higher english critical essay examples sqa

Character: Jay Gatsby

Gatsby’s Background

• Jay Gatsby , originally James Gatz , comes from a humble and impoverished past which he attempts to sever all links from.
• Born to poor farmers in North Dakota, he transforms himself into a millionaire, ensconced in glamour and wealth.
• Gatsby’s transformation begins when he meets Dan Cody , a copper magnate, who introduces him to wealth and luxury.

Gatsby’s Obsession with Daisy

• Gatsby’s life is primarily driven by his love and obsession for Daisy Buchanan , whom he met before going to World War I.
• He is not just smitten by Daisy, but by what she represents – wealth, social status, beauty and sophistication. In essence, she embodies the American dream .
• His extravagant lifestyle and grand parties are all elaborate attempts to attract Daisy’s attention and win her back.

Gatsby’s Flamboyant Lifestyle

• Gatsby represents excess wealth and consumerism. He throws grand parties at his mansion, theatrically displaying his wealth.
• His pink suit, giant mansion and fancy cars are all part of an illusionary image he created to woo Daisy.
• Despite living amongst the social elite of West Egg, Gatsby always remains an outsider. This objective perspective allows Fitzgerald to critique the very society that Gatsby aims to be part of.

Gatsby’s Tragic End

• Despite Gatsby’s enormous wealth, he fails in his quest to win Daisy’s heart and this eventually leads to his downfall.
• He is tragically killed over a misunderstanding of events, dying alone without achieving what he hoped for.
• Ultimately, Gatsby represents the tragic futility of the American dream , a man who has accumulated wealth and social status, yet still dies tragically, unfulfilled and alone.

Jay Gatsby is one of the most memorable characters in literature, embodying the illusions of success, wealth, and love that are at the heart of the American dream . His tragic demise punctuates F. Scott Fitzgerald’s critique of a society obsessed with wealth and social standing. Through Gatsby, the novel prompts readers to reconsider the values often associated with the American dream and explore the consequences of pursuing these illusions.

Miss Innes' Revision Resources

Higher critical essay-a view from the bridge.

Your critical essay is worth 20% of your overall grade at Higher, and is part of your hr and a half long critical reading paper, alongside the textual analysis.

Try to dedicate more time to writing your essay than your textual analysis-if you have revised properly, the textual analysis should not take you more than 40 mins.

Critical Essay Tips

• Go to DRAMA section of Qs-if you answer on the wrong genre, you won’t pass!
• Read the Q carefully and choose wisely based on what you have revised and practised in class before-if you don’t understand the Q, answer on a different one!
• Use the structures recommended for introduction (TASTE), main paragraphs (PCQEL) and conclusion (SERVE)-notes provided in Essay Writing 101 materials

I have included a variety of resources to help you study for this part of the exam, including:

• Essay Writing 101 materials
• N5 Prose Qs
• model essays
• essay planning sheets

Essay Writing

Essay Writing 101

Higher Drama Qs

Essay Plans

Conflict Essay Plan

Essay Topics-Key Quotations

Conflict Model Essay

Model Essays

Key Scene Model Essay

Main PowerPoint

AVFTB Unitxxx

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Revision Materials and Homework for Pupils

Exam skills Section One - Scottish Set Text

The Higher English course is assessed on folio writing, a spoken language assessment and a final exam in addition to revision and coursework throughout the year. Structuring your answers and understanding the marking can help you get the best result.

Part of English Reading

Section One - Scottish Set Text

At the beginning of your Higher year, your teacher will select an appropriate Scottish text from a list prescribed to them by SQA. Class teachers can choose from:

• six poems by one of the four poets listed OR
• one of the three prescribed plays OR
• a piece of prose fiction (either a novel or set of four short stories) from a selection of five authors

The prescribed Set Text list can be found on the SQA website.

You will study these texts carefully, thinking about features appropriate to genre and the themes or issues presented to you by the writer. In the final exam you will be faced with:

• one of the six poems OR an extract from the play/novel OR an extract from one of the four stories
• a series of understanding, analytical or evaluative questions on the extract (totalling 10 marks)
• a final question, worth 10 marks , asking you to compare an aspect of the extract with another aspect in the same text (novel) OR with another poem (poems) OR with another short story you have studied.

The 10-mark question

A question worth 10 marks might seem daunting at first. However, it might help you to think about how the marks are secured:

• 2 marks will be awarded for commonality (ie. stating clearly what is similar about the texts/aspects of the text you are comparing)
• 2 marks will be available for quoting/referencing the extract and then analysing its significance
• 6 marks will be available from quoting/referencing from elsewhere/another text studied and analysing the significance

It might be helpful to structure your 10-mark answer using the following headings:

Commonality:.

• first point of commonality
• second point of commonality

From the extract:

From elsewhere in the text or another text:.

Whilst at National 5 marks were awarded for reference to the text(s), 0 marks are awarded at Higher for reference/quotation alone .

You will receive:

• 2 marks for detailed and insightful comment that includes reference/quotation to the text
• 1 mark for a more basic comment

It is always best to aim for quality over quantity. However, if you are unable to write insightful or detailed comments, it might be worth providing six more basic points .

