Senior Phase courses

An overview of our Senior Phase courses

English

N5 English
National 5 English
RUAE- Paper One worth 30 marks. Exam is typically 60 minutes long.	In the RUAE element of the course pupils are given an unseen non-fiction text - usually a newspaper article - and are asked to answer a series of questions on this. Questions fall into several categories: Understanding- questions which rely on pupils explaining what point(s) are being made by the writer - generally pupils need to explain this in their own words rather than using those from the passage itself. Usually around half the marks of the paper are awarded for this type of question. In these questions one mark is awarded for each correct point made as long as pupils have used their own words. Analysis- these questions ask pupils to quote an example of language (such as word choice, imagery or sentence structure) and explain/analyse how it creates a particular effect. Pupils are taught a series of 'formula' type approaches to these questions to ensure they analyse fully. In these questions one mark is awarded for a correct quote combined with correct analysis. Evaluation- these questions ask pupils to analyse how effective introductions or conclusions are. In these questions one mark is awarded for a correct quote combined with correct analysis.
Textual Analysis - Paper Two worth 20 marks. Combined with Critical Essay in exam which is typically 90 minutes long.	For this element of the course, schools are given a selection of Scottish texts/texts by Scottish authors that have been identified by the SQA. At Linlithgow Academy most of the classes study a selection of poetry by Carol Ann Duffy or the play Sailmaker by Alan Spence. In the exam one of the poems /an extract from the play is printed in the paper and pupils are asked to answer 12 marks worth of questions on that poem/extract and then a further '8 mark question' comparing the poem/extract from the exam with another poem or another part of the play.
Critical Essay - Paper Two worth 20 marks. Combined with Textual Analysis in exam which is typically 90 minutes long.	Each class at National 5 will study one or two texts (from a variety of genres) which they will use to develop critical essay writing skills. Each teacher can select their own choice of text so we see a wide variety of choices across the department. In the exam, pupils do not have access to their text and are presented with a choice of essay questions from which they should answer one. It is important that pupils know their critical essay text and key quotes and analysis really well before they get to the final exam. Pupils will be given lots of opportunities to practice essay writing throughout the year.
Coursework - Folio is worth 30 marks and submitted prior to Easter holidays.	The folio comprised of a piece of writing (either broadly creative or broadly discursive) that would be drafted in class, marked by the class teacher, redrafted and finally submitted to the SQA for marking in early March. We ask pupils to write a first draft of both types of writing in class supervised conditions and then, in conjunction with the class teacher, we will select the most 'promising' piece which will be closely marked. Pupils should receive this marked piece around the start of the new year and will then work to redraft this as fully as possible. The final deadline for submission of this piece will be early March. We do not decide on the marks for the folio essays and do not find these out until the results are released in August.
Talk -pass/fail	All pupils must engage in a talk - this may be group discussion or solo talk. This is internally assessed. The Qualification Scotland requirement is that all pupils must pass talk in order to pass the National 5.

H English
Higher English
RUAE- Paper One worth 30 marks. Exam is typically 90minutes long.	In the RUAE element of the course pupils are given a pair of unseen non-fiction texts - usually newspaper articles - and are asked to answer a series of questions on this. Questions fall into several categories: Understanding- questions which rely on pupils explaining what point(s) are being made by the writer - generally pupils need to explain this in their own words rather than using those from the passage itself. Usually around half the marks of the paper are awarded for this type of question. In these questions one mark is awarded for each correct point made as long as pupils have used their own words. Analysis- these questions ask pupils to quote an example of language (such as word choice, imagery or sentence structure) and explain/analyse how it creates a particular effect. Pupils are taught a series of 'formula' type approaches to these questions to ensure they analyse fully. In these questions one mark is awarded for a correct quote combined with correct analysis. Evaluation- these questions ask pupils to analyse how effective introductions or conclusions are. In these questions one mark is awarded for a correct quote combined with correct analysis. In particular pupils face a 5 mark question asking them to compare the two texts.
Textual Analysis - Paper Two worth 20 marks. Combined with Critical Essay in exam which is typically 105 minutes long.	For this element of the course, schools are given a selection of Scottish texts/texts by Scottish authors that have been identified by the SQA. At Linlithgow Academy the classes study a selection of texts including: poetry by Norman MacCaig and Liz Lochhead, the play Men Should Weep by Ena Lamont Stewart and Jekyll and Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. In the exam one of the poems /an extract from the play is printed in the paper and pupils are asked to answer 10 marks worth of questions on that poem/extract and then a further '10 mark question' comparing the poem/extract from the exam with another poem or another part of the play.
Critical Essay - Paper Two worth 20 marks. Combined with Textual Analysis in exam which is typically 105 minutes long.	Each class at Higher will study one or two texts (from a variety of genres) which they will use to develop critical essay writing skills. Each teacher can select their own choice of text so we see a wide variety of choices across the department. In the exam, pupils do not have access to their text and are presented with a choice of essay questions from which they should answer one. It is important that pupils know their critical essay text and key quotes and analysis really well before they get to the final exam. Pupils will be given lots of opportunities to practice essay writing throughout the year.
Coursework - Folio is worth 30 marks and submitted prior to Easter holidays.	The folio comprised of a piece of writing (either broadly creative or broadly discursive) that would be drafted in class, marked by the class teacher, redrafted and finally submitted to the SQA for marking in early March. We encourage pupils to write a first draft of both types of writing in class supervised conditions and then, in conjunction with the class teacher, we will select the most 'promising' piece which will be closely marked. Pupils should receive this marked piece around the start of the new year and will then work to redraft this as fully as possible. The final deadline for submission of this piece will be early March. We do not decide on the marks for the folio essays and do not find these out until the results are released in August.
Talk -pass/fail	All pupils must engage in a talk - this may be group discussion or solo talk. This is internally assessed. The Qualification Scotland requirement is that all pupils must pass talk in order to pass the Higher.

