.’

Literature

Literature and contexts
  1. identify aspects of literary texts that represent details or information about historical, cultural and social contexts in literature by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors and a wide range of Australian and world authors (VC2E5LE01)
    1. identifying aspects of literature (for example, images, symbols, dialogue and character descriptions) that can convey information about a context
    2. unpacking and discussing texts written by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors about the events that shaped or had an impact on their lives
    3. identifying aspects of literature that represent historical context in texts by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors
    4. exploring characters and concepts in ballads from different times by a wide range of Australian authors
Engaging with and responding to literature
  1. form and share opinions on a literary text, using metalanguage to describe relevant literary devices, text structures and language features in a range of literary texts (VC2E5LE02)
    1. posing and discussing questions, such as ‘Should characters have behaved as they did?’ and ‘How did the author support or challenge your belief about the characters?’, and beginning to form views about the dilemmas characters face
    2. identifying language features such as use of dialogue and rich descriptive language, and presenting an opinion about their effect on readers
Examining literature
  1. recognise that the point of view in a literary text influences how readers interpret and respond to plots, characters and events (VC2E5LE03)
    1. comparing texts narrated from a first-person and third-person point of view, and discussing what information the audience can access and how this influences the audience’s sympathies
    2. discussing why an author might choose a particular point of view
  2. compare the effects of imagery, including simile, metaphor and personification, and sound devices in prose and poetry (VC2E5LE04)
    1. discussing how figurative language, including simile and metaphor, can make use of a comparison between different things
    2. discussing how, by appealing to the imagination, figurative language provides new ways of looking at the world
Creating literature
  1. create texts, experimenting with vocabulary, figurative language, storylines, characters and settings from literary texts they have encountered (VC2E5LE05)
    1. drawing upon fiction elements in a range of model texts, such as main idea, characterisation and setting (time and place), and devices such as figurative language (simile, metaphor, personification) to experiment with new, creative ways of communicating ideas, experiences and stories in literary texts
    2. creating a visual map, which may include digital mind maps, of figurative language, storylines, characters and settings in a text that may inspire their own writing

