English: Key Stage 4
Key Stage 4 encompasses Years 10 and 11 when pupils are 14 to 16 years old and learn the key skills needed for further education, employment and social life. English during this stage focuses on deepening pupils’ knowledge in speaking and listening, reading and writing as well as helping pupils learn how to express themselves and convey message to others effectively. They also learn to critically evaluate literary, non-fiction and media texts, interpret what others write and say, and adjust their language according to different contexts, situations and purposes.
Speaking and Listening During Key Stage 4
During Key Stage 4, pupils are expected to speak fluently and be able to adjust their language to a variety of situations, both familiar and non-familiar. They are taught methods how to communicate information clearly and persuade their audience, be flexible in both speaking and listening in different situations and critically evaluate performance of both themselves and others. In order to be able to evaluate others’ performance critically, pupils are encouraged to listen carefully, evaluate presented information and intervene by asking questions and constructively engage in discussion when appropriate.
Reading During Key Stage 4
Pupils during Key Stage 4 read a variety of texts but they also analyse the texts in grammatical sense, the use of language and its effect, the meaning of communicated information and ideas, and recognise subtle and ambiguous meanings. They summarise and evaluate information from a number of different texts and learn to use the information to develop their own opinions, ideas and arguments. Reading also involves analysing author’s language structure and organisation of ideas according to different audiences, assessment of usefulness of particular texts and comparison of texts from different cultures.
Writing During Key Stage 4
During Key Stage 4, pupils learn to write originally and creatively, and developing texts that are interesting for readers. To achieve this, they learn to adjust their language and style according to different purposes, present their ideas and arguments persuasively by supporting them with various evidence, and of course apply grammar of standard English correctly.
English Resources for Key Stage 4
Pupils during Key Stage 4 can improve their English by using a variety of resources ranging from books to online resources such as BBC Schools – Secondary ages 11-16. Teachers, on the other hand, can use the BBC section that is dedicated to teachers as well as websites such as Tes.co.uk and eRiding.net, to mention only a few.