English Second Paper Syllabus for HSC
Test items for Paper Two and distributions of marks
Total marks 100
Grammar 60
Composition 40
Grammar test items
gap filling activities without clues (for articles )
gap filling activities without clues (for propositions)
gap filling with clues (special uses: was born, have to/ has to, would rather, had better, let alone, what if, as if, as soon as, what’s ….like, what does….look like, introductory ‘there’ or ‘it’)
completing sentences (use of conditionals, phrase, and clause)
use of verbs (right form of verbs and subject verb agreement as per context)
changing sentences (change of voice, sentence types, degrees)
narrative style (direct to indirect and vice versa) completing sentences (Sentences will have a context and related to one another. It can be a dialogue, interview or a narration of something.)
use of modifiers
use of sentence connectors
use of synonym and antonym
punctuation
Note: Question setters will use all items from the above list and make questions of 5 marks for each question item. Test items must have contexts. Sentences which are isolated and out of
context cannot be given as questions. Question setters will prepare the test items. No questions will be set from the textbook or/and any help books.
Composition test items Marks
formal letter/emails 08
report writing (for newspapers) 08
paragraphs (based on one of the paragraph types: listing,
narration, comparison and contrast, cause and effect) 10
free writing: descriptive, narrative, persuasive/argumentative,
imaginative and creative writing of 200-250 words based
on personal experience, everyday problems, familiar topics,
recent events and incidents etc. 14
