Higher History Revision Checklist & Tracker

Know exactly what is in Higher History, see your gaps at a glance, and close them one by one before the prelim and the final exam.

This printable checklist turns every topic option into clear “I can…” statements, one for each of the 104 key issues in the current Higher History course specification. Tick the three topics you study, colour a traffic light for each key issue, tick it off every time you revise, and watch the reds turn green.

UP TO DATE FOR 2026-27
The course and exam are unchanged for 2026-27: Paper 1 (British, and European and world essays, 44 marks, 1 hour 30 minutes), Paper 2 (Scottish source questions, 36 marks, 1 hour 30 minutes) and a 30-mark assignment. Everything in this checklist follows that structure.

WHAT’S INSIDE (19 A4 pages)

• Cover with name, school, target grade (A / B / C / D) and exam date
• How to use, plus the exam at a glance: both papers and the assignment, timings, where the 110 marks come from, and what each part asks you to do
• My topics: tick your British, European and world, and Scottish options, with the page number for each
• Paper 1 essay guide: how the 22 marks are split (context, knowledge, analysis, evaluation, conclusion), the question types you will see, and an essay planner
• Paper 2 Scottish question guide: Evaluate the usefulness, Explain, the two-source question and How fully, with how each is marked, plus an origin and purpose practice box
• 8 checklist pages covering all 19 topic options and 104 key issues, from Church, state and feudal society and Britain 1851-1951 to Germany, Russia, the USA, the Cold War and every Scottish option. Every key issue has Red / Amber / Green circles, Revised x1 / x2 / x3 boxes and an Exam Qs? tick box
• My check-ins: count your greens, ambers and reds three times over the year
• Key dates and terms: five dates for every topic option, plus the terms markers use
• Past paper tracker: both essays, Paper 2, total out of 80, percentage and what to fix next for 10 papers, plus a progress graph
• My fix-it list: what went wrong, how you will fix it, and a Fixed box
• Assignment: research checklist, what you can and cannot take into the write-up, a plan, and a write-up checklist showing where all 30 marks come from
• Exam-week checklist: pack your kit, the week before, and on the day

WHO IT’S FOR

• S5 and S6 pupils sitting Higher History
• Parents and carers who want to help without nagging
• Tutors and teachers looking for a ready-made revision tracker for their own pupils

HOW TO USE IT

1. Download the PDF
2. Print on A4, as many copies as your licence allows
3. Hand one to each pupil, or use it with your own child at home

PLEASE NOTE

• A4 portrait PDF. Prints in colour or greyscale on standard A4 paper.
• An independent revision resource, not an official exam board product. Topics and key issues are based on the current Higher History course specification.
• Colours may look slightly different depending on your screen and printer.

Good luck with your exams!