The Edinburgh Academy

English (Language)

Pupils are required to show competence in various writing and oral skills. They are asked to respond in a variety of ways to non-fiction, media and literary texts

Paper 1: Non-Fiction Media Texts and Information. Three specifi c skills are tested: summarising, the analysis of language in a media article, and writing to inform, explain and describe.

Paper 2: Other Cultures, Analysis and Argument. Again, three skills are examined: the analysis of literature from other cultures, writing to analyse, review, comment, and writing to argue, persuade, advise.

Oral: Marks are submitted based on at least three specific exercises that include a talk, role, and discussion.

English Literature

Pupils will respond critically, analytically and imaginatively to three 20th Century texts from each of the genres of prose, poetry and drama.

Coursework: A combined folder is submitted that includes work for both English and English Literature. This is written during the Fourth Year and developed before submission in the Fifth. Essays are written on the following topics:

1. a play by Shakespeare,
2. pre-20th Century prose,
3. pre-20th Century poetry,
4. imaginative writing

What is Intermediate 2?

This course provides the opportunity to continue the study of English and Scottish Literature at a level that is one step up from GCSE or Standard Grade, and one step down from Higher.

This is a valuable course in its own right, because it develops pupils, understanding of themselves, other people, and the rest of the world as well as the ability to communicate with that world. It also forms an appropriate stepping stone to Higher in the 7ths.

Entry to Int 2 & Higher

For entry to this course, a minimum of two C grades at GCSE English and English Literature or a General level at Standard Grade is required.

The course forms an ideal preparation for Higher which follows the same format although it is of a more demanding standard. For progression to Higher, one would normally expect to have attained at least a C grade at Intermediate 2.

Internal Assessment

Internal Assessment is on a pass/fail basis. The material may be used for estimating grades and as evidence for appeal, which should pre-empt any temptation for students to be complacent.

Four aspects of English will be internally assessed by means of the following hour long Unit Tests:

Close Reading: a paper composed of comprehension and interpretation questions on an extract of nonfiction.

Textual Analysis: a paper composed of the same type of questions on a literary text.

Writing: a creative, reflective or argumentative essay of at least 650 words which is prepared over several weeks.

Personal Study: an essay written in the same conditions as above but on a piece of literature selected for study by the students themselves. No teacher assistance is permitted for this, bar general comment in preparation.

External Assessment

External Assessment is composed of an examination in May which involves two papers, the first of an hour long and the second of an hour and a half:

Paper 1 — Close Reading: a paper composed of comprehension and interpretation questions on two extracts of non-fi ction, at least one of which is usually a newspaper article.

Paper 2 — Critical Essays: a paper devoted to essay questions on all three genres of literature studied over the year. Only two questions must be answered so a pupil may select which texts to answer on.