English Department
Dunoon Grammar School
Course Structure
Intermediate 1
The award of Intermediate 1 English will be based on a
combination of internal and external assessment. To gain the
award, pupils must achieve a pass in all the component Units
of the Course as well as a pass in the external assessment.
The external assessment (examination) has an 80% weighting
and the folio of writing has a 20% weighting.
Component Units (NABs)
Language Study: Close reading and one essay
Literary Study: Textual analysis of unseen text
External examination
The external examination will last for 1 hour 45 minutes.
There will be two papers:
Close Reading (1 hour) 40% weighting
Critical Essay (45 minutes) 40% weighting
Close Reading
In response to a series of questions, pupils will be required to
demonstrate their ability to understand, analyse and
evaluate a passage of unseen prose.
Critical Essay
In response to one question from a range of questions, pupils
will be required to write a Critical Essay demonstrating their
ability to understand, analyse and evaluate previously
studied drama, prose, poetry, film and TV drama, or
language text(s).
Folio of Writing
The folio will be externally assessed for grading purposes.
One piece of writing must be submitted, either of a broadly
creative nature, or of a broadly discursive nature.
Intermediate 2
The award of Intermediate 2 English will be based on a
combination of internal and external assessment. To gain the
award, pupils must achieve a pass in all the component Units
of the Course as well as a pass in the external assessment.
The external assessment (examination) has an 80% weighting
and the folio of writing has a 20% weighting.
Component Units (NABs)
Language Study: Close reading and one essay
Literary Study: Textual analysis of unseen text
External examination
The external examination will last for 2 hours 30 minutes.
There will be two papers:
Close Reading (1 hour) 40% weighting
Critical Essay (1 hour 30 minutes) 40% weighting
Close Reading
In response to a series of questions, pupils will be required to
demonstrate their ability to understand, analyse and
evaluate a passage of unseen prose.
Critical Essay
Selecting from a range of questions, pupils will be required to
write two Critical Essays, each on a different genre, chosen
from the following: drama, prose, poetry, film and TV drama,
or language. In the Course of their responses, pupils will be
required to demonstrate their ability to understand, analyse
and evaluate previously studied texts.
Folio of Writing
The folio will be externally assessed for grading purposes.
Two pieces of writing must be submitted:
 one piece of writing must be of a broadly creative
nature
 one piece of writing must be of a broadly discursive
nature.
Higher
The award of Higher English will be based on a combination
of internal and external assessment. To gain the award, the
pupils must achieve a pass in all the component Units of the
Course as well as a pass in the external assessment. The
external assessment (examination) has an 80% weighting and
the folio of writing a 20% weighting.
Component Units (NABs)
Language Study: Close reading and one essay
Literary Study: Textual analysis of unseen text
External examination
The external examination will last for 3 hours 15 minutes.
There will be two papers:
Close Reading (1 hour 45 minutes) 40% weighting
Critical Essay (1 hour 30 minutes) 40% weighting
Close Reading
In response to a series of questions, pupils will be required to
demonstrate their ability to understand, analyse and
evaluate two thematically linked passages of unseen prose.
Critical Essay
Selecting from a range of questions, candidates will be
required to write two Critical Essays, each on a different
genre, chosen from the following: drama, prose, poetry, film
and TV drama, or language. In the Course of their responses,
pupils will be required to demonstrate their ability to
understand, analyse and evaluate previously studied texts.
Folio of Writing
The folio will be externally assessed for grading purposes.
Two pieces of writing must be submitted:
 one piece of writing must be of a broadly creative
nature
 one piece of writing must be of a broadly discursive
nature.
Course Content
Pupils will study a range of texts at Int.1, Int.2 and Higher
during S5/S6. A selection of some of the texts are as follows:
Term One – Poetry
‘The Choosing’ by Liz Lochhead
‘Mid-Term Break’ by Seamus Heaney
‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ by Wilfred Owen
‘King Billy’ by Edwin Morgan
‘Iolaire’ by Iain Crichton Smith
‘Revelation’ by Liz Lochhead
‘In Mrs Tilscher’s Class’ by Carol Ann Duffy
‘Ambulances’ by Philip Larkin
Term Two – Drama/Media
‘Whose Life is it Anyway?’ by Brian Clark
‘Death of a Salesman’ by Arthur Miller
‘The Crucible’ by Arthur Miller
‘A View from the Bridge’ by Arthur Miller
‘Othello’ by William Shakespeare
‘The Angels’ Share’ directed by Ken Loach
Term Three – Prose
‘Beggars of Britain’ by Tony Parsons
‘The Darkness Out There’ by Penelope Lively
‘By the Burn’ by James Kelman
‘The Fly-paper’ by Elizabeth Taylor
‘The Lighthouse’ by Agnes Owens
Exam Content
The content of the English examinations (at all levels)
has been outlined above. However, here is some very
useful advice:
One of the biggest mistakes people make in exams is
failing to read the questions properly.
 Read through the exam questions once and then
re-read each question.

