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North Vista Secondary School

English Language & Literature

Discover how the English Language and Literature Department builds critical thinking and communication skills in students through rich texts, competitions, and real-world learning opportunities.

Last updated 15 July 2026
EL Department staff pose in two rows on steps, each holding a book, inside a building with Singapore history murals.

English Language & Literature Department

The English Language and Literature Department aims to equip our students with 21st century critical thinking and effective communication skills, to prepare them for an unprecedented future. Specifically, we envision Vistarians as self-directed learners, empathetic communicators and discerning readers.

NV students sit at desks with laptops while two classmates present at a projected screen in a classroom.

Students being given opportunities to hone their presentation skills in class.

English Language

Our curriculum comprises thematic and skills-based units, using multi-modal texts that enable students to deepen their content understanding and hone their linguistic skills. We aim to cultivate the joy of reading through diverse materials that appeal to the varying abilities of our learners. The EL Department also adopts MOE’s CLEARR pedagogical framework in our lesson design.

Yellow infographic showing the CLEARR pedagogical framework for Singapore's Secondary English Curriculum 2020 with sections for learners and teachers.

Through external partnerships and nationwide competitions (e.g. Live On Festival and Plain English Speaking Awards), we actively create opportunities for Vistarians to develop their competency collaboratively through authentic experiences. In 2023, Hillary Wee and Chang Ivory, both from 3E3, were awarded the High Distinction award in the Senior Essay Writing Category of the Live On Festival.

NV student smiles while standing beside a large printed poster display.

Literature in English                    

In the Literature classroom, opportunities are provided for students to read and respond to a variety of literary texts (prose, poetry and drama), as well as to engage with diverse themes on a more personal level. During lessons, students are conditioned to engage in an intellectual discourse on their analysis of their texts.

Lower Secondary

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas storybook cover page

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas tells the story of nine-year-old Bruno, a German boy and his friendship with Shmuel, a Jewish prisoner of his own age in the concentration camp at Auschwitz during World War II.

Something Old, Something New, Something storybook cover page

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed… is an anthology that contains three Singaporean plays for Lower Secondary students that revolve around the theme of family.

Upper Secondary Elective Literature offered at both Express and Normal (Academic)

John Wyndham The Chrysalids storybook cover page

The Chrysalids is a science fiction novel about a young boy named David who possesses a forbidden ability to communicate through thought. As David and his friends discover their telepathic powers, they struggle to navigate a society that fears and condemns anyone different, leading to a gripping tale of survival and acceptance.

Beyond the classroom, learning journeys are organised for lower secondary students to view theatre performances based on Literature texts. Students with an aptitude and passion for Literature are also selected to participate in competitions such as the National Schools Literature Festival and Unity Writer’s Festival, to further enrich their learning of the subject.