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Why study English?
Language and literacy are of personal, social and economic importance. Your ability to use language lies at the centre of the development and expression of your emotions, thinking, learning and sense of personal identity.
This course gives you the opportunity to develop skills in listening, talking, reading and writing, which are essential for learning, life and work. You will develop your ability to communicate your thoughts and feelings and respond to those of other people.
The skills that you develop in English are useful in a wide range of careers; these include teaching, editorial, journalism, administration, legal work or in the arts.
What do I need to get in?
Entry is at the discretion of the school or college, but you would normally be expected to have:
What will I study?
This course develops skills of listening, talking, reading and writing in order to understand and use language. As you develop your literacy skills, you will be able to process information more easily, apply knowledge of language in practical and relevant contexts, and gain confidence to undertake new and more challenging tasks in a variety of situations.
The course consists of two compulsory units and the course assessment unit.
English: Analysis and Evaluation (9 SCQF credit points)
In this unit you will:
- develop listening and reading skills in the contexts of literature, language and media
- develop the skills needed to understand, analyse and evaluate detailed and complex texts.
English: Creation and Production (9 SCQF credit points)
In this unit you will:
- develop talking and writing skills in a wide range of contexts
- develop the skills needed to create and produce detailed and complex texts in both written and oral forms.
How will I be assessed?
Course Assessment (6 SCQF credit points)
The course assessment consists of two components:
- a question paper: reading (70 marks)
- a portfolio: writing (30 marks).
The question paper will assess how you apply your reading skills in a familiar but challenging context. The question paper will be set and marked by SQA.
The portfolio will assess your creative and discursive writing skills.
Your work will be assessed by your teacher on an ongoing basis throughout the course. You must pass both units and the course assessment to gain the course qualification.
The course assessment is graded A-D. Your grade will depend on the total mark for all the units in your course.
What can I go on to next?
If you complete the course successfully, it may lead to:
Further study, training or employment in:
Which jobs are related to this subject?
Where can my parents find out more?
Your school will give your parents an Options or Choices information booklet, which has detailed information on the curriculum and the individual subjects or courses you can study. It will also invite them along to a Parents’ Information Evening.
They can also read the information leaflet(s):
Highers in a Nutshell - English (CfE Higher)