← History syllabus

ScotlandHistory

The Dissertation

3 dot points across 3 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How do you build historians' interpretations into the Advanced Higher History dissertation so the debate shapes the whole argument?

Building historiography into the dissertation: setting out the schools of interpretation, evaluating them against primary evidence, and organising the whole argument around the debate so the conclusion takes a position within it.
How to build historiography into the SQA Advanced Higher History dissertation. Covers setting out the schools of interpretation, evaluating them against primary evidence, organising the argument around the debate, and reaching a conclusion that takes a position within it.
12 min answer →

How do you choose a debatable dissertation question and plan the research for the Advanced Higher History project?

Choosing the dissertation question: finding a focused, debatable issue with a genuine historiographical debate and enough sources, then planning the reading and recording sources so the research supports an argument.
How to choose a dissertation question and plan research for the SQA Advanced Higher History project. Covers finding a focused, debatable issue with a real historiographical debate and enough sources, planning the reading, and recording sources so the research supports a sustained argument.
12 min answer →

How do you structure and write the 4,000-word Advanced Higher History dissertation so it sustains an argument to a substantiated conclusion?

Structuring and writing the dissertation: an introduction that frames the question and the debate, argued sections that use evidence and historiography, accurate referencing, and a conclusion that reaches a substantiated judgement within the word limit.
How to structure and write the 4,000-word SQA Advanced Higher History dissertation. Covers the introduction that frames the question and debate, argued sections using evidence and historiography, accurate referencing, managing the word limit, and a substantiated conclusion.
12 min answer →