NSW Education Standards Authority

Model texts: what are they?

Model texts provide students with clear examples of the purposeful and meaningful use of language and
structure. Model texts can inspire students’ own writing, encourage students to adapt and experiment
with particular form, structure and/or language conventions or provoke a written response. Students may
need to use their preferred communication form(s) to compose texts.

In most cases, the core text or texts of a program or unit of work is the ideal choice for a model text.
However, supplementary model texts may be used to demonstrate a particular aspect of composition as
additional teaching and learning material.

Model texts are typically short texts or extracts from more extended texts. Through the explicit annotation
and analysis of model texts, the teacher models specific uses of structure of language devices in writing.
Selected texts may be published works or students’ work. Students can use the processes demonstrated
to develop personalised writing goals.

The use of exemplary and non-exemplary models can assist students in identifying which elements of
writing are effective and which are ineffective and apply that knowledge to their own writing.

When using model texts, teachers should be aware that some students for whom English is an additional
language or dialect (EAL/D) may require explicit modelling of sentence structures and punctuation. Not
all languages are alphabetic and EAL/D students may understand print differently.

Some strategies for using model texts could include:

 studying the features of the model text to gain an understanding of conventions and compositional
possibilities and applying a similar approach through structure and/or language; for example,
studying the introduction of a character in a short story and then introducing a character in their
own composition
 engaging with the cohesive and sustained nature of informative or analytical texts through tasks;
for example, using a graphic organiser to follow the development of an argument in a text, then
planning the logical flow of an argument for their own text
 annotating the structural features of a text to explore the function of each feature and then
accurately and creatively replicating this in a composition of the same form
 focusing on word and sentence level features as a mechanism for identifying the audience and
purpose of a text then making and justifying design choices based on chosen purpose and
audience; for example, analysing different uses of language and structures on the same topic in
different texts and how this changes according to audience and purpose
 analysing the use of figurative language and devices to support the completion of scaffolded and
guided writing tasks to develop their own use of the same figurative language and devices; for
example, annotating an extract that describes setting with a focus on highlighting sensory
imagery, then either composing or editing a piece of imaginative writing that replicates effective
use of sensory imagery
 annotating rhetorical techniques such as pathos, logos and ethos, then composing a response
using some of the same rhetorical techniques to argue a distinct point of view.

Model texts: what are they?

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