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Having achieved a National 5 award, high school students in Scotland can work towards a Higher qualification in English.
To gain an award at Higher, candidates must achieve a pass in the internal units as well as in the external assessment.
Internal Assessments
There are four internal assessments at Higher, two outcomes for each unit:
Unit 1
Analysis and Evaluation
Outcome 1: Close Reading
Outcome 2: Close Listening
Unit 2
Creation and Production
Outcome 1: Writing
Outcome 2: Talking
To pass Unit 1, candidates must demonstrate their ability to understand, analyse and evaluate detailed and complex written and spoken texts.
For Unit 2, candidates must create one written text and take part in a talk activity (group discussion or individual presentation) using detailed and complex language.
External Assessments
The course is assessed through a folio of writing and an exam:
Folio of Writing
Creative Writing
15 marks
Discursive Writing
15 marks
Exam
Component 1: Reading for UA&E
Close Reading
30 marks
Component 2: Critical Reading
Section 1: Scottish Text
20 marks
Section 2: Critical Essay
20 marks
For the folio of writing, candidates must submit two pieces of writing – one which is creative and one which is discursive. Each piece of writing can gain a maximum of 15 marks.
In the exam, Component 1 (Reading for Understanding, Analysis and Evaluation) requires candidates to answer detailed questions about the language and ideas of one non-fiction text and then answer a question to examine the relationship between the ideas and/or language of the text with another non-fiction text.
In Component 2, for the first section (Scottish Text), candidates must answer detailed questions about an extract from a previously studied Scottish text. 10 marks can be gained for answering questions about the extract and a further 10 marks are available for answering a question which requires a broader knowledge of the rest of the text (for a novel/play) or other texts by the writer (for poetry / short stories).
In the second section of Component 2, candidates will have a selection of questions from five contexts: drama, poetry, prose, film & television drama and language. They must write a critical essay in response to one of these questions, demonstrating their knowledge of a previously studied text.
Reading for Understanding, Analysis and Evaluation
Unit 1
Analysis and Evaluation
Outcome 1: Close Reading
Exam
Component 1: Reading for UA&E
Close Reading