ABSTRACT
The term ‘critical literacy’ has become a popular rubric in discussions about the kind of reading and writing students should be moving towards during their schooling. But ease of use is not clarity of reference. Just what does a critical approach to texts and textual practices entail? What kinds of linguistic proficiencies does it build on and presuppose? How are these related to the more mainstream (and perhaps mundane) proficiencies privileged in examination rooms? Is the critical literacy territory open to all students whatever their diverse starting points—their social and linguistic formations?
