National 5 advice- ask me anything :)

8

A couple of people have done this so I thought I’d join in too! I got all As at national 5 (all assignments also completed), in:

Maths
Applications of Maths
English
Art & Design
Spanish
Computing Science
Classical Studies
+ NPA level 5 Photography :smile:

Currently I’m studying highers in English, Maths, French, Classical Studies + Art & Design 🫶

Reply 1

stilllearning123

16

Original post

by ivoryyroses

A couple of people have done this so I thought I’d join in too! I got all As at national 5 (all assignments also completed), in:
Maths
Applications of Maths
English
Art & Design
Spanish
Computing Science
Classical Studies
+ NPA level 5 Photography :smile:

Currently I’m studying highers in English, Maths, French, Classical Studies + Art & Design 🫶

How are you doing in your highers? Especially maths and English, how are you handling the jump?

Reply 2

ivoryyroses

OP

8

Original post

by stilllearning123

How are you doing in your highers? Especially maths and English, how are you handling the jump?

The jump in English is honestly not too bad, a lot of it is very similar to National 5 - just with obviously more in depth answers, but it’s not too difficult to get the hang of.
Maths can personally be a little difficult, since there are a lot of topics to cover it can be fast paced, and unluckily for me a lot of it is based on things I struggled with last year (quadratics and trigonometry 😭) However as long as you know your basics from N5 and keep up with studying each individual topic, it’s perfectly doable :smile:

Reply 3

stilllearning123

16

Original post

by ivoryyroses

The jump in English is honestly not too bad, a lot of it is very similar to National 5 - just with obviously more in depth answers, but it’s not too difficult to get the hang of.
Maths can personally be a little difficult, since there are a lot of topics to cover it can be fast paced, and unluckily for me a lot of it is based on things I struggled with last year (quadratics and trigonometry 😭) However as long as you know your basics from N5 and keep up with studying each individual topic, it’s perfectly doable :smile:

Yeah, just wait til you get onto further calculus 🤣

Reply 4

ivoryyroses

OP

8

Original post

by stilllearning123

Yeah, just wait til you get onto further calculus 🤣

it’s the bane of my existence ahaha

Reply 5

Juwon Oluwabu

13

So basically I did biology national 5 write up . But i saw not entered for the exam . I don’t really understand. And I need the course

Reply 6

emma 🍪

4

I’ve chosen npa level 5 photography for next year and I haven’t seen any one else talk about it so I am just wondering what it’s like ? Also I’m taking Nat 5 art next year and I was wondering haw that was too . Also good luck on the exams soon

Reply 7

ivoryyroses

OP

8

Original post

by emma 🍪

I’ve chosen npa level 5 photography for next year and I haven’t seen any one else talk about it so I am just wondering what it’s like ? Also I’m taking Nat 5 art next year and I was wondering haw that was too . Also good luck on the exams soon

Photography is good! For me it was practically no stress - you just do small projects with some writing alongside them (analysing photographs etc) and it’s also good that there is obviously no exam at the end :smile:

I must admit that art took up a lot of my spare time, but if you work consistently from the start of the year it shouldn’t be an issue, give yourself a lot of time at the end of the year for your final pieces and written evaluations bc the worst feeling is having to rush 🤍

Reply 8

Juwon Oluwabu

13

Original post

by emma 🍪

I’ve chosen npa level 5 photography for next year and I haven’t seen any one else talk about it so I am just wondering what it’s like ? Also I’m taking Nat 5 art next year and I was wondering haw that was too . Also good luck on the exams soon

National 5 art is not stressful subject.
It is nice is all about headpiece and later on in the course you will do write up about the headpiece that you created you’re self that all

Reply 9

daisanee

1

Original post

by ivoryyroses

A couple of people have done this so I thought I’d join in too! I got all As at national 5 (all assignments also completed), in:
Maths
Applications of Maths
English
Art & Design
Spanish
Computing Science
Classical Studies
+ NPA level 5 Photography :smile:

Currently I’m studying highers in English, Maths, French, Classical Studies + Art & Design 🫶

How did you study for Spanish, maths and English?

