sqa higher english discursive essay template

SQA English Discursive Essay

Anyone studying SQA English at either National 5 or Higher level will know that part of your assessment is your folio containing two essays. One of these essays will be a discursive essay in which you will be discussing a particular topic and offering arguments either for, against or both. 

A discursive essay usually takes the form of a persuasive essay or an argumentative essay. 

Here is everything you need to know about writing your SQA English discursive essay

• Persuasive essays
• What is an argumentative essay? 

Choosing your topic

Where should you search for information , how to structure your essay, what is good supporting evidence , tips for writing your sqa english essay, p ersuasive essay s.

If you decide to write a persuasive essay you will be arguing for or against a particular topic. This means you will be trying to convince the reader why they should agree with your particular stance.  

You can build your argument by offering supporting evidence and using persuasive language. 

What is meant by persuasive language? 

You need to persuade the reader about your stance on the topic and help convince them about the points you are making. Here are some things you can include in your essay to help with this: 

• Anecdotes from personal experience 
• Statistics 
• Quotation from a famous person or an expert 
• Ask the reader a rhetorical question 
• Criticise opposing arguments/viewpoints 
• Involve the reader by using words such as ‘we’ or ‘us’
• Use emotive language 

You should also identify one or two possible counter-arguments (what someone arguing against you would say) and diminish them. However, be careful not to include too many counter-arguments. After all your arguments should outweigh the counter-arguments. 

Argumentative essays 

An argumentative essay will discuss the topic in a balanced way and take into account the arguments for and against. Your tone should remain neutral and consider all of the evidence equally. 

Your most important or strongest argument should come first. Make the reader aware of all of the facts and information about the topic. 

It can be hard to choose a topic. Try to pick something you will find interesting. Remember you will spend several months working on your essay and the last thing you want is to become bored with it. 

Where can you find some ideas?  

• News Programmes 
• Documentaries
• Newspapers (not tabloid) 
• TED Talks 
• Current Affairs Programmes i.e Question Time or Newsnight 

Avoid talking about subjects that are sensitive, controversial or extremely popular (examiners will be fed up reading the same topics over and over again). Remember, there is no way of knowing who will be marking your essay. 

Topics to avoid  

• Euthanasia 
• Abortion 
• Should school uniform be abolished?
• Capital punishment 
• Animal testing or cruelty 
• Cosmetic surgery 
• Quality newspapers 
• Government websites 
• Reports from private or public organisations 
• Reports 
• Books (non-fiction or reference) 

Try to select sources that are reliable and as up to date as possible. Remember to keep a record of any source you use as you will need to list them all in your bibliography. Most computers allow you to save articles to a reading list. 

Example – Studying a foreign language should be compulsory in schools

When building your argument you should offer some supporting evidence to back up the points you are making such as:

• Statistics or graphs
• Real life examples
• Case studies or anecdotes
• Quotes from experts 
• Try to carry out some research before you start writing your essay. This means you will have all of your facts at the ready.
• Don’t wait until the last minute to start writing your essay. You will have plenty of time so use it wisely.
• Double check your spelling and grammar.
• Write an interersting introduction that will capture the reader’s attention.
• Your conclusion should not just be a repetition of what you said in your essay. Instead use this to reinforce your stance and remind the reader of the key points of your essay.
• Don’t copy phrases or paragraphs directly from sources (unless you are quoting). This is called plagiarism and you could be penalised for this.

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26 Planning a Discursive Essay

Discursive essay – description.

A discursive essay is a form of critical essay that attempts to provide the reader with a balanced argument on a topic, supported by evidence. It requires critical thinking, as well as sound and valid arguments (see Chapter 25) that acknowledge and analyse arguments both for and against any given topic, plus discursive essay writing appeals to reason, not emotions or opinions. While it may draw some tentative conclusions, based on evidence, the main aim of a discursive essay is to inform the reader of the key arguments and allow them to arrive at their own conclusion.

The writer needs to research the topic thoroughly to present more than one perspective and should check their own biases and assumptions through critical reflection (see Chapter 30).

Unlike persuasive writing, the writer does not need to have knowledge of the audience, though should write using academic tone and language (see Chapter 20).

