Higher History

Higher History helps young people deepen their understanding of major events in Scottish, British, and world history while developing valuable analytical skills. Through studying different historical topics, pupils learn to evaluate sources, interpret evidence, and construct well-argued written responses.

The topics we study are:

Scottish = The Scottish Wars of Independence, 1249-1328 - looking at Scotland's attempts to remain independent from English rule after the death of Alexander III

British = Britain, 1851-1951 - looking at the development of the United Kingdom into a modern democracy and the development of the role of the state in the welfare of its citizens

European and World = USA, 1918-1968 - looking at the growing tensions around immigration to the USA, as well as the struggle to achieve civil rights for black Americans.

Assessment includes a final exam and a research-based assignment completed in school.

Paper 1= Essays on the British and European and World topics (40%)

Paper 2 = Skills questions on the Scottish topic (33%)

Assignment = research based essay completed in school under exam conditions (27%)

Entry requirements for this course are A-C at National 5, or we welcome pupils who have achieved an A-B in either RMPS or English.

Higher History helps build strong analytical, research, and communication skills, so it can lead to a wide range of careers. While it doesn’t train you for one specific job, it is valued in many fields that rely on critical thinking and understanding people, society, and evidence. 

Possible career paths include:  

• Law, 

• Teaching, 

• Civil service & government roles, 

•  journalism, 

• media,  

• publishing,  

• Politics, 

• Museums, 

• archives, 

• heritage and conservation,  

• Police, 

• armed forces, and 

• intelligence services,  

• Social research and social work,  

• Business, 

• management, and 

• HR.