The Core and Elective Parts in the NSS English curriculum are not two separate and unrelated components. The coherence between them lies in the complementary roles they play in the curriculum, which are clearly set out in the English Language Curriculum and Assessment Guide: the Elective Part provides learners with opportunities to apply the subject knowledge and skills which may or may not be covered in the Compulsory Part.

Teachers in TWGHs Wong Fung Ling College believe that coherence-making is essential for enhancing learning and teaching effectiveness. After considering the school’s stage of English curriculum development, teachers’ readiness and students’ needs, they would like to implement the Short Stories elective module as an extension to a core unit that shares the same theme. Tasks are carefully designed to scaffold student learning and students are able to apply their knowledge learned in the core and explore the theme in greater depth. There has been a heightened awareness of the holistic picture of the curriculum among teachers, as opposed to the skill-based approach that they have been adopting for years in classes preparing for the public examinations.