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Sciences – Second level (Curriculum for Excellence, Scotland): What to Teach (Scotland)

Your Teacher Information Pack for Sciences – Second level (Curriculum for Excellence, Scotland) in Scotland: the curriculum structure, our short summaries with links to the official wording, and key dates.

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Country
Scotland
Level
Second level
Ages
8/9–11/12
Source
Curriculum for Excellence – experiences and outcomes (broad general education)
Last checked
2026-10-20

Usually P5, P6, P7 (a guide, not a fixed year group). Roughly US Grades 4–6 (approximate).

Plan the whole year: open this course in the Year Planner – every lesson dated around your term dates, with a coverage check. Free.

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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.

Planet Earth: Biodiversity and interdependence

  • SCN 2-01a Classifying living things past and present; traits and survival.
  • SCN 2-02a Ecosystem interactions and helping design or conserve wildlife areas.
  • SCN 2-02b Investigating how plants have benefited society.
  • SCN 2-03a Fertiliser effects on plant growth; risks and benefits.

Official wording

Planet Earth: Energy sources and sustainability

  • SCN 2-04a Energy conservation, energy transfer, and reducing wasted energy.
  • SCN 2-04b Non-renewable energy use in Scotland and its future implications.

Official wording

Planet Earth: Processes of the planet

  • SCN 2-05a Applying water state changes to the water cycle.

Official wording

Planet Earth: Space

  • SCN 2-06a Using models to communicate solar system size, scale, and motion.

Official wording

Forces, electricity and waves: Forces

  • SCN 2-07a Friction and air resistance effects; improving efficiency of motion.
  • SCN 2-08a Comparing magnetic, electrostatic, and gravitational forces and uses.
  • SCN 2-08b Applying buoyancy understanding to a floating and sinking challenge.

Official wording

Forces, electricity and waves: Electricity

  • SCN 2-09a Using components in circuits, representing them with symbols.
  • SCN 2-10a Building simple chemical cells to power an appliance.

Official wording

Forces, electricity and waves: Vibrations and waves

  • SCN 2-11a Animal communication and how sound waves travel through media.
  • SCN 2-11b Light reflections, shadows, and mixing coloured lights creatively.

Official wording

Biological systems: Body systems and cells

  • SCN 2-12a Body systems, potential problems, and decisions for health.
  • SCN 2-12b Structure and function of sensory organs and body responses.
  • SCN 2-13a Microorganisms in producing and breaking down materials.

Official wording

Biological systems: Inheritance

  • SCN 2-14a Lifecycles of plants and animals and their developmental stages.
  • SCN 2-14b Distinguishing inherited from non-inherited characteristics.

Official wording

Materials: Properties and uses of substances

  • SCN 2-15a Familiar changes that produce new substances and their characteristics.
  • SCN 2-16a Separating simple mixtures and relating results to everyday life.
  • SCN 2-16b Conditions affecting how much dissolves and how fast it dissolves.

Official wording

Materials: Earth's materials

  • SCN 2-17a Comparing characteristics and uses of Earth's surface substances.

Official wording

Materials: Chemical changes

  • SCN 2-18a Investigating water samples, cleaning methods, and water properties.
  • SCN 2-19a Safe demonstrations of simple chemical reactions with everyday chemicals.

Official wording

Topical science: Topical science

  • SCN 2-20a Contributions of individuals to scientific discovery and their impact.
  • SCN 2-20b Reporting and commenting on current science news.

Official wording

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.

Trusted free resources

Links only: we don't copy their content and we aren't connected to these organisations.

More packs

Sciences – Early level · Sciences – First level · Sciences – Third level · Sciences – Fourth level · P1 Sciences · P2 Sciences · P3 Sciences · P4 Sciences · 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.