Choose Your Topic Carefully

A basic guide to choosing an assignment topic is available in Chapter 23, however choosing a topic for a discursive essay means considering more than one perspective. Not only do you need to find information about the topic via academic sources, you need to be able to construct a worthwhile discussion, moving from idea to idea. Therefore, more forward planning is required. The following are decisions that need to be considered when choosing a discursive essay topic:

• These will become the controlling ideas for your three body paragraphs (some essays may require more). Each controlling idea will need arguments both for and against.
• For example, if my topic is “renewable energy” and my three main (controlling) ideas are “cost”, “storage”, “environmental impact”, then I will need to consider arguments both for and against each of these three concepts. I will also need to have good academic sources with examples or evidence to support my claim and counter claim for each controlling idea (More about this in Chapter 27).
• Am I able to write a thesis statement about this topic based on the available research? In other words, do my own ideas align with the available research, or am I going to be struggling to support my own ideas due to a lack of academic sources or research? You need to be smart about your topic choice. Do not make it harder than it has to be. Writing a discursive essay is challenging enough without struggling to find appropriate sources.
• For example, perhaps I find a great academic journal article about the uptake of solar panel installation in suburban Australia and how this household decision is cost-effective long-term, locally stored, and has minimal, even beneficial environmental impact due to the lowering of carbon emissions. Seems too good to be true, yet it is perfect for my assignment. I would have to then find arguments AGAINST everything in the article that supports transitioning suburbs to solar power. I would have to challenge the cost-effectiveness, the storage, and the environmental impact study. Now, all of a sudden my task just became much more challenging.
• There may be vast numbers of journal articles written about your topic, but consider how relevant they may be to your tentative thesis statement. It takes a great deal of time to search for appropriate academic sources. Do you have a good internet connection at home or will you need to spend some quality time at the library? Setting time aside to complete your essay research is crucial for success.

It is only through complete forward planning about the shape and content of your essay that you may be able to choose the topic that best suits your interests, academic ability and time management. Consider how you will approach the overall project, not only the next step.

Research Your Topic

When completing a library search for online peer reviewed journal articles, do not forget to use Boolean Operators to refine or narrow your search field. Standard Boolean Operators are (capitalized) AND, OR and NOT. While using OR will expand your search, AND and NOT will reduce the scope of your search. For example, if I want information on ageism and care giving, but I only want it to relate to the elderly, I might use the following to search a database: ageism AND care NOT children. Remember to keep track of your search strings (like the one just used) and then you’ll know what worked and what didn’t as you come and go from your academic research.

The UQ Library provides an excellent step-by-step guide to searching databases:

Searching in databases – Library – University of Queensland (uq.edu.au)

Did you know that you can also link the UQ Library to Google Scholar? This link tells you how:

Google Scholar – Library – University of Queensland (uq.edu.au)

Write the Thesis Statement

The concept of a thesis statement was introduced in Chapter 21. The information below relates specifically to a discursive essay thesis statement.

As noted in the introduction to this chapter, the discursive essay should not take a stance and therefore the thesis statement must also impartially indicate more than one perspective. The goal is to present both sides of an argument equally and allow the reader to make an informed and well-reasoned choice after providing supporting evidence for each side of the argument.

Sample thesis statements: Solar energy is a cost -effective solution to burning fossil fuels for electricity , however lower income families cannot afford the installation costs .

Some studies indicate that teacher comments written in red may have no effect on students’ emotions , however other studies suggest that seeing red ink on papers could cause some students unnecessary stress. [1]

According to social justice principles, education should be available to all , yet historically, the intellectually and physically impaired may have been exempt from participation due to their supposed inability to learn. [2]

This is where your pros and cons list comes into play. For each pro, or positive statement you make, about your topic, create an equivalent con, or negative statement and this will enable you to arrive at two opposing assertions – the claim and counter claim.

While there may be multiple arguments or perspectives related to your essay topic, it is important that you match each claim with a counter-claim. This applies to the thesis statement and each supporting argument within the body paragraphs of the essay.

It is not just a matter of agreeing or disagreeing. A neutral tone is crucial. Do not include positive or negative leading statements, such as “It is undeniable that…” or “One should not accept the view that…”. You are NOT attempting to persuade the reader to choose one viewpoint over another.

Leading statements / language will be discussed further, in class, within term three of the Academic English course.

Thesis Structure:

• Note the two sides (indicated in green and orange)
• Note the use of tentative language: “Some studies”, “may have”, “could cause”, “some students”
• As the thesis is yet to be discussed in-depth, and you are not an expert in the field, do not use definitive language
• The statement is also one sentence, with a “pivot point” in the middle, with a comma and signposting to indicate a contradictory perspective (in black). Other examples include, nevertheless, though, although, regardless, yet, albeit. DO NOT use the word “but” as it lacks academic tone. Some signposts (e.g., although, though, while) may be placed at the start of the two clauses rather than in the middle – just remember the comma, for example, “While some studies suggest solar energy is cost-effective, other critical research questions its affordability.”
• Also note that it is based on preliminary research and not opinion: “some studies”, “other studies”, “according to social justice principles”, “critical research”.

