School Curriculum Structure

What is a curriculum?

A curriculum is the school's plan for learning. It says three things: what you study (subjects), when you study it (which year) and how much time it gets (hours per week).

A subject is one area of study, like maths or history. A period is one lesson slot in the timetable, often 45 to 60 minutes.

Each country sets its own national rules, so the exact lists differ. The ideas in this lesson work almost everywhere.

Common (general) subjects

The common or general education area is the part every student of the school type studies, whichever track they choose. It builds the basic skills for work and for life.

• Home language: reading, writing and speaking well.
• English (a foreign language): to talk with the world.
• Maths: numbers, shapes and logic.
• History and geography: how people and places got to where they are. Geography is often only in the first year.
• Law and economics: in the first two years, to understand rules, money and rights.
• Physical education: health and teamwork.
• Religion or an alternative activity: in some countries, students choose between religion classes and another activity.

Tracks: the part you choose

Many schools offer tracks (in Italy they are called indirizzi) grouped into sectors, such as an economic sector (business, finance, tourism) and a technological sector (computers, electronics, building, farming and more).

In the first year the track part is a light base: simple technology or business subjects that all students of that sector share, so you can still see whether the path suits you. From year 2 or 3 the track subjects go deeper, with labs and projects.

Choosing a track does not close every door. It points you towards certain jobs and further studies, and a school-leaving certificate usually still lets you go to university.

Five years, one plan

A typical upper secondary programme runs five years (grades 9 to 13 in some systems, or class 9 to 12 plus a first year). Its shape is often like this:

• Years 1-2: mostly common subjects, plus a basic track part.
• Years 3-4: track subjects grow, with practical work and projects.
• Year 5: exam preparation, a final project and, in many schools, a work placement.

The numbers in the 3D scene are an illustrative example, not an official timetable. Look up your own school's table for real hours.

Reading a timetable table

Official curricula are shown as a table: subjects down the side, years across the top, and weekly hours in each box.

1. Add the common subjects for one year to get the common hours.
2. Add the track subjects to get the track hours.
3. Check that the two add up to the total weekly hours.
4. Compare the years: see which subjects grow and which shrink.

A school's timetable then places these hours into a weekly grid of periods.

Try it

Try it: draw your own timetable on squared paper with 5 columns for the days and 6 rows for the periods. Colour the subjects every student must take in blue and the ones you chose in orange. Count each colour. Then ask: if I change my track, which blocks change colour?

Key formulas and definitions

• Total weekly hours = common hours + track hours
• Curriculum = subjects + years + hours per week
• Common part: the same for every track of a school type
• Track part: grows from year 1 (light base) to year 4 or 5 (deep)

Worked examples

Common mistakes

• Thinking tracks replace the common subjects. Common subjects continue in every track.
• Believing the first-year track subjects are the same as the final-year ones. They start as a light base.
• Mixing up a period (one lesson) with an hour of the curriculum table. Check how long your period is.
• Assuming one track closes university. Most school-leaving certificates still allow further study.