Assessment Information
During your Higher Italian course, you will learn language within the four contexts of: Society, Culture, Employability and Learning.
Your Higher in Italian will assess this language across the four language skills:
Reading
Writing
Listening
Talking
Reading & Writing (50 marks) - Final Exam
You will have an hour and a half to complete the Reading & Writing paper and you can use a dictionary for this paper.
The Reading Paper is worth 30 marks in total (25% of grade), split into 20 marks for Reading and 10 for Translation.
Directed Writing is worth 20 marks (12.5%) and you will respond to one of two scenarios, addressing 6 bullet points.
Listening (20 marks/25%) - Final Exam
There are two parts to the listening; the first is a monologue and worth 8 marks, and the second is a conversation worth 12 marks. This can cover any of the language from across the four contexts. It is important to revise and learn vocabulary regularly since you are not allowed a dictionary in this paper.
Talking Performance (30 marks/25%) - Coursework
The talking element of the Higher Course is a conversation with your teacher and will last around 10 minutes. You will prepare your talking in class and spend a lot of time in class and at home learning it. By securing a good mark in your talking, you can walk into the exam having almost 25%!
Writing Assignment (20 marks/12.5%) - Coursework
Similar to the Talking Performance, the Writing Assignment is completed prior to the exam. You will produce 200-250 words in Spanish, using detailed language, based on one of the four contexts. You will write your first draft, and then your teacher will use a Correction Code to advise you on changes to be made for your second draft. It is then sent away to the SQA to be marked.