Saint John's International School Bangkok, Thailand
English
Ethos In the English dept, we are committed to delivering high level language and literature teaching to a
wide range of language learners from English first language speakers,
to those with limited experience of our language. This is achieved through partnership with
the English as an Additional Language Department (EAL) and particularly enhanced by our involvement with the Sheltered Immersion Project (SIP). This successful partnership has resulted in some of the best English, Literature and ESL results that our department has ever achieved. This is a sign of things to come.
Key Stage 3
Curriculum
At Saint John’s we follow the English National Curriculum and use the objectives laid out in theFramework for Teaching English. As well as ensuring a rich coverage of the English literary heritage, from Shakespeare and Chaucer to The Truman Show and Harry Potter, weaim to adapt our teaching and learning strategies to suitsecond language learners of all levels.
While we place a strong emphasis on the grammatical nuts and bolts of English, we believe strongly in context based learning so that students can enjoy a range of stimuli texts while covering the necessary learning objectives through Years 7,8 and 9. Again the Sheltered Immersion Project (SIP) is an integral part of our planning process. We also use the Nelson Thornes Skills in Fiction range to support comprehension, vocabulary and grammatical studies at word,
sentence and text level.
Assessment
Day-to-day assessment is informed by the Saint Johns’ marking policy (The “T” system) which has the progress of the individual student at the heart of its philosophy. As well as this we assess our students in accordance with National Curriculum levels and involve our students in the assessment for learning procedures at various points of each unit so that they have ownership of the target setting process.
We believe that the language of learning needs to be student friendly and accessible to the individual in order for real progress to take place.
Key Stage 4 English Language and Literature
Curriculum
All students follow the Edexcel examination board IGCSE syllabi. All students are prepared for the English First Language examination. All students experience the full range of materials that make this a rich and varied course and all students are expertly guided and supported as a result of the partnership with the English as an Additional Language Department.
We have created a wide range of resources catering for all levels of English speakers and all ability ranges. As you may gather, we are extremely proud of our all-inclusive programmes of study especially in view of our recent examination results. We also study the set texts for the English Literature examination ranging from Jane Austen to Arthur Miller so that all students have the opportunity to opt for the English Literature examination. Some of our students also take English as a Second Language if they did not take it in Year 9. As a result of this, many of our students gain 3 IGCSEs in English.
Assessment
For the full assessment objectives see Edexcel or view our Schemes of Work, freely available in the school office. However, assessment in both English Language and Literature is divided between internally assessed coursework (30% for Language, 40% for Literature) and external examinations (70% for Language and 60% for Literature). Coursework samples are available from the Head of English.
AS and A2 English Literature
We follow Edexcel’s exciting new syllabus at A’ level which enables students to study a wide range of texts from many eras and cultures from around the world.
Coursework tasks at AS include a comparative analysis of Shakespeare (King Lear ) and John Webster (The White Devil) along with a study of a selection of 19th century literature (Jane Austen, Charlotte Gilman Perkins) and modern text (The French Lieutenant’s Woman John Fowles).
A selection of poetry will be studied from the Oxford Anthology of English Poetry. A2 students currently study Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, The Great Gatsby and a selection of poetry from Emergency Kit. As well as this, they are required to submit a course work folder on their Reflections in Literary Studies unit, in which they must demonstrate the ability to make informed analytical responses, showing critical awareness of the connections and comparisons between texts.
In the English dept, we are committed to delivering high level language and literature teaching to a
wide range of language learners from English first language speakers,
to those with limited experience of our language. This is achieved through partnership with 
Framework for Teaching English. As well as ensuring a rich coverage of the English literary heritage, from Shakespeare and Chaucer to 
The Truman Show and Harry Potter, weaim to adapt our teaching and learning strategies to suitsecond language learners of all levels. 
Day-to-day assessment is informed by the Saint Johns’ marking policy 
assessment for learning procedures at various points of each unit so that they have ownership of the target setting process. 
All students experience the full range of materials that make this a rich and varied course and all students are expertly guided and supported as a result of the partnership with the 
We follow Edexcel’s exciting new syllabus at A’ level which enables students to study a wide range of texts from many eras and cultures from around the world. 
Intranet
