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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 national 5 English critical essay is worth 20 marks (or half of the critical reading exam) so it is important to make this count. In this post, we have outlined our top 8 tips on how to write and pass your National 5 English critical essay.

Remember: The N5 English Critical Essay questions are found in Section 2 of the Critical Reading paper. You must only answer one question.

1) Choose the right genre!

Ensure you select the correct genre for your essay. The Critical Essay paper will give you a choice of genres: Drama, Poetry, Prose and Language . You can only write an essay on a novel or short story using one of the Prose questions.

Writing about the wrong genre will stop you getting the grade you deserve.

Remember that your Critical Essay cannot be from the same genre as your Scottish text.

2) Choose the right question!

Under each genre heading, you will have a choice of two questions. Make sure that you read both of them carefully and select the one which you feel you could write about best.

3) Identify the key words in your chosen question! These words will be the focus of your essay.

For example:

Choose a poem in which the poet creates a powerful sense of place …

Choose a novel in which there is an interesting character .

In each of these examples, you would use the underlined phrase as your key words.

4) Introduce the text! Your introduction should consist of a brief paragraph consisting of two parts. Firstly, include the title, author, form and subject of your text.

E.g. ‘Dracula’ by Bram Stoker is a powerful gothic novel based upon an ancient vampire’s attempt to move from Transylvania to England.

The second part of your introduction should be a link to the question – using those key words.

E.g. Throughout the novel, we can clearly see how Stoker portrays Count Dracula as a mysterious and interesting character .

5) Structure your discussion! After your introduction, identify where you first see the key words in your chosen text.

E.g. In the opening stages of the novel, Stoker establishes Count Dracula as an interesting character when the protagonist – Jonathan Harker- is travelling to his castle:

 ‘I was not able to light on any map or work giving the exact locality of the Castle  Dracula…’

Start every other paragraph, with a topic sentence that includes the key words.

Later in the novel, we see Stoker further develop the idea of Count Dracula as an  interesting character , when Jonathan meets him in person…

6) Provide analysis of any evidence!

Here, the author makes effective use of setting , when he locates Dracula in a mysterious home. This helps develop the sense of the count being an interesting character.

Note that evidence can be quotations, but it doesn’t need to be – especially if you are writing about drama or prose. You just need to explain what events are significant and why they are effective.

7) Remember to evaluate!

Use phrases throughout your discussion to evaluate the writer’s methods:

E.g. this clearly shows… this is effective in revealing… this provides a vivid image of…

8) End in a proper manner!

Your essay must be complete. This means that you need to include a separate concluding paragraph, which sums up your discussion.

You can start your conclusion with

In conclusion, throughout (name of text) we can clearly see (key words) in terms of…

Ultimately, throughout (name of text) we can clearly see (key words) in terms of…

Just remember to include the key words in your conclusion and include an evaluative term too.

Eg. In conclusion, throughout the novel ‘Dracula’, Bram Stoker has clearly presented Count Dracula as an interesting character . This is evident in his effective use of setting to make Dracula mysterious, and later through the character development where the count changes from a proud Transylvanian to a murderous monster.

  • SQA Nat 5 and Higher English

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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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Ms Bellamy's English Class blog

Nat 5 scottish text final question structure and notes.

  • 1 poem or excerpt from a poem/text
  • 3 or 4 analysis/understanding questions of the poem/excerpt shown for up to 12 marks.
  • Then, 1 8 mark question which asks you to compare 2 or more poems/sections of the text in answer to a question. 
  • ‘Identify’ means finding an idea and putting it into your own words- unless it asks you to identify a quote or technique.
  • When asked about the main ideas / concerns of the text show your understanding of poem/text’s story and the main messages / themes it is conveying.
  • There could be up to 6 marks awarded in this paper for this type of question. 
  • To answer successfully you will have to quote a word / image / technique (1) and then comment on its effect in relation to the question (1).
  • These questions are asking how well you think the writer has done something. 
  • Generally speaking, you say the writer has used language well and then go on to show how by quoting a word / technique and commenting on it. 
  • In this type of question you will need to show an understanding of the term ‘conclusion’ and show how the last lines continue the ideas / language / imagery from the rest of the poem. 
  • Marks are allocated: example(1) + comment (1) 

6 comments:

as a fish, i can confirm that this is 100% true

Jessica burton?

im gwood at inglish

I’d just like to say thank you, you are a lifesaver, my exam is really soon so this was very helpful.

