English

Third Level English is the start of genuine literary study. Pupils read whole novels, short stories, poetry, drama and non-fiction, and learn to analyse writers' techniques — word choice, imagery, tone, structure and characterisation — rather than only summarising plot.

Writing is taught in the two strands that carry through to National qualifications: creative writing (personal and imaginative) and discursive or persuasive writing built on evidence. Pupils learn to plan, structure paragraphs properly and redraft their own work.

Close reading is introduced formally, and it is usually the single biggest source of lost marks later, so learning to answer 'in your own words' and 'analyse the writer's use of language' questions properly starts here.