2. Understanding Standards: Advanced Higher Event
History

3. Aims of the day
To support teachers, lecturers and assessors in their understanding of national standards by:
reviewing candidate evidence
discussing this evidence and associated Marking Instructions with colleagues
asking questions and seeking clarification about national standards

4. Advanced Higher: History
Uptake doubled
Results steady

5. Marks distribution Exam paper Exam paper Essays 2 @ 25 50 marks
2001–2015
Exam paper
Essays marks
Sources marks
Dissertation marks
2016
Exam paper
Essays marks
Sources marks
Dissertation marks

6. Process quality assurance
Making the paper
Selection of exemplars
Central Marking
Training
Seeded papers
Standardisation

7. Dissertation Response in 4000 words to an issue
Use a range of sources to analyse, evaluate and synthesise
Approved titles updated every year
10% tolerance on word limit before a penalty is applied

8. Dissertation – Key to consistency of approach: The generic grades sheet (GRID)
The generic descriptor GRID has been very successful in encouraging positive marking and marking across the spectrum of grades.
This should inform your grading, but not all elements have equal weighting
Introduction and conclusions – C Pass descriptor
DEGREE OF ANALYSIS – A++ Pass descriptor
THOROUGHNESS – bibliography may help

9. Introduction and conclusions have distinct boxes
Grade
Marker’s Comments
Comments (Standardised)
Introduction- clarity of structure and argumentation
Structure – Conclusions
Degree of THOROUGHNESS (depth and breadth)
Relevance of information
Degree of ANALYSIS and EVALUATION
Consideration of Historical sources/interpretation
Overall accuracy of approach,
primary source
Additional comments (including word count)
On the Ex Supp, the ANALYSIS/EVALUATION and THOROUGHNESS are highlighted and are given greater prominence. They will have a greater weighting, but will not solely give the grade but are significant drivers
Introduction and conclusions have distinct boxes
Relevance of information and approach
Overall structure, word count, clarity of argumentation

10. Penalties for candidates
Big improvement helped by the new rubric on the cover sheet, plus the instruction to put the word count on each page
If they sign for more than 4400 there is a penalty of 10% – NOT a sliding scale
Footnotes issue
No penalties for lack of page count, or word count or bibliography, but it may make you check more carefully before awarding the mark

11. Question Paper – Essays

12. Sources
Three stems
Three processes
Same skill set applied

13. Marking of Source questions
Selection of relevant quote and adding of explanation which relates to the question 1
Addition of recall (WCD) which relates to the question and therefore enhances the explanation 2
Adding development of the recall information which relates to the question 3

14. Sources: Scale of rewarding – How much for one mark?
A developed point?
A relevant historian with the view? [a list of historians doesn’t get extra marks!]
Same historian used twice gets credit, if accurately on a different point

15. Value of conclusion to source question?
As we noticed over the past years…
A lot merely summarise [at length] what has already been said.
The conclusions are worth no marks in themselves.
But can give the judgement necessary to answer the question
Conclusions can help give a holistic extra mark [ie showing that the sum is greater than the parts].

16. Writing… Provenance How useful is the source in terms of provenance?
Significance/importance of author, in relation to the question
Significance of date, in relation to the question
Significance of the context in which the source was created (directly link to answering the question)

17. ‘Evaluate the usefulness’ questions
Provenance comments and marks may not all be at the start of the answer.
Insights may be later on in the piece, especially in discussion of attitudes/tone of source.

18. Historians viewpoints (2 marks )
Include historians viewpoints to back up either the point of view of source or to show other points of view (ie to show bias of source).
If you include more than two points of historiography you will be awarded extra marks under recall. This is a good way to gain marks!! But they MUST
As long as they are valid….avoid ‘fig leaf’ approach.

19. ‘How fully….’ 3 marks awarded for source interpretation (analysis)
7 marks awarded for recall and wider contextual development
2 marks awarded for historians views
Suggested time 25mins

20. The Two Source Question
16 marks allocated
Not the same as a comparison question at Higher
Purpose of the question is to test knowledge of the interpretations of a broad theme
Suggested time 35mins

21. Mark allocation
Source interpretation (analysis) – 6 marks in total, 3 marks for each source
Recall/ Wider Contextual Development – 8 marks
Historians views– 2 marks

22. Symbols for source marking
I interpretation
P provenance
WCD context [recall, developing answer]
H historians/historiography
Also variations WCD/H or P/WCD
Often overlap [‘Evaluate the usefulness’ question might require you to ‘manoeuvre’ the marks, with historians’ views counted as context]