Choose your council
AberdeenAberdeenshireAngusArgyll and ButeClackmannanshireDumfries and GallowayDundeeEast AyrshireEast DunbartonshireEast LothianEast RenfrewshireEdinburghFalkirkFifeGlasgowHighlandInverclydeMidlothianMorayNorth AyrshireNorth LanarkshireOrkneyPerth and KinrossRenfrewshireScottish BordersShetlandSouth AyrshireSouth LanarkshireStirlingWest DunbartonshireWest LothianWestern Isles
School holidaysExamsToolsTeacher pay
AberdeenAberdeenshireAngusArgyll and ButeClackmannanshireDumfries and GallowayDundeeEast AyrshireEast DunbartonshireEast LothianEast RenfrewshireEdinburghFalkirkFifeGlasgowHighlandInverclydeMidlothianMorayNorth AyrshireNorth LanarkshireOrkneyPerth and KinrossRenfrewshireScottish BordersShetlandSouth AyrshireSouth LanarkshireStirlingWest DunbartonshireWest LothianWestern Isles
Higher

Higher Economics

From session 2026/27 the Higher Economics exam is 70 marks over 2 hours. It was 90 marks and 2 hours 30 minutes. The 2027 exam is on Tuesday 11 May, from 1:30pm to 3:30pm.

2027 examTuesday 11 May 2027
  • Question paper13:30 to 15:30
Question paper70 marks, 2 hoursSection 1: 25 marks (questions of 15 and 10 marks). Section 2: three 15-mark questions. Worth 78% of the course.
Assignment20 marks, Notional 8 hoursMarked out of 30 and scaled to 20, which is 22% of the course. Up to 2,000 words plus four pages of appendices.

What grade is my mark?

out of 120
?

Type a total mark to see the grade it would have got.

How the A and C boundaries have moved

35%40%45%50%55%60%65%70%75%202220232024202520262022: 84 of 1202023: 79 of 1202024: 84 of 1202025: 85 of 1202026: 84 of 1202022: 55 of 1202023: 51 of 1202024: 60 of 1202025: 61 of 1202026: 60 of 120AC

Boundaries as a share of the total marks. A lower line means the papers were judged harder that year. Qualifications Scotland publishes boundaries from 2022 in this format.

YearOut ofABCD
202612084726048
202512085736149
202412084726048
202312079655137
202212084695540

The new exam format

Higher Economics has a shorter exam from 2026/27. The paper drops from 90 marks to 70, and from 2 hours 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Section 1 is worth 25 marks, made up of a 15-mark and a 10-mark question. Section 2 has three questions worth 15 marks each.

The assignment is still marked out of 30, then scaled. The paper now counts for 78% of the grade and the assignment for 22%.

In 2027 the exam is on Tuesday 11 May, from 1:30pm to 3:30pm.

Three areas of content

Economics of the market covers supply and demand, market structures and market failure. UK economic activity covers government aims, policy, taxation and national income. Global economic activity covers trade, exchange rates, globalisation and bodies such as the World Trade Organization.

The assignment

You research a current economic issue and write a report. It must be no longer than 2,000 words, plus up to four pages of appendices. You have a notional 8 hours in class.

The 2025 course report said introductions, research and application sections scored highly. Most candidates applied theory well.

Analysis was weaker when candidates used theory sources as findings. That repeated earlier sections. Conclusions often restated single points. Markers wanted conclusions that drew several points together into a justified judgement.

The report suggested quoting directly from sources. This makes clear where your analysis begins.

Where exam marks went missing

The 2025 report covers the old 90-mark paper, but the content is the same. Common gaps were:

  • defining negative externalities without mentioning the impact on third parties
  • giving vague definitions of a recession
  • describing problems with national income statistics when asked to use them for comparison

Many candidates drew fully labelled market diagrams and explained the role of the WTO well. Most could also describe a type of market failure accurately.

The report's main advice was to learn precise definitions and correct terminology.

Using past papers

Older papers had more questions than the new format. Use them for content practice and the September 2026 specimen paper for timing.

For each question, check the marking instructions for the exact definition wording. In Economics, a near miss on a definition can lose the mark.

Revision checklist

Tick topics as you revise. Ticks are saved on this device only.

  • Sit the September 2026 specimen paper in 2 hours
  • Learn precise definitions, including third party effects in externalities
  • Define a recession in terms of real GDP and negative growth
  • Draw fully labelled supply and demand diagrams for shifts in each curve
  • Practise using national income figures to compare living standards between countries
  • Revise the role of the WTO and arguments for and against free trade
  • Plan 15-mark answers to use most of the time in Section 2
  • In the assignment, keep findings separate from background theory
  • Write conclusions that bring several findings into one justified judgement
  • Keep the report under 2,000 words, with appendices on four pages at most

Quick answers

Has Higher Economics changed for 2026/27?

Yes. The question paper is now 70 marks and 2 hours. It was 90 marks and 2 hours 30 minutes. The paper is worth 78% and the assignment 22%.

How long is the Higher Economics assignment?

No longer than 2,000 words, excluding appendices. Appendices can run to four pages.

What are the main topics in Higher Economics?

Economics of the market, UK economic activity and global economic activity.

When is the Higher Economics exam in 2027?

Tuesday 11 May 2027, from 1:30pm to 3:30pm.