If you've achieved a National 5 award in English, you can undertake the Higher English course.

Internal Assessments
There are four internal assessments at Higher:

In Unit 1, you'll sit Close Reading and Close Listening assessments where you'll be expected to show that you can understand, analyse and evaluate detailed and complex written and spoken texts.

For Unit 2, you've got to write an essay and take part in a talk activity (group discussion or individual presentation) using detailed and complex language.

In order to sit the final exam, you'll need to achieve a PASS for each unit.

External Assessments
The course is assessed through a folio of writing and an exam:
Folio of Writing
For the folio of writing, you'll send two pieces of writing to be marked by an external examiner. One essay must be creative (imaginative or personal/reflective) and the other must be discursive (argumentative or persuasive). Each piece of writing can gain a maximum of 15 marks.

The Exam
In the exam, in May, you'll sit two papers. One paper, Reading for Understanding, Analysis and Evaluation, will be a Close Reading assessment - you'll answer detailed questions about the language and ideas of one non-fiction text and then answer a question where you examine the relationship between the ideas and/or language of the text and another non-fiction text. You will have 90 minutes for the Close Reading assessment and it's worth 30 marks.

The second paper, Critical Reading, has two sections - you'll have 90 minutes to complete this paper. For the first section (Scottish Text), you must answer detailed questions about an extract from a previously studied Scottish text. 10 marks can be gained for answering questions about the extract and a further 10 marks are available for answering a question which requires a broader knowledge of the rest of the text (for a novel/play) or other texts by the writer (for poetry / short stories). The second section will have a selection of questions from five contexts: drama, poetry, prose, film & television drama and language. You must write a critical essay in response to one of these questions, demonstrating your knowledge of a previously studied text - this essay is worth up to 20 marks.


Reading for Understanding, Analysis and Evaluation
Language Strategies: Step-by-step guide (rhsenglish resource) .pdf
Close Reading (BBC Bitesize): Basics / Word Choice / Imagery / Sentence Structure
Hazard Perception (BBC Bitesize): Close Reading Techniques Game
Critical Reading Guide (criticalreading.com): Ways to Read / Inference / Grammar

Critical Reading: Scottish Text (Poetry)
IMPORTANT - If you choose to answer on POETRY for Section One of the Critical Reading Exam (Scottish Text) then you can't write about poetry for Section Two (Critical Essay).

Norman MacCaig
Norman MacCaig (BBC Bitesize): Biography / Annotations
Norman MacCaig (Youtube): STV "Off the Page" Interview video
Norman MacCaig (textualities.net): An Interview with Norman MacCaig
BBC Scotland Article: The Enduring Appeal of Norman MacCaig 
Assisi
Assisi (Scottish Poetry Library): A Copy of the Poem
Assisi (BBC Knowledge): Revision Notes
Wikipedia Entry: Assisi
Britannica Online Encyclopedia: Saint Francis of Assisi
Saint Francis of Assisi (Wikipedia): Background Information
Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi (Britannica Online): Background Information
Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi (Wikipedia): Background Information
Culture Cafe Video (BBC): Norman MacCaig reads Assisi video
Assisi (BBC Booknotes): Annotated Copy of the Poem (Registration Required) 
Aunt Julia
Norman MacCaig (Scottish Poetry Library): A Copy of the Poem
Aunt Julia (BBC Knowledge): Revision Notes 
Basking Shark
Basking Shark (Scottish Poetry Library): A Copy of the Poem
Basking Shark (BBC Knowledge): Revision Notes 
Memorial
Norman MacCaig (Scottish Poetry Library): A Copy of the Poem
Memorial (BBC Knowledge): Revision Notes 
Sounds of the Day
Sounds of the Day (Scottish Poetry Library): A Copy of the Poem
Sounds of the Day (BBC Knowledge): Revision Notes 
Visiting Hour
Visiting Hour (Scottish Poetry Library): A Copy of the Poem
Visiting Hour (BBC Knowledge): Revision Notes
"Visiting Hour" appeared in the 2015 Higher English exam, a copy of which can be viewed/downloaded here.

Critical Reading: Critical Essay
PEAR Paragraph Workshop: Step-by-step Paragraphing Guide (rhsenglish resource) video
Critical Essay Guide: Part 1 - Exam Timing (rhsenglish resource) video
Critical Essay Guide: Part 2 - Picking a Task (rhsenglish resource video
Critical Essay Guide: Part 3 - Paragraph Plan (rhsenglish resource)video
Critical Essay Guide: Part 4 - Writing the Essay (rhsenglish resource) video
Critical Essay Guide: Support Sheets  (rhsenglish resource) .pdf
Critical Essay (BBC Bitesize): Questions / Planning / Critical Terminology
Booknotes (BBC Bitesize): Annotated texts (including MacCaig poems)

Critical Reading: Critical Essay (Drama)
Drama (Revision World): The Nature of Drama Texts
Drama (Revision World): Text and Context
Drama (Revision World): Creating Characters
Drama (Revision World): Plot and Structure
Drama (Revision World): Opening Scenes
Drama (Revision World): Endings
Drama (Revision World): Themes and Issues
Wikipedia Entry: Drama (History / Forms)
Wikipedia Entry: Play (Types / Terminology)
Wikipedia Entry: Fiction (Types and elements of fiction)
Wikipedia Entry: Fiction Writing (Elements of fiction)

Othello - William Shakespeare
Sparknotes: Study notes for the entire text - Plot summaries, character analysis, themes, symbols...
BBC Bitesize GCSE: Context / Plot / Character / Themes 
WikiSummaries: Character and Scene Summaries 
Wikiquotes: Othello Quotations
Sparknotes Video: Text Summary video
BBC Learning Zone Video 1: Shakespeare's Globe Theatre video
BBC Learning Zone Video 2: Animated Tales (Act One) video
The Tech (MIT): The Entire Play Online

Critical Reading: Critical Essay (Poetry)
IMPORTANT - You can only choose to write about poetry for Section Two of the Critical Reading exam (Critical Essay) if you do not answer questions on poetry for Section One (Scottish Text).

