Higher english

I am struggling with higher english currently. Just wondering if anyone have any useful resources for higher english?

Whether it is for RUAE, set text (I am doing Iain Critchon Smith) and the critical essay (The Crucible by Arthur Miller), or even generally, it would really help.

Thank you!

Reply 1

jasmineva3128

Hey. I'm also doing Jekyll and Hyde for my SST at higher this year, and I'm predicted an A, so hopefully I can help.

For your SST, I recommend making flashcards with quotes + technique + analysis. As it's poetry, it's more than possible to just make flashcards with all of your annotations from class. Look at past papers (and ask your teacher) so you can see what likely 10-marker questions there are, and try to tailor your analysis on your flashcards to fit them where possible. Then, in preparation for a test, your prelim, and the final exam, read over these flashcards and apply the knowledge through completing past paper questions.

This website, Study Rocket, has great materials on the different key themes, ect for Iain Crichton Smith poems. Whilst it doesn't have quotes, you could use the website to help with your analysis and to steer yourself in the right direction with finding relevant quotes.

https://studyrocket.co.uk/revision/higher-english-sqa

For your critical essay, as 'The Crucible' is a play, I recommend making Google docs with tables of quotes + technique + analysis rather than flashcards.

You want to try and prepare for each possible essay question, so for setting, characters, ect. Look through past papers and ask your teacher for likely essay questions.

For example, my critical essay is a film called 'Fargo', and one of the main characters is named Marge. I have a document for Marge, with a model introduction, conclusion, and four essay paragraphs. These four essay paragraphs each focus on a different scene that Marge appears in, and focus on the possible questions I could encounter that would work for Marge. She's a character who behaves unexpectedly, doesn't conform to stereotypes, and is heroic, so my quotes and analysis is surrounding that. I have at least two quotes + analysis in at least three of my model essay paragraphs for each of these possible essay questions so that I'm covered.

Make sure that you're not just focusing on the dialogue that the characters are speaking, as critical essays that preform well look at a wide variety of play techniques. Analyse things such as dramatic irony (when the audience knows about something whilst the characters are oblivious), characterisation, symbolism, stage directions and setting (staging), and the structure and plot, as well as the language to show the marker you understand the text.

I then print off my documents and use them exactly like flashcards. Make sure you're also practicing how to write critical essays, though.

I've found plenty of resources on Google for 'The Crucible', so here are the links:
• https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.studocu.com/en-gb/document/elgin-high-school/drama/theatre-production-text-in-context-the-crucible-acting-concepts-status-sqa-2022/90763136&ved=2ahUKEwjSspPWyeyRAxVVRUEAHYS7OP4QFnoECFsQAQ&usg=AOvVaw388soqi8cqJXLPxQzmvYfA
• https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://quizlet.com/gb/754729054/higher-english-critical-essay-plans-the-crucible-flash-cards/&ved=2ahUKEwjSspPWyeyRAxVVRUEAHYS7OP4QFnoECF8QAQ&usg=AOvVaw0J6KbhwrdvZoX1tN8nlZaJ
• https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://knowunity.co.uk/knows/english-high-english-the-crucible-essay-d5c7031c-a76b-4cca-9f2a-7751abe78a9a&ved=2ahUKEwjSspPWyeyRAxVVRUEAHYS7OP4QFnoECF0QAQ&usg=AOvVaw1gZ1IC5HUT2lCiyTFUrOJI
• https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/higher-english-model-essay-the-crucible-17-20-important-issues-within-society-12102008&ved=2ahUKEwjSspPWyeyRAxVVRUEAHYS7OP4QFnoECFoQAQ&usg=AOvVaw1iw7JJ1j5c8m_aQKDlSm6W
• https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.kgsorkney.com/uploads/1/4/9/3/14935550/the_crucible.critical.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjSspPWyeyRAxVVRUEAHYS7OP4QFnoECCwQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0jBH1hzobQFTcQ3u8tLhJa

Let me know if you need tips on how to write a critical essay, do SST analysis, or answer a ten-marker, or need any clarification.

If you go to the "2025-2026 Higher English discussion", you'll see I've given out plenty of advice there.

I hope this helps, and if you have any more questions, feel free to ask me. 😊

Reply 2

jasmineva3128

Apologies, I forgot to mention RUAE!

For me, RUAE is the trickiest part of English because the markers are looking for very specific answers. They want you to pick out specific quotes and for you to say specific things about those quotes, so even if what you write is correct, you can't get the mark if you don't pick you they want you to pick.

So whilst learning how to answer each question is important, the really useful thing for me was looking over the marking schemes to 'get into the head' of the SQA. I've learnt what sort of things they want you to notice, which has definitely helped boost my marks.