Lit_Happens Podcast

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Lit_Happens Podcast episodes

November 11Paper 2: What Students Said | Lit Happens S2E44
We share some general thoughts on English Paper 2 after speaking with students and colleagues. We look at each module in the paper and what students said coming out of the exam.
Connect with Us
Instagram: https://instagram.com/lit.happensseniorenglish
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@lit.happensse
Email: [email protected]
Resources – available on Teachers Pay Teachers
Music produced by
Instagram – @tmob2k
YouTube – @tmob2000
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube or your favourite platform. Visit https://lithappensse.com/ for more practical guides, downloadable resources and English teacher support across Years 7–12.
Subscribe and join us as we unpack English together!
#HSCEnglish #Paper2 #HSC2026 #Year12English #EnglishTeacherNSW #SeniorEnglish #LitHappensPodcast #NSWteachers
32 min
November 04English Paper 1: First Reactions | Lit Happens S2E43
We share general thoughts on English Paper 1 after speaking with students and colleagues. We look at how the paper was structured across Advanced and Standard, what students said coming out of the exam, and the patterns we noticed in both the Common Module essay and the unseen short answers.
Key Questions Explored
How was Section 2 (the Common Module essay) structured across courses?
What did students say about the essay question?
How were the short-answer questions organised between Advanced and Standard?
What stood out about the unseen texts this year?
What advice would you give students who found the paper text-heavy?
Highlights from the Episode
Section 2 was the same question for Advanced and Standard. It acts as a differentiator, which is one reason students aiming for the upper bands are usually better placed in Advanced
Advanced students generally found the essay question accessible. Some Standard colleagues were more cautious because the question offered multiple paths and students could miss parts of it
Students who had prepared a base response and knew the rubric language felt they could adapt on the day. The common feedback was that they read the question carefully and wrote for the full time
Section 1 had common questions between Advanced and Standard, with each course also having questions unique to them. Text types were kept relatively consistent across papers
There were no visual texts. The paper was word-heavy, which some students found intimidating and which affected time management for a few
The short-answer questions themselves were reasonably direct. The challenge was more in the volume of reading and in writing enough within the recommended lines
Markers are looking to award marks. Filling the recommended space and writing the whole time gives students the best chance
Overall the paper was seen as challenging yet accessible. No major controversies were reported from the students and staff they spoke with
Free - Successful habits Poster - Print one out and put it up!!!
Lit Happens Successful Habits.png
Connect with Us
Instagram: https://instagram.com/lit.happensseniorenglish
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@lit.happensse
Email: [email protected]
Resources – available on Teachers Pay Teachers
Music produced by

Instagram – @tmob2k

YouTube – @tmob2000
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube or your favourite platform. Visit https://lithappensse.com/ for more practical guides, downloadable resources and English teacher support across Years 7–12.

Subscribe and join us as we unpack English together!
#HSCEnglish #Paper1 #HSC2026 #Year12English #EnglishTeacherNSW #SeniorEnglish #LitHappensPodcast #NSWteachers
39 min
October 28After the HSC English Exam: What to Do Next | Lit Happens S2E42
English is done. Other papers are still ahead. In this episode we talk about the practical side of looking after yourself through the rest of the exam period so you can finish strong for the ATAR. We cover closing the paper, switching cleanly to the next exam, and the quiet period for teachers once the Year 12 class has gone.
Key Questions Explored
You’ve walked out. Do you go over the paper?
Other exams are still on. How do you switch?
The paper is with the markers. What are they doing with it?
Year 12 have left the room. What’s left for you?
Highlights from the Episode
Close the English paper and lock in for the next one. Food, sleep and a short break are part of the plan, not a soft option. They protect the ATAR work still to come
What students usually do instead (reconstruction threads, rewriting answers, staying in English brain) and why it costs the next paper
The English mark is one number in the ATAR. If it is lower than you wanted, early offers, other subjects, adjustment schemes and alternative pathways are still open
Teachers: once the Year 12 class has left, finish the one task that still matters and leave the rest. The quiet period is real, but the work for next year’s students is already starting
Connect with Us
Instagram: https://instagram.com/lit.happensseniorenglish
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@lit.happensse
Email: [email protected]
Resources – available on Teachers Pay Teachers
Call to Action

Free - Successful habits Poster - Print one out and put it up!!!
Lit Happens Successful Habits.png
If you are thinking about tutoring, email [email protected] with the year level and the question or feedback you are stuck on. Share in the comments what the mark is not moving on. We will feature the most useful patterns next episode.