More guides on this topic

• Analysing language
• Understanding and inference
• Critical essay

Related links

• BBC Skillswise
• BBC Writers Room
• Skills You Need - Presentation
• Writing a Descriptive Essay
• Scottish Poetry Library
• BBC 500 words

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Higher English Model Essay: The Crucible (16/20) - Conflict with Surroundings

Subject: English

Age range: 16+

Resource type: Assessment and revision

Last updated

25 January 2021

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This is a Higher English A-grade critical essay which examines Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible in relation to the following question:

*Choose a play in which the main character is in conflict with his or her surroundings. Briefly explain the nature of this conflict and discuss how the dramatist’s presentation of this feature helps you enhance your understanding of the play as a whole. *

The essay has been colour coded to show the different types of sections to an essay. A non-colour coded version is also attached beneath.

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A bundle is a package of resources grouped together to teach a particular topic, or a series of lessons, in one place.

The Crucible Essay and Quote Booklet Bundle: NAT 5/Higher

This bundle contains 5 example Higher English critical essays and 1 example National 5 critical essay. It also contains a booklet of the most significant and useful quotes necessary for studying Arthur Miller's 'The Crucible' with accompanying analysis. This bundle is useful for teaching by example, reference for both students and teacher, and for general information of the play and playwright.

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Advanced Higher English - project-dissertation

Project-dissertation 2023  (all links open as pdf files), an analysis of the narrative techniques employed by laurie lee and lorna sage to explore the theme of childhood in their novels "cider with rosie" and "bad blood" respectively..

• Candidate Evidence 2023
• Commentary 2023

Project-dissertation 2022  (All links open as PDF files)

An exploration of narcissism in the secret history by donna tartt..

• Candidate Evidence 2022
• Commentary 2022

Project-dissertation 2021  (All links open as PDF files except where indicated otherwise)

• 2021 Advanced Higher Dissertation, guidance on marking (webinar recording)   (48:41, mp4) (External link to SQA website)
• 2021 Advanced Higher Dissertation, guidance on marking presentation   (Accompanies webinar) (pptx)

How does Catholicism influence relationships in Brideshead Revisited?

• Candidate 1 Evidence

Comparative analysis of psychological impacts resulting from life under totalitarian rule in ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ and ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’

• Candidate 2 Evidence

A critical comparison of Poe’s exploration of madness in ‘The Tell-tale Heart’, ‘The Black Cat’ and ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’

• Candidate 3 Evidence

An exploration of how Thomas Hardy uses characterisation, symbolism and key events in ‘Far from the Madding Crowd’ and ‘Tess of the D’Urbervilles’ to convey his condemnation of the treatment of women in the Victorian era

• Candidate 4 Evidence
• Candidates 1 to 4 Commentary

Project-dissertation 2019  (All links open as PDF files)

How does the color purple reveal the themes of oppression and empowerment, rejecting the single story: a literary examination of how chimimanda ngozi adichie develops the characters of ugwu and olanna throught their experiences of the biafran war in her novel half of a yellow sun, a study of margaret atwood's exploration of identity in the edible woman (1969).

• Candidates 1 to 3 Commentaries

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 standards. Please also note that the marking instructions for the project dissertation have not changed. You should view these materials in conjunction with the revised Advanced Higher English course specification. https://www.sqa.org.uk/files_ccc/AHCourseSpecEnglish.pdf 

Candidate 1 - Comparative analysis of vengeance in Euripides and Sophocles

• Candidate 1 Commentary

Candidate 2 - Eliot and existentialism in The Four Quartets

• Candidate 2 Commentary

Candidate 3 - A critical analysis of the theme of seeing clearly in Jane Austen

• Candidate 3 Commentary

Candidate 4 - The Byronic hero in Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights

• Candidate 4 Commentary

Candidate 5 - Free will and choice in Trainspotting and A Clockwork Orange

• Candidate 5 Evidence
• Candidate 5 Commentary

Candidate 6 - The varying moods of Sylvia Plath in her poetry

• Candidate 6 Evidence
• Candidate 6 Commentary

Candidate 7 - Female emancipation in The Color Purple and Beloved

• Candidate 7 Evidence
• Candidate 7 Commentary

Candidate 8 - The theme of growing up in The Cement Garden and Atonement

• Candidate 8 Evidence
• Candidate 8 Commentary

Candidate 9 - Religion, belief and worship in Small Gods and American Gods

• Candidate 9 Evidence
• Candidate 9 Commentary

Candidate 10 - Orwell's portrayal of social injustices in fiction and non-fiction

• Candidate 10 Evidence
• Candidate 10 Commentary

Candidate 11 has been repackaged and is now Candidate 1 in the 2021 section with new candidate commentary

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Some of the 2022 past papers are labelled 'modified'. This means SQA made changes to the question paper in response to the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, as part of our modifications to assessment in National Courses. For example, a modified past paper may be shorter, have fewer marks or contain fewer topics than past papers from previous years.

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