Exam skills and the assignment: the SQA National 5 Classical Studies question paper and coursework

Exam skills and the assignment covers how SQA National 5 Classical Studies is assessed and the skills that earn the marks. Whatever areas you study, Athens, Rome or the Odyssey, the marks depend on answering the command words correctly, comparing the classical and modern worlds, and, in the coursework, producing a researched, structured assignment. This page maps the assessment and the skills, and links to the detailed pages on each. The advice follows the standard pattern of the SQA marking instructions and assessment task; always check the current documents.

The skills, page by page

The question paper and question types

How to answer each command word: Describe (developed points of fact) and the evaluative how far / how important (a weighed, supported judgement). Reading the command word first is the master skill.

Comparing the classical and modern worlds

The skill at the heart of the subject: making specific, supported comparisons of values and practices, and using them to reach a judgement.

The assignment

The coursework: choosing a focused issue, researching it with a resource sheet, writing it up under supervised conditions, and how it is marked.

How the assessment fits together

The question paper and the assignment test the same underlying skills, knowledge, the use of evidence, comparison and supported judgement, in two different settings. The paper does it under timed exam conditions across the areas you have studied; the assignment does it through your own research and writing on one chosen issue. So practising the command words and the comparison skill helps with both.

How to prepare

1. Drill the command words. Practise Describe and evaluative answers separately, since each has its own pattern and marking.
2. Build the comparison habit. For every topic, rehearse how the classical world compares with the modern one, with specific, supported points.
3. Use past papers and marking instructions. They show exactly what markers reward, so revise from them.
4. Plan the assignment early. Choose a focused, arguable question and plan the structure before the supervised write-up.

For the official course specification

The SQA (now Qualifications Scotland) publishes the full National 5 Classical Studies course specification, specimen and past papers, marking instructions and the coursework assessment task at sqa.org.uk. Always revise from the current specification and SQA past papers, because the assessment format, command words and the assignment conditions are set by the awarding body and were updated for session 2025-26.