Why teach Advanced Higher Modern Studies?

The most obvious reason is because it’s enjoyable. It’s Modern Studies after all.

The topics are interesting. Either Political Issues or Law and Order, both of which are full of interesting issues. I don’t think anyone has ever taught the third option, Social Inequality. I guess you’ve taught about poverty all the way through Nat 5 and Higher, you may just have decided that teaching about wayward politicians and serial killers is less depressing.

The most popular topic, Law and Order, appeals to the many young people who wish to study Law at university. The introduction to research methods is undoubtedly good prep for uni and the independent study skills and discipline required for the dissertation all mean that a young person with a qualification in Advanced Higher Modern Studies is certainly a bright cookie. There’s maybe also the bit about Modern Studies teachers not wanting the suject to end at Higher, especially if Geography and History have Advanced Highers!

I do, though, have my reservations and if it was me having my time as a HoD again, dropping it for Higher Politics is certainly something I’d want to run past the department and the heidie. My reasons?

1 The gap between Higher and Advanced Higher Modern Studies is too great.

There’s a massive jump now between AH and Higher. I know I sound like a right old fart here but Higher Modern Studies isn’t what it was 10 years ago, never mind 20 years ago (we’ll say nothing about how hard it was when I did it!) At Higher, youngsters can memorise, and they do, any number of pre-prepared answers, churn them out with a few skills questions and there’s a Higher. The less said about The Assignment, the better.

They go from writing a few pre-prepared paragraphs on fairly predictable topics to answering hour long essays where they actually have to think about the question before answering it. They also have to write a 5,000 word dissertation which is a task they won’t be asked to do until 3rd year in most Arts/Social Science/Law degrees.

2 SQA ‘Reasonable Assistance’ guidelines

This is the biggie for me. A 17 year old embarks on a 5,000 word dissertation. This involves, and I’ll do a direct lift from the SQA documentation…

♦ justifying an appropriate complex, contemporary political or social issue for research

♦ evaluating research methodology

♦ using a wide range of sources of information

♦ analysing the issue

♦ evaluating arguments and evidence

♦ synthesising information to develop a sustained and coherent line of argument, leading to a conclusion, supported by evidence

♦ organising, presenting and referencing findings using appropriate conventions

Quite a task for anyone.

In complying with SQA reasonable assistance, if a learner gets something wrong, a teacher can only suggest alternative approaches. Marking something wrong is not allowed!

“Once work on the assessment has begun, the candidate must be working autonomously.”

Out goes all the support and direction at Higher.

“Centres must not provide model answers or writing frames specific to the task (such as outlines, paragraph headings or section headings) unless the subject-specific documentation states otherwise.”

There are heavy penalties for breaching SQA rules. These range from candidates not being certificated to GTCS referral. On the other hand, teachers, as all know, are under enormous pressure from management and parents to get results. I’d say getting good results at AH whilst complying with SQA reasonable assistance is a very onorous ask for any teacher. I suppose outside tutors can help, the existence of which, SQA rules don’t seem to acknowledge.

3 Some universities prefer another Higher to an Advanced Higher

I know it sounds counter intuitive that a university would offer greater credit for an SCQF Level 6 qualification than a Level 7 but from my experience some do. I used to teach both AH Modern Studies and H Politics simultaneously and the message I got back from certain courses at certain universities was that the Higher Politics was the more important.

4 Higher Politics is enjoyable

Not that AH Modern Studies isn’t but when you compare the grief of adhering to SQA guidelines, getting good results from a difficult qualification, not to mention what happens to pupil motivation when the unconditionals appear, teaching a Higher with no 5,000 word dissertation has its attractions to me.

Higher Politics is sufficiently different from Modern Studies to allow the teacher the enjoyment of teaching new topics. The youngsters also gain a broader knowledge of political issues, which are really only 1/3 of what Higher Modern Studies is. Attainment in Higher Politics isn’t significantly less. Higher Politics had 70.9% A-C passes in 2024 to AH Modern Studies, 76.3% A-C passes, which I do find very admirable, but with an awful lot more work involved, work, time and energy that could be applied elsewhere.

Hopefully Qualifications Scotland when it appears will take a fresh look at what is going on with Highers and Advanced Highers in Modern Studies and Politics. There’s a lot of good in both but a lot that could be improved too.