The Written Explanation
As part of the Unit 3 creative response assessment task, students are required to demonstrate the connection between their creative response and the original text by justifying their choices in a written explanation.
The written explanation is a detailed paragraph that outlines the decisions made by the student as they developed their creative response. The purpose, context and audiencemust all be addressed in the explanation in order to justify the selected content and approach to the task.
In Unit 3, the written explanation is assessed within, and part of, the creative response.
The written explanation is not allocated separate marks. While the focus of the assessment is on the quality of the creative response, the articulation of the creative intention in relation to the original text has critical bearing on the overall assessment.
Things you should discuss:
Sample written explanation
Sample text: Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
For my creative response, I decided to write an internal monologue for the character of
Steina in the novel Burial Rites. This seemed appropriate given that the text presents the
story from a range of points of view, including that of the protagonist, Agnes. I thought it
would be interesting to view the narrative from the perspective of the eldest daughter of Jon
and Margret, because there seems to be so much that she would like to say to the
murderess who is lodging in her house, yet she is forbidden to do so. Steina recognises
Agnes from a childhood incident, and as a result, sees the humanity in her. This is in direct
contrast to her mother and sister who initially regard Agnes with disdain and treat her as an
animal. I chose a first-person narrative to allow Steina to express her views about Agnes
instead of having to share the views of her mother. I used simple and spare language to
reflect the fact that Steina cannot probably read or write very well because she is a girl and
the daughter of a peasant farmer. This would have been very typical of the context in which
the novel is set.
As part of the Unit 3 creative response assessment task, students are required to demonstrate the connection between their creative response and the original text by justifying their choices in a written explanation.
The written explanation is a detailed paragraph that outlines the decisions made by the student as they developed their creative response. The purpose, context and audiencemust all be addressed in the explanation in order to justify the selected content and approach to the task.
In Unit 3, the written explanation is assessed within, and part of, the creative response.
The written explanation is not allocated separate marks. While the focus of the assessment is on the quality of the creative response, the articulation of the creative intention in relation to the original text has critical bearing on the overall assessment.
Things you should discuss:
- What is the form of the piece and why did you choose that form?
- Who is the narrator (or writer) and the intended audience.
- What is the Narrative Point of View? Why?
- Which aspect of the text is explored in your creative response. Why do you consider this part of the text as important ? How does the form you have chosen help to achieve this purpose?
- How does your response demonstrate your knowledge of the key moments, important characters and central ideas and values of the text?
- Which language features did you use and what effect did you intend to create with them?
Sample written explanation
Sample text: Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
For my creative response, I decided to write an internal monologue for the character of
Steina in the novel Burial Rites. This seemed appropriate given that the text presents the
story from a range of points of view, including that of the protagonist, Agnes. I thought it
would be interesting to view the narrative from the perspective of the eldest daughter of Jon
and Margret, because there seems to be so much that she would like to say to the
murderess who is lodging in her house, yet she is forbidden to do so. Steina recognises
Agnes from a childhood incident, and as a result, sees the humanity in her. This is in direct
contrast to her mother and sister who initially regard Agnes with disdain and treat her as an
animal. I chose a first-person narrative to allow Steina to express her views about Agnes
instead of having to share the views of her mother. I used simple and spare language to
reflect the fact that Steina cannot probably read or write very well because she is a girl and
the daughter of a peasant farmer. This would have been very typical of the context in which
the novel is set.