Time & Content in SD.

Create and defend your Syllabus Design (= SD.) with me for the next English Secondary Civil Exam '27.

Here you can see how I've planned the 38 weeks of this academic course 26/27. If you're teaching English 5h a week each group, you can see the numbers of weeks and hours for each group every term in this post.

As shown in the chart above, in Autumn, the 1st TERM, from September to December there are 16 WEEKS, that means 80Hours; in Winter, the 2nd TERM, from January to March there are 10 WEEKS which means 50Hours of teaching; and in Spring, the 3rd TERM, from March to June there are 12 WEEKS, that means 60H till the end of the course. For this planning I've used the official school calendar of the Community of Madrid .

Have in mind, then, that the number of WEEKS for each TERM in order to have a balanced teaching plan should be 12.

Yes, 12 WEEKS!, as the number of units you need to design in the Syllabus Design. Twelve!, as the numbers of faces a dodecahedron has. Twelve, like the twelve Tribes of Israel, or the twelve labours of Hercules.

Therefore, my dear friend, a division, a split must be made if we want to create some harmony here. Your 12 didactic units must be divided in 3, so, plan 4 units for each TERM.

Okay, that's crystal clear, but Autumn Term is usually 4 weeks longer, and at least 5 days (= an entire week) are most likely missed between holidays and other extracurricular activities, right? So, have that in mind and start 2nd TERM and 3rd TERM at least 1 week before you go on holidays, before Christmas (from Dec. 23rd to Jan. 11th) and before Easter (from March 19th to 29th).

The time for each TERM in this academic year 26/27 is as it follows:

- 1st TERM: 4 units in 12 WEEKS = 60H:

4W in Sept.= 20H
4W in Oct. = 20H
4W in Nov.= 20H

- 2nd TERM: 4 units in 12 WEEKS= 60H:

3W in Dec.= 15H
3W in Jan.= 15H
4W in Feb.= 20H
2W in March= 10H

-3rd TERM: 4 units in 12 WEEKS= 60H:

2W in March= 10H
4W April= 20H
4W in May= 20H
2W in June= 10H

(Leave 1 WEEK in June for a Final Review before ordinary and extraordinary Exams)

Now, think about the right content, the catchy titles of your didactic units and the number of sessions you might need for each to be right for the level of your target group.

Do not forget about the extra time you might give or shorten in adaptations to Students with Specific Educational Support Needs, in Spanish called "ACNEAES", and Students with Special Educational Needs, "ACNEES". Include and consider the time for your extracurricular activities from the English department and others, because they do take time!

Samples of extracurricular activities, projects and official examination days that impact your SD. :

- in the 1st TERM students might go to see a play one morning;

- in the 2nd TERM they might travel to Dublin or somewhere else for a week or 10 days in an exchange program, they will perform the Community of Madrid examinations which usually takes the first hours during 2 weeks in 2nd & 4th of ESO groups;

- in the 3rd TERM, during the months of May or June, Cambridge Examinations are taking place for 4th of ESO; The Olympic Games are usually happening during these months as well as some Pilgrimage too.

Consider also the time spent on projects such as Erasmus+, Global Classroom and 4º+Empresa.

Although these social activities contribute to the school's culture and sense of community, they can make you modify your lesson plan for an entire week in every level, especially if you've been chosen to participate! ;)

If your Syllabus Design is for a group of 2nd of Baccalaureate, have in mind that THE PAU in 2026 started the first week of June, which made teachers plan ahead of time.

Those little details for each week will be solved and rescheduled without any problem if you are aligned with your colleagues and Head of Department.

Ready to start planning? Have you already chosen the target class? Which one? 1st or 2nd year of ESO? 3rd or 4th year of ESO? or do you prefer to design 12 didactic units for one of the groups in 1st or 2nd year of Baccalaureate?

Have you studied enough so you can feel inspired to write the titles and the content of your 12 units without using Artificial Intelligence?

