AWARD RECEIVED
Higher – Politics 

 

ENTRY LEVEL – What do I need to do it?
You will normally be expected to have attained a pass at N5 Modern Studies, or another social subject, preferably at grade A or B.  Exceptional circumstances will be considered on their merits. 

 

COURSE CONTENT –What will I learn?
There are three units (topics) for Higher:  

Unit I – Political Theory
In this unit you will learn about key political concepts such as power, authority and legitimacy. We will also study the nature of democracy and the arguments for and against representative democracy. Lastly this unit will consider the ideas of two political ideologies – Conservatism and Socialism.  

Unit II – Political Systems 
In this unit you will study and compare the political systems of the UK and the USA. This will include a study of the relevant power of the executive and legislative branches and the origins and principles that underpin them.  

Unit III – Political Parties and Elections
This unit will focus on the impact of political ideas with a focus on the Conservative Party and the Labour Party. This will include an examination of political campaigning and voting behaviour.    

 

TEACHING METHODS – What will I do? 
In Politics we use a variety of teaching methods. You will be working as an independent individual much of the time, but often, also, in pairs, groups or as a whole class. There is a great deal of reading and writing to be done for Higher Politics. Technology, especially iPads and social media, will also play a key role. Your teacher will have high expectations of your levels of personal effort. 

Much of the course focuses on the development of essay-writing skills. While factual knowledge is obviously important, Politics also teaches you many skills that you will use at college and university or employment as well as in life in general, such as critical thinking, evaluating, analysing and debating.  

 

ASSESSMENT  

Added value	In Higher Politics, the Added Value unit is known as the Assignment.  This is a written report on a political topic of your choosing written under exam conditions with the aid of research materials that you have gathered independently.  This is marked by the SQA and it is worth 30 marks, which contributes towards your final Higher Politics grade.
Exam	The examination for Higher Politics has two papers.  Paper 1 is essay based and is worth 52 marks.  Paper 2 is skills based and is worth 28 marks.

 

HOMEWORK
You will be given regular homework for Higher Politics. Higher students are expected to take responsibility for their own learning, organisation and homework and to do significant amounts of extra reading and preparation for the added value and class tests.  

 

PROGRESSION IN THE SENIOR PHASE
A pass in Higher Politics could lead to Advanced Higher Modern Studies in S6.