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Section 2

Framework for Environmental Studies

Environmental studies encompasses a range of disciplines and subjects. Consequently it requires an organisational framework that recognises the different components, outcomes and strands. The framework also describes each component in terms of knowledge and understanding, skills and attitudes.


2.1 The components

Environmental studies comprises three components for the organisation of knowledge and understanding, skills and the development of informed attitudes to the environment. These are:

  • social subjects
  • science
  • technology.


    2.2 The attainment outcomes, strands and targets

    Each component is described in terms of attainment outcomes for knowledge and understanding, skills and the development of informed attitudes. These reflect the different forms of knowledge and ways of thinking and working within social subjects, science and technology.

    The attainment outcomes in social subjects are:
  • people in the past
  • people and place
  • people in society.

    These outcomes relate principally to aspects of history, geography and modern studies.


    • The attainment outcomes in science are:
  • earth and space
  • energy and forces
  • living things and the processes of life.

    These outcomes relate principally to aspects of chemistry, physics and biology.


    • The attainment outcome in technology is:
  • technological capability.

    This outcome relates to aspects of technology including those that are associated with home economics and technical education.


    • The attainment outcomes provide a means of organising a large part of what pupils should know and be able to do as a result of their learning within environmental studies. Learning and teaching approaches, as well as coordinated planning, should help pupils to recognise the relationships between one outcome and another. For each outcome a system of strands is used to identify the key ideas involved in the development of knowledge and understanding, skills and attitudes.

    Within each strand detailed attainment targets provide specific statements of what pupils should know and be able to do at each of six levels A-F. These provide a clear indication of progression in pupils' learning, either in terms of specific content or broad concepts.

    Developing informed attitudes does not lend itself to a six-level model; consequently these are set out as a number of important ideas to be developed within each component.

    Attainment targets have been grouped at six levels of progression, based on the following descriptions of levels.

    Level A: should be attainable in the course of P1-P3 by almost all pupils.
    Level B: should be attainable by some pupils in P3 or even earlier, but certainly by most in P4.
    Level C: should be attainable in the course of P4-P6 by most pupils.
    Level D: should be attainable by some pupils in P5-P6 or even earlier, but certainly by most in P7.
    Level E: should be attainable by some pupils in P7-S1, but certainly by most in S2.
    Level F: should be attainable in part by some pupils, and completed by a few pupils, in the course of P7-S2.

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    © The 5-14 Curriculum (Scotland) Guidelines were produced by the Scottish Executive and Learning and Teaching Scotland and are reproduced with permission from the Queen's Printer for Scotland.