Witness
Section B: Writing in Context
Identity and Belonging
Exam Requirements
 Read and digest the prompt VERY carefully
 Answer this section last
 Definitely NOT under 2 pages, aim for 3-4.
How to score a 9 or 10
 Demonstrates an insightful grasp of the
implications of the prompt, and perceptively
explores its conceptual complexity using an
appropriate strategy for dealing with it.
 Achieves an assured, cohesively structured piece
of writing in an appropriate form, successfully
integrating, in a sophisticated way, ideas
suggested by the selected text/s.
 Makes fluent and effective use of language
appropriate to the purpose and audience
specified in the task.
The Prompt
 Is the overall message of your piece, what the
piece is REALLY about.
 Is worth approx 1/3 of your mark
 Should determine what happens in your piece –
should control the action, dialogue, discussion
topic, investigation, etc.
 Should be examined closely for opportunities –
cannot all be pre-planned content
What can I pre-plan?
 You might have a pre-considered tone, voice,
character or setting
 Your form and expression is worth approx 1/3 of
your mark
 Develop a sophisticated vocabulary list that
compliments any of the above that you have preplanned
 Practise your chosen form – pay close attention to
specific conventions
What do I need to know?
 Conventions of your chosen form
 How to pull apart a prompt and address it in full
 The IDEAS regarding Identity and Belonging that
are evident in ‘Witness’
Form
 Be as clear as possible. Make it as easy for the
assessor to see your form as possible. Eg. essay of
any description – give it a title and tell us where
it’s published
 Use language appropriate to your form. Always
show don’t tell. Make it clear you know how to
write in your chosen form
Complexity
 Your piece needs to show complex ideas. Try to
reduce your connection to I & B to one or 2
sentences. Are you saying something interesting?
Can I take your message home and think about
it/apply it to my life?
 It can be helpful to think about your piece in
terms of change. If imaginative: where do your
characters start? What journey do they go on?
What do they explore? If essay – what point are
you making at the beginning? How is it
explored/changed from the start to the end of
your essay
The Film: How identity is
shaped
 People are products of the worlds in which they
exist
 Individualistic modern western society vs.
staunchly community minded, traditional society
 Children are inducted through rituals from early
age
 We learn from others, which helps form our
identity (Book & Schaeffer, Eli & Samuel)
The Film: How group identity
is represented
 We are identified by the way we look
 We are identified by the way we act
 Changing our look or actions may result in
exclusion from a group
The Film: Identifying the self
as an individual and as a
member of a group
 Conflict can occur between the identity of the
group and that of the individual
 We can oscillate between the two identities
 Our oscillation can manifest both verbally and
non-verbally
The Film: Identity and gender
 Respectable women are expected to put their
children above romantic relationships
 Real men are expected to have their own family
 There is often conflict between how people are
expected to behave according to their gender,
and how they actually behave
The Film: How and why identity
changes
 Experience with a different community can
change our identity
 We can recognise elements of our own
beliefs/values within those who are different to us
 New groups can fill missing parts of our lives
Putting it all together
 Planning should take 5 minutes and involve:
 FORM – what it looks like
 PROMPT – what will happen/ the message
 IDEAS – about Identity and Belonging that are
evident in the text
Practice Prompts
 CRISIS – A single event can change who a person
is
 PLACE – Everyone is a product of their
environment
 RELATIONSHIPS – The people around you define
who you are
 BELIEFS – We are categorised by our actions
rather than our words
Bibliography
 VCE OXFORD ENGLISH 3 & 4