Modern studies: free resources for pupils and teachers
Course facts from the people who set the exams, and up to date Scottish figures you can drop into an answer. All free, all sourced.
By Graeme · Published 29 October 2026 · 5 min read
Last updated · Figures checked
Quick answer · Modern Studies in Scotland
3areas of study: democracy, social issues and international issues
Qualifications Scotland, which replaced SQA on 1 February 2026, sets and marks the exams. Every level combines an exam with coursework.
- National 5
- 100 marks: 80 exam, 20 assignment
- Higher
- 110 marks: two papers worth 80, assignment 30
- Advanced Higher
- 140 marks: 90 exam, 50 dissertation
- Exams in 2027
- Wednesday 26 May 2027
Course specifications checked 29 October 2026Source Qualifications Scotland
On this page
Modern Studies is the Scottish school subject about how power works, who has it, and what it does to people's lives. I've put the official course facts and the up to date Scottish evidence on this site in one place, so pupils and teachers can find both quickly.
What modern studies is
At National 5 and Higher the course has the same three areas of study: democracy in Scotland and the UK, social issues in the UK, and international issues. In social issues you study either social inequality or crime and the law. In international issues you study either a world power, such as the USA or China, or a world issue, such as a conflict.
The exams are set and marked by Qualifications Scotland, which replaced SQA on 1 February 2026. Most course documents still carry the SQA name and still live on sqa.org.uk. Qualifications Scotland says they remain current, so don't worry if your notes say SQA.
The courses, level by level
Qualifications Scotland course specifications
How each course is assessed
| Level | Exam | Coursework | Total marks | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National 5 | 80 marks, 2 hours and 20 minutes | Assignment, 20 marks | 100 | N5 guide |
| Higher | Two papers, 52 and 28 marks | Assignment, 30 marks | 110 | Higher guide |
| Advanced Higher | 90 marks, 3 hours | Dissertation, 50 marks | 140 | AH guide |
Past papers and their marking instructions are free from Qualifications Scotland. I explain where to find them and how to use them well on the Nat 5 modern studies past papers and Higher modern studies past papers pages, along with practice questions built from real Scottish data.
Modern studies resources on this site
Every figure on this site comes from official statistics, with the source underneath. That matters in Modern Studies, because markers reward recent, accurate examples. Here is where each part of the course meets the evidence.
Free to use in class and in answers
Where to find evidence for each topic
| Part of the course | Evidence here | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Democracy: representation | Every MP and MSP | Committee jobs, contact details and recorded votes for each member |
| Democracy: voting systems | Seats by party | How the Additional Member System works in practice: SNP holds 56 of 73 constituency seats but only 1 regional |
| Democracy: devolved and reserved | Who decides what | Which issues sit with Westminster, Holyrood or your council |
| Social inequality | Poverty in Scotland | 17% of people and 21% of children in poverty, 2022 to 2025 |
| Causes and effects of inequality | Causes of poverty | Work, the cost of living and social security, with Scottish figures |
| Government responses | Scottish Child Payment | A payment that only exists in Scotland, and who decides it |
| Local government | All 32 councils ranked | Where council money comes from: 60p in every £1 from the Scottish Government, 20p from council tax |
| Crime and the law | Shoplifting in Scotland | 53,369 shoplifting crimes recorded in 2025/26 |
| Health inequalities | Drug deaths and deprivation | How the death rate changes from the poorest areas to the richest |
| Your own area | All 32 council areas | Child poverty, benefits and pay for the place you live |
| International issues | Not covered here | Use your class notes and BBC Bitesize |
Modern studies revision: how to use real data
Knowing a topic is half of it. The other half is backing your points with evidence. The 2026 Higher course report told teachers to keep giving pupils the best recent examples, because some answers leaned on very old ones. A few habits make a big difference:
- Learn a few figures well. One accurate, recent statistic with its year beats three vague ones.
- Always say where and when. “17% of people in Scotland were in poverty in 2022 to 2025, according to the Scottish Government” is evidence. “Loads of people are poor” is not.
- Explain what the figure shows. A number on its own is description. Saying what it proves about the question is where the higher marks are.
- Compare. Two areas, two years or two groups side by side is the start of analysis.
- Use Scotland. Questions often ask for recent examples from Scotland, and everything here is Scottish, right down to your own council.
A worked example
Point: having a job does not always protect a family from poverty.
Evidence: 75% of children in poverty in Scotland live in a household where someone works (Scottish Government, 2022 to 2025).
Explanation: low pay, short hours and high rent can leave a working family below the poverty line, so a job on its own is not enough.
For teachers
A teacher already uses this site with their classes, which is partly why these pages exist. Everything for teachers, including a course map, past papers to download and how the figures are checked, is on the Modern Studies teaching resources page. Here are a few things that work well in a lesson.
- The poverty quiz. Six questions, and most people guess wrong, which gets a discussion going fast.
- Local figures. Pupils look up the school's council on the area pages, then compare it with a council of their choice.
- Writing to a representative. Both the National 5 and Higher course specifications suggest it as a citizenship activity. The MP and MSP directory has contact details for every member, and email your MP and MSP walks through writing one.
- Source evaluation. Every page lists its sources, and the methods page explains every calculation. That makes the site a fair test case for a reliability question: who made it, how, and could it be biased?
- Data files. The data page has the cleaned files, free to reuse if you credit the site.
If you use any of this in class, I'd really like to hear how it went and what would help. Use the teaching option on the contact form. No pupil names needed.
Official links worth bookmarking
- Modern Studies on the Qualifications Scotland website, with links to every level.
- Course pages for National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher: course specifications, specimen papers, coursework tasks and course reports.
- Past papers and marking instructions for every subject.
- The 2027 exam timetable (a PDF).
- BBC Bitesize for National 5 and Higher Modern Studies.
Exam day in 2027
Every Modern Studies exam is on Wednesday 26 May 2027. Higher Paper 1 runs 9am to 10.45am and Paper 2 11.15am to 12.30pm. Advanced Higher is 9am to 12 noon. National 5 is 1pm to 3.20pm.
Find the figures for your own area
Pick your council and get its child poverty rate, benefits and pay, each with the official source underneath. Local evidence makes an answer stand out.
Find my area