Remember that even reading the wording
slightly wrong can cause problems so check
thoroughly.
 Jot down some quick notes (quotations from
your texts) and main ideas that will help you
answer the critical essay question(s).
With only a limited amount available, planning your
time well in an exam is crucial.
 Use the number of marks each question is worth
as a guide to its importance, particularly in the
Close Reading Paper.
 Remember, you do not always have to tackle the
questions in the order that they appear on the
paper. However, do not leave gaps in close
reading answers – always write something.
 Start with the critical essay (Paper II) that you
are most confident in tackling – it is good for
your confidence!
 Keep a close watch on the time that you have
allocated to each question in the Critical Essay
Paper (Int.2 and Higher).
Component Units (NABs)
What are you being asked to do?
Language Study:


Understand, analyse and evaluate a non-fiction text
through successfully answering a variety of question
types.
Compose a piece of writing in a particular genre.
Literary Study:
 Analysis of an unseen text (a poem, an extract from a
short story or an extract from a drama script).
Past Papers
Official SQA Past Papers can be purchased from Bright
Red Publishing
Practice Papers
Leckie & Leckie
Revision Textbooks/Support Materials
Hodder Gibson’s titles include:
‘Higher English Close Reading’ by Ann Bridges and Colin
Eckford
‘Flash Revise Higher English Close Reading’ by Colin
Eckford
‘English Language Skills for Intermediate Level’ by M
Firth and A Ralston
Plan
Literature:
Term One – Poetry
Term Two – Drama/Media
Term Three – Prose (Fiction and Non-fiction)
Term Four – Revision of all text.
Close Reading:
Introduction to Close Reading-22nd October to
9th November 2012
Close reading activities will permeate the course from
November 2012 to May 2013.
Article Summaries:
Pupils will read and then summarise one article
summary from a quality broadsheet newspaper every
week. This will be submitted for assessment and
provides essential skill development for pupils at all
levels.
Folio Deadlines:
Essay One: Friday 5th October 2012
Essay One (resubmission): Monday 3rd December 2012
Essay Two: Wednesday 19th December 2012
Essay Two (resubmission): TBC
Key Exam dates
Friday 17th May 2013
Intermediate 1
Close Reading 9·00 am – 10·00 am
Critical Essay 10·20 am – 11·05 am
Intermediate 2
Close Reading 1·00 pm – 2·00 pm
Critical Essay 2·05 pm – 3·35 pm
Monday 20th May 2013
Supported Study
Higher
Close Reading 9·00 am – 10·45 am
Critical Essay 11·05 am – 12·35pm
Staff frequently offer Supported Study at lunchtime and
after school. Sessions tend to focus on specific needs
Useful revision
guides and links
(identified by pupils) and often allow staff to work with
pupils on a one-to-one basis. This support is provided
on a voluntary basis outwith contracted hours.
Try the SQA’s website for past papers and answers
www.sqa.org.uk/pastpapersand a handy guide
to making the most of your course work
www.sqa.org.uk/yourcoursework
You will find lots of helpful resources on the BBC
website – brain training at BBC Brainsmart
www.bbc.co.uk/brainsmart and BBC Bitesize
www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize for revision tips.
Learning Teaching Scotland also has some study skills
advice available online
www.ltscotland.org.uk/studyskills
For pupils revising literature, Spark Notes’ literature
section includes brief analyses of characters, themes
and plots. They can be extremely useful and can be
found at www.sparknotes.com
Course Level
Homework
Pupils will be expected to:





Produce one article summary every week.
Complete critical essays and close reading
assignments when directed by their class teacher.
Create Study Cards to support their learning.
Read widely (fiction and non-fiction) to enhance
their knowledge about language.
Become more independent in their learning.