2. Understanding Standards:
Advanced Higher Course Event
Principal Assessor (PA)
Advanced Higher Spanish

3. Aims of the Event
To support teachers, lecturers and assessors in their understanding of national standards for Advanced Higher (AH) by:
Sharing general updates
Reviewing the Advanced Higher Course structure
Sharing Verification Key Messages (Specialist Study) and Course Report for 2015/16
Considering candidate evidence from Course Assessment: Portfolio, Talking Performance and Discursive Writing
Discussing candidate evidence and associated Marking Instructions with colleagues
Providing an opportunity to ask questions and seek clarification about national standards

4. 2016/17 Updates Verification Key Messages for 2015/16 published
Course Reports for 2016 diet published
QA arrangements for session 16/17
Removal Overall Purpose in Course Assessment
N5 Reading and Listening
Higher and Advanced Higher Listening
Revised N5/Higher Marking Instructions for the Performance published
Exemplification of Specialist Study Unit will be published under Understanding Standards

5. Updates applicable beyond session 16/17
Current mandatory units for National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher
would no longer form part of the requirement of the Course.
Removal will be progressive over sessions 17/18, 18/19, 19/20.
SQA will also retain the units of the Courses as free standing units for
learners who wish to take and be certificated for these.
suspension of the random sample element of unit verification,
currently in place in session 16/17, would be extended to 2017/18

6. SCQF level 7 32 SCQF credit points
Advanced Higher Skills
Developing:
advanced skills in listening and talking, reading and writing, which are essential for learning, work and life
cultural awareness
translation skills
skills in literary appreciation
independent learning skills including research and analytical skills
literacy skills
Emphasising skills development
Exploring the interconnected nature of languages
Using creative and critical thinking as well as other higher-order language skills to synthesise ideas and arguments
SCQF level SCQF credit points

7. Society, Learning, Employability and Culture
Advanced Higher
Suggested Context Development
Society, Learning, Employability and Culture
New family structure/marriage/partnership/gender equality
Social influences and pressures
Understanding self as a learner
Advantages/disadvantages of higher or further education, choosing a university/college, lifelong learning
Impact of the digital age
Preparing for a job interview/importance of language in global contexts, job opportunities
Open borders for workers
Living in a multicultural society
Immigration/prejudice/racism
Environmental issues…

8. Course Structure: Unit Assessments
This course is made up of three Units:
reading and listening
Understanding Language
talking and writing
Using Language
research, planning and analysis
Specialist Study
Internally assessed
Sample centrally verified by SQA (Nominee verifiers)

9. Course Structure: Course Assessments
(50 marks) 1hr 30min
Paper Reading and Translation
Reading (30 marks)
1 text in modern language
Overall purpose question worth , 5, 3, 1 or 0
Translation (20 marks)
10 sense units, each worth 2, 1 or 0

10. Course Structure: Course Assessments
Paper 2 Listening & Discursive Writing
(70 marks) 1hr 20 min, Chinese Languages – 1hr 45 mins
Listening (30 marks)
1 Monologue (approx. 3 mins)
1 Conversation (approx. 5 mins)
Monologue and Conversation from same context
Discursive Writing (40 marks)
Choice of titles, one from each of the four contexts
words
Expanded pegged marks apply: 40, 36, 32, 28, 24, 20,16,12, 8, 4, 0

11. Marked with reference to content, style and organisation
Course Structure: Course Assessments
Portfolio (30 marks)
Prepared internally, externally marked
Opportunity for learners to demonstrate skills in analysing area of study in literature, media or language in work
Learners produce one piece of writing in English of words (excluding quotes and bibliography)
Marked with reference to content, style and organisation
Pegged marks are: 30, 27, 24, 21, 18, 15, 12, 9, 6, 3, 0

12. Course Structure: Course Assessments
Performance: talking (50 marks)
Conducted by External Visiting Assessor, audio-recorded
Conversation/discussion of about 20 min. on themes/topics related to at least one of the four contexts and the selected area of specialist study
Four main aspects of Performance are given consideration: Content, Accuracy, Language Resource and Interaction
New pegged marks applied: 50, 45, 40, 35, 30, 25, 20,15,10, 5, 0

13. Advanced Higher: Unit Assessments
Refer to the SSU Unit Assessment Support Pack (UASP) and Unit Specifications for details
Process of planning and researching a specialist study, and selecting and analysing evidence gathered
Designed to help prepare for Coursework elements: 
a written portfolio of 1,200 –1,500 words
a talking performance (part of the discussion with a Visiting Assessor)
Can use the logbook in the UASP to record evidence of progress and for External Verification purposes
Specialist Study Unit (SSU) – reminder

