Dunfermline 
N5 English ExamNational 5 English
The National 5 English course challenges pupils to use all of the skills they've developed in the BGE English and Literacy curriculum and take them to the next level.
It gives them the opportunity to:
- Study a selection of texts from classic and modern literature.
- Analyse the different ways in which language can be used.
- Consider their own views about the world.
- Think creatively.
How is the course structured?
There are four key components.
National-5-English (ID 1108)
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RUAE30%
RUAE
RUAE stands for Reading for Understanding, Analysis and Evaluation.
This aspect of the course is assessed in Paper 1 of the final exam. It's worth 30 marks in total and pupils have 1 hour to complete it.
They are given a short non-fiction passage (usually adapted from a newspaper or magazine) and they have to answer questions about its content and language.
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Scottish Set Text20%
Scottish Set Text
Scottish Set Text is what pupils are assessed on during the first part of Paper 2 (Critical Reading). They have around 45 minutes to answer questions about an extract from a text they've studied in class.
All texts in this part of the course are by Scottish authors.
Pupils will either study a novel, a play, six poems or four short stories. They need to have a detailed knowledge of their text(s) to prepare for the exam.
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Critical Essay20%
Critical Essay
Critical essay is what pupils are assessed on during the second part of Paper 2 (Critical Reading). They are given a choice of two questions and they have around 45 minutes to write an essay on a text they've studied in class.
This text comes from a different genre than the text(s) they study for Scottish Set Text.
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Writing Portfolio(30%)
Writing Portfolio
The writing portfolio or "folio" is the pupils' chance to show off their writing skills. Throughout the year, they'll be given the opportunity to write creatively and discursively.
They then take forward an idea in one of these genres and produce an essay of around 1000 words in length.
There are regular check-ins with classroom teachers throughout the year and the finished piece is sent off to the SQA for external marking in early spring.
FAQs
What does the final exam involve?
Pupils complete two exam papers.
Paper 1: Reading for Understanding Analysis and Evaluation.
- 1 hour to complete.
Paper 2: Critical Reading
- 1 hour 30 minutes to complete.
- Section 1 is Scottish Set Text
- Section 2 is Critical Essay.
What do RUAE and SST stand for?
RUAE stands for Reading for Understanding, Analysis and Evaluation.
SST stands for Scottish Set Text.
Do you run any study support sessions?
We run departmental study support sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school. Pupils may also arrange additional study support time with their individual teachers.
Where can my child access additional revision materials?
All pupils have access to Microsoft Teams through their Glow dashboard. Their class Teams page will contain lesson materials and additional resources to support their revision.
There are also a number of websites in the 'Useful Links' section below with helpful materials for the four different course components.
Useful Links
Glow - Click to be redirected to the Glow login page. Pupils can access their Glow dashboards and access their class Teams page as well as Satchel One.
SQA - Click to be redirected to the SQA National 5 English page. This contains additional course documentation as well as links to past papers and sample exam answers.
BBC Bitesize - Click to be redirected to the National 5 BBC Bitesize site. It contains lots of useful revision resources for all four aspects of the N5 course.
