← History syllabus

ScotlandHistory

Course and Assessment

4 dot points across 4 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How is SQA Advanced Higher History structured around a single field of study, and what does choosing a field commit you to?

The structure of Advanced Higher History: one chosen field of study examined in depth, the place of historiography, the SCQF level 7 standard, and how the field shapes the question paper and the dissertation.
How SQA Advanced Higher History is built around one chosen field of study examined in depth. Covers the available fields, the place of historiography, the SCQF level 7 standard, and how the chosen field shapes both the question paper and the project-dissertation.
11 min answer →

What is the SQA Advanced Higher History project-dissertation, and why is it the single most important component of the course?

The 50-mark project-dissertation: an independent 4,000-word research piece, what it requires (a clear question, primary and secondary sources, historiography, a sustained argument and a substantiated conclusion), and how it is marked.
An overview of the compulsory SQA Advanced Higher History project-dissertation. Covers the 4,000-word independent research piece worth 50 marks, what it requires (a clear question, sources, historiography, argument and conclusion), how it is marked, and why it carries roughly a third of the award.
12 min answer →

How is the SQA Advanced Higher History question paper structured, and how are its 90 marks divided between the essays and the source exercise?

The 90-mark, three-hour question paper: Part A (two 25-mark essays) and Part B (the three-part source exercise worth 12, 12 and 16 marks), how to split your time, and what each part rewards.
How the SQA Advanced Higher History question paper is structured and marked. Covers Part A (two 25-mark essays), Part B (the source exercise worth 12, 12 and 16 marks), the three-hour timing, and what each part rewards so you can plan the exam.
11 min answer →

What does SCQF level 7 mean for Advanced Higher History, and how is the course graded out of 140 marks?

The SCQF level 7 standard, the 32 credit points, grading A to D out of 140 marks across the question paper and dissertation, and what the level signals to universities.
What SCQF level 7 means for SQA Advanced Higher History and how the course is graded. Covers the level 7 standard, the 32 credit points, grading A to D out of 140 marks across the question paper and dissertation, and what the qualification signals to universities.
10 min answer →