English

At IES Nacka we pride ourselves in encouraging the students to continually strive to further develop their command of the English language. 

Since the teaching of English should aim to help the pupils to develop knowledge of the English language and of the areas and contexts where English is used, our goal is to give the students every opportunity to develop their all-round communicative skills. These skills involve understanding spoken and written English, being able to formulate one’s thinking and interact with others in the spoken and written language, and the ability to adapt use of language to different situations, purposes and recipients. Communication skills also cover confidence in using the language and the ability to use different strategies to support communication and solve problems when language skills by themselves are not sufficient.

For this reason we try to design English units that motivate, inspire and challenge the students; every English teacher has a hand in designing and developing the resources and material that the students interact with on a daily basis so we do not typically use text books in this subject at IES Nacka, unless of course, there is a specific need. The department has built up quite a collection of different reading books and set texts over the years that we use in the classroom, not only as a tool for developing knowledge and understanding of vocabulary and other language concepts, but also as a vehicle for opening the students’ eyes to the reality of the outside world and for exploring the range of themes and values that are entrenched in chapters 1+2 of LGR ’22.

The Department boasts an experienced team of teachers who hail from different parts of the English-speaking world, all of whom have decided to make Sweden their home, and are competent in promoting and delivering bilingualism in a multi-cultural learning environment.

In Year 9 students have the opportunity to sit the IGCSE examinations in English as a First Language. These are external exams run by Cambridge International Exams and are not linked to the Swedish Curriculum, and there is a fee to enrol. They test the students’ skills in reading comprehension, figurative language understanding, directed writing and composition. Even though the grade has little or no impact on the gymnasium entry process itself, the overall experience of preparing for and taking these exams serves as a stimulating challenge for the students, all of whom receive an official certificate after the grades are released. Students do not prepare for the IGCSEs in normal class but instead the department puts on weekly workshops in preparation for these exams.