English Language: Grades 8 to 12

English is studied as a Home Language at Pinetown Boys’ High School.  All learners must pass English at 40% in order to progress.
Whilst much energy is spent pursuing the core syllabus, we believe that creativity and thinking skills are crucial in our learners’ development.  The ability to communicate effectively is of increasing significance in our world today (both in writing and verbally).


GET Phase (Grades 8 and 9)

It is here that the foundation is laid.  The focus is on:

• Comprehension skills
• Language skills
• Writing skills
• Poetry skills
• Reading skills
• Oral skills
• Literary skills (Grade 9)

We aim to engender a love for reading, an enjoyment in writing and an understanding of the importance of effective and meaningful communication.


FET Phase (Grades 10, 11 and 12)

We systematically build on the skills honed in the GET phase.

• Writing
  • Essays (narrative, descriptive, reflective, discursive, argumentative, expository)
  • Shorter transactional texts
  • Very short transactional texts
• Literature
  • Poetry (seen and unseen)
  • Drama
  • Novel
  • 4th Genre
• Language
  • Comprehension
  • Language of persuasion
  • Visual literacy
• Oral
  • Seen reading
  • Listening comprehension
  • Prepared oral
  • Conversation oral

We strive to make our learners thinking young men.  Young men who can go into the world and communicate effectively pursue their creativity and question life in its complexity.  Citizens of the world, able to use English as the universal language in positive ways.