English Language & Literature

Empathetic communicators, discerning readers, creative inquirers.

Last updated on 29 October 2026

2026 Highlights:

A Canberra Secondary School student in a navy blazer and blue tie stands at a desk and delivers a speech, holding up her notes, during the Singapore Secondary Schools Debate Championship. The debate motion written on the whiteboard behind her reads: "This House believes that fast food companies should not be allowed to sponsor sports events." A student from another school in a red uniform is seated at a desk in the background.

Our debaters made a bold debut at the Singapore Secondary Schools Debating Championship, reaching the Quarterfinals and claiming a Best Speaker award

A smiling Canberra Secondary School student wearing glasses holds up a gold trophy engraved with "National Schools Literature Festival — ACE Text Roundtable — Engaging Diplomat." She is seated in a large school hall filled with students in the background.

One student was named Best Engaging Diplomat at the National Schools Literature Festival.

A group of approximately 12 Canberra Secondary School students in blue school uniforms proudly display their medals in front of a teal "Scrabble Champions" backdrop. Two male teachers — one on the far left in a beige shirt and one on the far right in a dark blue shirt — flank the group and celebrate alongside the students.

Our Scrabble players clinched four individual medals and an Overall Team Silver (Plate) at the 25th Inter-School National Scrabble Championships.

Guided by our vision to nurture empathetic communicators, discerning readers and creative inquirers, the English Language and Literature Department brings language to life. Lower Secondary students find their voices through the English Oratorical Programme, while Literature students watch their texts leap from page to stage.

Students in blue uniforms hold up pink paper cat crafts they made in a classroom.

A man holding a microphone speaks to seated students in a classroom, pointing at a projected Q&A session on screen.

Beyond traditional pen-and-paper assessments and assignments, we incorporate alternative forms of assessment involving ICT tools. Students have rich opportunities to apply their language learning in authentic, real-world tasks through performance tasks and projects. To develop fluency in writing and a reflective mindset, students engage in journal writing and maintain writing portfolios. All Lower Secondary students participate in an Oratorical Programme to build greater confidence in projecting their voice and using body language effectively.

A student in a blue school uniform stands in a corridor looking at colorful red, yellow, and blue lockers.

Students in blue uniforms stand in two rows facing each other in a classroom while a teacher addresses the group.

Our Literature programme is equally exciting, aiming to cultivate a keen and critical appreciation of literature and literary language. Through the study of literary texts across different genres (poetry, prose, and drama) and written by a variety of authors (both local and international), students learn to perceive the world from different perspectives and better appreciate the richness of human experience. They also respond closely and critically to writers’ use of literary techniques, gaining a deeper understanding of the power and potential of language to challenge the mind and move the heart.

A large group of approximately 40 Canberra Secondary School students in light blue uniforms pose for a group photo in front of the grand neoclassical facade of what appears to be the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall in Singapore. Some students in the front row are kneeling, and one student holds up a play programme booklet.