AH English
Advanced Higher English
Textual Analysis - assessed in exam - worth 20 marks	This question paper assesses pupils' application of critical reading skills to an unseen literary text. The question paper has a total mark allocation of 20 marks. This is 20% of the overall marks for the course assessment. Pupils apply their understanding, analysis and evaluation skills to one unseen text. Pupils select one text from the genres of poetry, prose fiction, prose non-fiction or drama and produce a critical analysis. In class pupils practice building these skills through analysing a selection of texts across a variety of genres.
Literary Study -assessed in exam - worth 20 marks	This question paper assesses pupils' application of their critical reading skills and their knowledge and understanding of previously-studied literary texts. Pupils apply their understanding, analysis and evaluation skills to previously-studied texts from one of the following genres: poetry, prose fiction, prose non-fiction, or drama. This takes the form of one appropriately structured critical essay. This is usually based on a pair of longer texts or a selection of shorter ones. This year AH will be studying a selection of poetry by Sylvia Plath.
Coursework - Folio is worth 30 marks and submitted just after the Easter holidays.	Similarly to N5 and Higher - at advanced higher pupils need to produce a piece of folio writing from any given genre. This needs to be drafted under class supervision and then edited over time. Throughout the course pupils will write in a variety of different genres - they will be able to use this experience to decide which genre to take forward for their folio piece.
Coursework - Dissertation is worth 30 marks and is submitted prior to the Easter holidays.	The second coursework element of advanced higher is a dissertation. This assesses pupils' independent reading of complex and sophisticated literature. It provides evidence of their skills in critical analysis, evaluation, investigation and writing. The dissertation has a total mark allocation of 30 marks. This is 30% of the overall marks for the course assessment. The dissertation has three stages: ¨ planning: pupils should choose appropriate texts and formulate a precise and focused dissertation task on an aspect of literature ¨ research and development: pupils should investigate and research relevant materials and record all sources consulted ¨ writing: pupils should write their dissertations, reflecting, redrafting and proofreading before final submission. The chosen texts for the dissertation must be literary and must be untaught. Writers or texts studied in the dissertation cannot be used in the Literary Study question paper.

Drama

N5 Drama
National 5 Drama
Question Paper - assessed in the end of year exam - worth 40% of course award	The question paper consists of two sections: ¨ section 1 assesses the candidate's ability to evaluate their own work and the work of others ¨ section 2 assesses the candidate's ability to respond to stimuli and create their own piece of drama suitable for performance Throughout the year pupils work on practicing this element of the course - ensuring that they reflect on their own performances regularly and work to create and adapt their own drama pieces.
Performance - assessed in school prior to Easter - worth 60% of course award	Pupils can elect to perform in either an acting or production (costume, lighting, hair and make up, sound, props etc) role. As actors, pupils will be allocated a group to work within and given a drama piece. They must learn, rehearse and adapt this piece for performance. They will do this under guidance from the class teacher. Production pupils must demonstrate their production concept for the play (this may include plans, drawings, designs, plot sheets and mood boards) and the practical realisation of this. Towards the end of the year an QS examiner will visit the school and mark a sample of pupil performances. The remaining pupils will be assessed by school staff in line with the QS standard. This is worth 50 marks. The remaining 10 marks are allocated to the preparation for performance section. In this section, pupils write about their preparation for their selected production role for assessment.

H Drama
Higher Drama
Question Paper - assessed in the end of year exam - worth 40% of course award	The question paper has two sections: ¨ Section 1: theatre production: text in context (extended-response questions) Pupils answer from the perspective of an actor or director or designer in preparation for an intended production. Pupils analyse their selected text in the context of theatre production. Pupils answer one extended-response question from a choice of six. They demonstrate knowledge and understanding, contextual analysis and performance concepts which show how the text could be communicated to an audience through performance. Pupils gain credit for their ability to make use of appropriate quotations and/or textual references. ¨ Section 2: performance analysis (extended-response questions) Pupils answer one extended-response question from a choice of two on a performance they have seen. The focus of the questions require pupils to respond on a minimum of two of the following production areas: ¨ choice and use of the performance space ¨ director's intentions and effectiveness ¨ acting and development of characters ¨ design concepts and their effectiveness
Performance - assessed in school prior to Easter - worth 60% of course award	Pupils can elect to perform in either an acting or production. Actors at higher must deliver their performance in front of an appropriate 'live' audience. Each candidate must perform two acting roles, each from a different play. 25 marks are available for each role. Production roles at Higher entail pupils undertaking a detailed set design as well as an additional production role such as lighting, sound, props etc. Towards the end of the year an QS examiner will visit the school and mark all of the higher pupils. This is worth 50 marks. The remaining 10 marks are allocated to the preparation for performance section. In this section, pupils write about their preparation from the perspective of an actor or director or designer. These are also marked by the visiting assessor.

