Gaelic Advanced Higher is designed to develop your knowledge and skills in the Gaelic language. You will be exposed to the language over a length of time in order to acquire greater fluency, flexibility and accuracy. This course will expand on what you have previously studied and focus on developing your ability to understand and express ideas and opinions in Gaelic as you learn about current affairs and issues from the viewpoint of those living in other countries than your own. The course will improve your ability to read, listen, talk and write in Gaelic allowing you to understand and use a modern language. Grammar aspects will be studied and you will research and analyse at least two literature or media sources of their choice within the context of the Gaelic language and produce a portfolio, consisting of one piece of writing in English of between 1,200 and 1,500 words. You will develop valuable translation skills and be in a great position to study the language further at a university level. 

National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher qualifications, accredited by the SQA, are typically studied at high school and college. These qualifications act as pathways to further study including university entry. Edinburgh College offers a selection of subjects at National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher level on a part-time basis. You may choose to study up to two subjects. 

Higher Gaelic With further study you gain employment in the following: 

Rory Whyte is 29 years old and lives in Dundee. Rory decided to come to Edinburgh College as it was the closest college to him that offered the Highers he needs to go to university. After a successful year, Rory was awarded the Student of the Year Travel, Tourism & Modern Languages Award at this year’s Prize Giving ceremony. We caught up with him and asked about his experience at Edinburgh College. 

“I’ve worked extremely hard this year and it means a lot that the College has taken notice. Nowhere in Dundee offered Higher Spanish outside of High School, and I needed an A at Higher for my university application. I did look at other options but, ultimately, I was attracted by Edinburgh’s reputation and facilities. 

Thanks to the kind recommendation on the part of my Gaelic tutor at the College, I’ve been lucky enough to receive a conditional offer to study Interpreting with French and Gaelic at Heriot-Watt University. Languages have become my passion, and interpreting has been my goal since returning to education.” 

Read more of our student stories here.