1. Higher English
Folio Information

2. Why the Folio is Important
It is one of the three components of the Higher Course assessment.
This portfolio is worth 30 marks (15 marks per essay) out of a total of 100 marks.
This means it is worth 30% of the overall marks for the Course assessment.

3. Evidence to be Gathered
The following candidate evidence is required for this assessment:
One piece of writing which is broadly discursive
One piece of writing which is broadly creative
Group A: broadly creative
A personal essay
A reflective essay
An imaginative piece
Group B: broadly discursive
An argumentative essay
A persuasive essay

4. Assessment Conditions
The written texts must be no longer than 1,300 words each.
Candidates will be instructed to record their word count (excluding footnotes and any references).
Essays which are longer than 1300 will be harshly penalised.
In addition, markers will be instructed to stop marking when the word count exceeds the maximum by 10%.
While your teacher will have a supporting role, the candidate should take the initiative in the planning, management and completion of the task.

5. Assistance from your Teacher
This is a task which involves limited teacher assistance. This is called ‘reasonable assistance’ by the SQA.
Reasonable assistance may be provided by the teacher. The term ‘reasonable assistance’ is used to try to balance the need for support with the need to avoid giving too much assistance
This means it is essential that the candidate takes ownership of the task and works hard independently.

6. Assistance from your Teacher
SQA believe that it is essential that the finished folio is entirely the candidate’s work.
This means that the essays you hand in to your teacher must be of good quality with minimal mistakes and a clear structure which follows the information you have been given.
It is your responsibility to ensure your work is at Higher standard – do not rely on you’re your teacher to improve it!