Modern Languages

N5 Languages
National 5 French and Spanish
Reading (30 marks - exam)	Pupils read three texts of equal length in the modern language. Each text derives from a different context: society, learning, employability or culture, and is followed by questions in English. Pupils respond to the questions in English. There are 10 marks available for the questions on each text.
Writing (15 marks - exam)	Pupils produce one written text of 120-150 words in the modern language in response to a job advert stimulus supported by six bullet points which the candidate must address. Four of the bullet points are common and are predictable but there are two additional bullet points that are linked to the specific context. Pupils may use a bilingual dictionary.
Listening (30 marks - exam)	Pupils first listen to one monologue in the modern language and respond to questions worth 8 marks. They then listen to one conversation in the modern language and respond to questions worth 12 marks. This is scaled by the SQA to represent 25% of the total marks. The texts are linked thematically and are based on the context which is not sampled in the reading texts in question paper 1. Pupils cannot use a dictionary for this.
Coursework - Assignment (15 marks - in class)	Pupils produce a piece of writing of 120-200 words in the modern language, using detailed language, based on one of the following contexts: society, learning or culture. We will provide pupils with a writing stimulus in English. Pupils have opportunities for redrafting and consolidation of their writing. Teachers will provide feedback on areas for improvement via the use of, for example, a writing improvement code.
Coursework - Talk (15 marks - in class)	The talk is divided into two parts - the presentation (10 marks) and the conversation (20 marks). In the presentation Pupils carry out a spoken presentation in the modern language, using detailed language on a topic chosen from at least one of the following contexts: society, learning, employability or culture. Pupils choose the topic and develop this into a short presentation. In the conversation - which takes place following the prepared presentation and any associated questions, pupils take part in a conversation using detailed language on a different context and respond to some questions in the modern language on that context. 15 marks are awarded for the conversation and 5 marks for the ability to sustain the conversation. This assessment is a one-off, single assessment event. This means that pupils must undertake both sections of the assessment at the same time and without interruption and may have only one attempt at the talk.

H Languages
Higher French and Spanish
Reading (30 marks - exam)	This section has 30 marks (25% of the total mark for course assessment). 20 marks are available for identifying main points, supporting detail and overall purpose. 10 marks are available for translating part of the text into English. Pupils read one text in the modern language. The text relates to one of the following contexts: society, learning, employability, culture. Pupils then respond to the questions, in English. They provide answers based on comprehension of information from the text. There are generally between 1-3 marks available for each question. In the penultimate question pupils need to identify the overall purpose of the text and must draw meaning from their overall understanding of the text. In the final question, pupils must translate the underlined text, which is divided into five sense units.
Directed Writing (15 marks - exam)	This section has 20 marks, scaled by SQA to 15 marks (12.5% of the total mark for course assessment). Pupils choose one scenario from the two provided in the question paper. The two scenarios relate to the two contexts which are not sampled in reading or listening. Pupils produce one piece of writing on their chosen scenario, of 150-180 words using detailed and complex language in the modern language. The scenario contains six related bullet points. Pupils must address each bullet point. The first bullet point contains two pieces of information. The remaining five bullet points each contain one piece of information. The directed writing task assesses pupils' ability to use appropriate past tenses and at least one other tense (for example, conditional or future).
Listening (30 marks - exam)	The question paper has 20 marks out of a total of 120 marks. This is scaled by SQA to represent 25% of the overall marks for the course assessment. Pupils may not use a dictionary. Pupils listen to one monologue in the modern language and respond to questions worth 8 marks. They then listen to one conversation in the modern language, with questions worth 12 marks. The texts are linked thematically and are based on the context which is not sampled in the reading text or directed writing scenarios.
Coursework - Assignment (15 marks - in class)	Pupils produce a piece of writing of 200-250 words in the modern language, using detailed language, based on one of the following contexts: society, learning, employability, culture. We will provide pupils with a writing stimulus in English. Pupils have opportunities for redrafting and consolidation of their writing. Teachers will provide feedback on areas for improvement via the use of, for example, a writing improvement code.
Coursework - Talk (15 marks - in class)	Pupils take part in a discussion with the teacher or lecturer using detailed and complex language on at least two different contexts and respond to questions in the modern language relating to each of the contexts. Pupils may have only one attempt at the talk.