1. Advanced Higher English 2009 - 2010

2. Unit 1: Literary Study  Internal assessment: 2 critical essays, on different genres, produced under supervision, without assistance. Access to the texts is allowed.  External assessment: 1 unseen critical essay, answered in 1 ½ hours, without access to texts. This is worth 30% of your final mark.

3. Texts we will study  Poetry  Seamus Heaney: a selection of about 17 poems.  Drama  Liz Lochead: Dracula and Mary Queen of Scots got her head chopped off.

4. Unit 2: Creative Writing  Internal assessment:  4 pieces of writing that cover more than one genre. These must be a minimum of 1000 words in length (except poetry).  External assessment:  2 pieces of writing, handed in to the SQA, covering 2 different genres. These make up 30% of your final mark.

5. Genres we will cover:  Reflective essay  Drama  Poetry  Prose fiction

6. Unit 3: Specialist Study, Literature (aka THE DISSERTATION)  Must be between 3500 and 4500 words, excluding footnotes & bibliography.  Should be on a range of texts (7 + poems, 2 or more longer texts)  You will have an individual tutor for your dissertation, following initial work in class.  Your dissertation will be sent away in March.  This will count for 40% of your final mark.

7. The words that best strike the note that is characteristic of competence of performance (equivalent to Grade C) at the level of Advanced Higher are:   relevant   thoughtful   secure   consistent   accurate   effective.

8. At this level, excellence (equivalent to Grade A) is indicated by words such as:   thorough   sustained   insight   full   satisfying   perceptive   incisive   skilful   precise   pertinent   sharply focused.