- Sep 19, 2019
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.
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NAT 5 English Critical Essay: The Crucible (Marked 15/20) - Important Relationship
Subject: English
Age range: 14-16
Resource type: Assessment and revision
Last updated
25 January 2021
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This is a National 5 English A-grade critical essay that examines Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible in relation to the following question:
*Choose a play which explores an important relationship, for example, husband and wife, leader and follower, parent and child, or any other relationship. Describe this relationship and then, by referring to appropriate techniques, explain how the relationship develops. *
This NAT 5 essay can be used for Higher English as well, and examines John and Elizabeth Proctor’s relationship. Quotations have been highlighted in blue for ease.
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The Crucible Essay and Quote Booklet Bundle: NAT 5/Higher
This bundle contains 5 example Higher English critical essays and 1 example National 5 critical essay. It also contains a booklet of the most significant and useful quotes necessary for studying Arthur Miller's 'The Crucible' with accompanying analysis. This bundle is useful for teaching by example, reference for both students and teacher, and for general information of the play and playwright.
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COMMENTS
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 ...
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 ...
tional 5 - Critical Essay Questions: PROSEPROSEAnswers to questions on Prose should refer to the text and to such relevant features as characterisation, setting, language, key incident(s), climax, turning point, plot, structure, n. rrative technique, theme, ideas, description . . .Choose a novel or short story or. on-fiction text which made a ...
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 ...
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.
National 5 Critical Essay Unit 'The Pedestrian' by Ray Bradbury . Pre-Reading Tasks Answer the questions on this page before reading the story. ... On the next page is an example of an essay plan for a critical essay on task 2 from the 2015 exam paper. After reading it, you should use it to help you create a plan for one of the other ...
Introduction which clearly introduces line of argument. Clearly and fully explained points. Justification using evidence (textual evidence such as quotations) and explanation. Clear structure which helps develop argument - topic sentences, sub-conclusions, linking, transitional markers.
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.
t war destroys how everything is supposed to be. In 'In Church', Crichton Smith reveals the destructiveness of war by showing how it has damaged the characters' minds, morals, beliefs, and habits, and how it has made the wor. d around them unsafe and completely unpredictable. He deepens the reader's understanding of the issue by showing ...
National 5 Critical Essay Writing; Success Criteria for Critical Essays; Using Transitional Markers; The Language of Evaluation; Exemplar National 5 Prose Critical Essays. STONE COLD. Stone Cold 1 (i) Stone Cold Essay 1 (ii) Stone Cold Essay 1 (iii) Stone Cold Essay 2 (i) Stone Cold Essay 2 (ii) ANIMAL FARM. An Farm Essay 1 (i) An Farm Essay 1 ...
How to write a successful introduction to your SQA National 5 English Critical Essays, with examples for 'Macbeth'. Part 2 of 2. For more free videos subscri...
This bundle contains 5 example Higher English critical essays and 1 example National 5 critical essay. It also contains a booklet of the most significant and useful quotes necessary for studying Arthur Miller's 'The Crucible' with accompanying analysis. This bundle is useful for teaching by example, reference for both students and teacher, and ...
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...
qu. s, show how the poet makes the character interestin. .Specimen E1. Choose a poem which deals with the passing of time.By referring to appropriate techniques, descri. 5. English - Critical Reading Critical Essay Questions . oetry2. Choose a poem which creates a strong emotional response. Explain briefly what the poem is about, then, by ...
Macbeth (worries he will not be able to get over the guilt of killing Duncan) "wake Duncan with thy knocking: I would thou could". Macbeth (regrets killing Duncan) "O full of scorpions is my mind dear wife". Macbeth (makes it clear that he is paranoid) Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like "Fair is foul, and foul is ...
How to write a successful introduction to your SQA National 5 English Critical Essays, with examples for 'Macbeth'. Part 1 of 2. For more free videos subscri...
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.
Techniques: - personification - metaphor - symbolism (light, dark) - rhyming couplet Analysis: - "Stars hide your fires" is personification... - The stars are being asked to give Macbeth darkness, so no one can see his "black and deep desires" (to kill Duncan). Calling his desires black and deep is a metaphor, because his thoughts are not literally dark, but he is saying they are since they ...
Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday night sought to define herself as a unifying candidate as she made history as the first Black woman and first Asian American person to accept a major party ...