dissertation advanced higher history

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Advanced Higher History

Updates and announcements, updated course specifications for session 2024-25 onwards (01/05/24).

As part of our ongoing review and maintenance of National Courses, we’re updating some of the terminology that appears in the National 4, National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher History course specifications.

For example, in the Higher History course specification, British History part C, we’re changing the name of the section ‘the Atlantic Slave Trade’ to ‘the trade in enslaved African people.’

We’re making these changes in line with the Scottish Government’s priority of decolonising the curriculum, and as part of our work as members of the Anti-Racism in Education: Curriculum Reform Subgroup.

The updated course specifications will be available by the end of June and will be valid from session 2024-25. We’ll update the Gaelic medium versions in due course.

View our online news article – update on National Courses for session 2024-25 onwards (13 March 2024).

Alternative certification model

The alternative certification model is how National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher courses will be resulted this year, following the cancellation of the 2021 exams. It involves five different stages.

View the alternative certification model and see what will happen at each stage.

Essential Information

Course specification.

Explains the structure of the Course, including its purpose and aims and information on the skills, knowledge and understanding that will be developed.

• Advanced Higher History Course Specification (Gaelic Medium) February 2020
• Advanced Higher History Course Specification August 2019

2022 revision support for learners

• 2022 revision support for learners: Advanced Higher History

Past Papers and Marking Instructions

Access all past papers by subject/level

Additional question papers resources

Illustrates the standard, structure and requirements of the question papers candidates will sit (includes marking instructions).

• Advanced Higher History Specimen Question Paper (Gaelic Medium) August 2020
• Advanced Higher History Specimen Question Paper September 2019

There were no exams in 2021. The 2020-21 question paper resources are, for most subjects, modified papers which reflect the modifications put in place for session 2020-21

• Advanced Higher History question paper (324 KB)
• Advanced Higher History marking instructions (1.73 MB)

Coursework ( 26/09/2023 )

This section provides information on marking instructions and/or the coursework assessment task(s). It includes information that centres need to administer coursework and must be read in conjunction with the course specification.

• Coursework assessment task for Advanced Higher History September 2023
• Advanced Higher History Approved List of Dissertations  September 2023
• Project-Dissertation Title Feedback Form September 2023
• Guidance on conditions of assessment
• Coursework for External Assessment

Understanding Standards ( 15/01/2024 )

• Examples of candidate evidence with commentaries

Further examples of candidate evidence and commentaries can be found on the SQA Secure Site. You can access these through your SQA Coordinator.

Webinar (recordings)

Question Paper from session 2020-2021 (09 March 2021)

• Q uestion Paper from session 2020-2021 Q and A (107 KB)
• Question Paper Candidate Evidence (340 KB)
• Question paper Candidate Evidence (Annotated) (334 KB)
• Question Paper Source Questions 2020-2021 (493 KB)

Dissertation from session 2020-2021 (16 March 2021)

• Dissertation Q and A (127 KB)

Audio Presentation

• Overview of course assessment (16 minutes) (22.93 MB)

Changes to Understanding Standards materials

• Changes to published Understanding Standards materials for all subjects

Please note: Understanding Standards materials are regularly reviewed to ensure they remain up to date.

Additional Resources session 2020-22

Further information can be found on the Understanding Standards Website.

Course reports ( 14/09/2023 )

Course reports.

• 2023 Advanced Higher History Course Report September 2023
• 2022 Advanced Higher History Course Report September 2022
• 2019 Advanced Higher History Course Report October 2019
• 2018 Advanced Higher History Course Report September 2018
• 2017 Advanced Higher History Course report October 2017

Verification Reports

• History Qualification Verification Summary Report June 2019
• History Verification Key Messages Round 1 March 2018
• History Verification Key Messages Round 1 March 2017​

Course support

• Field of Study 3   (272 KB)

Ushare open learning resources

Where can you take this course?

Centre Finder

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History: writing a history dissertation.

• Writing a History Dissertation
• Referencing and Style Guide
• Literature Search Plan

Starting a Literature Search

Conducting a literature search is a great way to find a viable topic and plan your research. It will also give you the opportunity to look for primary and secondary resources that can support the arguments you make in your dissertation. 

Starting your literature search early will help you plan your dissertation and give you an overview of all the resources you might want to consult. Below are examples of how you can start this process and how they can help.

Dissertation Books

Define your Topic

Start your search by identifying a broad subject area, such as a country, period, theme or person. You might do this by looking at reference works, such as a Very Short Introduction , Cambridge Histories , or Oxford Handbooks . These books will give you an insight into the many areas you can investigate in greater depth and they will also provide references to peer-reviewed material on more defined topics. 

