Welcome to the English Department at The British International School, Abu Dhabi. We pride ourselves on delivering an engaging and enriching curriculum that fosters a love of language and literature in your child. Our primary aim is to empower students with strong communication skills, enabling them to articulate their thoughts effectively and express themselves with clarity and confidence. Alongside this, we focus heavily on developing key reading and writing skills throughout all of our units. These are further developed with library lessons, and the embedding of literacy skills within lessons each week. English is, by nature, a skills-based curriculum where we focus on developing these core skills over time; skills that will ultimately help students be successful in English and other subjects in school. 

In addition, we also believe in the transformative power of literature to broaden horizons, encourage empathy, and inspire critical thinking. Our lessons are designed to develop a deep appreciation for diverse cultures and perspectives through the study of various literary works. This will help to develop a lifelong love of reading in our students and we actively encourage everyone in our community to read as often as possible. Ultimately, our department is guided by the belief that a strong foundation in English is essential for future success in all aspects of life.

Our current learning

During Term 3, students continue their iGCSE journey by ensuring they have consolidated their understanding of all the non-fiction texts from the Edexcel Anthology and will continue to revise and apply the key skills for each question in both the reading and transactional writing sections of the Language Paper 1 exam. In addition to this, students will complete their Imaginative Writing coursework piece and also begin their studies of the English Literature Anthology poetry. Students will be studying a total of eight poems this academic year that that they will then write a comparative essay for. Students will finish the year by also studying a range of unseen poetry utilising the skills that they have developed in the previous term as well as revise all the content needed for their mock exams by the end of the academic year.

Curriculum Overview

New Starters

All new starters, and all of our students, are required to have the following.  

1. A device as per 'Bring Your Own Device' school policy. This will be used for a variety of literary research activities.
2. A reading book - students are expected to carry their own reading book with them at all times.
3. An active imagination and creative mindsight.
4. A positive and enthusiastic attitude to all English lessons

Resources List

Recommended reading and core textbooks required for this subject.

These are the most common websites that can support learning in English

Software List

You will need to make sure the following software is installed on your device as it will be used within this subject.

Ensure you have all the necessary Office 365 apps downloaded. 

• Microsoft Word
• Powerpoint
• Teams
• Onenote
• Outlook

Meet the Team