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  • Sep 28, 2021

Maximising success in your N5 or Higher English folio

Kenny, our Subject Leader at Saturday School has put together this brilliant blog to help and support Higher and National 5 English students with their all-important folio. We hope you find it useful!

As I am sure you will know, the folio is of huge importance, it accounts for 30 percent of your final award. Consequently, it can help to compensate for any deficiencies you may have elsewhere. Indeed, a score of 24 in your folio would allow you to “scrape” a pass in the RUAE and Critical Reading papers and still receive a B as your final grade; it would also allow you to score (just) underneath 70 percent for every other element and still receive an A!

This year (2021/22), you will only have to submit one folio piece. It will be scored out of 15 and then doubled. As a result, it would be wise to spend some time considering where your strengths lie and focus on channelling them towards the type of writing that will secure you the best mark, regardless of whether your teacher forces you to write two or not.

Broadly Creative

This refers to:

Personal/ reflective

This involves looking at an event(s) or experience(s) in your life and/ or an aspect of your personality and/ or an aspect of your life that is of huge importance.

Choosing your topic:

A timeline of the major events in your life - making sure you only list things of which you have a vivid memory.

A mind map of all the main relationships in your life and your interests.

A mind map of your personality- introvert, extrovert, shy etc.

Once you have your topic, the next thing you need is a theme. A theme is, ‘THE BIGGER PICTURE,’ the part of human existence you are going to write about. Examples would be bullying, change, love, relationships, death, pressure, confidence. You should talk about theme in a general sense by using the word we .

Feelings should be explored on 3 levels:

Stated: ‘I felt…’

Explained/ explored: ‘I felt…because…’

Compared: ‘while most people would feel… I …’

I have found the “ We I We” structure to be highly effective. This involves the following:

We : start with a paragraph exploring your theme in general using the word We instead of I.

I : how does this theme relate to your experience? Tell your story.

We : reflect on how the experiences you have described and explored link to the theme in general.

A good technique to secure a high mark is the inclusion of an extended metaphor. For example, use water imagery for feelings: stream, river, sea, ocean, swamped, drowning, flooded, etc.

A symbol of something or an object used to communicate an idea. For example, you can mention something that connected you to another person early in the essay and return to it at the end.

Short Story Writing

I would personally avoid this unless you actually enjoy reading and perhaps do this in your spare time. It tends to receive little focus in class teaching after second year. If you are going to attempt it, here are some top tips:

· Use 3rd person instead of 1st as this gives you more scope and prevents it from reading like an outlandish personal/ reflective essay

· Don’t try to do too much with your essay. As many candidates often do not read much, they attempt to base their narrative on some film that they have watched. The result is an often-undeveloped series of huge events that have global significance yet the story lacks any real setting or character development.

· Try to focus your events on a select group of people and a limited time frame. For example, I have read great essays on a person who lost their sight going outside for the first time since this happened; I have read a great essay on a president about to make a huge yet unnamed decision; I have read a great essay about a pupil returning to school for the first time since being disfigured in an assault. All of these short stories took place over a few hours, made use of flashbacks/ memories and had a maximum of three big things happening.

· Have your characters face internal and external obstacles and overcome them. Internal obstacles are human flaws such as greed, jealousy, indecision, uncertainty, fear. External obstacles are things outside of the character’s control such as a car crash or a flood.

· Play about with the chronology of your story. It can be a highly effective strategy to begin your story at the end of the events and ten work your way back to it.

Broadly Discursive

For most candidates, this means either an argumentative or persuasive essay. The following are tips for ensuring a quality piece of work:

· Try to select a topic that is not overdone or overly simplistic UNLESS you genuinely believe there is something new and different you can bring to the argument. It is worth noting that this is less true for National 5 than Higher. Indeed, at N5 level, you would be given more leniency with regards to the selection of your topic. That said, there are exceptions. For example, I would caution most pupils against doing an essay on capital punishment; however, three years ago I marked a persuasive essay with this as its topic that scored 13/15.

· Topics that might be considered overdone/ too simplistic (especially at Higher) are as follows: school uniform, banning boxing, legalising cannabis, freeing Orcas, capital punishment, size zero/ body image, the negative effects of social media.

· Another thing to guard against is essays that focus on America such as gun control or racism in this country. You are better focusing on British/ Scottish issues

· Try to select a topic that is current. You can keep abreast of issues by reading the comment/ opinion sections of quality broadsheet newspapers such as The Guardian and The Scotsman.

