National 5

The main purpose of National 5 is to provide learners with the opportunity to develop the skills of listening, talking, reading and writing in order to understand and use language.

As learners develop their literacy skills, they will be able to process information more easily, apply knowledge of language in practical and relevant contexts, and gain confidence to undertake new and more challenging tasks in a variety of situations.

National 5 offers learners opportunities to extend a wide range of skills and develop the ability to:

listen, talk, read and write, as appropriate to purpose, audience and context.
understand, analyse and evaluate texts, as appropriate to purpose and audience in the contexts of literature, language and media.
create and produce texts, as appropriate to purpose, audience and context
plan and research, integrating and applying language skills as appropriate to purpose, audience and context.
apply knowledge of language.

Course Assessment

Portfolio: (30% of final grade)
One piece of writing that is broadly discursive (800 - 1000 words)
Example: Discursive Exampe N5 (Word doc, 15 KB)(opens new window)
One piece of writing that is broadly creative (800 - 1000 words)
Example: Creative Example N5 (Word doc, 14 KB)(opens new window)
Pieces need to be typed onto the template provided by the SQA: Template (Word doc, 29 KB)(opens new window)

Each piece is mark out of 15. The SQA use the following Marking Criteria (Word doc, 21 KB)(opens new window), which has been translated into more Student-friendly language.

Please Note: All coursework must be completed to be sent to the SQA by the deadline given by the class teacher. A failure to do so would disqualify the student from sitting the exam and gaining a qualification in the subject at this level.

Exam: (70% of final grade)
Paper 1: Reading for Understanding, Analysis and Evaluation - Close Reading (30 marks)
Example: Close Reading N5 (PDF, 98 KB)(opens new window)
In order to be efficient and gain maximum marks in this paper it is recommended that students use these close-reading-methods (gi.ui.mediatype.powerpoint, 146 KB)(opens new window)

Paper 2: Critical Reading
- Scottish Text (20 marks)
- Critical Essay (20 marks)
Example: Critical Reading N5 (PDF, 172 KB)(opens new window)

There will be a Prelim Exam scheduled in early December to allow students to practice writing under exam conditions and give an indication of their progress.

Homework and Study Support

Homework will form an essential part of the course. It is not possible for any student to cover every element of the course purely in class time. Every student is required to perform various tasks at home as part of the course. This work will either have an direct or indirect impact on their final grade.

More information on homework policies along with strategies for students and parents can be found here.