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.
Career Pathways
To see what career areas this subject could lead to and the routes to get there, download and view these career pathways:
Arts, Social Sciences and Languages
Information, Culture and Heritage
Teaching and Classroom Support
This is at the discretion of the school/college but you would normally be expected to have attained one of the following:
The course comprises two areas of study.
Analysis and Evaluation of Literary Texts
You will:
Creation and Production
You will:
Course Assessment
The course assessment consists of four components totalling 100 marks:
Component 1 — Question paper: Literary Study (20 marks)
Component 2 — Question paper: Textual Analysis (20 marks)
Component 3 — Portfolio–writing (30 marks)
Component 4 — Project–dissertation (30 marks)
For components 1 and 2, you will write a critical essay for each question on drama, poetry, prose fiction or prose non fiction.
For component 3, you will produce one piece of writing in any genre.
For component 4, you will produce a dissertation between 2,500 to 3,500 words.
The question papers will be set and externally marked by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA).
The grade awarded is based on the total marks achieved across course assessment.
The course assessment is graded A-D.
SQA Past Papers English Advanced Higher
SQA Specimen English Advanced Higher Literary Study Question Paper
SQA Specimen English Advanced Higher Textual Analysis Question Paper
Further study, training or employment in: