critical essay marking grid

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Rubric Grids: Essay Marking Made Easy!

• Introduction (3 marks available)
• Conclusion (2 marks available)
• Topic Sentences (4 marks available)
• Breadth (3 marks available)
• Depth (4 marks available)
• Style (4 marks available)

For each of these, I provide different level descriptors for 1 mark up to the maximum available for that particular essay feature. Then, it’s simply a question of shading off the correct cell in the grid and providing an explanation on the right-hand side.

The benefits of this approach are that I mark the essay much more methodically, but also much more quickly. Rather than  make one overall evaluation right at the end of the essay, I instead make separate, shorter but more focused comments about half a dozen features of the piece. This provides the students with feedback which is directly comparable to their previous essay rubric so they can spot exactly where they have improved, and where they need to focus next.

Marking Rubric for History Essays

If you have similar rubrics for other subject areas that you’d like to share on this blog, feel free to contact me!

Critical Essays

Please find below the Critical Essay Marking Guidelines.  You should already have a copy in your folder.

Higher C Essay grid

Success Criteria for Higher Critical Essays

Please find below general help for critical essay writing:

Higher Drama Questions 2000 onwards

Higher Prose Fiction Questions 2000 onwards

Structural Advice/Help

OVERALL APPROACH: An Introduction to Critical Essays ;  How to Write a Critical Essay ;  Critical essays advice ;  Critical Essay Writing Advice

QUOTATION USE: CE Revision Focus Quotations CE; Revision Focus Quotations Answers ; Quotation Use and Integration in Critical Essays ; Quotation Use and Integration in Critical Essays ; Quotation Integration

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• National 3 and 4
• Reading for UAE
• Critical reading
• Advanced Higher
• Presentations
• Course Reports
• Additional resources for sessions 2020-22

National 5 English - critical reading

Critical reading 2023.

• 2023 Question paper   (External link to SQA website)
• 2023 Marking instructions   (External link to SQA website)

Scottish Text - Section 1

• Text 3 Drama - Tally's Blood
• Candidate 1 Evidence
• Text 2 Poetry - Edwin Morgan
• Candidate 2 Evidence
• Text 1 Prose - The Cone Gatherers
• Candidate 3 Evidence
• Candidates 1 to 3 Commentaries

Critical Essay - Section 2

• Question 5 Poetry (Shooting Stars by Carol Ann Duffy)
• Question 7 Film and Television Drama (The Truman Show)
• Question 4 Prose (The Hate U Give)

Critical Reading 2022 (All links open to PDF files)

• 2022 Question paper   (External link to SQA website)
• 2022 Marking instructions   (External link to SQA website)
• Candidate 1 Evidence - Question 7 - Shutter Island
• Candidate 2 Evidence - Question 6 - Mrs Tilscher's Class
• Candidate 3 Evidence - Question 9 - Letter to an MP

Critical Reading 2021 - Section 2

• 2021 Question paper   (External link to SQA website)
• 2021 Marking instructions   (External link to SQA website)
• Candidate A - Q4 Of Mice and Men
• Candidate B - Q3 Lord of the Flies
• Candidate C - Q4 The Solution
• Candidates A to C Evidence
• Candidates A to C Annotated Evidence
• Candidates A to C Commentaries

Critical Reading 2019  (All links open as PDF files)

• 2019 Question paper   (External link to SQA website)
• 2019 Marking instructions   (External link to SQA website)

Scottish text: Tally's Blood. Critical essay: On the Sidewalk Bleeding

Scottish text: the way my mother speaks. critical essay: a view from the bridge, scottish text: tally's blood. critical essay: shooting stars, scottish text: my grandmother's houses. critical essay: lord of the flies.

• Candidate 4 Evidence

Scottish text: Bold Girls. Critical essay: The Pedestrian

• Candidate 5 Evidence

Scottish text: The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Critical essay: Mid-Term Break

• Candidate 6 Evidence

Scottish text: The Way My Mother Speaks. Critical essay: Of Mice and Men

• Candidate 7 Evidence

Scottish text: Brooklyn Cop. Critical essay: A Hanging

• Candidate 8 Evidence
• Candidates 1 to 8 Commentaries

Critical Reading 2017  (All links open as PDF files)

Candidate 1 (section 1 - war photographer. section 2 - the dark knight).

