What is the National 5 Classical Studies assignment, and how is it marked?
The assignment (coursework overview): choosing a classical studies issue, researching it with a resource sheet, writing it up under supervised conditions, and how it is marked.
An overview of the SQA National 5 Classical Studies assignment: choosing a focused classical studies issue, researching it in advance using a resource sheet, writing it up under supervised conditions, and how it is marked for knowledge, evidence, structure and a supported conclusion.
Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed
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What this dot point is asking
This dot point is an overview of the coursework component of SQA National 5 Classical Studies, the assignment. Unlike the content topics, the assignment is a single piece of researched writing rather than a body of facts, so this page sets out what you have to do and how it is marked. It is the one place where the course is examined through your own research and writing under supervised conditions.
The assignment tests the same skills as the question paper, knowledge, the use of evidence and a supported judgement, applied to an issue you choose. The details here follow the standard pattern of the SQA coursework task; the exact conditions, resource-sheet rules and mark allocation are set by the SQA and were updated for session 2025-26, so always work from the current task document.
The answer
The assignment is a piece of coursework in which you choose a classical studies issue, research it in advance, and write it up under supervised conditions, with the work marked by the SQA. The process has clear stages. First, you choose an issue or topic, usually a focused, arguable question drawn from the course, such as a question about life in Athens or Rome or about the Odyssey. Next, you research it, gathering information and evidence from a range of sources, and prepare a permitted resource sheet to bring into the write-up. Then you write the assignment under the supervised conditions set out in the SQA assessment task, producing a structured piece that shows knowledge and understanding of the issue, uses evidence, and reaches a conclusion. The marking rewards exactly those things: knowledge and understanding, the use of relevant evidence, a clear structure, and a developed, supported conclusion. Because it tests the same skills as the paper, the assignment is best approached by choosing a good question and planning the argument before the write-up.
Choosing and researching the issue
The assignment begins long before the write-up. You choose a classical studies issue, and the choice matters: a focused, arguable question is far easier to answer well than a broad, vague one, because it lets you build a clear argument and reach a definite conclusion. You then research the issue, collecting information and evidence from a range of sources and organising it. From this research you prepare a resource sheet, within the rules set by the SQA, which you are allowed to use during the supervised write-up. Good preparation at this stage is the foundation of a strong assignment.
Writing it up under supervised conditions
The final stage is the write-up, under the supervised conditions described in the SQA assessment task. Using your resource sheet, you produce a structured piece of writing on your issue. A strong response shows secure knowledge of the issue, draws on relevant evidence from your research, is organised clearly so the argument is easy to follow, and reaches a developed conclusion that answers the question. The conditions, including time and allowed materials, are set by the SQA, so follow the current task exactly.
How it is marked
The assignment is marked by the SQA against set criteria that reward the core skills of the subject. Marks are given for knowledge and understanding of the issue, for the use of relevant evidence from research, for a clear structure, and for a developed, supported conclusion that answers the question. In other words, the same qualities that score in the evaluative questions of the paper, supported judgement built on knowledge, succeed here too. This is why a well-chosen, arguable question helps so much: it makes a genuine conclusion possible.
Examples in context
Suppose you choose the question "How fairly were enslaved people treated in classical Athens?". This is focused and arguable, so you can research the range of treatment, weigh the evidence, and reach a clear conclusion, which the marking rewards.
Suppose instead you chose "Tell me about Ancient Greece". This is far too broad: it invites a shapeless description with no argument and no real conclusion, so it would be hard to score well. The contrast shows why the choice of question matters so much.
Try this
Q1. What are the main stages of completing the assignment? [2 marks]
- What the marker wants. Choosing a classical studies issue, researching it and preparing a resource sheet, and writing it up under supervised conditions.
Q2. What is a resource sheet? [2 marks]
- What the marker wants. A permitted set of notes prepared from research that the candidate may use during the supervised write-up, limited by SQA rules.
Q3. Why does choosing a focused, arguable question help? [2 marks]
- What the marker wants. Because it lets you build a clear argument and reach a supported conclusion, which the marking rewards, whereas a broad topic leads to shapeless writing.
A note on sources
This guide is AI-written and not individually human-reviewed. The overview follows the standard pattern of the SQA National 5 Classical Studies coursework assessment task; the exact conditions, resource-sheet rules and mark allocation are set by the SQA (Qualifications Scotland) and were updated for session 2025-26, so verify against the current task document at sqa.org.uk.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of SQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
SQA N5 style6 marksDescribe what a candidate has to do to complete the National 5 Classical Studies assignment. (6 marks)Show worked answer →
A skills overview question about the coursework.
Points to make: the candidate chooses a classical studies issue or topic, usually a question they can argue about; they research it in advance, gathering information and evidence from a range of sources; they prepare a permitted resource sheet to bring into the write-up; they then write up the assignment under supervised conditions, set out in the SQA assessment task; the writing should show knowledge and understanding of the issue, use evidence, have a clear structure, and reach a supported conclusion; and the work is marked by the SQA against set criteria.
Develop each point briefly. Six developed points reach the marks.
SQA N5 style8 marksHow important is choosing a good question for success in the assignment? (8 marks)Show worked answer →
An evaluative question about coursework strategy.
Why the question matters greatly: a focused, arguable question makes it possible to reach a clear conclusion, which is rewarded; a question that is too broad leads to thin, unfocused writing; and a well-chosen question naturally invites the use of evidence and a balanced argument.
Other factors to balance it: good research and a strong resource sheet matter too; clear structure and a supported conclusion are needed whatever the question; and accurate knowledge underpins the marks.
Judgement: conclude that choosing a good question is very important because it shapes everything that follows, but it must be matched by sound research, structure and a supported conclusion to succeed. State the judgement clearly for the evaluation marks.
Related dot points
- The question paper and its question types: how Describe and the evaluative questions (how far, how important) are marked, and how to structure a good answer to each.
How the SQA National 5 Classical Studies question paper works: the Describe questions that reward developed points of fact and the evaluative questions (how far, how important) that reward a weighed, supported judgement, and how to structure each.
- Comparing the classical and modern worlds: how to draw out similarities and differences in values and practices, and how to use comparison to reach a supported judgement.
The key Classical Studies skill of comparing the classical world with the modern world: how to identify genuine similarities and differences in values and practices, support them with knowledge, and use the comparison to reach a clear, supported judgement.
- Enslaved people in classical Greece: how people became enslaved, the wide range of work they did, the great differences in their treatment, and the slim chances of freedom.
Enslaved people in classical Athens: how they were enslaved through war, piracy and birth, the wide range of work they did from household tasks to the silver mines, the sharp differences in how they were treated, and their limited chances of being freed.
- Pompeii in AD 79: the eruption of Vesuvius and the destruction of the town, and the exceptional evidence the buried site gives us about everyday Roman life.
The eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79 that buried Pompeii, the warning earthquake, the stages of the eruption and how the town and its people died, and why the preserved site is such exceptional evidence for everyday Roman life.
- Odysseus as a hero: the heroic qualities he shows, especially cunning, courage and endurance, his flaws such as pride, and what this reveals about Greek ideas of heroism.
What makes Odysseus a hero in the Odyssey: his cunning and cleverness, his courage and endurance through years of hardship, his leadership, and his flaws such as pride and curiosity, and what this reveals about the Greek idea of heroism.
Sources & how we know this
- National 5 Classical Studies coursework assessment task — SQA (2025)
- National 5 Classical Studies Course Specification — SQA (2025)