English

Purpose

The English course is designed to progressively develop competence in the three basic areas of English studies: reading and viewing, writing, speaking and listening. Within this framework, students are given the opportunity to: 

• Gain a critical understanding of language as an instrument for clear, honest and effective communication 

• Expand and enhance their creative and imaginative gifts 

• Become proficient in the processes of drafting, editing and assessing their own writing 

• Learn to read with enjoyment, perception and discrimination 

• Read notable and worthy texts from the English canon 

• Gain competence in their ability to evaluate information, organise ideas and form an opinion 

• Develop confidence in their ability to formulate, articulate and express (verbally or in writing) their thoughts and feelings about themselves, their world and their reading.

Structure and Content

English is organised as one block over the whole year. The course focuses on literature, issues and the media, writing skills and oral work. Over the course of the year, this will involve students developing the ability to: 

• Write with clarity and creativity in various styles, based around a pre-determined theme or Context 

• Redraft writing pieces 

• Understand and analyse literature 

• Write a well-structured essay in response to a text 

• Comprehend the purpose of meaning in various types of writing, including a range of media texts, and perceive differences between them 

• Punctuate and spell correctly 

• Speak clearly and with purpose for different contexts and audiences 

• Understand the role of the media and the way that opinion and persuasion are embedded within it 

• Respond to issues by persuasively presenting an oral or written point of view.