Music produced by

Instagram – @tmob2k

YouTube – @tmob2000
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube or your favourite platform. Visit https://lithappensse.com/ for more practical guides, downloadable resources and English teacher support across Years 7–12.

Subscribe and join us as we unpack English together!
#HSCEnglish #HSC2026 #ATAR #AfterTheExam #Year12English #EnglishTeacherNSW #SeniorEnglish #LitHappensPodcast #NSWteachers #HSCResults
31 min
October 21Is an HSC English Tutor Worth It? | Lit Happens S2E41
In this practical conversation we unpack what an English tutor actually does in an HSC year. We look at the gap between what families expect and what changes in practice, how a session works when a student knows the text but still misses the question, what has to happen after the hour, and who this work is for. Designed for students, parents and teachers wondering whether tutoring will move the work.
Key Questions Explored
What do people think a tutor does?
What do you do in the hour?
What has to happen after the session?
What shows up in the next assessment?
Who does this work for?
What won’t it do?
What would you tell someone who’s thinking about it?
Highlights from the Episode
Families often hope for more notes and quotes. What changes is whether the student can answer the question in front of them
We look at the question before the draft. Most writing goes off when it is too broad, retells the plot, names a technique without saying what it does, or recycles the essay already written
We stop the student in the session rather than waiting until the end. They leave with something they can try again on their own: a way of reading the question, a paragraph rewritten in front of us, a timed short answer, or a plan for the next one
One piece of writing in the week, not a new program. The hour on its own does not move the work
In the next assessment: short answers stay short, essays are not the same draft with a new introduction, and reading time is used
This works for the student who knows the text and still misses the question, the one whose feedback keeps saying the same thing, and the one who freezes once the timer starts. It is a different job if they have not read the text
It will not read the text for them, write the assessment, or guarantee a result
What to bring to a first session: the question, the draft, and the feedback they have already had
Connect with Us
Instagram: https://instagram.com/lit.happensseniorenglish
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@lit.happensse
Email: [email protected]
Resources – available on Teachers Pay Teachers
Call to Action

Free - Successful habits Poster - Print one out and put it up!!!
Lit Happens Successful Habits.png
If you are thinking about tutoring, email [email protected] with the year level and the question or feedback you are stuck on. Share in the comments what the mark is not moving on. We will feature the most useful patterns next episode.
Music produced by

Instagram – @tmob2k

YouTube – @tmob2000
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube or your favourite platform. Visit https://lithappensse.com/ for more practical guides, downloadable resources and English teacher support across Years 7–12.

Subscribe and join us as we unpack English together!
#HSCEnglish #HSCTutor #EnglishTutor #HSC2026 #Year12English #EnglishTeacherNSW #SeniorEnglish #LitHappensPodcast #NSWteachers #HSCExamPrep
37 min
October 14Starting Term 4: The Anxieties We Don’t Talk About | Lit Happens S2E40
In this staffroom-style Teacher Talk we open the Term 4 anxieties that usually stay unspoken. We name the specific pressures that hit first, how they feel in the classroom and at home, what has actually helped (even partially), and what we still do that does not. A short Teacher Tales moment and one small, realistic action each of us is taking this term.
What We Talk About
The anxiety that arrives first: the pile of marking, unfinished programs, or the sense that time has already gone
The gap between what was planned and what is still unfinished
Final assessments and reports landing at the same time
Supporting Year 12 (or Year 11 heading into senior) while managing our own fatigue
The quiet fear that we have not done enough
A Term 4 we both remember where the load spiked, and what actually got us through the week
One small, realistic action each of us is taking this Term 4
Highlights from the Episode
Naming the feeling before the strategy: what the first Term 4 anxiety looks like in the staffroom
The difference between a plan that still fits the weeks left and one that needs to be cut
What has helped, even partially: protecting one non-negotiable, sharing the load, or stopping one task that is no longer worth the time
What does not help but we still do: staying late for one more set, rewriting a program that will not be finished, or measuring the term only by what is left
A short Term 4 memory of when the pressure peaked and what carried the week
Closing action: one concrete thing each of us is doing this Term 4 that is small enough to start this week
Connect with Us
Instagram: https://instagram.com/lit.happensseniorenglish
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@lit.happensse
Email: [email protected]
Resources – available on Teachers Pay Teachers
Call to Action
What does your Term 4 anxiety look like this year? Share it in the comments or email [email protected]. We will feature the stories that help other teachers feel less alone.
Visit https://lithappensse.com/ for practical guides and resources.
Music produced by
Instagram – @tmob2k
YouTube – @tmob2000
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube or your favourite platform. Visit https://lithappensse.com/ for more practical guides, downloadable resources and English teacher support across Years 7–12.

