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Higher English 2018-19

Hey, creating the thread for everyone doing Higher English!

Got any problems? Hate Scottish Text? Need Advice? Ask below! :smile:

p.s good luck to anyone reading this during exams or prelims!

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Hey! :smile:

Currently hating the Higher English course - not because of the content - as it's been dreadfully boring and has somehow managed to give me 2x the amount of homework than I get from any other classes...

Can't wait till I can get out of the subject completely!
Original post by WestDragon
Hey! :smile:

Currently hating the Higher English course - not because of the content - as it's been dreadfully boring and has somehow managed to give me 2x the amount of homework than I get from any other classes...

Can't wait till I can get out of the subject completely!


Ha, I can relate to that - essay writing for English can be sooo time-consuming, which is what I should be doing right now... Anyway, what part of the course are you doing? What makes it so boring?
Original post by LeastWolf
Ha, I can relate to that - essay writing for English can be sooo time-consuming, which is what I should be doing right now... Anyway, what part of the course are you doing? What makes it so boring?


I mean I generally find it all boring - I have no interest in English whatsoever (more of a science person) - but especially the constant work on close reading - we've started our Scottish text work along with reading our prose - "The Handmaid's Tale" :angry: Altogether we just seem to get so much homework it ruins the whole subject for me :biggrin:
We are doing Liz Lochead and it's so boring on top of close reading and folio pieces. I had to resist it again as I failed the exam but I need it for uni. Don't think I'll pass it this year 🙄🙄
i feel like everyone is doing well this year in english(?) and i feel left out so is there anyone who just sneaked their way into higher like me? i feel like i’m going to fail lmao who’s with me
How does everyone study for the critical essay? This year for the critical essay I am doing prose, but i feel like the questions are so open ended haha. Like last year for nat 5 most of the prose questions were pretty predictable (ie. important theme, key/significant moment etc. etc). So I basically learned a bunch of essays which DID end up coming up in the exam. But for higher prose I cant see a general trend in the questions, you could literally be asked anything. And no matter how much I study for a particular text I cant seem to write an essay on the spot under timed conditions on a random question which ive never seen before - any help please? thanks : )
I am gonna fail this. Our teacher is so bad this year, we have zero notes and prelims are in 9 school weeks, nothing to revise from and we have barely even started our play for set text.
Original post by leylaaa23
i feel like everyone is doing well this year in english(?) and i feel left out so is there anyone who just sneaked their way into higher like me? i feel like i’m going to fail lmao who’s with me


:wavey:
Have just merged this into the main Higher English thread for you :smile:

English can be a really difficult one at the start of the year, as it's not like something like other subjects where you can break it down into small topics and understand them one at a time. With English you learn all the skills and knowledge gradually and then gradually get better at answering the questions, as you get towards the exam. My advice would be to not worry about it, as a lot of people feel the same at this stage, but do work hard and persevere with it, as for a lot of people it does come with lots of practice :smile:
Original post by noodles99
I am gonna fail this. Our teacher is so bad this year, we have zero notes and prelims are in 9 school weeks, nothing to revise from and we have barely even started our play for set text.


I wouldn't worry too much about having a bad teacher - English is probably the best subject to get a bad teacher in! Most of the exam skills you can teach yourself: for close reading do every past paper and mock paper you can get your hands on, you will start to get a feel for how to answer the questions, and what kind of answer the SQA want, for Scottish Text I'm sure you can find fully annotated copies of your poems online and from there it's just a case of learning them inside and out, and finally the essay is just a case of memorising structures for each type of question. Just keep positive and put lots of work in and you'll be fine. :smile:
I hated higher English so much I got a C last year, I am more of a maths person
(edited 5 years ago)
english is probably my worst subject by far but this year I have a teacher who actually doesn’t hate me so I’m hoping it’s smooth sailings :biggrin:
I have three ideas for my discursive piece, but I'm not sure to choose from. Can you please help me to choose?

1. Should Allergy Sufferers Avoid Eating Out?
2. Is Technology Ruining Family Time?
3. Are Students Put Under Too Pressure to Go to Universities?
Original post by PandaGirl018
I have three ideas for my discursive piece, but I'm not sure to choose from. Can you please help me to choose?