real shit bruh

IMAGES

  1. NAT 5 English Critical Essay: 'A Time To Dance'

    critical essay structure nat 5 english

  2. NAT 5 English Critical Essay: The Crucible (Marked 15/20)

    critical essay structure nat 5 english

  3. NAT 5 English Critical Essay: A Time To Dance

    critical essay structure nat 5 english

  4. NAT 5 English Model Critical Essay: Dulce Et Decorum Est (17/20

    critical essay structure nat 5 english

  5. NAT 5 English Model Critical Essay: Dulce et Decorum Est (18/20

    critical essay structure nat 5 english

  6. NAT 5 English Model Critical Essay: The Manhunt (Marked 18/20

    critical essay structure nat 5 english

VIDEO

  1. Critical Essay Writing: How to Write a Conclusion (National 5 & Higher English)

  2. Critical Essay Writing: How to Write an Introduction (National 5 & Higher English)

  3. Critical Essay 1 Nat 5

  4. National 5 Scottish Text Final Answer Advice (Jackie Kay)

  5. Five paragraph essay

  6. New TOEFL Writing Task 2

COMMENTS

  1. PDF Critical Essay Writing @ National 5 & Higher APP # 2

    Follow these steps. a. make a note of the key words of the question. Plan 5 or 6 points. Follow the structure given to you by the question (if present) For each point make sure you have. A quote. Analysis including analysis of techniques. Relevance to the question. The central concerns of the text.

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

    1) Choose the right genre! Ensure you select the correct genre for your essay. The Critical Essay paper will give you a choice of genres: Drama, Poetry, Prose and Language. You can only write an essay on a novel or short story using one of the Prose questions. Writing about the wrong genre will stop you getting the grade you deserve.

  3. Structure of a critical essay

    Structure of a critical essay. Posted on September 12, 2014 by misstomelty. In Section 2 of the National 5 English Critical Reading Paper you will write ONE essay in answer to a question about question from the following genres — Prose OR Poetry OR Film and Television. Your answer must be on a different genre from that chosen in Section 1.

  4. 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 ...

  5. PDF National 5 Critical Essay

    Critical Essay - Drama E 00:06:30 Critical Essay - Paragraphing. Suggestions for how to write effective paragraphs in the Critical Essay. E 00:21:50 Critical Essay - SQA Marking Guidelines Details of how the Critical Essay is marked by the SQA. E 00:10:25 Critical Essay - Structure Looking at suggestions for how to structure the critical essay ...

  6. PDF National 5 English: Reading for Understanding, Analysis and Evaluation

    Critical essay Critical essay mark Total . Comments . 1 . War Photographer : 20/20 . Final question - 8/8 . The Dark Knight . 14/20 . 34/40 : Unpicking of marks - explanation of how marks for 'commonality' can be awarded from the body of the candidate's response and not where the candidate has labelled it. Media critical essay . 2 ...

  7. PDF National 5 Critical Essay Exemplar 'Macbeth' Nat

    NATIONAL 5 CRITICAL ESSAY EXEMPLAR 'MACBETH'NAT. conflict, setting, dramatic irony, foreshadowingChoose. lay which you feel has a dramatic final scene. Describe briefly what happens in the final scene and then, by referring to appropriate techniques, explain how effective the ending is in bringing. a conclusion the central concerns of the ...

  8. PDF HOW TO PASS NATIONAL 5 ENGLISH: 2018-19

    Portfolio of Writing. 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. It is essential that your son/daughter keeps up to date with homework and deadlines set by his/her English teacher.

  9. Critical Essay Writing: How to Structure Main Body Paragraphs (National

    This video describes how to write successful 'main body' paragraphs in an English Critical Essay. It suggests a mnemonic to help you structure the paragraphs...

  10. PDF National 5 English

    National 5 English Course Notes Course Structure External Assessment Each pupils final mark is made up of the folio of writing, as well as the final exam. The weighting for the final grade is as follows: Reading for Understanding, Analysis and Evaluation: 30% The Critical Reading paper: 40% (Scottish text - 20%; critical essay - 20%)

  11. Ms Bellamy's English Class blog: N5

    UPDATED: Nat 5: 'Lord of The Flies' Chapter by Chapter Notes, setting notes, essay types and plans + sample essays; LOTF Key quotes, essay structure overall, PCQEL and answering the question! Close Reading -answering linking questions; Nat 5 Scottish Text final question structure and n... National 5 Critical essay: 'All The Little Loved Ones ...

  12. Ms Bellamy's English Class blog: NAT 5: Norman MacCaig- poetry

    NAT 5: Norman MacCaig- poetry. Norman MacCaig was born in Edinburgh on the 14th November in 1910. MacCaig's formal education was firmly rooted in the Edinburgh soil: he attended the Royal High School and then Edinburgh University where he studied Classics. He then trained to be a teacher at Moray House in Edinburgh and spent a large part of his ...

  13. Nat 5 Scottish Text final question structure and notes

    Nat 5 Scottish Text final question structure and notes. This paper makes up one half of the Critical Reading Paper in the exam. In the Scottish Text section you will be asked to read an extract from a text you have previously studied in class (a Carol Ann Duffy poem), and then answer questions on it. This paper will be worth 20 marks. 3 or 4 ...

  14. T.A.R.T.S

    Posted in Critical Essay, National 5 Tagged Dulce et Decorum est, National 5, War Poetry, Wilfred Owen Leave a comment Post navigation. ← Structure of a critical essay. ... National 5 English Examination May 14, 2018. Search for: Previous Posts. April 2015; January 2015; November 2014;