Knowledge and understanding emerged as the most prominent component in the fiction materials. Worksheets and guided reading activities provided detailed background on historical and political contexts such as the Cold War, Stalinism, Marxism, and the rise of fascist regimes. For example, the Animal Farm unit connected fictional characters to real historical figures like Stalin, Lenin, and Hitler, allowing students to trace ideological links and explore totalitarianism through project-based learning. Supplementary materials introduced key political concepts and ideologies—such as socialism, communism, and democracy—which enhanced students’ capacity to interpret literary themes through a socio-political lens.

In the Macbeth unit, contextual knowledge was similarly reinforced. Students were given insights into beliefs about witches and astrology during Shakespeare’s era, supported by medieval illustrations and explanatory texts. This approach helped students understand how literary features reflected prevailing worldviews, particularly in relation to supernatural beliefs, mental health, and fate. Both fiction units contributed substantially to deepening students’ historical and cultural awareness within the framework of literary study.

The nonfiction materials tackled global and controversial issues, focusing predominantly on topics like freedom of speech, climate change, and natural disasters. While largely anchored in the target culture, the materials encouraged students to examine multiple perspectives through comparative analysis and debates. Presenting two opposing views on sensitive issues offered a structured format for critical engagement, though the scope for linking these debates to intercultural comparisons remained underdeveloped.

Empathy, as a core attitude and skill, was strongly embedded in both fiction and nonfiction tasks. Activities asked students to imagine themselves as characters in Macbeth or Animal Farm, reflecting on emotions, motives, and ethical dilemmas. Writing and performance tasks deepened this affective engagement and cultivated emotional literacy, while encouraging students to suspend judgment and develop open-mindedness. The emphasis on affective understanding provided a valuable entry point for intercultural reflection, especially in relation to controversial themes.

Skills of discovery and interaction were fostered through research projects and presentation tasks. For instance, students were required to investigate the historical context of Animal Farm’s publication or to research contemporary debates on freedom and justice. These projects allowed students to gather information independently and communicate their findings effectively, supporting the development of both interpretation and interaction skills. However, while students engaged in active inquiry, opportunities to relate their findings to diverse cultural perspectives remained limited.

Interpretation and relating skills were developed through tasks that asked students to compare past and present beliefs about science, religion, and superstition. In the Macbeth materials, students were invited to critically examine the role of fate and astrology, drawing parallels with modern scientific explanations. Similarly, in Animal Farm, discussions around Orwell’s message on social inequality and power structures encouraged students to explore parallels between literature and real-life politics. These activities enhanced students’ ability to evaluate cultural worldviews critically and to formulate nuanced opinions about social justice and oppression.

The explicit development of critical cultural awareness and political education was a distinguishing feature of the Year 10 materials. In Animal Farm, students examined the political spectrum and classified major UK and US parties along it. They also reflected on where they personally aligned, a task that promoted metacognitive awareness and fostered political literacy. CDA was further strengthened through activities analysing how animals are perceived differently across cultures and discussions on human rights, workers’ rights, and religious sensitivities.

Linguistic and discourse skills were developed in parallel through close reading and rhetorical exercises. Students learned to identify satire, irony, and rhythm in Shakespeare and Orwell’s texts and to explore the symbolic power of language. Idioms and connotative meanings were also examined, especially through cross-linguistic tasks asking students to compare animal idioms in their own languages. These linguistic activities reinforced ICC development by highlighting how language carries cultural meaning.

Perhaps most notably, action—an often underdeveloped ICC component—was explicitly addressed in the Year 10 materials. Worksheets and debate activities urged students to reflect on and respond to real-world issues such as LGBTQ+ rights, gender inequality, and racism. An “Action Plan” task required students to formulate concrete steps to address these problems, moving beyond abstract discussion into potential activism. Debates further facilitated dialogic interaction and encouraged students to mediate differences respectfully, thus enacting ICC in practice.

The analysis of the Year 10 materials highlights a significant progression in the integration of ICC components when compared to earlier year groups. While the dominance of the target culture persisted, the range and depth of intercultural content were clearly more sophisticated, offering students rich opportunities to develop both cognitive and affective dimensions of ICC. The materials moved beyond factual presentation and into areas of controversy, perspective-taking, and ethical reasoning, particularly through activities involving critical evaluation and civic action. The inclusion of deep culture elements, political themes, and rights-based discourse positioned students not only as interpreters of culture but as potential agents of change, capable of responding to injustice and advocating for inclusive values. Despite some limitations—such as the relatively narrow focus on global diversity and missed opportunities for comparative analysis across cultures—the Year 10 materials represented a more transformative approach to intercultural education. This shift suggests that age, language proficiency, and curricular expectations play a key role in enabling deeper engagement with ICC and underscores the need for earlier and more explicit integration of these components across all levels.