diff --git a/course/format/renderer.php b/course/format/renderer.php
index 1309025b909..ea88504ba30 100644
--- a/course/format/renderer.php
+++ b/course/format/renderer.php
@@ -205,9 +205,7 @@ abstract class format_section_renderer_base extends plugin_renderer_base {
             return array();
         }
 
-        if (!has_capability('moodle/course:update', context_course::instance($course->id))) {
-            return array();
-        }
+        $coursecontext = context_course::instance($course->id);
 
         if ($onsectionpage) {
             $baseurl = course_get_url($course, $section->section);
@@ -219,23 +217,25 @@ abstract class format_section_renderer_base extends plugin_renderer_base {
         $controls = array();
 
         $url = clone($baseurl);
-        if ($section->visible) { // Show the hide/show eye.
-            $strhidefromothers = get_string('hidefromothers', 'format_'.$course->format);
-            $url->param('hide', $section->section);
-            $controls[] = html_writer::link($url,
-                html_writer::empty_tag('img', array('src' => $this->output->pix_url('i/hide'),
-                'class' => 'icon hide', 'alt' => $strhidefromothers)),
-                array('title' => $strhidefromothers, 'class' => 'editing_showhide'));
-        } else {
-            $strshowfromothers = get_string('showfromothers', 'format_'.$course->format);
-            $url->param('show',  $section->section);
-            $controls[] = html_writer::link($url,
-                html_writer::empty_tag('img', array('src' => $this->output->pix_url('i/show'),
-                'class' => 'icon hide', 'alt' => $strshowfromothers)),
-                array('title' => $strshowfromothers, 'class' => 'editing_showhide'));
+        if (has_capability('moodle/course:sectionvisibility', $coursecontext)) {
+            if ($section->visible) { // Show the hide/show eye.
+                $strhidefromothers = get_string('hidefromothers', 'format_'.$course->format);
+                $url->param('hide', $section->section);
+                $controls[] = html_writer::link($url,
+                    html_writer::empty_tag('img', array('src' => $this->output->pix_url('i/hide'),
+                    'class' => 'icon hide', 'alt' => $strhidefromothers)),
+                    array('title' => $strhidefromothers, 'class' => 'editing_showhide'));
+            } else {
+                $strshowfromothers = get_string('showfromothers', 'format_'.$course->format);
+                $url->param('show',  $section->section);
+                $controls[] = html_writer::link($url,
+                    html_writer::empty_tag('img', array('src' => $this->output->pix_url('i/show'),
+                    'class' => 'icon hide', 'alt' => $strshowfromothers)),
+                    array('title' => $strshowfromothers, 'class' => 'editing_showhide'));
+            }
         }
 
-        if (!$onsectionpage) {
+        if (!$onsectionpage && has_capability('moodle/course:update', $coursecontext)) {
             $url = clone($baseurl);
             if ($section->section > 1) { // Add a arrow to move section up.
                 $url->param('section', $section->section);
diff --git a/course/format/topics/renderer.php b/course/format/topics/renderer.php
index 5ef126f5987..e293a9df392 100644
--- a/course/format/topics/renderer.php
+++ b/course/format/topics/renderer.php
@@ -74,9 +74,7 @@ class format_topics_renderer extends format_section_renderer_base {
             return array();
         }
 
-        if (!has_capability('moodle/course:update', context_course::instance($course->id))) {
-            return array();
-        }
+        $coursecontext = context_course::instance($course->id);
 
         if ($onsectionpage) {
             $url = course_get_url($course, $section->section);
@@ -86,18 +84,20 @@ class format_topics_renderer extends format_section_renderer_base {
         $url->param('sesskey', sesskey());
 
