P4 Social studies (First level): What to Teach (Scotland)

Your Teacher Information Pack for P4 Social studies (First 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

Curriculum for Excellence levels are a guide, not year groups: learners move through levels at their own pace. End of first level is usually expected by the end of P4.

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.

People, past events and societies

• SOC 1-01a Judging how far evidence can be trusted.
• SOC 1-02a Understanding how Scotland's history is preserved.
• SOC 1-03a Recreating the story of a local place or person.
• SOC 1-04a Comparing past daily life with my own.
• SOC 1-06a Influence of a chosen significant individual.

Official wording

People, place and environment

• SOC 1-07a Describing and recreating local landscape features.
• SOC 1-08a Ways to look after school or community.
• SOC 1-09a Importance of different farming types for Scottish food.
• SOC 1-11a Community groups and different types of housing.
• SOC 1-12a Measuring and recording weather and its effect on life.
• SOC 1-12b How climate affects living things across climate zones.
• SOC 1-13a Ways land has been used in the local landscape.
• SOC 1-13b How physical features shape the variety of living things.
• SOC 1-14a Building a mental map and creating local maps.

Official wording

People in society, economy and business

• SOC 1-15a Judging how far evidence can be trusted on current issues.
• SOC 1-16a Differences between needs and wants.
• SOC 1-17a Purpose of rules and relevant rights and responsibilities.
• SOC 1-18a Taking part in decisions and weighing options.
• SOC 1-20a Local organisations meeting community needs.
• SOC 1-21a Calculating money needed and whether items are affordable.
• SOC 1-22a Jobs involved in running a business and their roles.

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.

Official documents

• education.gov.scot/Documents/social-studies-eo.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

Social studies – Early level · Social studies – First level · Social studies – Second level · Social studies – Third level · Social studies – Fourth level · P1 Social studies · P2 Social studies · P3 Social studies · All Scotland packs · Find another TIP