S4 to S5

hello! im going into s5 soon and im super anxious about all my classes despite the year not starting yet, im doing higher english, higher maths, higher computing, higher graphics, higher history and nat5 biology and i would like to know how big the jump is in the subjects im taking at higher as i did them in s4 aswell

Haven't taken Graphics or History but can comment on English, Maths, and Computing
Personally, English has felt like the biggest jump because no marks are awarded for quoting so you must have adequate analysis. This creates a lot more writing for the RUAE paper and Set Text but is still manageable. There's also a chance to get 2 marks for detailed analysis but I wouldn't recommend every relying on this. The set text paper now has a 10 marker instead of 8 marker, but is still fine. Essay probably changed the least, 3 questions offered instead of 2 questions but they are more specific unlike national 5 where the questions were quite generic.
Maths can feel like a big jump but as long as you stay on top of the work and consistently practice (even just 5 minutes a day on weak topics) then it should be fine. Some topics can be very easy like straight line.
Computing is similar and doesn't change much. I can't comment on Databases as I'm doing Web Development but as long as you know how to program and know your standard algorithms you can get an A. There's not much theory (that's what I think, will depend on who you ask), and the theory there is to know is pretty simple (different methodologies, maintainability and efficiency of program)
Hope this helped! I'm sure you will do well in your transition to S5 and there's nothing to be anxious about. If you ever feel like you are struggling, you can ask your teachers for help.

Hey! Totally get why you're feeling a bit anxious- moving into S5 and highers is a big step, there is definitely a bit of a jump going from N5 to Higher, but it's nothing unmanageable- as long as you keep on top of the work, study regularly, and don’t hesitate to ask questions when something’s unclear, you’ll be absolutely fine. (:
In terms of your specific subjects, I did both Higher English and Maths myself- personally, I found english to have a very similar structure to N5. If you were comfortable with the set text and essay writing side of things before, that part carries over well into Higher. You just go into a bit more depth, and I remember having a bit more to write in the exam, but it’s not a huge change and builds on well from what you've done before.
With maths I found it to be a bit more of a jump- however I think this was largely because I missed quite a bit of the N5 course content during Covid. The key is to practice questions regularly- the more you do it, the more the methods start to stick, I found I had to revise more for it but overall it was okay (:
The rest of your subjects you'll have a good foundation to build on. from last year, just try to stay organised, keep checking in with yourself if you're struggling, and don't let it pile up!
Best of luck with S5! 😊
Emily (:
2nd Year Chemistry Student
Official University Of Strathclyde Rep

hello! im going into s5 soon and im super anxious about all my classes despite the year not starting yet, im doing higher english, higher maths, higher computing, higher graphics, higher history and nat5 biology and i would like to know how big the jump is in the subjects im taking at higher as i did them in s4 aswell

HI! So personally I found higher maths a huge jump for me (went from my best subject at nat 5 to my worst at higher) but im going to try and scrape an A in my upcoming exam ! For me there just seemed like an overwhelming amount of content to maths and ive struggled with it a lot
I found graphics really similar to nat 5 and i consider it very similar to nat 5, its really just building on your knowledge from nat 5. I had finished the exam content by christmas! similarly i found english pretty similar to nat 5 as it is almost exactly the same structure - btw someone else said that you can get the two marks for analysis and said not to rely on this, while that is true its definitely very achievable to manage it. Think of it as a mark for analysis and then a mark for effectively applying/linking to the question asked. I normally go for writing 'extra' analysis for that mark and im normally pretty successful, but i would always recommend doing more answers than the mark allocation suggests.
Can't comment on computing or history as I havent done them but if you want any info on nat 5 bio i can do that!