Higher Modern Studies 2020-2021

Thread for SQA Higher Modern Studies.
I'm crashing the subject next year so any resources to help with what I missed from Nat 5 would be awesome!

Reply 1

anisha211

I'm taking Higher Modern Studies in the upcoming academic year. I would recommend the How to Pass books and good old BBC Bitesize. Personally, I don't find modern studies hard at all - if you work hard enough and understand the course it's not tough. There are only so many questions that could be asked in the exam (not talking about the source questions)...

Reply 2

SchuylerSister22

Hey, does anyone know how you get the marks for a 12 marker. I've been set one on the influence of the media on voting behaviour but I'm not sure how to get the marks

Reply 3

Saybot404

Hi,

12 markers are basically a stripped down version on 20 marks, if you have done those before. Looking at the course spec, you require enough to cover:

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8 knowledge marks

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4 analysis/evaluation marks.

In comparison to the 20 marks...

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there is no structure marks, so there is no requirement for an introduction nor a conclusion

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analysis was a max of 6 and conclusion was a max of 4, in 12 marks questions these two categories are combined and there are only 4 possible marks to be gained by doing either of these

Every school teaches these essays differently, however the most common one is PEEREEL:

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Point - make a point that links to the question

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Explain - explain what your point means in further detail

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Evidence - real, recent and relevant example that backs the point up (usually a statistic but not always)

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Rebuttal - counter-arguement to the point or an additional point that backs up/is related to the first point

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Explain - explain what your rebuttal/additional point means in further detail

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Evidence - real, recent and relevant example that backs the rebuttal/additional point up (usually a statistic but not always)

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Link back - summarise both points back to question, analyse both points - some prompts you may wish to use are...
- is one point more significant than the other?
- are they a mix contributing to the problem?
- what are the consequences of this?
- does it link to another paragraph?

If your PEEREAL paragraph was 100% perfect, this could gain 10 marks. Therefore, 2 PEEREAL paragraphs are required. This also allows you some leeway in how good your answer is and still gives you the possibility of gaining full marks.

Personally, I don't like the PEEREAL structure, but that is the one that is most commonly taught. Let me know if you'd like me to show you my way.

You may also want to consider adding a conclusion at the end of your answer, as it gives you more opportunity of gaining the 4 analysis/evaluation marks. Analysis/evaluation marks are typically where people tend to struggle.

There is also a video which explains this further if needed. However, just to clarify, you do not need an introduction nor a conclusion, despite what he says - although I may recommend doing a conclusion if analysis/conclusion marks are your weak point.

Hope this helps. :smile:

(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 4