The paper reports on the results of a study aiming to investigate the cohesion of exposition texts written by eleventh graders of a school in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. The study used a qualitative case study research design, especially text analysis, involving 32 students. In the interest of space, the paper will present the data obtained from six texts written by 6 students, representing low, mid, and high achievers. The texts were analyzed using systemic functional linguistics (SFL), especially in terms of schematic structure and linguistic features, especially those contributing to the cohesion of the texts, such as Theme progression and cohesive devices. The results show that all texts show students’ grasp and understanding of the schematic structure of an exposition, including thesis, argument, and restatement of the thesis. All texts also successfully use the zig-zag and the Theme reiteration patterns, which indicate the students’ emerging capacity to create a text with cohesion at the clause level. However, only texts written by high achievers employ the multiple Theme pattern, indicating the students’ emerging capacity to create a text with better sense of connectedness, unity, and flow of information at the global level. High achiever texts also employ discourse features which allow the reader to predict how the text will unfold and guide them to a line of understanding of a text as a whole. Moreover, in terms of cohesive devices, all texts use some simple cohesive devices—reference, lexical cohesion, and conjunction. It should be mentioned that all texts are rudimentary with some inappropriate word choices and grammatical problems. This suggests that the students still needed more guidance and time to do research on the topic in focus, to go through the process of writing as professional do, to allow them to create a better text with more elaboration and characteristics of written language with consistency and accuracy. It is recommended that further research on different perspectives and foci of analysis of different text types using systemic functional linguistics, with more representative samples, and studies on the teaching of writing be conducted.

This paper explores the recontexualisation of issues surrounding NAPLAN test in the media through the lens of Systemic Functional Linguistics. In particular, this paper considers interpersonal meanings shared by journalists or media regarding the construal of NAPLAN test in Australian context. To obtain a comprehensive view regarding the construal, Appraisal analysis is deployed. Two different texts about a controversy of NAPLAN test in Australia are selected to be analysed: a hard news story and a comment piece. In addition to text analysis, an image accompanying the hard news story and a cartoon relating to the controversy of NAPLAN test are analysed to find out the realisation of meanings across two semiotic modes (texts and images). The results suggest that there are distinct patterns of realisation of evaluative meanings in these two texts. On the one hand, the hard news story tends to use indirect evaluation of either judgment or appreciation when dealing with the issue. On the other hand, evaluative meanings shared throughout the comment piece tend to be direct, negatively evaluating NAPLAN test and the educational system pertinent to the testing policy. In terms of text-image relations, results of analyses suggest that both texts and images orient readers to align with shared values regarding the construal of the controversial NAPLAN test in the Australian context.

English as Foreign Language (EFL) textbooks contain texts with topics integrated from content areas, such as science. In Thai basic education, learning in content areas is typically done in Thai. Therefore, EFL reading texts provide learners with primary exposure to building content knowledge in English. This raises an issue about how the language of these EFL texts is organised, and if they can help the learners’ transition to university where they are required to read content area texts in English. The paper provides an in-depth demonstration of how linguistic analysis can inform the choice of model texts for teaching EFL reading. It deploys a qualitative linguistic analysis method drawing on Systemic Functional Linguistics. The data are the scientific descriptive report texts in EFL textbooks used in a Southern Thailand secondary school. They are compiled in a small corpus, and one text is selected purposively to demonstrate how linguistic analysis can be used to assess the text. The text is analysed using a ‘top-down’ approach, from genre stratum down to the lexicogrammar, with the purpose of examining the text’s ideational, interpersonal, and textual resources to build up scientific knowledge. The findings show that the text does not conform to scientific descriptive reports’ discursive and linguistic features due to its extra stages, incomplete scientific taxonomies, relatively low technicality, low social distance and authority, and incoherent thematic flow. Hence, the quality of the text as a model becomes problematic. Learners learning from these teaching materials may experience challenges when they read authentic science texts at the university level. The paper offers a viable alternative methodological resource for educators to use a systematic, critical and linguistically-grounded evaluation in EFL reading classes.

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