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ENGLISH

SCQF LEVEL 6 - HIGHER

QUALIFICATION

Higher

DURATION

1 Year full time/

5 periods per week 

COURSEWORK

Please see 'What will you get' section below

EXAM

Please see 'What will you get' section below

COST

No necessary costs

TEACHERS

Various

WHY TAKE THIS COURSE?

wHAT WILL YOU EXPERIENCE?

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 consists of two areas of study.

Analysis and Evaluation 

You will develop listening and reading skills in the contexts of literature, language and media, and the skills needed to understand, analyse and evaluate detailed and complex texts.

Creation and Production 

You will develop talking and writing skills in a wide range of contexts, and the skills needed to create and produce detailed and complex texts in both written and oral forms.

KEY FACTS

Everything you need to know before selecting this course

entry requirements

what will you get?

An A or a B at National 5 (at discretion of department) to progress to Higher in one year.

We have offered a very successful two-year higher programme (with the opportunity to sit in S5 based on prelim performance) for many years and this helps pupils with a C or a B at National 5 build confidence and experience.

An Award Graded A- D based on performance in course assessment.

 

The course assessment has four components totalling 100 marks:

  • Component 1: question paper (Reading for understanding, analysis and evaluation) – worth 30 marks

  • Component 2: question paper: Critical reading – worth 40 marks (consisting of 2 sections each worth 20 marks, section 1 - Scottish texts, and section 2 – Critical essay)

  • Component 3: portfolio (writing) – worth 30 marks

  • Component 4: performance (spoken language) – no mark allocation – graded as achieved or not achieved.

For the portfolio component, you will produce two different texts: one broadly creative, and one broadly discursive.

Both the question papers and the assignment are set and externally marked by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA).

The performance component will be set and marked internally by your school or college and externally verified by the SQA.

The grade awarded is based on the total marks achieved across course assessment.

progress

Everything you need to know about future pathways from this course

EMPLOYMENT

my world of work

This link will take you to an excellent resource on MyWOW which looks at potential career routes when you select a combination of subjects. 

STUDENT STORIES

Information from pupils who have studied this course as to how they feel it was.

Anonymous

English wasn’t my best subject so it was a good chance to build my confidence.  I had the chance to sit the prelim in S5 to see if I was ready to sit Higher in S5 but was much more confident in S6.

Girl reading in library

Meldrum Academy, Colpy Road, Oldmeldrum, Aberdeenshire, AB51 0NT

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