National 4 English
National 4 English
Students moving into National 4 will conclude their broad general education in English through developing their skills in listening, talking, reading and writing. Learners will study a broad range of texts through a balance of language and literature.
Pupils will experience the four units of the course through the following activities:
- Analysis and Evaluation
Learners will read plays, novels, poems, non-fiction, media and respond to these texts in order to show understanding of the writer’s craft.
- Creation and Production
Learners will write stories, poems, plays, discursive essays and reports in order to demonstrate understanding of ideas, issues, information and linguistic/literary techniques.
- Literacy
Learners will read and listen to respond to straightforward texts and talk and write to communicate straightforward ideas and information using language which is mostly technically accurate.
- Added Value
Learners will carry out an investigation of a chosen topic involving language, literature or media and present their findings.
All these activities will feature a combination of continuous assessment and summative assessment carried out internally by the English department and confirmed through the SQA’s moderation procedures. The course enables learners to focus on the skills required to understand and use language and to integrate listening and talking, reading and writing skills across the four units.
The completion of the literacy unit is considered by SQA as demonstrating the basic standard that should be attainable by all pupils across Scotland.
Pupils must successfully complete all of the units before the qualification can be gained. A pass at National 4 would normally be expected to allow learners to progress towards participation in the National 5 course. For those who do well in National 4, but who may struggle to pass the National 5 exam at the end of S4, there will be the opportunity to work on National 5 units as part of a two year National 5 course.