Subscribe and join us as we unpack English together!
#Term4 #TeacherWellbeing #TeacherTalk #EnglishTeacherNSW #HSCEnglish #SeniorEnglish #LitHappensPodcast #TeacherTales #NSWteachers #AusTeachers
38 min
October 07Grandfinal Week HSC English - The Run Home| Lit Happens S2E39
In this practical episode we cut through the final-weeks noise. We look at what feels like study but does not lift marks, what actually works under exam pressure, how to structure a realistic week, and what to leave alone so students can start the habits that matter now. Designed for Year 12 students and the teachers supporting them into the HSC.
Key Questions Explored
What have you been doing that feels like study?
What does the research say works?
What does a week look like?
What do you leave alone, and what do you start immediately?
Highlights from the Episode
Highlighting notes, rereading the text, and rewriting the same essay feel productive. They are not the same as retrieving an argument under a new question
What works: short, timed writing to an unseen question, checking the response against the question words, then fixing one targeted gap
Paper 1 week: a few 12 to 15 minute short-answer drills, plus one Common Module essay to a fresh conceptual question, not a full paper every night
Paper 2 week: one Module A, one Module B, and one Module C piece, each written to the criteria in the paper. Forty minutes, then a last-minute checklist
Leave alone: new texts, new quote banks, and rewriting whole essays from scratch the night before
Start immediately: one pen, one timer, one question you have not already worn out. Write the first paragraph, then check whether the thesis still answers the question if the quotes are covered
Teachers: protect consolidation lessons. Retrieval, model a single improvement, and send students home with one timed task, not a new unit of content
Connect with Us
Instagram: https://instagram.com/lit.happensseniorenglish
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@lit.happensse
Email: [email protected]
Resources – available on Teachers Pay Teachers
Call to Action
Join the conversation at - https://lithappensse.com/.
HSC Papers
Mod A - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uvcM6CGjbJaXvalIlbT2QwS7ndXcZTOf/view?usp=drive_link
Mod B - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KEOYTC3p90YqWYOrabgA5Gr_1AKZdj4K/view?usp=drive_link
Mod C - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Pnm-a7rBKR4o3U4lqg4xp-1HqOo29Lzr/view?usp=drive_link

Music produced by
Instagram – @tmob2k
YouTube – @tmob2000
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube or your favourite platform. Visit https://lithappensse.com/ for more practical guides, downloadable resources and English teacher support across Years 7–12.
Subscribe and join us as we unpack English together!
#HSCEnglish #HSC2026 #ExamPrep #Paper1 #Paper2 #Year12English #EnglishTeacherNSW #SeniorEnglish #LitHappensPodcast #NSWteachers
40 min
September 30HSC English Paper 2: What Band 6 Responses Actually Do | Lit Happens S2E38
In this practical episode we unpack what Paper 2 actually marks across Modules A, B and C. We name the skill each section requires, how Advanced and Standard share those skills, and what the criteria printed in the paper reward when that skill is present. Designed for students sitting the HSC and the teachers preparing them.
Key Questions Explored
What is Paper 2 testing?
What skills does Module A require?
What skills does Module B require?
What skills does Module C require?
What do the criteria in the paper reward?
Highlights from the Episode
Time plan: 5 minutes reading, then about 40 minutes per section. Do not let Module A steal time from Module C
Module A test: if you can delete one title and the paragraph still works, you have not shown influence. Name what moved from one text to the other and what changed
Write the extent in paragraph one: “in large part”, “only in one strand”, or “not in the way the statement puts it”. Then use both texts to support and limit that claim
Module B test: if you delete the stylistic point and the paragraph is still complete, you used the quote as proof of a theme. Show how narration, sentence pattern, imagery or structure produces the idea
Treat a critical statement as one reading. Say which parts hold, which parts leave something out, and show that in the writing of the text
Module C verbs: continue means same person, tense and problem. Use as stimulus means a marker can still see the line or image you took. Incorporate an image means the image organises the whole piece
Pick one form in the opening and stay in it. Part (b) names one decision from your piece, the wording, and the effect. “I was influenced by the prescribed text” is not enough
Last minute of each section: check the statement is still in the body (A), this view and style are both answered (B), and you are still in the form and brief (C)

