- Sep 28, 2021
Maximising success in your N5 or Higher English folio
Kenny, our Subject Leader at Saturday School has put together this brilliant blog to help and support Higher and National 5 English students with their all-important folio. We hope you find it useful!
As I am sure you will know, the folio is of huge importance, it accounts for 30 percent of your final award. Consequently, it can help to compensate for any deficiencies you may have elsewhere. Indeed, a score of 24 in your folio would allow you to “scrape” a pass in the RUAE and Critical Reading papers and still receive a B as your final grade; it would also allow you to score (just) underneath 70 percent for every other element and still receive an A!
This year (2021/22), you will only have to submit one folio piece. It will be scored out of 15 and then doubled. As a result, it would be wise to spend some time considering where your strengths lie and focus on channelling them towards the type of writing that will secure you the best mark, regardless of whether your teacher forces you to write two or not.
Broadly Creative
This refers to:
Personal/ reflective
This involves looking at an event(s) or experience(s) in your life and/ or an aspect of your personality and/ or an aspect of your life that is of huge importance.
Choosing your topic:
A timeline of the major events in your life - making sure you only list things of which you have a vivid memory.
A mind map of all the main relationships in your life and your interests.
A mind map of your personality- introvert, extrovert, shy etc.
Once you have your topic, the next thing you need is a theme. A theme is, ‘THE BIGGER PICTURE,’ the part of human existence you are going to write about. Examples would be bullying, change, love, relationships, death, pressure, confidence. You should talk about theme in a general sense by using the word we .
Feelings should be explored on 3 levels:
Stated: ‘I felt…’
Explained/ explored: ‘I felt…because…’
Compared: ‘while most people would feel… I …’
I have found the “ We I We” structure to be highly effective. This involves the following:
We : start with a paragraph exploring your theme in general using the word We instead of I.
I : how does this theme relate to your experience? Tell your story.
We : reflect on how the experiences you have described and explored link to the theme in general.
A good technique to secure a high mark is the inclusion of an extended metaphor. For example, use water imagery for feelings: stream, river, sea, ocean, swamped, drowning, flooded, etc.
A symbol of something or an object used to communicate an idea. For example, you can mention something that connected you to another person early in the essay and return to it at the end.
Short Story Writing
I would personally avoid this unless you actually enjoy reading and perhaps do this in your spare time. It tends to receive little focus in class teaching after second year. If you are going to attempt it, here are some top tips:
· Use 3rd person instead of 1st as this gives you more scope and prevents it from reading like an outlandish personal/ reflective essay
· Don’t try to do too much with your essay. As many candidates often do not read much, they attempt to base their narrative on some film that they have watched. The result is an often-undeveloped series of huge events that have global significance yet the story lacks any real setting or character development.
· Try to focus your events on a select group of people and a limited time frame. For example, I have read great essays on a person who lost their sight going outside for the first time since this happened; I have read a great essay on a president about to make a huge yet unnamed decision; I have read a great essay about a pupil returning to school for the first time since being disfigured in an assault. All of these short stories took place over a few hours, made use of flashbacks/ memories and had a maximum of three big things happening.
· Have your characters face internal and external obstacles and overcome them. Internal obstacles are human flaws such as greed, jealousy, indecision, uncertainty, fear. External obstacles are things outside of the character’s control such as a car crash or a flood.
· Play about with the chronology of your story. It can be a highly effective strategy to begin your story at the end of the events and ten work your way back to it.
Broadly Discursive
For most candidates, this means either an argumentative or persuasive essay. The following are tips for ensuring a quality piece of work:
· Try to select a topic that is not overdone or overly simplistic UNLESS you genuinely believe there is something new and different you can bring to the argument. It is worth noting that this is less true for National 5 than Higher. Indeed, at N5 level, you would be given more leniency with regards to the selection of your topic. That said, there are exceptions. For example, I would caution most pupils against doing an essay on capital punishment; however, three years ago I marked a persuasive essay with this as its topic that scored 13/15.
· Topics that might be considered overdone/ too simplistic (especially at Higher) are as follows: school uniform, banning boxing, legalising cannabis, freeing Orcas, capital punishment, size zero/ body image, the negative effects of social media.
· Another thing to guard against is essays that focus on America such as gun control or racism in this country. You are better focusing on British/ Scottish issues
· Try to select a topic that is current. You can keep abreast of issues by reading the comment/ opinion sections of quality broadsheet newspapers such as The Guardian and The Scotsman.