         $controls = array();
-        if ($course->marker == $section->section) {  // Show the "light globe" on/off.
-            $url->param('marker', 0);
-            $controls[] = html_writer::link($url,
-                                html_writer::empty_tag('img', array('src' => $this->output->pix_url('i/marked'),
-                                    'class' => 'icon ', 'alt' => get_string('markedthistopic'))),
-                                array('title' => get_string('markedthistopic'), 'class' => 'editing_highlight'));
-        } else {
-            $url->param('marker', $section->section);
-            $controls[] = html_writer::link($url,
-                            html_writer::empty_tag('img', array('src' => $this->output->pix_url('i/marker'),
-                                'class' => 'icon', 'alt' => get_string('markthistopic'))),
-                            array('title' => get_string('markthistopic'), 'class' => 'editing_highlight'));
+        if (has_capability('moodle/course:setcurrentsection', $coursecontext)) {
+            if ($course->marker == $section->section) {  // Show the "light globe" on/off.
+                $url->param('marker', 0);
+                $controls[] = html_writer::link($url,
+                                    html_writer::empty_tag('img', array('src' => $this->output->pix_url('i/marked'),
+                                        'class' => 'icon ', 'alt' => get_string('markedthistopic'))),
+                                    array('title' => get_string('markedthistopic'), 'class' => 'editing_highlight'));
+            } else {
+                $url->param('marker', $section->section);
+                $controls[] = html_writer::link($url,
+                                html_writer::empty_tag('img', array('src' => $this->output->pix_url('i/marker'),
+                                    'class' => 'icon', 'alt' => get_string('markthistopic'))),
+                                array('title' => get_string('markthistopic'), 'class' => 'editing_highlight'));
+            }
         }
 
         return array_merge($controls, parent::section_edit_controls($course, $section, $onsectionpage));
diff --git a/course/rest.php b/course/rest.php
index 6efd228db65..61392ea99d2 100644
--- a/course/rest.php
+++ b/course/rest.php
@@ -75,7 +75,6 @@ switch($requestmethod) {
 
         switch ($class) {
             case 'section':
-                require_capability('moodle/course:update', $coursecontext);
 
                 if (!$DB->record_exists('course_sections', array('course'=>$course->id, 'section'=>$id))) {
                     throw new moodle_exception('AJAX commands.php: Bad Section ID '.$id);
@@ -83,11 +82,13 @@ switch($requestmethod) {
 
                 switch ($field) {
                     case 'visible':
+                        require_capability('moodle/course:sectionvisibility', $coursecontext);
                         $resourcestotoggle = set_section_visible($course->id, $id, $value);
                         echo json_encode(array('resourcestotoggle' => $resourcestotoggle));
                         break;
 
                     case 'move':
+                        require_capability('moodle/course:update', $coursecontext);
                         move_section_to($course, $id, $value);
                         // See if format wants to do something about it
                         $libfile = $CFG->dirroot.'/course/format/'.$course->format.'/lib.php';
@@ -178,7 +179,7 @@ switch($requestmethod) {
             case 'course':
                 switch($field) {
                     case 'marker':
-                        require_capability('moodle/course:update', $coursecontext);
+                        require_capability('moodle/course:setcurrentsection', $coursecontext);
                         course_set_marker($course->id, $value);
                         break;
                 }
diff --git a/course/view.php b/course/view.php
index ad495dd7a85..c7502059344 100644
--- a/course/view.php
+++ b/course/view.php
@@ -162,7 +162,7 @@
             set_user_preference('usemodchooser', $modchooser);
         }
 
-        if (has_capability('moodle/course:update', $context)) {
+        if (has_capability('moodle/course:sectionvisibility', $context)) {
             if ($hide && confirm_sesskey()) {
                 set_section_visible($course->id, $hide, '0');
                 redirect($PAGE->url);
@@ -172,7 +172,9 @@
                 set_section_visible($course->id, $show, '1');
                 redirect($PAGE->url);
             }
+        }
 
+        if (has_capability('moodle/course:update', $context)) {
             if (!empty($section)) {
                 if (!empty($move) and confirm_sesskey()) {
                     $destsection = $section + $move;