Connect with Us
Instagram: https://instagram.com/lit.happensseniorenglish
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@lit.happensse
Email: [email protected]
Resources – available on Teachers Pay Teachers
Call to Action
HSC Papers
Mod A - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uvcM6CGjbJaXvalIlbT2QwS7ndXcZTOf/view?usp=drive_link
Mod B - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KEOYTC3p90YqWYOrabgA5Gr_1AKZdj4K/view?usp=drive_link
Mod C - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Pnm-a7rBKR4o3U4lqg4xp-1HqOo29Lzr/view?usp=drive_link
Music produced by

Instagram – @tmob2k

YouTube – @tmob2000
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube or your favourite platform. Visit https://lithappensse.com/ for more practical guides, downloadable resources and English teacher support across Years 7–12.

Subscribe and join us as we unpack English together!
#HSCEnglish #Paper2 #ModuleA #ModuleB #ModuleC #HSC2026 #Band6English #EnglishTeacherNSW #SeniorEnglish #LitHappensPodcast #NSWteachers
31 min
September 23HSC English Paper 1: Short Answers and the Common Module Essay | Lit Happens S2E37
In this practical episode we focus on practising both sections of HSC English Paper 1 in the same week: unseen short answers and a Common Module essay written to a fresh question. We unpack what each section actually requires, how to use reading time, how to write a precise short-answer response, and how to practise the essay under timed conditions without recycling last term’s draft.
Key Questions Explored
Are you only practising one section of Paper 1?
What are you writing in Section I and Section II?
What should you do in the ten minutes of reading time?
How do you actually write a short-answer response?
How should you practise the Common Module essay this week?
Highlights from the Episode
Why treating short answers as a warm-up or recycling an old essay costs marks
What Texts and Human Experiences is actually asking you to discuss
Reading-time habits: questions first, first sentence ready, starred evidence
Strong short-answer first lines that answer the question, not just describe the text
Matching length to marks and linking technique to human experience
Essay practice under a new question: thesis and topic sentences that still stand without the quotes
A realistic weekly plan: short-answer drills plus one timed essay, not a full paper every night
Sample Unseen Extract and 4-Mark Response
Extract

The night before she left, my mother taught me to pack a suitcase as if the house might deny we had ever lived in it. Fold the shirts so the collars remember their names. Slide the photograph between the pages of a book that will not be opened on the train. She did not look at me. She looked at the zip. In the morning the platform was loud with other people’s goodbyes and I understood, too late, that leaving is not a single step. It is the moment you stop being the person who could still turn around. I kept my hands in my pockets so no one would see they were empty. Years later I can still hear the zip. It is the only honest sound in the memory.
Question (4 marks)

How does the composer represent the paradoxical nature of leaving as a human experience?
Weak opening

The composer represents leaving in this extract.
Strong opening

The composer represents leaving as a paradox: a departure that is at once a single mechanical act and the end of the self who might still have remained.
Sample 4-mark response

The composer represents leaving as a paradox: an act that resembles packing and is, in effect, the end of the self who could still have turned back. The simile of a house that “might deny we had ever lived in it” converts a domestic task into erasure, and the mother’s attention to the zip rather than to the child collapses the relationship into an object. On the platform the persona understands “too late” that leaving is not one step but the point at which return ceases to be possible. Hands held in pockets conceal the emptiness of the farewell, and the remembered zip becomes “the only honest sound,” which implies that memory itself cannot be trusted, only that small mechanical fact.
Key teaching points from the sample
Attend to the question words: how, represent, paradoxical, leaving, human experience
Do not recount the extract. Select two or three moments that make the paradox visible
Naming a technique is not enough. Explain what it does to the experience
A four-mark answer should stay tight. A restated conclusion adds little
Avoid first sentences such as “this text shows identity and belonging.” Make a contention instead
Connect with Us
Instagram: https://instagram.com/lit.happensseniorenglish
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@lit.happensse
Email: [email protected]
Resources – available on Teachers Pay Teachers
Call to Action

Pause the episode, write your own opening sentence to the sample question, and share it in the comments. We will feature the strongest ones next episode.
Music produced by

Instagram – @tmob2k

YouTube – @tmob2000
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube or your favourite platform. Visit https://lithappensse.com/ for more practical guides, downloadable resources and English teacher support across Years 7–12.

