n5 english critical essay marking grid

• Apr 23, 2022

SQA National 5 English: An expert guide to National 5 RUAE

Note: the techniques and approaches listed are not exhaustive and definitive. Rather, they are based on analysis of the last 7 years of SQA RUAE N5 past papers and are only suggestions.

Before Beginning the Questions:

Before you begin the passage, always ask yourself two questions:

· what is the passage about?

· How does the writer feel about the subject?

The answer to the first question helps you with context, whilst the answer to the second question will help you identify the types of words, sentence structure, images and tone the writer will use. The italics before the passage will often offer a guide to these questions but do not always offer definitive answers.

Types of question

GOLDEN RULE. FIND WORDS FROM THE QUESTION IN THE PASSAGE. LOOK AROUND THEM AND YOU WILL OFTEN BE GIVEN THE ANSWER.

Understanding Questions

For the most part, these questions involve putting information into YOUR OWN WORDS . For a number of years this has been signposted in the question with the words, ‘use your own words in your answer.’

Your basic approach to doing this should be:

· Find the information

· Highlight it

· Put it in your own words

How do I put things into my own words?

There are a number of strategies for this:

· Substitute one word for another

· Substitute a phrase for a word

· Ask yourself: what idea is the writer communicating?

· Interpret/ quantify numbers and dates. This is something that candidates often fail to do but it is quite simple. For example, 1920 becomes over 100 years ago and 140, 000 000 becomes an enormous number.

Context Questions - rare

These are usually worth 2 marks. You should say what the word means(1) and how you know this form surrounding words(1). For the second mark, quote and say how these words helped you understand.

Question: Show how the lines 28-42 help you to understand the meaning of the word ‘Armageddon’

Answer The word ‘Armageddon’ means total destruction. (1st mark). I know this because he uses phrases such as ‘the end of the world is nigh’ which shows the word means the world would be destroyed. (2nd mark).

The underlined parts can always be used when doing this type of question.

Link questions.

Remember you can also get link sentences and you would just deal with them in this way:

1.You find the part of the sentence that links to the paragraph before then quote it

2.Say what it links to in the paragraph before

3.Quote the part that links to what is still to come

4.Say what it links to

Question 2019 Paper.. By referring to any part of the sentence in line 28 (‘The futuristic nature…, he says’), explain how it helps to provide a link between the writer’s ideas at this point in the passage.

Answer: ‘futuristic nature’ links back (1) to ‘space age’ (2) or a summary of this: the advanced technology mentioned in the last paragraph

‘didn’t understand’ links forward (1) to ‘didn’t know their purpose’ (2) or a summary of this: weren’t sure how to use drive-thrus as mentioned in the rest of the paragraph

Analysis Questions

These questions involve looking at techniques, using quotes, and offering explanations. When answering, think: what does it mean? Why is it being used?

One quote and explanation will get you two marks- one for the quote and one for the analysis. Language or style questions mean you can comment on any of the following. Try to keep your quotes short and focused.

Sentence Structure

Remember to be detailed- what is being emphasised? Also, you should remember to quote at all times. The underlined parts should always be used when answering these questions. Remember to quantify- ‘the amount…’ is not enough; you must say ‘the huge amount…’ etc.

Short sentence : bluntly emphasises its content, adds drama.

Example: The short sentence ‘There is a lot to be done.’ bluntly emphasises the writer’s belief that there is much work to be completed in combating these industries.

List: emphasises variety and number of things.

Example: The list ‘other cultures … climates’ emphasises the huge number of things that air travel allows people to experience.

Repetition: emphasise something- say what is being emphasised.

Example The repetition of ‘We need’ emphasises the idea that society as a whole must come together and fight these companies.

The above are the most likely features of sentence structure. Indeed, knowledge of the three techniques listed above would be able you to answer any analysis question from the past 7 years which allows you to comment on sentence structure.

However, you might also comment on topic sentences- the first sentence in a paragraph – which might bluntly introduce the topic.

You might comment on how sentences start ‘Originally … After that’ which might communicate a sequence.

You might also be asked about parallelism- where sentences are repeatedly structured/ balanced in the same way.

Example: ‘Don’t buy a baby walker, your t oddlers might brain themselves. Don’t buy plastic baby teethers, your baby might suck in harmful chemicals.’ This emphasises all the things they discourage you from buying and underscore their idea that there is threat everywhere/ everything is dangerous/ has consequences.

Word Choice.

You should try to say what the definition/ connotations of these words are and why they are used. Try to keep your quotes to 1 word if possible

Follow this structure:

context (he, she they, it)

2 connotations

Example: ‘crammed’ suggests they were kept in claustrophobic, unpleasant conditions

If you are dealing with imagery – usually a simile, personification or a metaphor – then there are two stages:

say what the connotations of the image are- give two connotations

say what connotations the subject shares with the image, again giving two but using different words.