• Candidate 1 Commentary

Candidate 2 (Section 1 - Aunt Julia. Section 2 - The Ferryman's Daughter)

• Candidate 2 Commentary

Candidate 3 (Section 1 - Sailmaker. Section 2 - The Hanging)

• Candidate 3 Commentary

Candidate 4 (Section 1 - Tally's Blood. Section 2 - Animal Farm)

• Candidate 4 Commentary
• Candidates 1 to 4 Commentaries
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SECTION 2 — Critical Essay: Higher English Supplementary

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• Past Papers
• National Qualifications  >  Subjects  >  English  >  National 5  > National 5 English

National 5 English

Updates and announcements, consultation on the scottish set text list (07/03/24).

As part of our ongoing review and maintenance of National Courses, we’re running an eight-week consultation to gather feedback from teachers, lecturers and learners on the current Scottish set text list for National 5 and Higher English courses.

We plan to update the list for use in session 2025-26 onwards, so that it more fully reflects life in Scotland. There are two surveys – one for practitioners and one for learners.

Complete our practitioner survey .

Complete our learner survey .

This is the first time we’ve asked learners for their views on the content of the Scottish set text list. We’re seeking views from learners across a range of age groups – including learners in S1 to S3, those in the senior phase (S4 to S6), recent school leavers attending college and university, and those in the workplace.

Both surveys will remain open until Monday 6 May 2024 . We’ll then organise focus groups with teachers, lecturers and learners in August/September to explore the survey feedback in more detail.

We’ll publish the revised Scottish set text list in November 2024, for implementing in session 2025-26. The 2026 exams will be the first to feature content from the revised list.

View our news release on the Scottish set text consultation 

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Essential information, course specification ( 13/09/2023 ).

Explains the structure of the course, including its purpose and aims and information on the skills, knowledge and understanding that will be developed.

• N5 English Course Specification September 2023

Past Papers and Marking Instructions

Access all past papers by subject/level

Additional question papers resources

Illustrates the standard, structure and requirements of the question papers candidates will sit (includes marking instructions).

• English: Reading for Understanding, Analysis and Evaluation Specimen Question Paper National 5 June 2018
• English: Critical Reading Specimen Question Paper National 5 October 2018

There were no exams in 2021. The 2020-21 question paper resources are, for most subjects, modified papers which reflect the modifications put in place for session 2020-21

• National 5 English Critical Reading question paper
• National 5 English Reading for Understanding, Analysis and Evaluation question paper
• National 5 English Critical Reading marking instructions
• National 5 English Reading for Understanding, Analysis and Evaluation marking instructions

Coursework ( 18/1/24 )

This section provides information on marking instructions and/or the coursework assessment task(s). It includes information that centres need to administer coursework and must be read in conjunction with the course specification.

Instructions

• Instructions for the submission of National 5 and Higher English coursework   January 2024
• English Coursework Template - Microsoft Word
• English Coursework Template - Google Docs
• Coursework assessment task for National 5 English
• Guidance on conditions of assessment

Information on the production and submission of SQA-assessed coursework for National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher.

• Coursework for External Assessment (261 KB)

Understanding Standards ( 27/11/2023 )

• Examples of candidate evidence with commentaries

Course assessment overview

National 5 english webinar (changes to course assessment from academic session 2017-18 onwards).

• Download webinar
• Overview of Course Assessment Presentation with audio (2 minutes)
• Overview of Question Paper Presentation with audio (4 minutes)

Changes to understanding standards materials

• Changes to published Understanding Standards materials

Please note: Understanding Standards materials are regularly reviewed to ensure they remain up to date.

Additional Resources session 2020-22

Please note: Additional resources published during sessions 2020-2022 are currently under review. Further information can be found on the Understanding Standards Website

Course reports ( 14/09/2023 )

Provides information on the performance of candidates - which is useful to teachers, lecturers and assessors in their preparation of candidates for future assessment.

Course Reports

• 2023 National 5 English Course Report September 2023
• 2022 National 5 English Course Report September 2022
• 2019 National 5 English Course Report September 2019
• 2018 National 5 English Course Report August 2018
• 2017 National 5 English Course report October 2017

Verification Reports

• English Verification Key Messages Round 1 March 2017
• English and Communication Qualification Verification Summary Report June 2019 June 2019

Scottish Texts in English Courses

Scottish text list for National 5 and Higher English courses (valid from session 2018-19):

• Scottish set text list 2018-19

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Where can you take this course?

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