Next , look at material which focuses more on the area you have identified from reference works. These might be books, chapters or articles which focus on a more defined area of the subject you have identified. Use these to formulate questions that you can answer in your research.

Then ,  read resources that will help you form your argument and answer the questions you have set. This material should focus on the topic you have chosen and help you explain what has been written on this area before.

Search for Secondary Resources

In order to successfully search for resources relevant to your study, you will need to use search-terms which will retrieve the best results. The tips below will help you do this:

Terms you have found in your reading

Keep a note of terms you have seen when you have been identifying your topic. This could be anything relevant your topic, including: places, people, jobs, religions, institutions, objects, periods, or events. Also, take note of terms that are related to your topic and had an impact on the area you are studying. Write down all the terms which relate to your topic and note which ones provide the most relevant results.

It can also be useful to keep a note of what you are not looking at so that you stay focused on your topic and do not retrieve too many results.

Authors who are written about the topic

You will start to notice that some authors are mentioned as specialists on the topic you are researching. Search a variety of catalogues to find what they have written on the subject in different formats. They might have contributed to edited works, written articles, given presentations to conferences or annotated works. They also might lead you to others who have written about your topic or research groups which are relevant to your studies.

Use subject searches

Most secondary resources have been indexed according to their subject. Through using these subject terms you can search catalogues more efficiently and find relevant resources without just searching the title or author. 

If you find a useful resources, try looking at its catalogue record. See if any of the subject headings look useful and note what terminology they use as this will be consistent across most databases. When you have found a useful term, copy and paste it into a subject search (or select the link) and see what other resources are available.

You can also use an online thesaurus to find search terms. The most commonly used terms are the Library of Congress Subject Headings  which provide uniform terms across international databases.

Use databases

The University subscribes to many databases that focus on different countries and topics. These will provide a comprehensive guide to what has been written in your area and may use different subject headings. Reference databases and bibliographies can be especially useful for finding citations of everything that has been written on a certain area of history. Biographical databases can also help find information about individuals and institutions. For a complete list of all the databases the University subscribes to, look at the A-Z of databases . 

Search for Primary Resources

There are plenty of primary resources that can be used in your dissertation. The University subscribes to many databases that provide access to primary resources and some of our libraries hold special collections which can be used in your research. Below are some examples:

The University subscribes to many newspapers from the past and present. They can be a really useful tool for finding contemporary accounts of events and provide more than just articles (including: advertisements, illustrations, family notices, sports, arts, court cases). Many newspaper databases will also include related content, such as pamphlets and newsbooks.

The University Library has a collection of print newspapers which can be consulted on site. The University also subscribes to electronic databases of national and local newspapers across the world. More information about the newspaper databases we subscribe to is available on our  dedicated website .

Special Collection Material

Many libraries and archives provide access to rare, unique and specialised collections of books and manuscripts. The University Library, for example, provides access to Manuscripts and Rare Books Departments , as do some of the colleges. Some of the more frequently used and important material is also available as part of an online library, such as Cambridge's CUDL .

Official Publications (Government Documents)

Documents produced by governmental and intergovernmental bodies can provide an insight into their decision making and governance. Several libraries in Cambridge have received official publications material and a lot of material is now available online. More information about the official material in Cambridge libraries is available on our Official Publications LibGuide .

Data and Statistics

Figures can be used to help illustrate a point and provide evidence as you answer the central question in your dissertation. You might chose to refer to census data, crime statistics, trade figures, or any other data set that relates to your area of history. This sort of information can be found in databases and replicated in secondary resources. 

Private Papers

If you are researching an individual (or someone who played a prominent role in the area you are focusing on) it is a good idea to see if they have deposited private papers in an archive. These might includes diaries, letters, draft works, or anything else that was kept and not published. These works are normally kept in an archive, so a good starting point is to look at a catalogue that might show where relevant papers are held (such as Archives Hub )

These can include maps, cartoons, paintings and photographs. Images are available both in print and online, but you need to be cautious of the copyright restrictions of images before you use them (check the information given by the source). Some databases will allow you to search images, like ARTstor , so use them as a good starting point for your search. 

Audio-Visual

Similarly to images, the University provides access to a variety of audio-visual resources, including interviews, recordings, radio and films. If there is a particular DVD you would like to use, try searching the title in iDiscover. For example, " Interviews with Historians " will take you to a comprehensive collection of DVDs available at the Seeley. Many films are also available online, such as British Pathe .