· Here are some examples to consider: we need to embrace technology, the treatment of the elderly, profiteering from COVID, sex and gender in sports, funding for music, climate change, the cost of pharmaceuticals, how do we adapt to a post-covid world? Do Disney princesses have a negative effect upon young girls?
· Make sure your introductions clearly show what you are going to be writing about. In a persuasive essay, use a range of persuasive techniques to get your points across. In an argumentative piece it is okay to make it clear what your thoughts are/ position is.
· Avoid ‘In this essay I will…’
· In the body of the essay, try to have 5-6 paragraphs for a persuasive essay and 6 for an argumentative essay.
· Try to link your paragraphs and sentences using words such as Furthermore, Indeed, However, Despite this…
· Get the structure of your paragraphs right: have a topic sentence, present your evidence, react to this. In a persuasive essay, react by persuading using a variety of techniques; in an argumentative, weigh up and evaluate the evidence as you consider its implications.
· Finish strongly. In a persuasive essay, drive home your point using persuasive language. Inclusive language such as we and our is particularly effective. In an argumentative essay, go over the main points but don’t feel that you have to come to a decision upon which side you agree with - you might still be undecided.
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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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Folio Writing
Below you can find advice and resources to support the creation of your writing folio.
Instructions for the submission of National 5 and Higher English coursework (portfolios) November 2017 (1)
EnglishCandidateTemplate2017_18 (1)
CREATIVE – Imaginative
Write an imaginative piece involving a symbol. Make sure there is a clear sense of your character’s ‘journey’ and an overall theme and purpose/message in the piece – everything in the story should contribute to the delivery of this message. Remember to use all your creative writing techniques for effect (description, imagery, sentence structure, tone) and make your symbol ‘evolve’ to reflect the character’s journey/message of the story. Don’t forget to give your story a title which creatively embodies your meaning.
Advice: writing a monologue ; Your Shoes by Michele Roberts
Exemplars: Beyond the Bars ; Havsmusik v2 ; Little-Angel-Dressed-in-White ; Where the Dust Falls – English essay
CREATIVE – Personal and Reflective
Write a personal essay reflecting on a significant moment/experience/occurrence in your life. Do not simply describe the experience. Look at your journey and try to explore some insight into an aspect of the human condition (how we live our lives). Remember this is a type of CREATIVE writing so you must use all your creative techniques (language choice, imagery, structure etc.) to engage the audience and make your piece vivid and descriptive. Your voice and personality should come through – be reflective and thoughtful in style.
Advice: Reflective Writing ; Personal&Reflective ideas ; personal reflective ; Personal & Reflective Writing – Style
Exemplars: Smile exemplar (cat 2); Gifts Galore (cat 1); Arriving in nepal Cat 2 The-Cinderella-Story ; Precious Metal ; What Forres Means to Me
Discursive – Persuasive OR Argumentative
Choose a controversial subject and write either a persuasive or argumentative essay on it. Remember that in both styles of writing your point of view must be clear throughout – the difference is how forceful your language and techniques are and, structurally, how you use/present the alternative viewpoint. You must use reliable and sophisticated secondary sources and remember to reference them fully and accurately (see Mrs Munn’s help sheet or further advice below)
Advice: Discursive Writing steps ; Planning and Writing a Discursive Essay ; Persuasive Essay writing ; Writing to Argue and Persuade ; USING TRANSITIONAL MARKERS ; Referencing ; Example Bibliography
Topics: Discursive Topics , Disc Writing
Exemplars: Age of Criminal Responsibility – Argumentative ; Daylight Saving Time – Argumentative , Royal Family – Persuasive ; Television Time – Persuasive ; Deriving each other to madness – full marks in folio; Copy of An Invasion of E Books ; Trash Those Cans – high marks in folio;
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The National 5 English Course enables learners to develop their literacy skills and to understand, analyse and evaluate a range of texts, including Scottish texts, in the contexts of literature, language and media. The Course also enables learners to create and produce texts and to apply their knowledge and understanding of language.
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National 5 English persuassive essay
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www.anotherfakeone.co.uk. By organising your information in this way you are ensuring that you have information for both sides of the argument. Try to find as much information as possible - it is always better to have too much and have the option of being selective. Step 4: Start Writing.
What will the SQA expect? •Well researched. •Appropriate use of evidence. •Detailed ideas and insights. •Well-developed and coherent argument. •Effective structure and well organised. •Effective use of persuasive techniques. •Well-written with a good use of language.
Find SQA National 5 English past papers, specimen question papers and course specification and important subject updates here. ... Examples of candidate evidence with commentaries. Examples of candidate evidence with commentaries; Webinar (recording) Changes to course assessment from academic session 2017-18 onwards. Download webinar; Audio ...
