National 5 English Course Outline
Portfolio - 30% of overall marks
This element is completed independently, throughout the school year, with support from the class teacher. This writing piece is assessed externally and should be 1,000 words. It may be one of the following:
Broadly Creative - for example: a personal or reflective essay, a piece of prose fuction, a poem or set of thematically linked poems, or a dramatic script.
Broadly Discursive - for example: an argumentative or persuasive essay, a report or a piece of transactional or informative writing.
N5 Folio Support
Critical Reading Paper - 40% of overall marks
This element of the course is completed in a 1hr 30min exam and consists of two sections:
Section 1 - Scottish Set Text (20%)
Section 2 - Critical Essay (20%)
Scottish Set Text Support
Section 1 - Scottish Set Text (20%)
Texts commonly studied for this section are:
- A poetry collection (6 poems) by Norman MacCaig
- A poetry collection (6 poems) by Edwin Morgan
- The drama Tally's Blood by Ann Marie Di Mambro
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Norman MacCaig - BBC Bitesize |
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Edwin Morgan - BBC Bitesize |
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Scottish Poetry Library |
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Tally's Blood - BBC Bitesize |
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Tally's Blood Overview |
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Tally's Blood - Association for Scottish Literature |
Critical Essay Support
Section 2 - Critical Essay (20%)
Texts commonly studied for this section are:
- Macbeth by William Shakespeare (Drama)
- Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen (Poetry)
- Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock (Film)
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Macbeth - Royal Shakespeare Company |
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Macbeth - My Shakespeare |
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Macbeth - BBC Bitesize |
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Dulce et Decorum Est - Poetry Foundation |
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Psycho - BBC Bitesize Film Language |
Reading for Understanding, Analysis and Evaluation (RUAE) - 30% of overall marks
Pupils answer questions, demonstrating their ability to understand, analyse and evaluate an unseen, non-fiction text.
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An Expert Guide to N5 RUAE |
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RUAE - BBC Bitesize |
Performance: Spoken Language - Pass/Fail (internally assessed)
Pupils must deliver a performance of spoken language, either individually or as part of a group presentation or discussion. This will be assessed by the class teacher.
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Talking - BBC Bitesize |
Qualifications Scotland Information and Past Papers
General information about the National 5 English course and practice past papers on each element of the exam (with marking instructions) can be found on the Qualifications Scotland website.
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National Parent Forum of Scotland - N5 English in a Nutshell |
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Qualifications Scotland - N5 English |