Study guides for Highers

[Wellthatsit]

Anyone have any thoughts on the best study guides for Highers, or whether it's even worth getting study guides?
My DS is usually getting As or Bs, and the odd C so is definitely managing but it would be good to have something to boost confidence and help ensure a good mark. (This is coming from him, not me, in case I am sounding really pushy).
People who've been there, what was helpful/ worth buying? Or is practicing past papers the best strategy?
Thanks.

My ds used the online ones from the SQA website last year but my Dd took me to Waterstones and spent a fortune.

The "How to pass" guides are pretty good. I might have a copy of "How to pass Higher English" if ds didn't throw it out a year ago having passed his Higher English

A friend got them for her ds for all his Nat 5s and Highers - and he got 5 As (might have got 5 As anyway )

Think the SQA website is pretty good for past papers, although I did get a few Hodder & Leckie (? it's amazing how quickly it becomes a distant memory ) for ds when he was in S4 and S5 for the subjects he was less confident in.

Thanks. Sounds like SQA website is the best place to start.

Be cautious of starting with SQA as your DC might find that they then sit them in class for exam prep. The Leckie & Leckie practice papers are a bit rubbish as they were published before we'd seen more than just a sample paper from SQA. My DDs have liked How to Pass.

I purchased Bright Red Publishing as an alternative for the eager beavers in my class, they had completed every past paper on SQA and even my bank of Prelims. They really liked them as there are online progress checks and that broke the monotony.

Remember that courses have been revised recently so bargains may well be versions that relate to the courses before revision.

Is it advisable to buy study guides? It hadn’t occurred to me and now I’m wondering if I ought to!

Depends what school are giving and your DC's level of confidence in the subject. I have tended to buy for the ones my DD's lacked confidence in or ones that BBCbitesize and other revision sites didn't cover fully enough.

Ask in your local charity shop - I volunteer in one and we get dozens, usually in June after the exams are over. Usually sell for around £2 or £3.

Thanks, Lidlfix I’ll speak to DS and see what he thinks.

Bright red publishing have 20% off just now with code OCTOBERTREATS. I've just bought some NAT4/5 books and they look quite good but ds hasn't looked at them closely yet.

Thanks Lidlefix - I assume you are a classroom teacher

English teacher and skint owner of 4DDs DD3 sitting Highers DD4 Nat 5s so have professional and maw knowledge.

Courses have change this year so be careful of using past papers. There is one sample paper available for my subject from the SQA, I assume others are the same.