Parents Resources
The Third and Fourth Years – An Outline
As they move into the third and fourth years, pupils will refine their course of study by reducing their curriculum to eight subjects in place of the fourteen they had in S1 and S2. This allows them to give greater emphasis to their strengths and aptitudes, but still ensure a broad and balanced course developed from the eight ‘modes’ of the S1-2 curriculum.
In S3 and S4, all pupils currently have the opportunity to study:
- English
- Maths
- a science subject
- a social subject
- a creative/craft subject
- a technological subject
- an optional modern foreign language
- one further optional subject.
It is possible for pupils to study two social subjects and up to three science subjects. The Prince’s Trust XL club and World of Work vocational courses are also available options. Either French or Spanish may be taken as the optional modern foreign language.
Towards the end of S4 pupils will sit the national SQA Standard Grade examinations in their eight subjects. These exams are at three levels, Foundation, General and Credit. Foundation level is the basic level. General level is suited to pupils in the middle of the ability range. Credit is designed to be the most difficult level and should extend the most able pupils. Grades are awarded on a single, seven-point scale. Grades 1 and 2 correspond to credit level, 3 and 4 to general level and 5 and 6 to foundation level. Grade 7 represents a ‘course completed’ award. In most cases the final decision on the levels of presentation to be attempted will be made after the prelim exams in the December of the 4th year. Pupils usually sit papers at two levels, the one they are expected to pass and the one below it, as a safeguard. In some subjects pupils may have the opportunity to follow SQA courses at Access level which are externally certificated but not externally examined.
An increased vocational input in the middle years gives all pupils the opportunity to experience the world of work outwith school, through work experience placements during fourth year. This work experience placement will be certificated through the SQA system.
In Religious Education the core curriculum comprises of units from either Intermediate 1 or Intermediate 2. In S3 pupils undertake ‘Justice in the World’, which looks at issues concerned with poverty and the environment, whilst in S4 ‘Making Moral Decisions’ focuses on racism and capital punishment.
All S3/4 pupils will also continue to receive two periods of core Physical Education and one period of Social Education per week.
In S3 and S4 English and Maths classes are organised on the basis of one upper-ability and three mixed-ability sections. All other subjects are taught in mixed-ability groups.
In due course, as the ‘Curriculum for Excellence’ is implemented, the S3 curriculum will continue the more general approach followed in S1 and S2, probably with a final, internal assessment of pupils’ progress in literacy and numeracy. Subject choices will be made in S3 for S4, and S4 to S6 will be timetabled as a single block. In preparation for these changes it is likely that we will move away from Standard grades to SQA Intermediate courses, though a final decision will await the outcome of the Scottish Government’s consultation on the New Generation of National Qualifications.