Senior Phase English

In S4 all pupils begin their journey in a 'National' class. Over the course of the first two terms the class teacher will gather evidence to decide which level is most appropriate for each pupil to be presented at. The decision regarding presentation level will, in most cases, be finalised after the January prelim exam. If pupils are presented for National 3 or 4 these will be internally assessed - in these courses, pupils will continue to develop their reading and writing skills with particular focus on understanding and analysis.

In S5 pupils will have the above options but may also be presented for Higher English and in S6 pupils will have the additional option of Advanced Higher.

National 5 English: In the N5 course pupils will sit an exam worth 70% of their overall course award. The exam will consist of a Critical Reading paper (40%) and a Reading for Understanding, Analysis and Evaluation paper (30%). In addition to the exam pupils will submit a folio of writing which is prepared at class/home and submitted in March. The folio consists of two pieces of writing - one creative/personal and the other discursive/persuasive - the folio constitutes the remaining 30% of the course award.

Higher English: As with N5, the Higher course requires pupils to sit an exam worth 70% of their overall course award. The exam will consist of a Critical Reading paper (40%) and a Reading for Understanding, Analysis and Evaluation paper (30%). In addition to the exam pupils will submit a folio of writing which is prepared at class/home and submitted in March. The folio consists of two pieces of writing - one creative/personal and the other discursive/persuasive - the folio constitutes the remaining 30% of the course award.

Advanced Higher: The AH English course is both challenging and rewarding - allowing pupils the opportunity for the in-depth study of texts which is both teacher led and independent. The exam is worth 40% of the final course award and is made up of two papers: Textual Analysis (20%) and the Literary Study (20%). In addition to this, learners submit a dissertation (30%) and a portfolio of writing (30%).

Homework:Pupils will receive frequent homework for English that is related to their class study and exam practice. It is also important that pupils continue to read widely - in particular focusing on quality non-fiction texts such as newspaper articles.