Modern Studies Higher

Vale of Leven Academy

The course consists of three areas of study: Democracy in Scotland and the United Kingdom; Social issues in the United Kingdom; and International issues. There is considerable flexibility in the themes which can be studied within each area in order to allow for personalisation and choice.

Skills, knowledge and understanding

Skills, knowledge and understanding for the course

The following provides a broad overview of the subject skills, knowledge and understanding developed in the course:

 developing and applying factual and theoretical knowledge and understanding, and giving detailed explanations and analysis of:

— the democratic processes, institutions and organisations which make up political life in Scotland and the United Kingdom

— a major social issue in the United Kingdom, focusing on either social inequality or crime and the law

— an international issue, focusing on either a political and socio-economic study of a major world power or a contemporary world issue

 analysing, evaluating and synthesising a wide range of evidence which may be written, numerical and graphical to:

— detect and explain the degree of objectivity in contexts which may be familiar or unfamiliar

— draw and support conclusions in contexts which may be familiar or unfamiliar

 analysing and evaluating a wide range of evidence which may be written, numerical and graphical to explain the degree of reliability in contexts which may be familiar or unfamiliar

 researching, analysing, evaluating and synthesising a wide range of evidence which may be written, numerical and graphical to make and justify decisions in contexts which may be familiar or unfamiliar

Course assessment is based on the information provided in this document.

The course assessment meets the key purposes and aims of the course by addressing:

 breadth — drawing on knowledge and skills from across the course

 challenge — requiring greater depth or extension of knowledge and/or skills

 application — requiring application of knowledge and/or skills in practical or theoretical contexts as appropriate

This enables candidates to draw on, extend and apply the skills, knowledge and understanding they have acquired during the course.

Course assessment structure: question paper

Question paper 1 (52 marks)

This question paper has a total mark allocation of 52 marks. This is 47% of the overall marks for the course assessment.

This question paper allows candidates to demonstrate application of the following skills and breadth of knowledge and understanding:

 giving detailed explanations, analysis and evaluation of complex political, social and economic issues

Candidates answer three questions which assess knowledge and understanding and higher-order skills of analysis and evaluation: two questions worth 20 marks and one question worth 12 marks.

Question paper 1 has three sections:

Section 1: Democracy in Scotland and the United Kingdom

Candidates answer one extended-response question, from a choice of three.

Section 2: Social issues in the United Kingdom

Candidates select either social inequality or crime and the law, and answer one extended-response question, from a choice of two.

Section 3: International issues

Candidates select either world powers or world issues, and answer one extended-response question, from a choice of two.

Setting, conducting and marking the question paper

This question paper is set and marked by SQA, and conducted in centres under conditions specified for external examinations by SQA.

Candidates have 1 hour and 45 minutes to complete this question paper.

Question paper 2 (28 marks)

This question paper has a total mark allocation of 28 marks. This is 26% of the overall marks for the course assessment.

This question paper allows candidates to demonstrate application of the following skills:

 detecting and explaining the degree of objectivity using a range of sources of information

 drawing and supporting complex conclusions using a range of sources of information

 evaluating the reliability of a range of sources of information

This question paper has three mandatory questions:

Question 1

Candidates answer a question which assesses the skill of detecting and explaining the degree of objectivity. This question consists of between two and four sources of information. Sources may be written, numerical, graphical or pictorial. This question is worth 10 marks.

Question 2

Candidates answer a question which assesses the skill of drawing and supporting conclusions. This question consists of between two and four sources of information. Sources may be written, numerical, graphical or pictorial. This question is worth 10 marks.

Question 3

Candidates answer a question which assesses the skill of evaluating the reliability of sources of information. This question consists of three sources of information. Sources may be written, numerical, graphical or pictorial. This question is worth 8 marks.

Setting, conducting and marking the question paper

This question paper is set and marked by SQA, and conducted in centres under conditions specified for external examinations by SQA.

Candidates have 1 hour and 15 minutes to complete this question paper.

Specimen question papers for Higher courses are published on SQA’s website. These illustrate the standard, structure and requirements of the question papers candidates sit. The specimen papers also include marking instructions.

