FOI23/24 161 Higher History Components

Date published: 08/04/2024

FOI reference: 23/24 161

Date received: 14/03/2024

Date responded: 08/04/2024

Information requested

Hello - last year I submitted an FOI request, copied below. I got the (very helpful!) response on the 24 of May 2023. The request was:

 I wish to submit an FOI request for the numbers of responses to the different sections of the question paper in Higher History. As you know higher history has two components - British European and World, and Scottish history. I'm looking to get a total number of candidates (for any available years, but at a minimum, for 2022) who wrote question paper answers to each of the themes under those headings, which are noted in the course specification as: British A: Church, state and feudal society, 1066-1406 B: the century of revolutions, 1603-1702 C: The atlantic slave trade D: Britain, 1851-1951 E: Britain and Ireland, 1900-1985 European and world A: The Crusades, 1071-1204 B: The american revolution, 1763-1787 C: The French Revolution, to 1799 D: Germany, 1815-1939 E: Italy, 1815-1939 F: Russia, 1881-1921 G: USA, 1918-1968 H: Appeasement and the road to war, to 1939 I: The Cold War, 1945-1989 Scottish A: the wars of independence, 1249-1328 B: The age of reformation, 1542-1603 C: The Treaty of union, 1689-1740 D: Migration and empire, 1830-1939 E: the impact of the the great war, 1914-1928

Would it be possible to have the same data showing the number and proportion of entries into each specific paper within Higher history, for the academic years:

2022-23 
2020-21 - i see this was not included in the original response. If there's a Covid-related reason for this, please let me know. 
The academic years 2014-15 and 2016-17. 

 Would it also be possible to have the equivalent data for the previous set of paper topics, under the previous model of British History and European world history? So a list of the previous contexts, with numbers and percentages of entries. Could i request this for the 3 academic years before the change in format, so 2011-12, 2012-13, and 2013-14. 

Please treat this as an FOI request under FOISA, but also let me know of any clarifications or questions you may have. 

Response

We only retain item analysis for 5 years as per our retention schedule. Therefore, we would normally have from 2019 to 2023. However, as there were no exams in 2019/20 and 2020/21, due to covid, and as such we have no information available for these years, a decision was made to exclude those years from calculating the 5 years and as such we currently have 2017 to 2019 and 2022 and 2023. You received 2017/18, 2018/19 and 2021/22 in the previous response and attached is the information for 2016/17 and 2022/23, which is the remaining years we have available.

Documents:

FOI23/24 161 Information Sheet (11 KB)