SCHOOL DAYS FOR Ian Rankin, crime novelist and creator of Inspector Rebus

Q: Which school did you attend?

A: Beath High School in Cowdenbeath, although I also attended Auchterderran Junior High School until the age of 14.

Q: Which Highers did you sit and what passes did you receive?

A: Five Highers to start with - A in English, A in geography, B in chemistry, B in maths and C in economics. In sixth year I also sat German to give me a modern language necessary to do English at Edinburgh University.

Q: What did you do after leaving school?

A: I went to Edinburgh University and did English literature. I got heavily involved in the poetry society, a magazine that came out publishing new writing and the film society. I would write reviews of films that

were upcoming - it was all stuff I wanted to do to be a writer but I hadn't had any access to it at school and then suddenly it was available.

Q: What was your favourite school subject?

A: Definitely English. In my final couple of years there was an English teacher called Mr Gillespie and he was a big influence. We would write essays for him but they were short stories. I just loved doing that and he seemed to like them and thought they were worth doing. He inspired me to keep going.

Q: What was your worst exam experience?

A: It wasn't a proper exam but one of the ''mocks'' for my German Higher. It happened to clash with my driving test and I sat the driving test. My teacher was furious and said that if I didn't pass this exam I wouldn't be able to go to Edinburgh. I trudged into the exam late and they gave me an extra half-hour so that I could take the full test. And I passed my driving test.

Q: Do you have any regrets about your schooldays?

A: Yes - I wish I had been more interested in learning a musical instrument. There wasn't much chance to do it at my school, but I see my son, who has just started high school, coming home and playing stuff on the piano. We just sat there and listened to tunes. We never played instruments and I never learned to read music.