The national curriculum for English is about to be rewritten again, having only been looked at four years ago. According to the chair of the expert group on the new national curriculum this is because the curricula of the past had become too baggy. Although he was not specifically looking at the English curriculum this too is being examined. This…

Research in the area of assessment for learning (AfL) has largely focused on generic approaches and strategies, applicable to teaching and learning in all subject areas. In this article, we address the issue of subject-specific approaches. We examine two lessons, one English and one mathematics, and we discuss the form of assessment for learning…

This article examines how the principles of formative assessment might be applied to the curriculum subject of English. It takes as its starting point the problematic nature of progression in the subject and suggests that it may be better to understand progression as heading towards a horizon rather than a clearly defined goal. The article argues…