GCSE / KEY STAGE 4

General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE)

The courses including core subjects such as English, Maths and Science, studied in Key Stage 4, frame the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) and are held at the end of Year 11. GCSEs are subject-based academic qualifications below A levels.

The grading of GCSE has been reformed to reflect difficulties in subjects. Grade 9 represents the top mark while the lowest possible mark is left as ungraded.

GCSE is important because it can determine the sixth form students go to and the qualifications that they take next. It is also important in assessing their eligibility for a university course. GCSEs may limit the universities students can apply to and can affect their future career.

Key Stage 4 is a part of the National Curriculum that sets out which subjects have to be taught to children between the ages of 14 and 16 in Years 10 and 11 at secondary schools. Key Stage 4 is taught in and core subjects such as English, Maths and Science must be taught to comply with the National Curriculum in England.

English Subject – Language and Literature

A high-quality education in English will teach pupils to speak and write fluently so that they can communicate their ideas and emotions to others, and through their reading and listening, others can communicate with them.

The overarching aim for English in the national curriculum is to promote high standards of language and literacy by equipping pupils with a strong command of the spoken and written language, and to develop their love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment.

Our curriculum at Sky-High Tuition supports the UK National Curriculum and is designed to ensure that students know, apply and understand the matters, skills and processes specified in the relevant programme of study by the end of each key stage.

At Sky-High Tuition, our English language educational programmes are designed to ensure students can critically read a wide range of texts including classic literature fluently and write effectively and coherently using Standard English appropriately. In addition, our programmes help students develop strong listening and understanding skills to enable them excel in Spoken language.