English National Qualifications

What are the courses?

• Higher
• Intermediate 2
• Intermediate 1

What are the entry requirements?

• Higher – Credit 2 or 1 in both Reading and Writing
• Intermediate 2 – General 3 in both Reading and Writing
• Intermediate 1 – General 4 overall award

Each NQ English course has 2 units:

Unit 1 - LANGUAGE

Writing|
Pupils will explore 2 broad types of writing – personal/creative and discursive. They will have opportunities to research, plan and discuss their writing. Writing pieces must be done in class under test conditions.

• One piece of writing counts towards the unit pass.
• The new WRITING FOLIO - 2 best pieces, one from each of the 2 broad types above - also counts for 20% of the final assessment.

Close Reading
Pupils will practise close reading skills by focusing on discrete language and literary techniques, as well as by reading, decoding, discussing and analysing a variety of fiction and non-fiction texts. Close Reading is examined in the final SQA examination – Paper I.

• Pupils must also pass a Close Reading NAB to pass the unit.

Unit Two - LITERATURE

Pupils will study a variety of literature of different genres. There will be a variety of learning activities: reading, note-taking, discussion, group work, essay writing etc. Critical Essay writing is examined in the final SQA examination – Paper II.

• Pupils must pass a Textual Analysis NAB to pass the unit.

Pupils must pass the units in order to sit the exam, worth 80% of the final SQA Award.

Why do some pupils find it difficult to progress from S Grade to NQ English?

NQ assessment is much more challenging than S grade. Some pupils find it difficult to improve on their S Grade English result, because of the more challenging assessment arrangements for NQ English. In particular, pupils must learn to read and write accurately under timed conditions. They must also know the texts they have studied thoroughly, so that they can write detailed Critical Essays in the final examination within a strict time limit.

You can download a PDF document explaining the new structure below.

Attachment
English_NQ_courses_2010.pdf