14. Written text related to language in work
Option
At least two sources in the modern language, one of which must be written
Source 1
Source 2
Literature
Written literary text
eg novel, poetry, play, short story, etc
Additional source
eg film, documentary, newspapers, academic article, biography, another literary text, etc
Media
Media text
eg film, television, radio, newspapers, magazines, online, etc
Written source
eg newspapers, novel, academic article, etc
Language in Work
Written text related to language in work
eg company/organisation/ government report, company/organisation/ government press release, newspaper, academic article, etc
eg documentary, newspaper or academic article, company report, journal, business article, interviews, surveys, questionnaires, etc

15. Feedback on Specialist Study Unit
Principal Verifiers for Modern Languages, detail from 2015/16 Key Messages
All centres accepted on Approach – minimum two sources in modern language used. Majority of centres used SQA logbook for candidates to record their work, all candidates chose appropriate focus
Clear evidence of independent research undertaken by candidates
Literature option only in sample in Round 2 – e.g. study of theme across two novels or a novel/a poem
Some candidates modified theme/focus as they progressed with analysis

16. Feedback on Specialist Study Unit
Principal Verifiers for Modern Languages, detail from 2015/16 Key Messages
All judgements made in line with national standards
Centres encouraged to record content of any discussion with candidates – can add to evidence of candidate analysis
Centres encouraged to provide detailed feedback to candidates in logbook, including remediation work/notes

17. 2016 Course Reports Summary
Principal Assessors for Modern Languages
Reading
Candidates generally responded well to the comprehension questions.
Candidates, on the whole, are still not providing a sufficiently reflective or analytical response to overall purpose question.
Translation
some sense units proved to be more demanding than others

18. 2016 Course Reports Summary
Principal Assessors for Modern Languages
Listening
Some questions in item 1 (monologue) were done well.
In item two (conversation) some questions were very well done.

19. 2016 Course Reports Summary
Principal Assessors for Modern Languages
Discursive Writing
Candidates generally achieved good results when they incorporated appropriate learned material into their answer and when their essays were relevant to the question.

20. 2016 Course Reports Summary
Principal Assessors for Modern Languages
Portfolio
Presentation of Portfolio work was good overall.
The most successful essays were those with question/title which led candidates to adopt an analytical approach or allowed for two sides of an argument to be developed.

21. 2016 Course Reports Summary
Principal Assessors for Modern Languages
Performance – talking
Most candidates were comfortable and confident in the language with the majority scoring 30 or more out of 50.
Fluency and readily taking the initiative were features of good performances.

22. 2016 Course Reports Summary
Principal Assessors for Modern Languages
Advice on general preparation
Reading: encourage candidates to draw inferences from the passage for Overall Purpose question
Translation: focus on recognising and accurately translating tenses.
Listening: provide full and detailed answers as far as possible.
Discursive Writing: focus candidates on improving grammatical accuracy
Portfolio: title of crucial importance to generate discursive approach
Performance - talking: increased focus on grammatical accuracy

23. Number candidates (cumul.)
2016 Statistics – Advanced Higher Spanish
Grade
Number candidates (cumul.) %
% cumul. A
170
35.4
A-B
280
22.9
58.3
A-C
387
22.3
80.6
A-D
418
6.5
87.1
No award 62
12.9
100
Entries
480

24. Sources of Further Information
AH Modern Languages home page for Subject Updates and Review report, Verification Key Message Reports, Course Report
Exemplification
CPD webinars Modern Languages - Specialist Study Unit webinar
2016 Statistical Information on National Qualifications and Awards:

25. SQA Appointee Opportunities
Advanced Higher
Applications are invited for the following AH roles for 2017:
Visiting Assessors - Performance: talking
Markers - Portfolio
Markers - Reading & Translation / Listening & Discursive Writing Papers

26. SQA Marker Opportunities
Applications are also invited from new Markers who would like to join a National 5 / Higher marking team for 2017
SQA’s new eRecruiter system, where applications may be submitted, is available online:

27. Portfolio Workshop 1- approximately 1 hour
Refer to Marking Instructions and General Assessment Information including pegged mark descriptors
Discussion with colleagues and feedback after each piece of candidate evidence
Portfolio

28. Workshop 2 – approximately 1h30min
Refer to Marking Instructions and General Assessment Information including pegged mark descriptors
Discussion with colleagues and feedback after each piece of candidate evidence
Performance - talking

29. Workshop 3 – approximately 1 hour
Discursive Writing
Refer to general marking principles and detailed marking instructions including pegged mark descriptors
Discussion with colleagues and feedback after each piece of candidate evidence

30. Any Questions?