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The Classics have been at the heart of the Edinburgh Academy curriculum since its foundation. The fact that the school’s motto is in Greek is testimony to this, and the academic record of Academy classicists in national examinations continues to be outstanding.The study of classical civilisation provides a radical perspective on all aspects of western culture, so heavily influenced by that of Greece and Rome even before the Renaissance. If you look at modern life without the benefit of a classical education, you see it through a glass, darkly.
Language and literature of Republic and Empire.
The whole of European culture is suffused with the Latin language and Roman culture. The study of Latin reveals a period of history which has had a tremendous influence on our own times, and the Higher course encourages pupils to think about literary and historical questions whilst perfecting their understanding and appreciation of the language, with all of its attendant benefits in general linguistic knowledge and development of logical thinking.
Entry Requirements
Candidates ought to have a GCSE or good Standard Grade pass in Latin for entry to the course. The fact that the quantity of set literature that has to be studied is not vast, and the removal of the need to learn further vocabulary, both mean that students with GCSE Latin should find the course well within their abilities.
There is no coursework, but there will be one Unit assessment leading up to each paper during the course of the session; our candidates normally take these as their Prelim, in late January or February, thereby killing two birds with one stone. The Prelim exam will form the most crucial part of a candidate’s appeal evidence, but if it is felt to be benefi cial, further Unit tests may be taken afterwards to enhance the pupil’s ‘appeals portfolio’.
The Latin Higher Grade Course
Paper 1:
For Paper 1 copies of all relevant texts are provided in the actual exam. |
Paper 2:
For Paper 2, a complete alphabetical word-list is given. |
On to A-Level
Later in the year work will begin on the AS-Level syllabus for those planning to take Latin A-Level in the Sevenths.
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Greek
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Study of a Roman poet, currently Virgil or Plautus, and a Roman prose author, currently Cicero, in the original Latin and in translation. There is a strong emphasis on literary criticism. 
An Unseen paper, designed to test the extent of the candidate’s grasp of the structures and grammar of the Latin language. 
A-Level candidates may sit the Higher in the Sixth Year. 
Those who have become conscious of a desire to learn Greek later in their school career may be able to take up the subject in the Sixths and/or Sevenths and sit a public exam in the subject at whatever is the appropriate or desirable level. Special teaching arrangements are sometimes made for Greek. The Academy can, when appropriate, also offer Greek at Higher, AS-Level and A-Level standard to pupils who have previously attained Standard Grade or GCSE in the subject. The papers in all of these exams are structured in the same way as the Latin ones.This page is: Edinburgh Academy / curriculum / classics / higher.htm
