English

Second Level literacy expects pupils to read widely and independently and to say something about how a text works, not just what it says. Comprehension moves into inference, author's purpose, fact versus opinion, and comparing texts — the analytical habits that Third Level and National 5 later build on.

Writing is taught by genre: imaginative writing, persuasive writing, discursive writing and reports each have their own structure and conventions. Pupils learn to plan, draft, redraft and proofread, and to use paragraphing, connectives and varied sentence structures deliberately.

Talking and listening are assessed formally, so preparing and delivering a short presentation, and taking part in a structured group discussion, are practised properly at this level.