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.
All pupils will continue 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, suited to those pupils who, in the past, would not have expected to gain an O Grade award. 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. It is usually considered desirable that pupils sit papers at two levels in the SQA exams, as a safeguard. In some subjects pupils may be given the opportunity to follow SQA courses at Access level which are externally certificated but not externally examined.
There is an increased vocational input in these middle years. This 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, pupils are presented for the SQA short course called ‘A World of Values’ in S3 while in S4 they will have the option to study for the national unit entitled ‘Making Moral Decisions’ at either Intermediate 1 or Intermediate 2 level. All S3-4 pupils will also continue to receive two periods of core Physical Education and one period of Social Education per week.