Computing Science · Advanced Higher
Advanced Higher leans towards university computer science: information systems at scale on one side, and structured software development on the other, with a substantial project of your own.
What it offers you
Computing Science builds the logical and technical thinking behind software, data and networks — a direct route into computing, cyber security, software engineering and data science study and careers.
What Advanced Higher actually asks of you
Question paper
Information systems (database design, SQL, distributed and large-scale data) and software design & development (object-oriented design, recursion, efficiency of algorithms). Extended answers and a demanding problem-solving section.
Project — a substantial piece of practical work where you design, implement, test and report on a software or information system.
Exact timings and mark allocations are printed on the front cover of each paper below.
Topics that come up
Papers & marking schemes
2026
2 files2025
2 files2024
2 files2023
2 files2022
2 filesSQA publishes the most recent five years of papers. Older papers and specimen papers live on their site — open Computing Science Advanced Higher on sqa.org.uk.