Secondary English

Welcome to the English Department where you will develop your skills, knowledge and understanding as you become persuasive communicators and empathic global citizens. Studying English involves:

• Reading, discussing and writing about literature from around the world.
• Writing imaginatively, critically, informatively, persuasively and in a range of forms
• Learning how to spell, punctuate and write in Standard English
• Learning to speak and listen effectively to individuals and groups

As English teachers, we see our job as helping you to use language to:

• Express yourselves fluently and clearly
• Make sense of the world and your place in it as global citizens
• Communicate persuasively in speech and in writing
• Gain pleasure and understanding from texts.

You learn to do this through: 

• Writing in a range of styles and for specific purposes & audiences so that you learn to adapt your style to the situation. You will learn to write academic and creative essays, magazine and newspaper stories, letters, reports, poetry, drama and more. 
• Reading you will read a range of texts from a wide range of cultural contexts to recognise their purpose, analyse style and, most importantly, derive enjoyment. We hope you will become confident, wide discriminating readers.
• Speaking and listening in different contexts, styles, and forums so that you can work effectively with others.

The English curriculum at the International School of Toulouse prepares students for  IGCSE exams in English language and English Literature in Grade 10 and for English A: Literature or English B as part of the IB Diploma in Grade 12.  These exams demand a high level of skill in the manipulation of language and the analysis of its effects. 

We encourage you to read and enjoy literature from the past and the present and from around the world. Reading allows us to experience other worlds and viewpoints. Reading encourages empathy, creativity, confidence, awareness, a critical outlook and a can foster a greater sense of personal identity. We hope you will read widely: individually, in small groups and as a whole class, gradually learning to analyse the techniques and devices through which great writers shape language to give it power, hold our attention and reward us with pleasure.