Remember to use the content you are already studying for the essay, that knowledge you are acquiring out of those 69 units of the English Secondary Civil Exam to elaborate your 12 didactic units. That will make perfect sense for the entire process!
I help people to write and defend their own creative and meaningful English syllabus design. Let me know if you need some help by filling this form.

Happy back to school, dear teachers!

Ah! and here you have the updates of THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK for the Syllabus Design. The highlighted references should be mentioned in the defence and while writing your essay:

FOR SECONDARY EDUCATION (ESO)

1. Ley Orgánica 2/2006, de 3 de mayo, de Educación (LOE), as amended by Ley Orgánica 3/2020, de 29 de diciembre (LOMLOE).

2. Real Decreto 217/2022, de 29 de marzo, por el que se establece la ordenación y las enseñanzas mínimas de la Educación Secundaria Obligatoria.

3. Decreto 65/2022, de 20 de julio, del Consejo de Gobierno, por el que se establecen para la Comunidad de Madrid la ordenación y el currículo de la Educación Secundaria Obligatoria, modificado por el Decreto 59/2024, de 12 de junio.

4. Orden 1712/2023, de 19 de mayo, de la Vicepresidencia, Consejería de Educación y Universidades, por la que se regulan determinados aspectos de organización, funcionamiento y evaluación en la Educación Secundaria Obligatoria.

5. Decreto 23/2023, de 22 de marzo, del Consejo de Gobierno, por el que se regula la atención educativa a las diferencias individuales del alumnado en la Comunidad de Madrid.

6. Orden 457/2023, de 17 de febrero, por la que se concreta el procedimiento para el ejercicio de la autonomía de los centros docentes que impartan Educación Secundaria Obligatoria y Bachillerato en la Comunidad de Madrid.

7. Orden 1736/2023, de 19 de mayo, por la que se establecen los catálogos de materias optativas que los centros podrán incorporar a su oferta educativa en ESO y Bachillerato.

If you teach in the bilingual programme

8. Orden 2876/2018, de 27 de julio, por la que se establece el currículo de Inglés Avanzado de ESO in bilingual Spanish-English schools and of Bachillerato in bilingual institutes in the Community of Madrid.

and THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK for BACCALAUREATE:

1. Ley Orgánica 2/2006, de 3 de mayo, de Educación (LOE), as amended by Ley Orgánica 3/2020, de 29 de diciembre (LOMLOE).

2. Real Decreto 243/2022, de 5 de abril, por el que se establecen la ordenación y las enseñanzas mínimas del Bachillerato.

Important: this regulation has been modified in 2026 by Real Decreto 535/2026, de 30 de junio. The consolidated BOE version shows its latest update as 2 July 2026.

3. Decreto 64/2022, de 20 de julio, del Consejo de Gobierno, por el que se establecen para la Comunidad de Madrid la ordenación y el currículo del Bachillerato, modificado por el Decreto 59/2024, de 12 de junio.

4. Orden 2067/2023, de 11 de junio, de la Vicepresidencia, Consejería de Educación y Universidades, por la que se regulan determinados aspectos de organización, funcionamiento y evaluación en el Bachillerato.

5. Decreto 23/2023, de 22 de marzo, por el que se regula la atención educativa a las diferencias individuales del alumnado en la Comunidad de Madrid.

6. Orden 457/2023, de 17 de febrero, relativa a la autonomía de los centros docentes que imparten ESO y Bachillerato.

7. Orden 1736/2023, de 19 de mayo, concerning the catalogue of optional subjects available in ESO and Bachillerato.

Bilingual Bachillerato

8. Orden 2876/2018, de 27 de julio, if your programme specifically relates to the Advanced English Curriculum / bilingual programme.

Enjoy the process of finding your own voice!

MORE ABOUT CIVIL EXAMS:

EOI CIVIL EXAM IN MADRID 2025
EOI CIVIL EXAM IN MADRID 2023
BIBLIOGRAPHY EOI (OPO)
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UNITS 31-39 TEXT, GENRES & ANALYSIS

UNIT 41 & 42: OLD & MIDDLE ENGLISH

UNIT 56. THE ROLE OF LITERATURE

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