Creative Writing: overview of the SQA Advanced Higher English writing portfolio
An overview of the SQA Advanced Higher English writing portfolio: a piece of writing in any genre worth 30 marks, covering creative writing (prose fiction, poetry, drama), discursive writing (persuasive, argumentative, reflective), and the writing process of drafting and redrafting.
Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed
Jump to a section
The writing portfolio is the coursework that shows you can produce complex writing of your own. It is worth 30 marks and marked externally. SQA reduced the Advanced Higher portfolio to one piece of any genre, doubling the mark for that piece, with no fixed word count. This page maps the skills a strong portfolio piece needs, creative or discursive.
The skills of a strong portfolio
- The writing portfolio
- Knowing the marking areas and letting purpose and audience govern every choice, aiming for sophistication, not competence.
- Crafting creative writing
- Controlling narrative voice and structure in fiction, form and imagery in poetry, and dialogue and subtext in drama, to show rather than tell.
- Crafting discursive writing
- Controlling argument structure, persona, tone and evidence in persuasive, argumentative or reflective writing, and making reflection, not narration, the heart of a personal piece.
- The writing process and redrafting
- Planning, drafting and redrafting in targeted passes against the criteria, from large scale to small, with proofreading last.
How to study creative writing
- Read widely in your chosen genre. Strong writers read; study how published work in your form achieves its effects.
- Fix purpose and audience first. Decide the effect and the reader before drafting, and let every choice follow.
- Draft early and redraft often. The portfolio rewards revision; start with time to redraft in targeted passes.
- Proofread to accuracy. Technical accuracy is marked, so finish with a slow accuracy pass.
For the official course specification
The SQA publishes the coursework instructions and portfolio guidance for Advanced Higher English at sqa.org.uk and on Understanding Standards. Always follow the current coursework instructions and your centre's guidance.