Example: ‘ Just as a tumour is unhealthy, ugly and can lead to serious illness or death (stage 1), so too was London destructive to the country, filled with disease and unpleasant to look at. (stage 2).

Punctuation

Often a part of sentence structure but not the first thing you should look at. Look out for colons and dashes that come before an explanation- they introduce an expansion or explanation, a list or extra information. Say what it is a list of or extra info about. To find out what is being introduced, look just before the dash or colon.

Semi-colons split up a list, creating a definite break between each item. They also set up a contrast

Inverted commas show speech. The writer might use them to show they are someone else’s words and not the writers, to show a quote, or show the writer doubts what is being said. It might also be used to mock an idea

Parenthesis is a regularly used feature- it is information contained within two rackets, two dashes, or two commas. You should say that parenthesis is used to emphasise the extra information contained within the punctuation.

You should try and quote with these questions. They are similar to analysis questions but you should say how effective something is

Say it is effective and why using quotes as evidence.

Mostly, they ask you about how effective a sentence or a paragraph is as a conclusion- look for links to ideas earlier in the passage or even the title and state what they are. This gives a sense that the writer is summing up/ emphasising a point.

this is effective because…

quote (1 mark)

links back to _________ say what it links back to

earlier in the passage/ at the start of the passage (2nd mark)

This is effective because ‘in a different century’ (1 mark) links back to the mention of the 1970s and 1980s earlier in the passage (2nd mark)

You might also be asked about introductory paragraphs. Look for the following:

It introduces what the passage/ essay will be about- say what.

Questions compel the reader to think… or ask questions that will force you to read on to get the answers

Use of the word ‘you’ involves the reader

Short sentences/ powerful word choice.

Other types of Nat 5 questions

Attitude and how the writer’s language shows this

1/ say what the attitude is

3/ explain the quote

Explain what the writer means by ‘____________’

In this question, you should explain what the words mean. You will be helped to do this by the lines you are directed to. It is very similar to a context question.

We hope this RUAE N5 guide provided some great help and support to you and wish you well in your N5 English course.

If you need support in National 5 or Higher subjects you can book classes here.

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SQA English Portfolio Template (Higher and Nat 5)

Our top 8 tips on how to write your National 5 English Critical Essay

Your critical essay is an essay that allows you to demonstrate your analysis, interpretation and evaluation of pieces of literature. Your...

How to Answer Close Reading Questions: National 5 and Higher English

How to write a critical essay Example Critical Essay notes

Critical analysis is where you make an argument about a text you have read, providing points to support your case.

Part of English Critical Reading - Critical Essay

Example Critical Essay notes

Let's look at an example...

Imagine that your class had been studying William Shakespeare’s famous poem ‘Sonnet 18’ as a National 5 Critical Essay text.

Here it is below:

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath all too short a date; Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimm'd; And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm'd; But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st; Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st: So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

Watch this video for a reading of Shakespeare's Sonnet 18

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A video of Shakespeare's Sonnet 18

Example Critical Essay Notes: ‘Sonnet 18’ by William Shakespeare

During the block of learning on this text, your class made the following jotter notes:

• Shakespeare considers the overwhelming beauty of his beloved
• Speaker concludes that the object of his affections is much more beautiful than a summer’s day
• On a deeper level, text considers if poetry can adequately represent such beauty in words
• Theme: Romantic love

Extract from Analysis Notes (focus on lines 1-2)

Example question

Using the notes above, imagine you studied this poem in-depth and you were given the following National 5 essay question to try:

Answer to questions in this part should refer to the text and to such relevant features as word choice, tone, imagery, structure, content, rhythm, rhyme, theme, sound ideas...

1. Choose a poem which explores an important theme. By referring to appropriate techniques, explain how this important theme is explored.

Stop and think:

• What was the theme of the text studied?
• What techniques were mentioned in the notes?
• Would this question be suitable for that text, above?

Show answer Hide answer

This question lends itself well to a poem about love.

If you had studied this text in class you could write in detail about:

• word choice

Choose the right question

Choosing the right question from the relevant section in the exam paper is the first step to success!

• If you have studied a poem choose a question from the Poetry section
• If you have studied a play choose a question from the Drama section
• If you have studied a film choose a question from the Film and TV section
• If you have studied a novel choose a question from the Prose section
• If you have studied a non-fiction text choose a question from the Prose section

Choosing the wrong question, from the wrong section, is called a genre infringement .