Subscribe and join us as we unpack English together!
#HSCEnglish #Paper1 #UnseenTexts #CommonModule #HSC2026 #Year12English #EnglishTeacherNSW #SeniorEnglish #LitHappensPodcast #NSWteachers
34 min
September 16How to Write Stronger Essay Body Paragraphs | Lit Happens S2E36
In this practical episode we focus on the heart of the essay: body paragraphs. We unpack their role in supporting the thesis, the structures students can use, how to build coherence and cohesion, and the revision strategies that turn competent analysis into higher-band writing. Designed for Year 11 and Year 12 students and the teachers supporting them.
Key Questions Explored
What is the role of body paragraphs in an essay?
What paragraph structures can students use?
How can students ensure coherence and cohesion?
How can students revise body paragraphs for clarity and impact?
What strategies help students elevate their analysis?
Highlights from the Episode
Body paragraphs as the place where evidence, analysis and argument actually develop the thesis
Useful structures: PEEL, TEE, C-E-R, plus variations such as PETAL, STEEL and STEW
How to stay focused on one idea per paragraph and link back to the thesis
Transitions, consistent structure and clear concluding sentences for flow
Revision strategies: read aloud, peer review, check evidence strength, refine language, and match band descriptors
Practical ways to move analysis from description to evaluation and insight
Connect with Us
Instagram: https://instagram.com/lit.happensseniorenglish
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@lit.happensse
Email: [email protected]
Resources – available on Teachers Pay Teachers
Call to Action
Share your favourite paragraph structure or a revision tip that works in the comments.
Music produced by
Instagram – @tmob2k
YouTube – @tmob2000
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube or your favourite platform. Visit https://lithappensse.com/ for more practical guides, downloadable resources and English teacher support across Years 7–12.

Subscribe and join us as we unpack English together!
#HSCEnglish #EssayWriting #BodyParagraphs #Band6English #HSC2026 #Year12English #EnglishTeacherNSW #SeniorEnglish #LitHappensPodcast #NSWteachers
41 min
September 09How to Write an Essay Introduction That Actually Impresses Markers | Lit Happens S2E35
In this practical episode we break down one of the most important parts of any HSC English essay: the introduction. We explore why it matters, what it must include, how to write a strong hook, the most common mistakes students make, and how to revise for clarity and impact. Designed for Year 11 and Year 12 students and the teachers supporting them.
Key Questions Explored
Why is the introduction important in an essay?
What elements should be included in an effective introduction?
How can students create an engaging hook for their introductions?
What are some common pitfalls to avoid when writing an introduction?
How can students revise their introductions for clarity and impact?
Highlights from the Episode
Why the introduction is the essay’s first impression, roadmap and argument foundation
Essential elements: contextual opening, clear thesis, signposting, confident academic tone
Hooks that work: conceptual statements, provocative questions and purposeful quotes (not “since the dawn of time”)
Common pitfalls: vague openings, restating the question, overloading with evidence, weak or missing thesis
Revision checklist: read the intro in isolation, strengthen the thesis, check alignment with the body, cut fluff
Ready-to-use sentence stems for context, thesis and signposting
Connect with Us
Instagram: https://instagram.com/lit.happensseniorenglish
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@lit.happensse
Email: [email protected]
Resources – available on Teachers Pay Teachers
Call to Action
Share your best introduction tip or a hook that actually works in the comments. We will feature the strongest ones next episode.
Music produced by

Instagram – @tmob2k

YouTube – @tmob2000
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube or your favourite platform. Visit https://lithappensse.com/ for more practical guides, downloadable resources and English teacher support across Years 7–12.

Subscribe and join us as we unpack English together!
#HSCEnglish #EssayWriting #EssayIntroduction #Band6English #HSC2026 #Year12English #EnglishTeacherNSW #SeniorEnglish #LitHappensPodcast #NSWteachers
46 min

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