The Project-Dissertation: overview of the SQA Advanced Higher Drama independent research project
An overview of the project-dissertation of SQA Advanced Higher Drama, worth 30 of the 100 marks: an independent research project of 2,500 to 3,000 words engaging with at least one influential practitioner and sustaining a referenced line of argument.
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The project-dissertation is the independent written research component of SQA Advanced Higher Drama, worth 30 of the 100 marks and marked externally. You investigate a drama topic, engage with at least one influential practitioner, and present a sustained, referenced argument of 2,500 to 3,000 words. This page maps the task and the research, argument and referencing skills it tests.
The skills the dissertation tests
- The project-dissertation task
- Understanding the word count, the practitioner requirement, the external marking, and the demand for a sustained argument over a survey.
- Research and the line of argument
- Framing a research question, gathering and evaluating primary and secondary sources, and structuring an evidenced argument that weighs competing interpretations.
- Referencing and academic conventions
- Citing sources accurately, integrating quotations into the argument, compiling a bibliography, writing formally, and avoiding plagiarism.
How to study for the dissertation
- Start early. The dissertation rewards reading and redrafting over time, not a last-minute write-up.
- Narrow the topic. Turn a broad interest into a precise question you can argue in 3,000 words.
- Engage a practitioner properly. Choose at least one influential practitioner whose ideas do real work in the argument.
- Reference as you go. Record sources while you read, so citation and the bibliography are accurate and complete.
For the official course specification
The SQA publishes the full Advanced Higher Drama course specification, the project-dissertation assessment task and the coursework instructions at sqa.org.uk. Always revise from the current documents, because the word count, practitioner requirement and conditions are board-specific and have changed between sessions.