· Here are some examples to consider: we need to embrace technology, the treatment of the elderly, profiteering from COVID, sex and gender in sports, funding for music, climate change, the cost of pharmaceuticals, how do we adapt to a post-covid world? Do Disney princesses have a negative effect upon young girls?

· Make sure your introductions clearly show what you are going to be writing about. In a persuasive essay, use a range of persuasive techniques to get your points across. In an argumentative piece it is okay to make it clear what your thoughts are/ position is.

· Avoid ‘In this essay I will…’

· In the body of the essay, try to have 5-6 paragraphs for a persuasive essay and 6 for an argumentative essay.

· Try to link your paragraphs and sentences using words such as Furthermore, Indeed, However, Despite this…

· Get the structure of your paragraphs right: have a topic sentence, present your evidence, react to this. In a persuasive essay, react by persuading using a variety of techniques; in an argumentative, weigh up and evaluate the evidence as you consider its implications.

· Finish strongly. In a persuasive essay, drive home your point using persuasive language. Inclusive language such as we and our is particularly effective. In an argumentative essay, go over the main points but don’t feel that you have to come to a decision upon which side you agree with - you might still be undecided.

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sqa higher english reflective essay examples

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40 x Higher English A grade folio essays: creative, reflective, persuasive, discursive.

40 x Higher English A grade folio essays: creative, reflective, persuasive, discursive.

Subject: English

Age range: 11-14

Resource type: Other

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Last updated

25 February 2019

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Higher English - critical reading

Critical reading 2023 - section 1 scottish text  (all links open as pdf files).

  • 2023 Question paper    (External link to SQA website)
  • 2023 Marking instructions   (External link to SQA website)

Candidate 1 - Question 40 (The Way My Mother Speaks by Carol Ann Duffy)

  • Candidate 1 Evidence
  • Candidate 1 Commentary

Candidate 2 - Question 24 (Jekyll and Hyde)

  • Candidate 2 Evidence
  • Candidate 2 Commentary

Candidate 3 - Question 48 (Brooklyn Cop by Norman MacCaig)

  • Candidate 3 Evidence
  • Candidate 3 Commentary

Candidate 4 - Question 12 (Men Should Weep)

  • Candidate 4 Evidence
  • Candidate 4 Commentary

Critical Reading 2023 - Critical Essays (All links open as PDF files)

Candidate 1 - a view from the bridge, candidate 2 - othello, candidate 3 - lord of the flies, candidate 4 - disabled (poem), critical reading 2022  (all links open as pdf files).

  • 2022 Question paper   (External link to SQA website)
  • 2022 Marking instructions   (External link to SQA website)

Candidate 1 - 1984 (Novel)

Candidate 2 - smeddum (short story), candidate 3 - the catcher in the rye (novel), candidate 4 - exposure (poem), candidate 5 - dunkirk (film).

  • Candidate 5 Evidence

Candidate 6 - The Godfather (Film)

  • Candidate 6 Evidence
  • Candidates 1 to 6 Commentaries

Critical Reading 2021 - Section 2

  • 2021 Question paper   (External link to SQA website)
  • 2021 Marking instructions (External link to SQA website)
  • Candidate A - Q2 A Streetcar Named Desire
  • Candidate B - Q2 A Streetcar Named Desire
  • Candidate C - Q13 Psycho
  • Candidates A to C Evidence
  • Candidates A to C Annotated Evidence
  • Candidates A to C Commentaries

Critical reading 2019  (All links open as PDF files)

  • 2019 Question paper   (External link to SQA website)
  • 2019 Marking instructions   (External link to SQA website)

Candidate 1 - Scottish text: The Slab Boys. Critical Essay: The Great Gatsby

Candidate 2 - scottish text: the telegram. critical essay: romeo and juliet, candidate 3 - scottish text: the cone-gatherers. critical essay: o captain my captain, candidate 4 - scottish text: the strange case of dr jekyll and mr hyde. critical essay: the crucible, candidate 5 - scottish text: in mrs tilscher's class. critical essay: death of a salesman, candidate 6 - scottish text: the strange case of dr jekyll and mr hyde. critical essay: a streetcar named desire, candidate 7 - scottish text: last supper. critical essay: a hanging.