There are 5 key stages involved in structuring a discursive paragraph: Topic sentence. (link word/phrase + reference to research topic + link to argument) Clarification. (explain and give information about this area of research) 3) Make your point. 4) Back up this point with evidence.
Writing a persuasive essay for National 5 English can be a challenge but it can score high grades if done well.
persuasive techniques. Conclusion • Sum up the points that you have made. • Use persuasive techniques throughout. • End in a particularly persuasive way. Tips on Style: You may wish to use rhetorical questions to involve the reader in your essay and encourage them to consider more closely the points you are making.
Getting started with your SQA National 5 English persuasive essay is often the hardest part. This video gives advice and a model. You can send your drafted e...
Getting the overall structure of your National 5 English essay is crucial to writing a good essay. This video shows you how. www.myetutor.tv
Firstly there are persuasive essays in which you can argue strongly either in favour of or against a given discussion. ... SQA National 5 English; Skills You Need - Presentation;
Planning your Discursive Essay - Writing Assessment for Nat. 4 or Nat. 5. You should take your topic and create a title for your discursive essay. Your title should be either: A question. A statement followed by the word 'Discuss'. For example: Topic - Social Media.
Indeed, at N5 level, you would be given more leniency with regards to the selection of your topic. That said, there are exceptions. For example, I would caution most pupils against doing an essay on capital punishment; however, three years ago I marked a persuasive essay with this as its topic that scored 13/15.
Portfolio 2018 (All links open as PDF files) Candidate A - Holiday to Blackpool. Candidate B - School Uniforms; good thing or a bad thing? Candidate C - The Long and Winding Road. Candidate D - Why childhood beauty pageants should be banned. Candidate E - My Story.
Introductions. The opening of an essay is important. It should capture the reader's attention and avoid being bland or dull. The reader should be interested and keen to read on. If the beginning ...
National 5 Folio 2 - WB 9th December. SAMPLE FOLIO: On-the-Edge-SAMPLE. Writing Types. 1) Discursive. There are two basic types of discursive essay. Firstly there are persuasive essays in which you can argue strongly either in favour of or against a given discussion. Alternatively, there are argumentative essays.
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 ...
Specimen question papers are available for National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher qualifications. These show what a question paper looks like - how it is structured and the types of questions it contains. They also include marking instructions. Find them under 'Past Papers and Marking Instructions' on our NQ subject pages.
tic effectiveness is that the audience does not. In the play's climax, after Macduff reveals he was born by caesarean section, Macbeth considers surrendering but ultimately decides to go down fighting: 'Lay on, Macduff, / And damne. be him that first cries, 'Hold, enough!'' For a moment Macbeth resembles the honourable warrior he was ...
HOW TO PASS NATIONAL 5 ENGLISH: 2018-19 Introduction ... Two pieces of writing for Higher must be submitted and will be sent to the SQA for grading purposes. Each essay is worth 15 marks and should be 800 - 1,000 words in length. ... (an argumentative or persuasive piece) It is essential that your son/daughter keeps up to date with homework and ...
This document contains instructions for candidates for the National 5 English portfolio- writing and performance-spoken language, and recording documentation for the performance-spoken language. It must be read in conjunction with the course specification. The portfolio-writing is worth 30 marks. It consists of one piece, which is ...
d aspiration is 'Of Mice and Men' by John Steinbeck. Set in California during the Great Depression, it follows two farmhands - George Milton and Lennie Small - as. they try to realise their dream of owning a rabbit farm. Lennie is intellectually disabl. d, and needs George's constant support and protection. However, in the harsh society ...
Instructions for the submission of National 5 and Higher English coursework (portfolios) November 2017 (1) EnglishCandidateTemplate2017_18 (1) CREATIVE - Imaginative. Write an imaginative piece involving a symbol. Make sure there is a clear sense of your character's 'journey' and an overall theme and purpose/message in the piece ...
The National 5 English Course enables learners to develop their literacy skills and to understand, analyse and evaluate a range of texts, including Scottish texts, in the contexts of literature, language and media. The Course also enables learners to create and produce texts and to apply their knowledge and understanding of language.
National 5 English persuassive essay. Blue.49. 9. Hi, I'm looking for a topic to do for my national 5 English persuassive essay, that's nkt overdone. ... SQA Nat 5 English - Critical Reading - 7th May 2024 [Exam Chat] how achievable is it to get a law degree in scotland; SQA Exam Discussions 2024;