Course assessment structure: assignment

Assignment 30 marks

The assignment has a total mark allocation of 30 marks. This is 27% of the overall marks for the course assessment.

Assignment overview

The assignment allows candidates to demonstrate the following skills, knowledge and understanding:

 identifying a modern studies issue about which there are alternative views

 researching a modern studies issue, using a range of sources of information

 synthesising and analysing information from a range of sources

 evaluating the usefulness and reliability of a range of sources of information

 reaching a decision on the issue studied

 showing detailed knowledge and understanding of the issue to support the decision reached

 showing an awareness of alternatives to the decision

 communicating information using the conventions of a report

Setting, conducting and marking the assignment

The assignment is set by teachers and lecturers within SQA guidelines. SQA provides a brief detailing how candidate evidence is assessed. Candidates choose any contemporary modern studies topic or issue to research. Evidence is submitted to SQA for external marking. All marking is quality assured by SQA.

The assignment has two stages:

 research

 production of evidence

Candidates undertake the research stage at any appropriate point in the course, normally when they have developed the necessary skills, knowledge and understanding.

In the research stage, candidates choose a topic which allows them to analyse a contemporary issue. They research the issue and organise their findings to address it, using the Modern Studies research sheet to support them in the production of evidence.

Assessment conditions

Time

The research stage is designed to be completed over a notional period of 8 hours.

Candidates have 1 hour and 30 minutes to complete the production of evidence for assessment. This must be done in one sitting. Candidates complete the production of evidence stage in time to meet the submission date set by SQA.

Supervision, control and authentication

The research stage 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 must 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:

 interim progress meetings with candidates

 questioning

 candidate’s record of activity/progress

 teacher or lecturer observation

Group work approaches are acceptable as part of the research stage. However, there must be clear evidence for each candidate to show that they have met the evidence requirements.

The production of evidence stage is conducted under a high degree of supervision and control. This means that candidates must:

 be in direct sight of the teacher or lecturer or other responsible person during the assessment

 not communicate with each other

 have access only to the Modern Studies research sheet

Resources

During the research stage, there are no restrictions on the resources to which candidates may have access.

During the production of evidence stage, candidates have access only to the Modern Studies research sheet. The purpose of the research sheet is to help candidates use their evidence and references, collected during the research stage, to address their chosen topic or issue. Research sheets are not assessed but must be submitted to SQA with candidates’ assignments.

Reasonable assistance

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

The term ‘reasonable assistance’ is used to try to balance the need for support with the need to avoid giving too much assistance. If a candidate requires more than what is thought to be ‘reasonable assistance’, they may not be ready for assessment, or it may be that they have been entered for the wrong level of qualification.

Reasonable assistance may be given on a generic basis to a class or group of candidates, for example, advice on how to develop a project plan. It may also be given to candidates on an individual basis. When reasonable assistance is given on a one-to-one basis in the context of something that a candidate has already produced or demonstrated, there is a danger that it becomes support for assessment, and teachers and lecturers need to be aware that this may be going beyond reasonable assistance.

Candidates must work on their research with minimum support from teachers or lecturers.

In the research stage, reasonable assistance may include:

 directing candidates to the instructions for candidates

 clarifying instructions/requirements of the task

 advising candidates on the choice of topic or issue

 guiding candidates on the likely availability and accessibility of resources for their chosen topic or issue

 advising candidates on possible sources of information

 arranging visits to enable gathering of evidence

 interim progress checks

Candidates must complete the production of evidence independently. However, reasonable assistance may be provided prior to the production of evidence taking place. This may include advising candidates of the nature and volume of specified resources which may be used to support the production of evidence.

At any stage, reasonable assistance does not include:

 providing the topic or issue for the candidate

 directing candidates to specific resources to be used

 providing model answers or writing frames specific to the task (such as outlines, paragraph headings or section headings)

 providing detailed feedback on drafts, including marking

Evidence to be gathered

The following evidence is required for this assessment:

 candidate assignment evidence

 Modern Studies research sheet: this must be no more than two sides of A4 paper

If a candidate does not submit a research sheet, a penalty of 6 marks out of the total 30 marks is applied.