P1 Literacy and English (Early level): What to Teach (Scotland)
Your Teacher Information Pack for P1 Literacy and English (Early level) in Scotland: the curriculum structure, our short summaries with links to the official wording, and key dates.
Learn how – Teacher Information Packs: watch the 2-minute video · print (PDF) · also Year Planner setup
- Country
- Scotland
- Stage
- P1
- Level
- Early level
- Ages
- 4–5
- Source
- Curriculum for Excellence – experiences and outcomes (broad general education)
- Last checked
- 2026-10-20
Usually Early learning and childcare (from age 3) and P1 (a guide, not a fixed year group). Roughly US Pre-K–Kindergarten (approximate).
Curriculum for Excellence levels are a guide, not year groups: learners move through levels at their own pace. Early level runs from age 3 (early learning and childcare) to P1; some children start first level in P1.
Plan the whole year: open this course in the Year Planner – every lesson dated around your term dates, with a coverage check. Free.
Track your class against these statements with Classfern Pro. What's in Pro Join Classfern Pro
What to teach
Below are the experiences and outcomes with their official codes, in our own short summaries. Each code links to the official document.
Listening and talking: Enjoyment and choice
- LIT 0-01a / LIT 0-11a / LIT 0-20a Enjoys exploring and playing with language patterns and sounds.
- LIT 0-01b / LIT 0-11b Enjoys choosing stories and sharing likes and dislikes.
- LIT 0-01c Enjoys story events and characters, sharing thoughts in various ways.
Listening and talking: Tools for listening and talking
- LIT 0-02a / ENG 0-03a Learns turn-taking and when to talk or listen.
Listening and talking: Finding and using information
- LIT 0-04a Listens or watches for useful information to make choices.
Listening and talking: Understanding, analysing and evaluating
- LIT 0-07a / LIT 0-16a / ENG 0-17a Asks questions and links new learning to prior knowledge.
Listening and talking: Creating texts
- LIT 0-09a Shares experiences, feelings and ideas in real or imaginary situations.
- LIT 0-09b / LIT 0-31a Invents own stories and characters, sharing them imaginatively.
- LIT 0-10a Discovers new words and phrases in conversations and uses them.
Reading: Tools for reading
- ENG 0-12a / LIT 0-13a / LIT 0-21a Explores sounds, letters and words and uses them in reading and writing.
Reading: Finding and using information
- LIT 0-14a Uses signs and books to find useful information for choices.
Reading: Understanding, analysing and evaluating
- LIT 0-19a Enjoys story events and characters, sharing thoughts in various ways.
Writing: Tools for writing
- LIT 0-21b Explores interesting materials and different ways of recording experiences.
Writing: Organising and using information
- LIT 0-26a Shares experiences and feelings in real or imaginary situations.
Benchmarks (summary)
Guidance Benchmarks and guidance (our summaries)
- Listening and talking: Enjoying sounds and stories, taking turns, predicting texts, retelling events with new vocabulary (22 benchmark statements in the official document). (22 official benchmark bullets)
- Reading: Choosing texts, decoding sounds and sight words, finding information, discussing and retelling stories (20 benchmark statements in the official document). (20 official benchmark bullets)
- Writing: Writing for play, forming letters, basic spacing and capitals, sharing feelings and invented stories (12 benchmark statements in the official document). (12 official benchmark bullets)
Assessments and key dates
Qualifications Scotland exams 2027: Mon, 26 April 2027 to Thu, 3 June 2027 (timetable). There are no national tests of curriculum levels; teachers judge progress using the Benchmarks.
Official documents
- education.gov.scot/Documents/literacy-english-eo.pdf
- education.gov.scot/media/giljynmw/literacyenglishbenchmarks.pdf
Trusted free resources
- Education Scotland – the official curriculum site.
- BBC Bitesize – videos and quizzes by nation and stage.
Links only: we don't copy their content and we aren't connected to these organisations.
More packs
Literacy and English – Early level · Literacy and English – First level · Literacy and English – Second level · Literacy and English – Third level · Literacy and English – Fourth level · P2 Literacy and English · P3 Literacy and English · P4 Literacy and English · All Scotland packs · Find another TIP
Codes and structure from Curriculum for Excellence experiences and outcomes and Benchmarks, Education Scotland (Crown copyright). Summaries are Classfern's own words – always read the official wording via the link.
No official wording is reproduced: codes and structure are facts, and the short descriptions are our own summaries. Always read the official wording via the links. Checked on 2026-10-20.
Classfern is not affiliated with or endorsed by Education Scotland, Qualifications Scotland (formerly SQA) or the Scottish Government.