Literacy

Interacting with others
  1. use interaction skills including paraphrasing and questioning to clarify meaning, make connections to personal experience or to a text, and present and justify an opinion or idea (VC2E5LY01)
    1. participating in pair, group, class and school speaking and listening situations, including informal conversations, discussions and presentations
    2. asking specific questions to clarify a speaker’s meaning, making constructive comments that keep a conversation moving, reviewing ideas expressed and conveying tentative conclusions
    3. using strategies for discussion, such as speaking clearly, pausing, asking questions and linking students’ responses to the contributions of others
    4. choosing vocabulary and sentence structures for particular purposes, including formal and informal contexts, to report and explain new concepts and topics, to offer an opinion and to persuade others
  2. deliver structured spoken and multimodal texts to an audience for a specific purpose, using features of voice (VC2E5LY02)
    1. experimenting with features of voice such as tone, volume, pitch and pace in formal presentations and recognising the effects these have on audience understanding
    2. reflecting on how new learning can be incorporated into a presentation
Phonic and word knowledge
  1. use phonological, morphological and vocabulary knowledge to read and spell words that share common letter patterns but have different pronunciations (VC2E5LY03)
    1. recognising and writing less familiar words that share common letter patterns but have different pronunciations, for example ‘journey’, ‘your’, ‘tour’ and ‘sour’
  2. build and spell new words from knowledge of known words, base words, prefixes and suffixes, word origins (etymology), letter patterns and spelling generalisations (VC2E5LY04)
    1. using knowledge of known words and base words to spell new words, for example the spelling and meaning connections between ‘vision’, ‘television’ and ‘revision’
    2. applying knowledge of spelling generalisations to spell new words, for example ‘suitable’, ‘likeable’ and ‘collapsible’
  3. explore less common plurals, and understand how a suffix changes the meaning or grammatical form of a word (VC2E5LY05)
    1. using knowledge of word origins and roots, and related words, to interpret and spell unfamiliar words, and learning about how these roots affect plurals, for example ‘cactus’ and ‘cacti’, and ‘louse’ and ‘lice’
    2. understanding how some suffixes change the grammatical form of words, for example ‘-tion’ and ‘-ment’ can change verbs into nouns, such as ‘protect’ to ‘protection’ and ‘develop’ to ‘development’
Building fluency and making meaning
  1. read different types of increasingly complex texts, integrating phonic, semantic and grammatical knowledge to read accurately and fluently for meaning, re-reading and self-correcting when needed (VC2E5LY06)
    1. using subject and technical vocabulary and concept knowledge to navigate less familiar texts
    2. skimming and scanning to check the pertinence of particular information to their topic and task
    3. using signposting features such as headings and subheadings, and home pages and subpages to read texts
Texts in context
  1. describe the ways in which a text reflects the time and place in which it was created (VC2E5LY07)
    1. describing how ideas in texts are conveyed by vocabulary, including idiomatic expressions and the way that these can change according to time and place
    2. describing how ideas in texts reflect the social expectations of the time and place in which they were created
Analysing, interpreting and evaluating
  1. explain characteristic features used to meet the purpose and audience in different types of texts (VC2E5LY08)
    1. explaining how the features of a text advocating community action (for example, action on a local area preservation issue) are used to meet the purpose of the text
    2. explaining how characters are used to deliver the message in persuasive texts; for example, explaining how characters are used to present persuasive messages about health issues in advertising, and considering why characters have been used instead of real people
  2. use comprehension strategies, such as visualising, predicting, connecting, summarising, monitoring and questioning, to evaluate information and ideas to build literal and inferred meanings (VC2E5LY09)
    1. summarising ideas and information to determine the main idea of a text
    2. using research skills, including identifying research purpose; locating texts; gathering and organising information; evaluating relative value; evaluating the accuracy and currency of print and digital sources; and summarising information from several sources
    3. comparing texts on the same topic to identify similarities and differences in the ideas or information included
Creating texts
  1. create different types of texts, written and spoken, with relevant, elaborated and sequenced ideas, using text structure appropriate for topic, purpose and audience, and multimodal elements as appropriate (VC2E5LY10)
    1. using research from print and digital resources to gather and organise information for writing
    2. planning a report on a topic, sequencing ideas logically and providing supporting detail, including graphics, sound and visuals, to enhance audience engagement and understanding
    3. selecting an appropriate text structure for the writing purpose, and sequencing content according to that text structure, introducing the topic and grouping related information in well-sequenced paragraphs with a concluding statement
    4. using vocabulary, including technical vocabulary, appropriate for purpose and context
    5. using appropriate grammatical features, including more complex sentences and relevant verb tenses, pronoun references, and adverb and noun groups/phrases for effective descriptions
    6. writing letters in print and by email, demonstrating understanding of audience
  2. re-read and edit their own texts and the texts of others using agreed criteria for text structures and language features (VC2E5LY11)
    1. re-reading and editing their own and others’ work (which may involve using digital tools) for precision, using negotiated criteria for text structure and meaning, and accuracy of grammar, spelling and punctuation
  3. write legibly, fluently and automatically (VC2E5LY12)
    Content description does not require elaboration.

Level 5 Achievement Standard

By the end of Level 5, students demonstrate the following skills in English.

Speaking and Listening

When interacting with others, students use vocabulary precisely and select language for social purposes and roles, to clarify meaning and make connections.

They extend their discussion beyond bare assertions and account for differing opinions and authoritative sources.

When speaking to an audience, students deliver structured spoken texts, exploring topics and text types, including multimodal or digital elements. They select language for a specific purpose and use appropriate features of voice.

Reading and Viewing

When reading and viewing, students engage with a range of different types of texts for meaning.

They read by integrating phonic, morphemic and vocabulary knowledge, and grammatical knowledge such as complex sentences and the use of clauses for effect.

When demonstrating understanding of texts, students identify textual aspects that represent details about historical, cultural and social contexts. They describe how texts convey feelings, mood, actions and ideas to build literal and inferred meanings. They evaluate information and ideas in texts. They explain how different types of texts, both print and digital, are organised into characteristic stages for purpose. They discuss the effects of imagery and sound devices in texts. They explain how the sequence of still images, and moving images and sound, create or affect meaning.

Writing

When creating written and spoken texts for specific purposes and audiences, students develop ideas and adapt textual details drawn from texts and include appropriate multimodal elements. They edit their texts using an agreed set of criteria.

They use text structures, including paragraphs, to create prominence and build sequence and cohesion. They use grammar and punctuation, including complex sentences to provide additional information and description.

They use precise vocabulary, such as specialist and technical terms. They experiment with language features, including figurative language.

They write legibly and fluently. They spell new and unfamiliar words using phonic, morphemic and grammatical knowledge.

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