Claims and Counter Claims

NOTE: Please do not confuse the words ‘claim’ and ‘counter-claim’ with moral or value judgements about right/wrong, good/bad, successful/unsuccessful, or the like. The term ‘claim’ simply refers to the first position or argument you put forward (whether for or against), and ‘counter-claim’ is the alternate position or argument.

In a discursive essay the goal is to present both sides equally and then draw some tentative conclusions based on the evidence presented.

• To formulate your claims and counter claims, write a list of pros and cons.
• For each pro there should be a corresponding con.
• Three sets of pros and cons will be required for your discursive essay. One set for each body paragraph. These become your claims and counter claims.
• For a longer essay, you would need further claims and counter claims.
• Some instructors prefer students to keep the pros and cons in the same order across the body paragraphs. Each paragraph would then have a pro followed by a con or else a con followed by a pro. The order should align with your thesis; if the thesis gives a pro view of the topic followed by a negative view (con) then the paragraphs should also start with the pro and follow with the con, or else vice versa. If not aligned and consistent, the reader may easily become confused as the argument proceeds. Ask your teacher if this is a requirement for your assessment.

Use previous chapters to explore your chosen topic through concept mapping (Chapter 18) and essay outlining (Chapter 19), with one variance; you must include your proposed claims and counter claims in your proposed paragraph structures. What follows is a generic model for a discursive essay. The following Chapter 27 will examine this in further details.

Sample Discursive Essay Outline 

The paragraphs are continuous; the dot-points are only meant to indicate content.

Introduction

• Thesis statement
• Essay outline (including 3 controlling ideas)

Body Paragraphs X 3 (Elaboration and evidence will be more than one sentence, though the topic, claim and counter claim should be succinct)

• T opic sentence, including 1/3 controlling ideas (the topic remains the same throughout the entire essay; it is the controlling idea that changes)
• A claim/assertion about the controlling idea
• E laboration – more information about the claim
• E vidence -academic research (Don’t forget to tell the reader how / why the evidence supports the claim. Be explicit in your E valuation rather than assuming the connection is obvious to the reader)
• A counter claim (remember it must be COUNTER to the claim you made, not about something different)
• E laboration – more information about the counter claim
• E vidence – academic research (Don’t forget to tell the reader how / why the evidence supports the claim. Be explicit in your E valuation rather than assuming the connection is obvious to the reader)
• Concluding sentence – L inks back to the topic and/or the next controlling idea in the following paragraph

Mirror the introduction. The essay outline should have stated the plan for the essay – “This essay will discuss…”, therefore the conclusion should identify that this has been fulfilled, “This essay has discussed…”, plus summarise the controlling ideas and key arguments. ONLY draw tentative conclusions BOTH for and against, allowing the reader to make up their own mind about the topic. Also remember to re-state the thesis in the conclusion. If it is part of the marking criteria, you should also include a recommendation or prediction about the future use or cost/benefit of the chosen topic/concept.

A word of warning, many students fall into the generic realm of stating that there should be further research on their topic or in the field of study. This is a gross statement of the obvious as all academia is ongoing. Try to be more practical with your recommendations and also think about who would instigate them and where the funding might come from.

This chapter gives an overview of what a discursive essay is and a few things to consider when choosing your topic. It also provides a generic outline for a discursive essay structure. The following chapter examines the structure in further detail.

• Inez, S. M. (2018, September 10). What is a discursive essay, and how do you write a good one? Kibin. ↵
• Hale, A., & Basides, H. (2013). The keys to academic English. Palgrave ↵

researched, reliable, written by academics and published by reputable publishers; often, but not always peer reviewed

assertion, maintain as fact

The term ‘claim’ simply refers to the first position or argument you put forward (whether for or against), and ‘counter-claim’ is the alternate position or argument.

Academic Writing Skills Copyright © 2021 by Patricia Williamson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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English Department Website

Sqa – national 5 and higher folio template.

From 2016 onwards all National 5 and Higher English portfolios will be e-marked, and e-marking requires each candidate’s portfolio to be scanned. To ensure complete accuracy in the scanning process, an electronic template must be used. The template is available in Word format.

• Both folio pieces should be included on one document. Clear headings should be used to make it obvious where one ends and the next begins
• The candidate’s SCN (Scottish Candidate Number), and a page number must be added to the foot of every page in the template, using the boxes provided. These are for the purposes of identification. If you are unsure of your Scottish Candidate Number you can check the Year Group Notice Board or ask your Head of Year.
• Please ensure that the pieces follow the order of the flyleaf, ie. broadly creative followed by broadly discursive.
• You must include your word count for each piece of writing and your list of sources. A list of sources is adequate as footnotes will not transfer on to the template .