  • Candidate 7 Evidence

Candidate 8 - Scottish text: Men Should Weep. Critical essay: My Last Duchess

  • Candidate 8 Evidence
  • Candidates 1 to 8 Commentaries

Critical Reading 2017  (All links open as PDF files)

Candidate 5 - scottish text: the cone-gatherers, robin jenkins. critical essay: the second coming, w.b.yeats.

  • Candidate 5 Commentary

Candidate 6 - Scottish Text: Valentine, Carol Ann Duffy. Critical Essay: Lord of the Flies, William Golding

  • Candidate 6 Commentary

Candidate 7 - Scottish Text: Basking Shark, Norman MacCaig. Critical Essay: Othello, William Shakespeare

  • Candidate 7 Commentary

Scottish Text 2015  (All links open as PDF files)

Candidate 1 - war photographer, candidate 2 - the cone-gatherers, candidate 3 - men should weep, candidate 4 - the slab boys, critical essay 2015  (all links open as pdf files), candidate 1 - the great gatsby, candidate 2 - death of a salesman, candidate 3 - a hanging, candidate 4 - death of a naturalist, candidate 5 - macbeth, candidate 6 - shutter island, candidate 7 - the rabbit catcher, candidate 8 - a streetcar named desire.

  • Candidate 8 Commentary
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IMAGES

  1. How to Write a Reflective Essay

    sqa higher english reflective essay examples

  2. Sqa Creative Writing National 5

    sqa higher english reflective essay examples

  3. 50 Best Reflective Essay Examples (+Topic Samples) ᐅ TemplateLab

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  4. 019 Personal Reflective Essay Examples English Example Of Photo Sqa

    sqa higher english reflective essay examples

  5. How To Write A Reflective Essay Sample

    sqa higher english reflective essay examples

  6. SQA National 5 English: Component 3 Portfolio

    sqa higher english reflective essay examples

VIDEO

  1. Steps to Write a Reflective Essay with Examples [From Introduction to Conclusion]

  2. How to write a Reflective Essay

  3. How to Improve Your Reflective Essay and Academic Writing: Key Tips for Student Nurses

  4. How To

  5. Reflective writing assignment

  6. An Introduction to Critical Essay Writing (National 5 and Higher English)

COMMENTS

  1. SQA

    Advanced Higher English - portfolio-writing Portfolio-writing 2021 (All links open as PDF files) Reflective writing - A reflection of my 12-year-old feminist self. Candidate 1 Evidence; Reflective writing - The Ruby Jubilee. Candidate 2 Evidence; Reflective writing - Old Saint Paul's. Candidate 3 Evidence; Candidates 1 to 3 Commentaries

  2. SQA

    Higher English - portfolio-writing Portfolio-writing 2023 (All links open to PDF files) Broadly discursive - Fast fashion. Candidate 1 Evidence; Broadly creative - The Sound of Silence. Candidate 2 Evidence; Broadly creative - The Bungee Jump. Candidate 3 Evidence; Candidtes 1 to 3 Evidence; Candidtes 1 to 3 Commentaries

  3. PDF Commentary on candidate evidence

    This is a broadly creative essay in the form of a personal/reflective essay about the positive impact of playing the guitar. The candidate's comments range from the early excitement and frustration of learning to play to the thrill of performing, and there is reflection on the power of music and love of playing to help during difficult times.

  4. Higher English

    Find SQA Higher English past papers, specimen question papers and course specification and important subject updates here. ... Examples of candidate evidence with commentaries; Course assessment overview. Higher Critical Reading- Essays 2023-2024 - Audio Presentation (16 minutes) (26.26 MB) Higher Critical Reading- Scottish Text 2023-2024 ...

  5. PDF Higher English Portfolio-writing and Performance-spoken language ...

    The marking instructions for the Higher English portfolio-writing and performance-spoken language are in the course specification. This assessment applies to the portfolio-writing for Higher English. This portfolio-writing is worth 30 marks. This is 30% of the overall marks for the course assessment.

  6. Reflective Writing

    Reflective writing. Reflective writing involves writing about an experience you have had. You should show how you felt about what happened to you both at the time and, if the experience is over ...

  7. PDF Advanced Higher English Portfolio-writing assessment task

    This assessment applies to the portfolio-writing for Advanced Higher English. The portfolio-writing is worth 30 marks. This is 30% of the overall marks for the course assessment. It assesses the following skills, knowledge and understanding: writing in one genre. Your teacher or lecturer will let you know if there are any specific ...

