English

Advanced Higher English is close to first-year undergraduate study. It is assessed by a literary study exam, a dissertation of around 3,000 words on texts the student chooses, and a creative writing portfolio — with the coursework carrying the majority of the marks.

Students study a genre or a set of linked texts in depth, engage with literary criticism and critical theory, and are expected to develop and sustain an independent argument supported by close textual reference and secondary reading.

The dissertation is the defining challenge: choosing a workable question, structuring a long argument, and integrating criticism without losing your own voice. It benefits enormously from regular, structured supervision across the year.