Higher English

Language and literacy are of personal, social and economic importance. Your ability to use language lies at the centre of the development and expression of your emotions, thinking, learning and sense of personal identity.

This course gives you the opportunity to develop skills in listening, talking, reading and writing, which are essential for learning, life and work. You will develop your ability to communicate your thoughts and feelings and respond to those of other people.

The skills that you develop in English are useful in a wide range of careers; these include teaching, editorial, journalism, administration, legal work or in the arts.

The course offers learners opportunities to develop and extend a wide range of skills. In particular, the course aims to enable learners to develop the ability to: 

• • listen, talk, read and write, as appropriate to purpose, audience and context

  • understand, analyse and evaluate texts, including Scottish texts, as appropriate to purpose and audience in the contexts of literature, language and media 

  • create and produce texts, as appropriate to purpose, audience and context 

  • apply knowledge and understanding of language

  • source reference material and use appropriately

Unit assessment  

Performance-Spoken Language  

In this assessment candidates have to do at least one of the following spoken language activities: 

• • Take part in a group discussion, or discussion-based activity, to which they contribute relevant ideas, opinions, or information, using detailed language. Candidates must take account of the contributions of others and stay focused on the topic or task. 

  • Prepare and present a presentation. The presentation must be detailed in content, and must be structured in a clear and relevant way. Candidates must answer questions from the audience at some point in the presentation. 

Throughout the course the teacher and the pupil will record individual performance, noting areas for individual consolidation or improvement, and to assist teachers in calibrating estimate grades for the Scottish Qualification Authority.  

Final Assessment: 

Folio of Writing: 1x Persuasive/ Discursive; 1x Imaginative or Personal Reflective - (30%) 

Final External SQA Exam:  

• • Paper 1 - Close Reading of non-fiction text (2 in exam) - (30%) 

  • Paper 2 - 1 Textual Analysis of set Scottish Text - (20%)

  • & 1 Critical Essay - (20%)