Edwin Morgan
Edwin Morgan (Education Scotland): Poems / Audio
Edwin Morgan (Education Scotland Video): Liz Lochead Interviews Morgan video
Edwin Morgan (Youtube): STV "Off the Page" Interview video 
Edwin Morgan (Youtube): STV "Eye to Eye" Interview video
Edwin Morgan Archive (SPL): Biography / Poems / Resources 
Edwin Morgan (Official Website): Biography / Work / Gallery

The Death of Marilyn Monroe
Wikipedia Entry: Monroe's Career / Life / Death
Wikipedia Entry: Monroe's Funeral / Conspiracies
Youtube Video: Monroe's Funeral video
Youtube Video: Audio of Lee Strasberg's Eulogy for Monroe video
BBC Booknotes: Annotated Copy of the Poem (Registration Required)

Critical Reading: Critical Essay (Prose Fiction)
Prose (Revision World): Studying a Novel
Prose (Revision World): Types of Novel
Prose (Revision World): Studying Short Stories
Prose (Revision World): Studying Non-fiction
Prose (Revision World): Opening Pages
Prose (Revision World): Narrative Viewpoint
Prose (Revision World): Characters and their Development
Prose (Revision World): Setting and Atmosphere
Wikipedia Entry: Fiction (Types and elements of fiction)  
Wikipedia Entry: Fiction Writing (Elements of fiction)  
Wikipedia Entry: Non-fiction (Types of non-fiction)
Wikipedia Entry: Short Story (Overview / History)
 
Lord of The Flies - William Golding
Sparknotes: Study notes for the entire text - Plot summaries, character analysis, themes, symbols...
BBC Bitesize Higher: Background / Characters / Key Scenes / Theme 
BBC Bitesize GCSE: Context / Plot / Character / Themes
Nobel Prize Site: Lord of the Flies game
William Golding Website: Background Information
Sparknotes Video: Text Summary (which, annoyingly, calls the conch "conk") video
BBC Learning Zone Video 1: Historical Context, Part 1/3 video
BBC Learning Zone Video 2: Historical Context, Part 2/3 video
BBC Learning Zone Video 3: Historical Context, Part 3/3 video
Revision World: Powerpoint Presentation 

Folio of Writing
Writing Accuracy (Education Scotland): Knowledge of Language
Writing Accuracy (Grammar Monster): Punctuation / Parts of Speech

Folio of Writing: Creative
"Lost but not Forgotten" (SQA): Imaginative Writing Example .pdf 
"Lost but not Forgotten" (SQA): Mark & Assessment Comments
"Can I be Bothered?" (SQA): Personal Writing Example .pdf
"Can I be Bothered?" Commentary (SQA): Mark & Assessment Comments .pdf
"Scarred" (SQA): Imaginative Writing Example .pdf
"Scarred" (SQA): Mark & Assessment Comments .pdf
"Let Me Count the Ways" (SQA): Imaginative Writing Example .pdf
"Let Me Count the Ways" (SQA): Mark & Assessment Comments .pdf
Prophyria Speaks (SQA): Imaginative Writing Example .pdf
Prophyria Speaks (SQA): Mark & Assessment Comments .pdf
Creative Writing (Guardian Article): Listen to Advice from Authors
Creative Writing (BBC Blast): Good Openings / Plot / Characterisation video
Creative Writing (BBC Blast): Editing / Entertaining the Reader video

Folio of Writing: Discursive
Discursive Writing (BBC Blast Video): Researching Skills Part 1 video
Discursive Writing (BBC Blast Video): Researching Skills Part 2 video
Discursive Writing (BBC Blast Video): Researching Skills Part 3 video

Specimen Question Papers 
Higher - Reading for UAE (SQA): Specimen Question Paper  
Higher - Critical Reading (SQA): Specimen Question Paper 

Past Papers
The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) set the exams for Higher pupils. The following past papers are available online:

2017 Higher (SQA): Critical Reading & RUAE .pdf
2017 Higher (SQA): Marking Instructions .pdf

2016 Higher (SQA): Critical Reading & RUAE .pdf
2016 Higher (SQA): Marking Instructions .pdf
 
2015 Higher (SQA): Critical Reading & RUAE .pdf
2015 Higher (SQA): Marking Instructions .pdf

Discontinued Higher Past Papers
2015 Higher (SQA): Critical Essay & Close Reading .pdf
2015 Higher (SQA): Marking Instructions .pdf

2014 Higher (SQA): Critical Essay & Close Reading .pdf
2014 Higher (SQA): Marking Instructions .pdf

2013 Higher (SQA): Critical Essay & Close Reading .pdf
2013 Higher (SQA): Marking Instructions .pdf

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