History - Advanced Higher

St Peter the Apostle High School

The course covers:

Historical study

Candidates undertake a detailed study of a single historical period. Through this study they develop their ability to evaluate a wide range of historical sources which have some complex features, taking into account their provenance, content and historical and historiographical contexts. Candidates engage with the views of a range of historians, analyse issues to sustain a coherent line of argument, and draw well-reasoned conclusions supported by detailed evidence.

Candidates select one field of study from a choice of specified fields, allowing for personalisation and choice.

Researching historical issues

Candidates develop skills of:

 justifying appropriate research issues

 planning a complex programme of research

 researching, collating and recording information

 explaining approaches to organising

 presenting and referencing findings

 using an appropriate referencing convention

Question paper

The question paper has 10 optional sections; each section has two parts:

 Part A: Historical issues — a range of essay questions which are drawn from any of the key issues shown in the table below.

 Part B: Historical sources — source–based questions drawn from only the key issues which are shown in italics in the table below.

Course assessment structure: question paper

Question paper 90 marks

The question paper has a total mark allocation of 90 marks. This is 64% of the overall marks for the course assessment.

The question paper draws on the skills, knowledge and understanding acquired during the course.

It allows candidates to demonstrate:

 factual and theoretical knowledge and understanding of complex historical issues

 factual and theoretical knowledge and understanding of different historiographical perspectives

 critical analysis and evaluation of a range of historical sources

 critical analysis and evaluation of the causes or impacts of complex historical developments

 synthesising information in order to structure and sustain lines of argument

The question paper has 10 optional sections, all worth 90 marks. Candidates choose one section and answer questions in that section only:

 Northern Britain from the Iron Age to 1034

 Scotland: independence and kingship, 1249–1334

 Scotland: from the Treaty of Union to the Enlightenment, 1707–1815

 USA: ‘a house divided’, 1850–65

 Japan: the modernisation of a nation, 1840–1920

 Germany: from democracy to dictatorship, 1918–39

 South Africa: race and power, 1902–84

 Russia: from Tsarism to Stalinism, 1914–45

 the Spanish Civil War: causes, conflict and consequences, 1923–45

 Britain: at war and peace, 1938–51

Each section has two parts.

 Part A — Historical issues (50 marks)

 Part B — Historical sources (40 marks)

Part A — Historical issues

 two extended-response questions, requiring candidates to draw on the skills, knowledge and understanding they have acquired during the course

The questions are drawn from the content listed in the ‘Skills knowledge and understanding for the course assessment’ section. Candidates choose two 25-mark questions from a choice of five. Optional questions are of equal demand and scope.

Command words include, for example:

 To what extent was [event] caused by [factor]…?

 How far does [factor] explain [event]?

 [quote] How valid is this view?

 [quote] How justified is this view?

Part B — Historical sources

 three extended-response questions, requiring candidates to use the skills, knowledge and understanding they have acquired during the course and apply these to unseen historical sources

The questions are drawn from the content given in italics in the ‘Skills, knowledge and understanding for the course assessment’ section. Candidates attempt all three questions:

 one 12-mark source evaluation question, requiring candidates to evaluate the usefulness of a given source in terms of provenance, content and historical and historiographical contexts

 one 12-mark source contextualisation question, requiring candidates to establish the view and interpret the content of one source, and place this in historical and historiographical contexts

 one 16-mark two-source interpretations question, requiring candidates to establish the differing views and interpretations presented by two sources on a complex historical issue, and place these in historical and historiographical contexts

Candidates have 3 hours to complete the question paper.

Course assessment structure: project––dissertation

Project––dissertation 50 marks

The project–dissertation has a total mark allocation of 50 marks. This is 36% of the overall marks for the course assessment.

The project–dissertation enables candidates to demonstrate their skills, knowledge and understanding by undertaking independent research into a complex historical issue.

Project–dissertation overview

The project–dissertation allows candidates to demonstrate the following skills, knowledge and understanding:

 identifying an appropriate complex historical issue for research

 drawing on in-depth knowledge and understanding

 using information from a range of primary and secondary sources

 analysing perspectives from historiography

 synthesising evidence and historiography in a sustained and coherent line of argument

 drawing a well-reasoned conclusion based on evidence

 organising, presenting and referencing findings using a standard referencing system

 creating an abstract that summarises the different interpretations and debate(s)

Setting, conducting and marking the project–dissertation

Candidates choose an appropriate complex historical issue and:

 research the issue

 analyse perspectives from historiography

 show in-depth knowledge and understanding of the issue

 refer to current historiography

 synthesise evidence into a line of argument leading to a conclusion

 summarise with an abstract

 reference their findings clearly

Teachers and lecturers should provide reasonable guidance on the types of issues which enable candidates to meet all the requirements of the project–dissertation. Teachers and lecturers may also guide candidates as to the likely availability and accessibility of resources for their chosen issues.

Candidates should work on their project–dissertation with minimum support from the teacher or lecturer.

The project–dissertation is managed by centres within SQA guidelines. It is conducted under some supervision and control. Candidates produce the evidence for assessment independently in time to meet a submission date set by SQA.

Evidence is submitted to SQA for external marking.

All marking is quality assured by SQA.

Assessment conditions

Time

This assessment is carried out over a period of time. Candidates should start at an appropriate point in the course, allowing sufficient time to carry out research.

Supervision, control and authentication

Teachers and lecturers must exercise their professional responsibility to ensure that evidence submitted by a candidate is their own work.

The project–dissertation is conducted under some supervision and control. This means that, although candidates may complete part of the work outwith the learning and teaching setting, teachers and lecturers should put in place processes to monitor progress and ensure that the work is the candidate’s own, and that plagiarism has not taken place. For example:

 regular checkpoint and/or progress meetings with candidates

 short spot-check personal interviews

 checklists which record activity and/or progress

Teacher and lecturer comments on the selection of a topic and title are appropriate before the candidate starts the task. Once work on the assessment has begun, all the candidate’s work must be their own.

Group work approaches are acceptable during the research phase of the project–dissertation. However, the completed project–dissertation must be the candidate’s own work. Candidates may seek clarification regarding the instructions for the dissertation task. In this case, the clarification should normally be given to the whole class.

Teachers and lecturers may provide input and advice in order to allow candidates to progress to the next stages of the assessment. The assistance provided must be recorded so that the candidate’s own planning work can be marked and judged fairly.

Resources

There are no restrictions on the resources to which candidates may have access.

Reasonable assistance

Centres must ensure that each candidate’s evidence for their project–dissertation is their own work. However, reasonable assistance may be provided. The term ‘reasonable assistance’ is used to balance the need for support with the need to avoid giving too much assistance. If a candidate requires more than what is deemed to be ‘reasonable assistance’, they may not be ready for assessment, or they may have been entered for the wrong level of qualification.

Teachers and lecturers can give reasonable assistance on a generic basis to a class or group of candidates, for example, advice on how to develop a project plan. Teachers and lecturers can also give reasonable assistance to candidates on an individual basis.

When reasonable assistance is given on a one-to-one basis in the context of something the candidate has already produced or demonstrated, there is a danger that it becomes support for assessment. Teachers and lecturers must be aware that this should not go beyond reasonable assistance.

Evidence to be gathered

The following evidence is required for this assessment:

 candidate’s completed project–dissertation

Volume

The word count for the project–dissertation is 4,000 words (excluding references, bibliography and appendices). Candidates must submit the word count with the completed project–dissertation.

If the word count exceeds the maximum by more than 10%, a penalty is applied.