1. Should Allergy Sufferers Avoid Eating Out?
2. Is Technology Ruining Family Time?
3. Are Students Put Under Too Pressure to Go to Universities?


I think 2 is really good!
I'm doing Higher English as an external candidate - doing everything on my own from home.

For RUAE, I am planning on just doing all the past and practice papers I can find, to hopefully find the technique to answering these types of questions. Is that all you can really do for RUAE?

For critical reading I'm doing 6 poems by Norman MacCaig and The Trick Is To Keep Breathing by Janice Galloway. Apart from learning the texts off by heart, what else can I do to practice? And does anyone have tips for structuring the essay?

Lastly, for the portfolio, is there a certain structure for these pieces of writing and how do you choose a topic?

Thanks for any advice - English is a struggle with no tutor help at all and I need to get a B.
Original post by Weelouise
I'm doing Higher English as an external candidate - doing everything on my own from home.

For RUAE, I am planning on just doing all the past and practice papers I can find, to hopefully find the technique to answering these types of questions. Is that all you can really do for RUAE?

For critical reading I'm doing 6 poems by Norman MacCaig and The Trick Is To Keep Breathing by Janice Galloway. Apart from learning the texts off by heart, what else can I do to practice? And does anyone have tips for structuring the essay?

Lastly, for the portfolio, is there a certain structure for these pieces of writing and how do you choose a topic?

Thanks for any advice - English is a struggle with no tutor help at all and I need to get a B.


:wavey:
For RUAE, the most important advice is to quote from the text, and provide a relevant comment. That and, like you say, learn the formula for answering each question type.

For the Scottish Text (MacCaig), annotating the poems is really helpful, and make sure you are analysing them. Practice the 10 markers, and learn the structure in terms of what gets the marks, as no matter the question, they always use the same marking structure. Make sure you do a lot of work in terms of finding commonalities between the poems, as this will help loads with the 10 marker. For the other questions, it's a case of knowing the poems (remember they will be about the printed one!) and being able to analyse their meaning.

When it comes to the critical essay, the structure I generally used was introduction, 4 paragraphs (4 points) and conclusion. Don't try and memorise essays, but I did find it helpful to have a sort of template to my introduction, which I then adapted to fit the specific question- it helped me to get started, which I always struggled with. Within each of your 4 main paragraphs, you want a topic sentence (which should pretty much summarise your paragraph/point), you should then provide evidence for your point. Then, the vital bit of a good essay, ANALYSE the evidence you have given and how that shows the point you are trying to make. And then finally, again really important to a good essay- link back to the question!

For the folio, you just need 2 pieces, one discursive/persuasive, and one creative/personal. There isn't really a specific structure, particularly for the creative/personal- do whatever makes sense for the piece to have the desired effect. For the discursive/persuasive, an introduction, 4(ish) points/paragraphs, and a conclusion is suitable. In terms of choosing a topic, for the discursive/persuasive, don't do something that's overdone, unless you have a new slant to it- instead choose something topical and current- and it's usually easier to write about something you're passionate about. The news can be a good place for inspiration, and there are thousands of topic ideas available online that might help you find your own idea. And for the personal/creative, it's pretty open really. You can choose something real life, or it can be entirely made up- the key is that it's well written, and engaging.

Hope this helps! :smile:
our school for whatever reason is no longer doing its usual text for the Scottish text (they normally do carol ann duffy) as we’re doing Jekyll and Hyde. And for the essay, we’re doing The Devils Wife or Schlinder’s List.

is anyone else doing Jekyll and Hyde 😭 I like the book but don’t want to answer questions on it
I've made sure my folios are really well written as I'm not too good at the close reading and want an A! If you get close to full marks for the folios then you'd only need to get 40ish% for the rest of the exam for (depending on pass mark obviously, but Higher English is usually quite low) an A!
Is anyone doing Liz Lochhead for poetry? And The Yellow Room for critical essay??
I failed Higher English in my last year in school but I got a B on National 5 after doing it the second time, I'm doing it in college! We are doing Jekyll and Hyde, Slab Boys along with Hotel Room and Visiting Hour by Norman.

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