How to pass Higher English
About the Higher English course
Higher English is a challenging and fast-paced course. You will be required to:
- undertake self-study and revision activities
- work on folio pieces at home
It is important that you keep on top of deadlines and coursework. Revision should be ongoing throughout the year.
The 100 marks available are made up from a mix of coursework and a final exam.
In order to achieve the full award at Higher, you will also be required to undertake a Spoken Language assessment.
Higher English assessment breakdown
There are four parts to Higher English assessment:
| Assessment | Marks available | Exam time |
| Reading for Understanding, Analysis and Evaluation | 30 marks / 30% | 1 hour 30 minutes |
| Critical Reading | 40 marks / 40% | 1 hour and 45 minutes |
| Portfolio writing | 15 marks / 30% | - |
| Performance-spoken language | Achieved / not achieved | - |
| Assessment | Reading for Understanding, Analysis and Evaluation |
|---|---|
| Marks available | 30 marks / 30% |
| Exam time | 1 hour 30 minutes |
| Assessment | Critical Reading |
|---|---|
| Marks available | 40 marks / 40% |
| Exam time | 1 hour and 45 minutes |
| Assessment | Portfolio writing |
|---|---|
| Marks available | 15 marks / 30% |
| Exam time | - |
| Assessment | Performance-spoken language |
|---|---|
| Marks available | Achieved / not achieved |
| Exam time | - |
Helpfully, Higher English is structured identically to the National 5 English course. If you have completed National 5, this course will look quite familiar to you. However, Higher English is far more demanding in terms of:
- the texts studied
- the quality of written responses you must generate
- the level of analytical detail required of you