In English you will be given opportunities to study texts: plays, novels, short stories and poems. You will write your own imaginative stories, informative reports and so on.

You will be encouraged to develop listening and thinking skills. Opportunities will be given to talk, give presentations and debate ideas. You will be asked to consider how your English and Literacy skills make links with other subjects you are studying at school and what you hope to do when you eventually leave school.

S1 - S3 Course information

With the introduction of 'A curriculum for Excellence' our course in English covers three areas. The first we call 'Knowledge about Language' - in this part of the course we teach literacy skills including spelling and grammar. This should lead to more secure reading and improved writing. The second part of the course we call 'Texts' - in this section we read and respond to English texts such as poems, short stories, novels and plays. You will also get to choose your own texts from our Library and will be encouraged to read during class time. The third part of our course is called 'Opportunities' - here students are given a choice of topic and they work actively and collaboratively with other students to produce a 'performance' where they present the fruits of their work. Recent 'opportunities' have included: drama, debating, improving creative writing, journalism, verse and song writing, card marking, puppet theatre and hopefully many more. As a result of these three types of experience our intention is that students in English may become more confident individuals, effective contributors and successful learners. Some of our topics (such as debating, speech writing and Scots) also take into account what it means to be a Responsible Citizen.

S3/4 Course Information

At present (until the new National Awards become available) we run a number of courses which are tailored to student need. These include Foundation / General Standard Grade (or Access 3): General / Credit Standard Grade (or Intermediate 2). In all of these courses students study: Texts (followed by a written critical response), Close Reading, Textual Analysis and Writing in various genres. Standard Grade also includes a Talk Element which includes group discussion and individual presentations.

S5/6 Course Information

NQ English is a course structured in two units. In order to enter the exam in May students are required to pass units in school. There is an English Language unit where students develop skills in close reading and writing. From this comes a writing folio. In the English Literature unit students study and respond to texts. They also develop skills in textual analysis. Success in the units will result in being presented for the appropriate exam which consists of a close reading paper and critical essay(s) NQ Courses are currently offered at Intermediate 1, Intermediate 2, Higher and Advanced Higher Levels.

COURSE TITLE: ENGLISH: Intermediate 1

THE PREFERRED ENTRY LEVEL:

Standard Grade 4/5 in Reading, 5/6 in Writing and Talking, Access 3.

COURSE STRUCTURE:

The course comprises two units: Unit 1: Language Study, Unit 2: Literary Study. There is a balance between coursework (which must be passed for the candidate to be presented for the external exam) and a final exam in May of two papers; one close reading weighted as 40% of final grade and one literature essay also weighted at 40%. However, unlike many subjects, these will not be taught separately: because of the nature of English and the inter-relationship between language and literature the course will be taught in an integrated way. In addition, as from 2010 candidates will be required to produce a writing folio, from which one essay will be sent to the SQA for external marking. This will be weighted at 20% of final grade.

TEACHING AND LEARNING ACTIVITIES INCLUDING HOMEWORK, PLUS ASSESSMENT:

You will learn in a variety of ways – in group and whole class lessons in the classroom, and through the self-discipline necessary to complete an individual writing folio. Homework will be given most weeks and will often focus on developing Close Reading skills through reading non fiction articles found in newspapers or on the internet.

In the course of the year, there will be several formal assessments which you must pass in order to achieve each unit award. If you fail these assessments you will normally be allowed one further attempt to pass.

PROGRESSION

Successful completion of this course may lead to study at Intermediate 2.

THE RELATIONSHIP TO FUTURE CAREERS:

This subject is essential for students, whatever their particular career ideas. We encourage students to develop organisational skills, critical thinking skills and communication skills – especially written. These are requirements at all levels of industry, business and education.

COURSE TITLE: ENGLISH: Intermediate 2

THE PREFERRED ENTRY LEVEL

An overall Standard Grade 3 with at least a 3 in Reading, Standard Grade 3/4 in Writing and Talking or Intermediate 1 (A or B).

COURSE STRUCTURE

The course comprises two units: Unit 1: Language Study, Unit 2: Literary Study. There is a balance between coursework (which must be passed for the candidate to be presented for the external exam) and a final exam of two papers; one close reading weighted at 40% of final grade, one literature consisting of two critical essays weighted at 40% of final grade. However, unlike many subjects, these will not be taught separately: because of the nature of English and the inter-relationship between language and literature the course will be taught in an integrated way. In addition, as from 2010 candidates will be required to produce a writing folio, from which two essays of different genres will be sent to the SQA for external marking. This will be weighted at 20% of final grade.

TEACHING AND LEARNING ACTIVITIES INCLUDING HOMEWORK, PLUS ASSESSMENT

In the course of the year, there will be several formal assessments which you must pass in order to achieve each unit award. If you fail these assessments you will normally be allowed one further attempt to pass. If you fail for a second time, it is likely that you will be presented for the level below. eg If after two attempts you still show that you cannot pass a unit at Intermediate 2, you will be presented at the level below – Intermediate 1.

PROGRESSION

Successful completion of this course may lead to study at Higher.

THE RELATIONSHIP TO FUTURE CAREERS

COURSE TITLE: ENGLISH: Higher

THE PREFERRED ENTRY LEVEL

Standard Grade 1 or 2 with at least a 2 in Reading, Writing and Talking or Intermediate 2 (A or B). For those with aspirations of Higher, but who have an Intermediate 2 (C) or a 3 in their Reading or Writing elements at Standard Grade we recommend a two year Higher Course which may or may not have an Intermediate 2 exam in S5.

COURSE STRUCTURE

The course comprises two units: Unit 1: Language Study and Unit 2: Literary Study. There is a balance between coursework – which must be passed for the candidate to be presented for the external exam – and a final exam of two papers; one close reading of two papers weighted at 40% of final grade and the other two critical essays weighted at 40% of final grade. However, unlike many subjects, these will not be taught separately: because of the nature of English and the inter-relationship between language and literature the course will be taught in an integrated way. In addition, as from 2010 candidates will be required to produce a writing folio, from which two essays of different genres will be sent to the SQA for external marking. This will be weighted at 20% of final grade.

TEACHING AND LEARNING ACTIVITIES INCLUDING HOMEWORK, PLUS ASSESSMENT

You will learn in a variety of ways – in groups and whole class lessons in the classroom, and through the self-discipline necessary to complete the folio, the preparation for which must be completed largely at home. Homework will be given most weeks and will often focus on close reading skills by reading non fiction articles found in newspapers or on the internet. Candidates will have to show an ability to work to deadlines.

In the course of the year, there will be several formal assessments which you must pass in order to achieve each unit award. If you fail these assessments you will normally be allowed one further attempt to pass. If you fail for a second time, it is likely that you will be presented for the level below. e.g. If after two attempts you still show that you cannot pass a unit at Higher, you will be presented at the level below – Intermediate 2.

PROGRESSION

To college/university courses.

THE RELATIONSHIP TO FUTURE CAREERS

COURSE TITLE: ENGLISH: Advanced Higher

THE PREFERRED ENTRY LEVEL

Higher English at A or B. For those with Higher C we would recommend repeating Higher.

COURSE STRUCTURE

There are three component units in the course: two mandatory 40-hour units (English: Specialist Study and English: Literary Study) and one optional 40-hour unit (to be selected from English: Language Study, English: Textual Analysis, English: Reading the Media, English: Creative Writing).

TEACHING AND LEARNING ACTIVITIES INCLUDING HOMEWORK, PLUS ASSESSMENT

In the English Specialist study (mandatory) candidates must produce a dissertation on an agreed topic by 30 April. This dissertation will be approximately 4,000 words long. This dissertation will be produced in stages: proposal and brief outline, first draft, final submission. This piece of work will be largely unassisted therefore candidates will need to be able to demonstrate an ability to work independently and to keep deadlines.

In the other mandatory unit (English Literary Study) candidates will attend an exam (in May) similar to the Critical Essay paper at Higher only this time they will write one essay over a period of 90 minutes. This will be an extended piece of writing in response to an unseen question on previously studied text(s).

If Creative Writing is the option undertaken there is a folio submission of two pieces of writing from two different genres instead of any further examination.

PROGRESSION

To college or university course

THE RELATIONSHIP TO FUTURE CAREERS

The benefits of taking and successfully completing the Advanced Higher course are several. Candidates will

• possess an externally assessed award at a level specified as an entry qualification for various higher education courses

• gain a qualification which, for some further and higher education courses, carries a credit transfer rating allowing accelerated progression on those courses

• gain a qualification which signals an ability to demonstrate a range of high order skills across a number of sophisticated purposes

• possess a level of linguistic competence which will enable them to access other areas of the curriculum at an advanced level.

COURSE TITLE: ENGLISH Standard Grade (Offered at Foundation, General and Credit levels)

National Qualifications (Offered at Access 2, Access 3,

Intermediate 1 and Intermediate 2 levels)

DEPARTMENT: English

THE CONTENT / TOPICS / MAIN SKILLS COVERED IN THIS COURSE:

Standard Grade English is assessed in three parts - Reading, Writing and Talking. Students will read a range of texts, fiction and non-fiction, in order to become more familiar with ways in which the English Language is used. They will then write in a variety of ways, exploring technique and methods of expression. All activities will be underpinned by speaking and listening which may be formally assessed in Standard Grade course, but not in Access or Intermediate courses.

THE TEACHING AND LEARNING ACTIVITIES FOR STUDENTS IN THIS COURSE:

Students will learn in a variety of ways: by listening and responding to the teacher, by discussing topics in groups and in pairs, and by working independently. They will be encouraged to make use of word processors to produce written work and will, in addition to the written word, make use of non-print texts - eg TV programmes, videos/DVDs - throughout the course.

HOMEWORK AND ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES WHICH ARE BUILT INTO THIS COURSE:

Homeworkis given as the course demands and will vary. Students may be asked to finish off a piece of writing, to read part of a text and answer close reading questions, or to prepare material for a discussion.

RegularAssessment of students' progress and attainment will take place throughout the academic year, using National Assessment Bank materials as appropriate these will sometimes be marked by the teacher, sometimes peer assessed. Students will build up a folio of assessed work which may be used in the final folio of work submitted to the Exam Board (in the case of students sitting Standard Grade). Int 1 and Int 2 Students submit a writing folio. There will be a formal end of course examination for all students taking Standard Grade, Intermediate 1 and 2, and Higher courses.

Opportunities which can follow these courses in fifth/sixth year

4^thYear 5^thYear 6^th Year

Access 2/3 Plus SG Foundation	ð	Intermediate 1 Pass at A/B	ð	Intermediate 2

Access 2/3 / Int 1 Plus SG General	ð	Intermediate 2 Pass at A/B	ð	Higher

Intermediate 2 Pass at A/B Plus SG Credit	ð	Higher	ð	Advanced Higher

THE RELATIONSHIP OF THIS COURSE TO FUTURE CAREER OPPORTUNITIES:

Success in English is essential for students, whatever their particular career ideas. We encourage students to develop organisational skills, critical thinking skills and communication skills – especially written. These are requirements at all levels of industry, business and education.