Organise and Save Your Research

You will be able to do a comprehensive and efficient literature search if you keep a record of what you have read, where you read it and what each item means to your research. The best way to achieve this is to:

1. Record the key ideas, themes and quotes from what you have read. Try to find a uniform way to do this as it will make it easier to find information when you come to write your dissertation. Some formats are freely available on the internet, such as the Cornell Note Taking System .

2. Save citations you have looked at so you do not struggle to find them again. Also, this will help you when you come to do your references. There are many reference managers available to help you store this information and create a fully formatted bibliography.

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St Thomas of Aquin's

S6 Advanced Higher History

Course overview.

Pupils undertaking History at the Advanced Higher level will study ‘USA: A House Divided – 1850-1865’. This field of study focuses on the ante-bellum American society and tensions within it; the causes and nature of the American Civil War; the political, social and economic outcomes of the War, focusing on the themes of conflict, rights, identity and authority.

Over the year, students will investigate, in-depth, the following units:

• American Society in 1850
• Slavery in the antebellum period
• The problem of territorial expansion
• The 1860 Presidential Election, secession and the outbreak of War
• The Military Conflict
• The American Civil War at home and abroad
• Leadership during the Civil War
• The Emancipation Proclamation and its consequences
• The Presidential Election of 1864
• Reasons for Northern victory and Southern defeat

An integral component of the Advanced Higher History course is the completion of a 4000 word dissertation. In the autumn, students will select a dissertation title and will subsequently use faculty resources, as well as materials from the Edinburgh University library, to complete research on their chosen title. Throughout the year, students will plan and submit drafts which will be self and peer reviewed. They will submit their final draft – including an annotated bibliography and footnotes – by the end of April.

Methodology

Students will continue to build on their existing source analysis and evaluation skills. They will be expected to respond, in detail, to increasingly complex sources – providing close readings of primary and secondary sources as well as in-depth recalled knowledge.

Throughout the year students will undertake extensive course reading and familiarise themselves with the views and varying interpretations of different pertinent historians. They will make regular use of historiographical knowledge, including using this information to build and support balanced arguments in their extended writing pieces (25 marks), source questions and dissertation.

Students will be responsible for completing a variety of group, paired and individual tasks including researching and presenting seminar papers to their peers.

In addition to successfully completing all Unit Outcomes, students will undergo a variety of formative and summative assessments throughout the year. These assessments include:

• Dissertation proposals and drafts
• Practice extended essays (25 marks)
• Practice source questions (12-16 marks)
• Prelim Examination

All coursework contributing to final grades is marked externally and is weighted as follows:

• Dissertation (50/140 marks)
• Final Exam (90/140 marks)

Students will regularly receive a variety of home study tasks including:

• Practice source and essay questions
• Course readings and accompanying summary notes/questions
• Preparing seminar papers and presentations
• Dissertation Drafts

Recording & Reporting

All pupil assessments are routinely graded and recorded by the teacher and the results are stored centrally, these results are used by staff to track the progress of the individuals and ensure that their needs are being met. Pupils also review their own attainment and are encourage to identify ways to improve their learning. Staff report formally to parents as per the school calendar.

Mrs Whiffen

Useful Links:

• SQA Course and Unit Support Notes(pages 22-24): http://www.sqa.org.uk/files_ccc/AHCUSNHistory.pdf
• SQA AH History Specimen & Exemplar Papers: http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/48466.html
• The Gilder Lehrman Institute on the American Civil War: http://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/civil-war-and-reconstruction-1861-1877/american-civil-war
• The Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association: http://quod.lib.umich.edu/j/jala/
• That a Nation Might Live (Podcasts): http://civilwar150.longwood.edu/
• ‘Civil War’ A documentary by Ken Burns
• Alan Farmer’s America: Civil War and Westward Expansion 1803-1890 (5 th ed) – core text
• James McPherson’s Battle Cry of Freedom – core text
• Hugh Tulloch’s Debate on the Civil War Era – core text

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St Thomas of Aquin's R.C. High School 2 - 20 Chalmers Street, Edinburgh. EH3-9ES

admin@st-thomasaquins.edin.sch.uk 0131 229 8734

Mr Marr History

Get help with nationals, higher and advanced higher history, advanced higher history.

You can find out more about studying Advanced Higher History – including what the course involves – by selecting these links:

* Advanced Higher History – course summary

* ‘Germany: from democracy to dictatorship’ topic

* Writing the Advanced Higher dissertation

* Exam advice – Advanced Higher

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