Original post by Tayls102right, first thing is no matter what you are studying the best way to revise is past papers. lots of em'. for national 5, many of the old intermediate past papers are very useful and the new cfe past/ model paper books are very good. your exams are in May, don't stress about them. do all your homework on time, if you don't get something, ask. For english close reading my best advice is don't ramble on and dodge the question. for analysis, Quote + comment = 2 marks at N5 (1 mark at higher). Quote[1] + comment[1], if its a 2 mark question, put 2 quote and comments down just to secure those marks, always put an extra if you have enough time, put a third if you want. don't introduce your quote (like, this word is used to...) just quote the damn word and describe its effect/ what it means. i.e. "word" suggests that... suggests is a good word to use in word choice questions. anyway, there are plenty of close reading practice out there, ask your teacher for texts if you need. you cant really prepare for close reading because you never know what you're gonna get and what words you're going to have to know the meaning of, just prepare to paraphrase (put into your own words, theres lots of them at N5, not so much at higher) and analyse(word choice, imagery, sentence structure...), the understanding part is what you get on the day and is normally accessible. For critical essay's, Technique, Technique and Technique. The more the better. Structure your paragraphs and make sure they link between each. Technique (word choice and all that) needs to be there, you need to have a clear understanding of this in your studied text if you want a good mark, at the start of each new paragraph link it to the last paragraph (linkage), the technique the author has used and its effect. make sure that you stay focused on the task and link back to the question. Don't just put a sentence at the end of a paragraph about how it is linked, have a flow of 'linkage,' use the key words in the question in your paragraphs. Conclusions, link back to most of your paragraphs and the ideas that you have explained. Scottish text is just like a close reading, except you know the text before hand, easy. also, don't work too much, i know people who work well into the night before and leading up to exams, panic and mind blank and forget their quotes. you don't want that, sleep well, revise in PLENTY OF TIME, start now the sooner the better. i left revising for exams until about March this year, and i regret that so much, never learned from N5's and hopefully I've learnt from my Higher this year, start revising now or at least before January. once January has past, exam will come round then corner fast. Very fast. but don't let that put you off. There is no need for you to be worrying about exams at this time, thats for later. Just now, focus on you subjects and learn them, i find teaching people that don't get it helps a lot. if you can teach it, then you understand it and will be able to explain it very well in an exam and get those marks, and also help a friend in the meantime. past papers are your best bet, they are amazing and will get you those A's. How to pass guides can also useful if you don't get it and your teacher hasn't explained it well.
I only studied Math and English out of your subjects, for maths past papers are the best way, and also teaching people.
Thats a lot, and a lot from other people, you don't need to absorb it all at once, don't put pressure on yourself. I got 7 A's at Nat 5 and 5 A's at Higher, i did not once put an ounce of pressure on myself, because that allows stress to creep in. yeh i was stressed, but if i was pressured, id have been even more stressed. you don't want lots of stress before an exam. go into the exam well prepared, well rested and well, ready, and you'll get an A. All the best though.