SQA Advanced Higher Graphic Communication course assessment: the question paper and the project explained
A deep-dive SQA Advanced Higher Graphic Communication guide to the course assessment. Covers the question paper (90 marks) and the project (90 marks), how the project responds to a brief across technical graphics and commercial and visual media graphics, the 20 A3 page limit, and how to plan, develop, annotate and present the work.
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What the course assessment actually demands
Advanced Higher Graphic Communication is graded A to D from two equally weighted components: a question paper and a project, each worth 90 marks. The question paper tests knowledge and skills across both the technical graphics and commercial and visual media graphics contexts under exam conditions; the project applies the whole course to an open brief. This guide explains both components and, in particular, how to plan, produce, annotate and present the project. The dedicated project dot-point page sits alongside this overview with worked questions.
The two components
The award is built from two components, both set and marked by the SQA, that together total 180 marks.
- Question paper - 90 marks, 50 per cent of the award, sat over 2 hours 30 minutes under exam conditions. It assesses knowledge and skills from across the course, both technical graphics (modelling, drawings, sections, dimensioning, standards, pictorials) and commercial and visual media graphics (elements and principles, colour, typography, DTP, output and impact), often through interpreting given drawings, models and layouts.
- Project - 90 marks, 50 per cent of the award. A graphical response to a brief, presented on a maximum of 20 single-sided A3 pages, that must demonstrate ability in both contexts.
The question paper
The question paper rewards applying knowledge, not just recall. Expect to interpret British Standard drawings and 3D models (identifying projection systems, line types, sections, dimensions, tolerances and fits, and reasoning about modelling), and to analyse commercial graphics (explaining the effect of elements and principles, colour, typography and DTP techniques, and reasoning about output and impact). Because the questions are written from across the course, broad, confident coverage of both contexts is essential.
The project: responding to a brief
The project is the centrepiece of the course. It is an open graphical response to a brief that must give scope to show ability in both contexts. The strongest responses are planned so they naturally need both technical and commercial work, for example a product together with its packaging and promotion. The candidate then produces genuine work in each context, technical modelling, drawings and illustration on one side; designed layouts, packaging or publications on the other, judged by the standards of each context.
Developing, annotating and presenting
The project is assessed on understanding and decision-making as well as the finished outcomes. Candidates develop their response through preliminary (thumbnail) and working (development) graphics, annotate the design and modelling decisions to make their reasoning visible, and present the resolved work coherently. The presentation is itself a piece of graphic communication, so layout, consistency and clarity matter.
The page limit
The project is presented on a maximum of 20 single-sided A3 pages. Exceeding the maximum by more than 10 per cent incurs a penalty. The limit forces candidates to manage scope and select their strongest, most resolved work rather than padding, so editing and presentation are part of the skill being assessed.
How to approach the project
- Interpret the brief and plan for both contexts. Choose a scenario that naturally demands technical and commercial work, and sketch how the response will cover both.
- Explore widely, then commit. Use thumbnails to generate options and working graphics to develop the chosen ideas.
- Produce genuine depth in each context. Make the modelling and drawings sound and to British Standards, and make the design considered and resolved.
- Annotate your decisions. Explain why you chose techniques, layouts, colours and type, so your understanding is evidenced.
- Manage scope and present well. Select the strongest work, lay it out coherently, and stay within the 20 A3 page limit.
Check your knowledge
A mix of recall and reasoning questions on the course assessment. Attempt them, then check against the solutions.
- State how many marks the question paper and the project are each worth. (1 mark)
- State how long the question paper lasts. (1 mark)
- State what the project is (in one phrase). (1 mark)
- State the two contexts a project response must demonstrate. (1 mark)
- State the maximum number of pages for the project. (1 mark)
- State why annotation matters in the project. (1 mark)