In order to pass the Higher English Course you need to pass three Units and an external exam.
The three units are: Literary Study Unit; Language Study Unit; and the Personal Study Unit. These units are assessed in College throughout the year. Although there are three units, there are four assessments. This is because the Language Study Unit is made up of two distinct assessments: Close Reading and the Reflective/Persuasive/Argumentative Essay. You are given two chances to pass each of these four assessments. You must pass all of these units in order to pass the Higher English course.
However, your final grade is solely determined by your performance in the external exam in May. There are two papers in this exam. Paper 1 is the Close Reading and is worth 50 marks. For Paper 2 you are required to write two Critical Essays on texts or the film that you we have studied in class. Paper 2 is also worth 50 marks. For specific guidance on the exam, click here and you will be taken to the relevant pages of the SQA website.
There will also be a Preliminary (Prelim) Exam in February. This is an important assessment. Part of it acts as the re-assessment for the Language Study Unit. It is also important as your result in this exam can act as evidence if you are eligible for appeal after the results of the external exam come out.
This link (SQA Past Papers - 2007 ) will take you to the part of the SQA site which allows you to download last year's past paper.
Click on Assessment Schedule to find out when all these assessments take place.