Related links

• BBC Skillswise
• BBC Writers Room
• SQA National 5 English
• Skills You Need - Presentation
• Writing a Descriptive Essay
• Scottish Poetry Library
• BBC 500 words

English National 5 Essay Examples Available

The English Department have sent more resources for National 5 critical essay revision to this site for inclusion.

They take the form of exemplar timed essays on the novels studied in the course: Stone Cold, Of Mice and Men and Animal Farm.

Find them on the dedicated critical essay revision page . The PDF files are named according to: the novel they are concerned with; whether they are the first or second example (1 or 2); and each example is numbered into parts – (i) – (iv).

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Everything you need to build a strong revision programme for the national 5 and higher exams..

Our range includes:

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Help students to achieve their best grades with How to Pass – the No. 1 choice for teachers, students and parents.

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Understand, analyse, evaluate, succeed

These study and revision guides take students through every aspect of the set texts, with exam advice for the National 5 and Higher English Critical Reading papers.

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• Clear explanations of language, structure and themes
• Advice for the Scottish Texts and Critical Essay sections of the exams

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Close Reading

Here are the Close Reading materials used in class. They may help you with your revision.

• RUAE – Tone JM
• LINK QUESTION JM
• N5 Close Reading – Big Bang Theory

Let me know if I’ve missed anything.

Hieroglyphics Essay

PP_essay_frames

‘Dulce et Decorum est’ Revision Ideas

Can you remember every word of ‘Dulce et Decorum est”? Test yourself with this quiz!

‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ Resources

Here are some of the resources used in class for Wilfred Owen’s ‘Dulce et Decorum est’.

Dulce et Decorum Est JMAX Annotations

4A1 – Sailmaker Quotations

I’ve uploaded your amazing theme mind maps to help you revise for the Final 8-mark question in the Scottish Set Text exam.

These themes are not the ONLY ones that can come up but it is a good starting point for your revision.

• 2 marks for commonality
• 2 marks for quote + comment from extract
• 2 marks for quote + comment from another point in the play
• 2 marks for quote + commend from another part of the play

If you have time left at the end of the exam and you can think of ANOTHER quotation that is relevant to the final question then add it in. It’s good to have a backup in case one of your quotations or analysis isn’t quite right.

‘Hieroglyphics’ – Sympathy Essay Plan

‘Hieroglyphics’ – Essay Advice

Personal/Reflective Writing Folio

The deadline for your first draft is Monday 18th September 2017 .

The folio makes up 15% of your overall grade and must be submitted if you are to sit your National 5 qualification.

The first draft must be:

•  As close to 1,000 words as you can make it.
• Completed (No half stories/two paragraphs)
• Include varied vocabulary and be interesting to read
• Very neatly handwritten or typed up (The final piece must be typed up)

You can bring your draft to class on Monday 18th September 2017 or email it to me at [email protected]

Help sheets – National 5 – Personal Reflective Writing

Assessment Grid – (page 9 https://www.sqa.org.uk/files_ccc/GAInfoNational5EnglishPortfolio.pdf

BBC Bitesize – http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/guides/zjdfr82/revision

I will be available to give additional support Wednesday and Thursday lunchtimes. If you would rather stay after school to work on the folio piece then let me know and I will see what I can arrange.

‘Hieroglyphics’ Introduction

I have attached the PowerPoint that we looked at in class. It gives you the success criteria for a critical essay introduction.

5A3 Hieroglyphics – Critical Essay Introduction 24.09.14

Once you have perfected your introduction you should think about how you will tweak it in the exam to fit the question.

Hieroglyphics Quotation Sheets

I have attached the quotation sheets used in class today.

Once you have completed the sheets to include the missing information you will have more than enough evidence (as well as some analysis) to include in your essays.

Hieroglyphics QUOTATION GRID

4A1 Performance (Talking and Listening)

Just a reminder that you should be prepared for your group discussion on a section of ‘Sailmaker’ on Thursday 31st August 2017. I will try to listen to as many groups as I can on this date but any left over will have the opportunity to talk on Monday 4th September 2017.

There will be further opportunities for assessment later in the year for those who are absent or do not achieve outcomes on the first attempt.

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NAT 5 English Critical Essay: An Inspector Calls (Marked 19/20)

Subject: English

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Assessment and revision

Last updated

8 January 2020

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This is a National 5 English A-grade critical essay which examines J. B. Priestley’s play An Inspector Calls in relation to the following question:

Choose a play which explores an important theme. By referring to appropriate techniques, explain how this theme is explored.

This essay discusses the theme of capitalism as a destructive force and how this is presented through the characterisation within the play. Evidence from the play has been highlighted in light blue for easier use.

Tes paid licence How can I reuse this?

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