It is recommended that the portfolio pieces are printed double-sided where possible. Please do not use staples to collate the pages, as this will disrupt the scanning process. Please also ensure that your work is printed clearly (eg. no print leakage) so that it is legible on screen.

If you have any questions, then please check the following document or ask your teacher for guidance:

Candidate_Portfolio_Submission_Instructions

English_N5_Higher_Portfolio

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

Subject: English

Age range: 11-14

Resource type: Other

Last updated

25 February 2019

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Advanced Higher Spanish - discursive writing

Discursive writing 2019  (all links open as pdf files).

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

Employability: En el siglo veintiuno, a las empresas no les importan tanto los títulos universitarios.

• Candidate 1 Evidence

Society: El problema más grave para el futuro del medio ambiente es la falta de interés por parte de los jóvenes

• Candidate 2 Evidence

Culture: Leer libros o periódicos ya está pasado de moda.

• Candidate 3 Evidence
• Candidate 4 Evidence

Learning: Las personas aprenden mejor cuando se les presenta un desafío

• Candidate 5 Evidence
• Candidate 6 Evidence
• Candidates 1 to 6 Commentaries

Discursive writing 2018  (All links open as PDF files)

• 2018 Question paper   (External link to SQA website)
• 2018 Marking instructions   (External link to SQA website)

Candidates 1 and 4 responding to statement - 6. Culture: La diversidad cultural va de la mano de una sociedad tolerante e igualitaria.

Candidates 2, 3 and 5 responding to statement - 3. Society: El término ‘familia tradicional’ ya no cubre adecuadamente lo que la mayoría dela gente considera familia.

• Spanish examples - candidates 1 to 5   

Discursive writing 2016 (All links open to PDF files)

• Candidates A to D - Evidence
• Candidates A to D - Commentaries
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• National Qualifications  >  Subjects  >  English  >  Advanced Higher  > Advanced Higher English

Advanced Higher English

Updates and announcements, change to conditions of assessment in english portfolios from session 2024-25 (01/05/24).

We’re tightening the conditions of assessment in National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher English writing portfolios from session 2024-25.

What’s changing:

There will be a new mandatory requirement for learners to complete their first draft during class time, under the supervision of the teacher or lecturer.

This will enable teachers and lecturers to review learners’ first drafts before learners continue to work on them independently. Learners will then complete their final piece under some supervision and control, as is currently the case.

We aren’t making any other changes to the writing portfolios. The assessment standards remain the same.

Why we’re making this change:

We’ve been receiving ongoing feedback from the English teaching profession that, under the current assessment conditions, it can be difficult to verify that learners’ work is their own, as it’s possible they may have had input from others when working on their draft outside of school or college hours.

This change will further support teachers and lecturers with authenticating learners’ work in the writing portfolio. It will allow them to observe how learners’ work is developing without any outside influences. This will help them to identify if there are any unusual changes in the quality and content of a learner’s writing portfolio at the final submission stage, or if the final piece is unrecognisable from the first draft, which may indicate that it’s not the learner’s own work.

Updated documents

We’re updating the course specifications and the portfolio-writing coursework assessment tasks at each level. These will provide a clear process that learners need to follow when producing their portfolios. The updated documents will be available in early June.

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 ( 13/09/2023 ).

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 English course specification September 2023

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 English Literary Study Specimen Question Paper August 2019
• Advanced Higher English Textual Analysis Specimen Question Paper August 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 English Literary Study question paper  
• Advanced Higher English Textual Analysis question paper  
• Advanced Higher English Literary Study marking instructions  
• Advanced Higher English Textual Analysis marking instructions

Coursework ( 18/1/24 )

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.

Instructions

• Instructions for the submission of Advanced Higher English coursework   January 2024
• English Coursework Template - Google Docs
• English Coursework Template - Microsoft Word
• Coursework Assessment Task for Advanced Higher English Project-Dissertation
• Coursework assessment task for Advanced Higher English-Portfolio Writing  
• Guidance on conditions of assessment
• Coursework for External Assessment

Understanding Standards ( 27/11/2023 )

• 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.

Audio Presentation

• Overview of course assessment (18 minutes) (17.37 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 English Course Report

          September 2023

September 2022

September 2019

 November 2018

October 2017

Verification Reports

• English Verification Key Messages Round 1 March 2017

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