The aims are to:
enable students to understand and respond appropriately to what they read
encourage students to enjoy and appreciate the variety of language
complement the students’ other areas of study by developing skills of a more general application (e.g. analysis, synthesis, drawing of inferences)
promote the students’ personal development and an understanding of themselves and others
enable students to communicate accurately, appropriately and effectively in writing
Course content
The list of possible text types includes:
article, column
brochure, leaflet, pamphlet, flyer, advertisement
debate, speech, talk, presentation
essay
interview
news report
reasoned argument
report
review
Skills developed
The four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing are simultaneously developed over the two years through use of a variety of materials and modes.
Assessment
Even though only the written comprehension and the writing expressions are assessed in the examination, the four skills of the language (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) will be practiced through the study of literature, texts, audio-visual media, discussions and presentations.
paper 1 – reading comprehension – 50%
comprehension questions on one text
paper 2 – written assessment – 50%
written argument of 350–500 words