A conclusion acts as a summary of the argument you established in your introduction (the thesis statement) and the ways in which you proved/sustained that argument (your topic sentences).

 

A generic structure for a conclusion might look a little bit like this:

 

1. Re-state your main argument. Look at your thesis statement and summarise what you were argument you were establishing in your introduction.
2. Summarise your key points. This will be the main arguments you established in the topic sentences of each body paragraph.
3. Offer a final thought/reflection in relation to both your argument and the question you responded to.

The final thought might be something like:

‘Of Mice and Men has lost none of its ability to provoke and challenge a reader to better understand what makes them thoroughly human.’

 

 

SO… in planning and preparation:

 

• Highlight your thesis statement
• Highlight your topic sentences

 

And build your conclusion around these key ideas.

 

Year 11 ATAR English Task 2 Syllabus Content

This is a really important document and you should use this to ensure you have covered all the key ideas from Unit 1.

Make sure you know:

• The context of the novella. It’s social/historical context.
• The purpose of the novella. Through the development of important ideas, how does Steinbeck communicate these to his readers?
• How might a contemporary reader respond to the dominant ideas in the text?
• What ideas does the text promote? Think about the notion of masculinity and male friendship groups, the notion of the outsider (racial segregation, Curley’s Wife etc.), the American Dream
• Have an understanding of specific stylistic features. The use of foreshadowing would be a good example, the use of dialogue to drive the narrative, the way Steinbeck begins each chapter with a description of setting.

Generic Marking Key Responding Task 2 Year 11 ATAR English 2025

It’s really important that you also understanding the attached marking key.

In particular:

• Highly relevant and well-chosen quotations.
• Perceptive analysis.
• Pertinent and consistent engagement with all aspects of the question.
• Tightly cohesive argument.
• Sharply focused thesis statement and topic sentences.
• Consistent and sophisticated argument.
• Subject terminology used accurately.
• Express ideas succinctly and accurately.

Your final mark will depend on the extent to which you demonstrate the competencies above.

Read your practice paragraphs carefully and use these dot-points as a check-list for your own self-reflection. Use these dot-points to identify areas of development also.

 

In this post, we will examine the structure of an EFFECTIVE body paragraph and how we can explicitly link our THESIS STATEMENT to a clear TOPIC SENTENCE.

 

Reminder of the Question

Discuss the representations of individuals or groups in at least one text you have studied has challenged or reinforced your understanding of a social issue.

 

 

Reminder of the THESIS STATEMENT from our Introduction

‘Of Mice and Men is a powerful text which tells of the trauma of racial segregation, which invites a contemporary reader to conclude our world still has progress to make in our journey towards racial equality.’

 

Body Paragraph Structure

1. Topic sentence- this should logically extend from the thesis statement and develop your argument in a clear and explicit manner.
2. Evidence- what quotations are you going to use to develop/prove your argument?
3. Why is this evidence significant/important and how does it support your argument? What does it show? How?
4. Link sentence which concludes the paragraph.

 

 

Sample Body Paragraph

 

It is primarily through the character of Crooks, the stable buck on the ranch, that Steinbeck is able to construct the voice of a marginalised black man. In Chapter Four, a reader is invited to see the depth of racial segregation in 1930s America. Alone in his room, his peace is shattered by the entrance of Lennie who asks Crooks why he isn’t ‘wanted’ in the bunkhouse, to live alongside the other men. It is Lennie’s childlike naivety which prompts Crooks to say that he ‘can’t play’ cards with the other men on account of his race. The emotiveless manner in which Crooks states this is confronting to a reader, who can clearly see the marginalisation of his life and the normalisation of his lived experience. As the conversation progresses, Crooks reveals something of his own childhood and how he became gradually aware of his own voicelessness. He remarks that if he says anything, that it is ‘just’ a black person saying it. Steinbeck’s use of ‘just’ as an adjective is revealing here because it shows how aware Crooks is of his lack of agency. Through the voice of Crooks, Steinbeck invites a contemporary reader to see the extent of both racial segregation and the marginalisation of black people.

 

Teaching and Learning Points

• I need you to look at the THESIS STATEMENT and the TOPIC SENTENCE and understand how they work together to establish a clear and explicit/logical argument.
• The TOPIC SENTENCE should logically extend the argument from the THESIS STATEMENT.
• Is the EVIDENCE given in the body paragraph relevant to the TOPIC SENTENCE?
• Is there an understanding of specific textual features? (voice, adjectives)
• Is there a personal engagement with the text that EXPLAINS the significance of the EVIDENCE?
• Is there a limit to the amount of plot/character summary?
• Does the final (LINK) sentence summarise the argument in the body paragraph?

 

Here is an annotated copy of the paragraph above with the TEEL structure written clearly on it.

 

Please make sure you understand the teaching and learning points from this lesson and that you practice them with your own body paragraphs.

Check in with your teacher to make sure you have consolidated this understanding.

 

Teaching and Learning Points:

 

• Note the reference to the SCSA glossaries. These can be found at:

Glossary of Key Words Used in the Formulation of Questions

https://senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/1030157/Glossary-of-key-words-used-in-the-formulation-of-questions.pdf

 

Syllabus Glossary

The key words are found at the back of the document below.

https://senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/1122117/English-ATAR-Year-11-Syllabus-for-teaching-from-January-2025_pdf.PDF

 

• You’ll also note that I’ve highlighted the KEY WORDS, particularly the word ‘discuss’ which is a COMMAND WORD. Make sure you identify the command words in your questions and ensure you understand what they’re asking you to do.
• You’ll also note that I highlighted the word ‘representations’. I looked this word up in the SCSA syllabus glossary and made sure I knew what this word meant BEFORE I attempted the question.

 

 

Sample Introduction

• This introduction uses the following structure:

 

Global Sentence

 

Introduce genre, text, author, date published

 

Overview of text/summary of plot relevant to the question

 

Dominant themes and ideas relevant to the question

 

Thesis statement- which should be focused and specific. Your response to the question

 

• The introduction above aims to use ALL of the key terms in the question to demonstrate to my examiner that I’ve read the question, that I’m exploring ALL the key terms of the question AND I understand what they mean.
• You’ll note words at the end like ‘powerful text’. Here I’ve used an adjective to sharpen my thesis statement by adding a value judgement to demonstrate my personal engagement with the text. I could’ve equally used ‘confronting’, ‘profound’ or ‘challenging’ to achieve the same effect. There are other examples in the introduction. See if you can find them.
• Note the key terms highlighted in the introduction.

 

Your turn. Use the example above to write your own introduction. Make sure you identify the structure and apply it to your own ideas.

 

Speak to me if you need a hand.