  8. Folio Writing

    CREATIVE - Imaginative. Write an imaginative piece involving a symbol. Make sure there is a clear sense of your character's 'journey' and an overall theme and purpose/message in the piece - everything in the story should contribute to the delivery of this message. Remember to use all your creative writing techniques for effect ...

  9. Good reflective writing

    In National 5 English learn how to write a reflective essay in which you examine your thoughts and feelings about an experience or event in your life.

  10. Maximising success in your N5 or Higher English folio

    Indeed, at N5 level, you would be given more leniency with regards to the selection of your topic. That said, there are exceptions. For example, I would caution most pupils against doing an essay on capital punishment; however, three years ago I marked a persuasive essay with this as its topic that scored 13/15.

  11. PDF Higher Folio: Persuasive Essay Writing

    There are 5 key stages involved in structuring a discursive paragraph: Topic sentence. (link word/phrase + reference to research topic + link to argument) Clarification. (explain and give information about this area of research) 3) Make your point. 4) Back up this point with evidence.

  12. 40 x Higher English A grade folio essays: creative, reflective

    25) Discursive essay: LGBTQ issues. 26) Reflective essay on depression and grief. 27) Reflective essay on growing up in Mauritius. 28) Reflective essay: ambitions. 29) Discursive wild animals as pets. 30) Reflective essay: sibling rivalry. 31) Reflective essay: alcohol. 32) Persuasive essay: banning zoos. 33) Discursive essay: genetic engineering.

  13. PDF Higher English Portfolio-writing (2020-21) Candidate 1

    SQA | www.understandingstandards.org.uk 2 of 3. Higher English Portfolio-writing (2020-21) Candidate 1 SQA | www.understandingstandards.org.uk 3 of 3. My Tennis Identity Training endless hours a week, makino sure every stroke is of a high standard, aiming to

  14. A complete guide to writing a reflective essay

    Here's a recap of the contents of this article, which also serves as a way to create a mind map: 1. Identify the topic you will be writing on. 2. Note down any ideas that are related to the topic and if you want to, try drawing a diagram to link together any topics, theories, and ideas. 3.

  15. How to Write a Reflective Essay

    2 Be mindful of length. Generally, five hundred to one thousand words is an appropriate length for a reflective essay. If it's a personal piece, it may be longer. You might be required to keep your essay within a general word count if it's an assignment or part of an application.

  16. PDF National 5 English Portfolio-writing and Performance-spoken ...

    The performance-spoken language is assessed on an achieved/not achieved basis. It is a compulsory requirement for a course award in National 5 English. These are two of four course assessment components. The other components are a Reading for Understanding, Analysis and Evaluation question paper and a Critical Reading question paper.

  17. 50 Best Reflective Essay Examples (+Topic Samples)

    A reflective essay is a type of written work which reflects your own self. Since it's about yourself, you already have a topic to write about. For reflective essay examples, readers expect you to evaluate a specific part of your life. To do this, you may reflect on emotions, memories, and feelings you've experienced at that time.

  18. SQA

    Project-dissertation 2016 (All links open as PDF files) From session 2019/20 onwards, the word count for the Advanced Higher English project: dissertation will increase to a maximum of 3,500 words (was previously 3,000 words). None of these examples reflect the revised word count however, they all remain valid and continue to exemplify national ...

  19. PDF Higher National Unit Specification Unit title: Understanding ...

    The learner should understand that reflection is part of being an effective learner and that they need to explore the use of reflection in learning and practice. This should include looking at Schon's theories on Reflection On and Reflection in Action, Gibbs Reflective Cycle and John's model of Structured Reflection or other relevant models.

  20. Higher English Reflective Essay Sqa

    Higher English Reflective Essay Sqa - Download as a PDF or view online for free. ... Creationism and Public Schools Essay example Creationism and Public Schools The issue of whether creationism should be taught in public schools, rather than evolution, is a new one. It has only been in the past fifty years that it has even been in debate.

  21. SQA

    2019 Marking instructions (External link to SQA website) Candidate 1 - Scottish text: The Slab Boys. Critical Essay: The Great Gatsby. Candidate 1 Evidence. Candidate 2 - Scottish text: The Telegram. Critical essay: Romeo and Juliet. Candidate 2 Evidence. Candidate 3 - Scottish text: The Cone-Gatherers. Critical essay: O Captain!