Reply 10

jasmineva3128

Study Forum Helper

17

Hi. I've seen this pretty late, but can I ask if you have any advice for Higher Classical Studies? I'm taking it this year, but at my school it's a crash Higher, so I don't have any prior experience of it (although I got A1's in Nat 5 History, Modern Studies, RMPS, and English).

Reply 11

jasmineva3128

Study Forum Helper

17

Original post

by daisanee

How did you study for Spanish, maths and English?

Hi. I know I'm not the OP, but I just achieved A1's in Nat 5 English and Maths, and an A2 in French (whilst not Spanish, you can revise the same way), so I'll offer some advice.

English:

● Note down all of the analysis for the Textual Analysis and Critical Essay texts that your teacher tells you. You won't need all of it, but from there make flashcards (quote at the top, with the technique and analysis written below, and key words within the analysis blanked out, with the answers on the back). If you make these straight after learning a text, you can revise them consistently throughout the rest of the year, which will really help you memorise the quotes.
● Make a guide of how to answer the different types of questions in RUAE so that you can easily refer back to it if you need help. You'll need to know how to answer the questions, not just figure out what to write.
● Additionally, with RUAE, it's best to look out for simple techniques, like word choice, imagery, and punctuation.
● Stay on top of your Folio piece. Leaving it until the last minute is a terrible idea and leads to rushed work (and rushed work is not as high quality). Make sure you have a rough draft before your in-class write-up, not to necessarily memorise, but so that you have an idea of what you want to write. And before the deadlines for the rest of the drafts, make sure you give yourself enough time to go over it with breaks in-between (e.g., do the edits, then wait a week and adjust it further then).
● Lastly, when writing practice critical essays, or doing past papers, ask your teacher on how you can improve. They'll have lots of advice, from the way you structure your sentences to how much detail to add.

Maths:

I'll be quite honest, I failed my maths prelim, but I ended up getting 87% (78/90) in the final exam.

● Revise regularly. I'd recommend revising for even just 30 minutes at the weekend, doing a couples questions from each topic. This will keep it fresh in your mind, and likely cut down on the amount of revision you have to do right before prelims and exams.
● Use the Dynamic Maths website if you need to find past paper questions on specific topics.
● Use the JabChem website for past papers and their mark schemes. The past papers go back to 2014 I believe, so much further back than the SQA has on their website. This is useful when you're closer to the exam and don't want to end up doing the same past papers so often.
● Learn how you get each mark. This mostly just comes from marking your past papers, but by learning where you get the marks, it helped me remember how to answer the questions.
● If there are any formulas, et cetera (like the square numbers), that you struggle to remember, work on memorising them in the lead up to the exam. Then, when you get into the exam, write them down on the formula sheet before going on to the questions, as it means you don't have to worry about forgetting them throughout the exam.

Languages:

I achieved a C in my French prelim, but achieved an A in the final exam.

● The writing assignment can be memorised. Get your teacher to mark your rough draft + your first draft, and then memorise it with the edits. My assignment got 20/20 because I made sure I knew the correct version word-for-word, ensuring I made no little mistakes.
● Don't memorise your talking exam. When it comes to the presentation part, I would memorise that, but you shouldn't memorise your answers to the questions. Instead, write answers to them so that you have an idea of the points you want to make. This helps make your conversation more natural, which is definitely favoured. I also recommend practicing with your teacher, and timing the different components as you need to be able to talk for a certain length of time (I can't remember if it's six or eight minutes).
● Past papers are your best friend when it comes to languages. There's not really another way to revise. I also recommend finding GCSE Spanish past papers and using those, as the differences will help prepare you for any curveballs the SQA might throw at you in the exam.

I hope you find this advice useful. I also got A's in National 5 History, Modern Studies, RMPS, and Biology, so if you have any more questions, feel free to ask me. :smile:

National 5 advice- ask me anything :)

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