Overview of the National 5 Engineering Science course assessment: the question paper and the assignment, and the design-and-build skills the assignment rewards.

What this key area is asking

This page is an overview of how National 5 Engineering Science is assessed and what the assignment rewards. It is the one coursework component, so it is summarised here rather than split into many separate points.

The two assessment components

The question paper assesses your knowledge and understanding of the two main areas - electronics and control, and mechanisms and structures - and your ability to apply them to engineering situations you have not seen before. It includes calculation questions, and an Engineering Science data booklet of formulae is provided, so the skill is selecting the right formula, substituting correctly and giving the unit.

The assignment is a practical task in which you solve an engineering problem. It rewards working through the engineering design process rather than recall, and is the place where the build-and-test skills of the course are demonstrated.

The engineering design process

The assignment follows the same process a real engineer uses:

1. Analyse the brief. Read the problem carefully and identify exactly what the solution must do. Turn this into a clear specification - a list of measurable requirements.
2. Develop a solution. Design a circuit, mechanism or structure that meets the specification, using the theory from the course (logic gates, transistors, gears, structures and so on).
3. Simulate, model or build and test. Check that the solution works, for example by circuit simulation, calculation or a physical model, and gather results.
4. Evaluate. Judge how well the solution meets the specification, identify weaknesses, and suggest improvements.

How this links to the rest of the course

Every other key area feeds the assignment. Electronics and control gives you the circuits and logic; mechanisms and structures gives you the moving parts and load-bearing design; and engineering contexts gives you the sustainability and impact considerations to justify your design choices. Strong assignment work draws on the whole course.

Try this

Q1. Name the document of formulae provided to candidates in the National 5 Engineering Science exam. [1 mark]

• Cue. The Engineering Science data booklet (National 4/5).

Q2. State the first stage of the engineering design process used in the assignment. [1 mark]

• Cue. Analysing the brief and writing a specification of what the solution must do.

Q3. Explain why evaluation is an important stage of the design process. [2 marks]

• Cue. It checks whether the solution actually meets the specification and identifies weaknesses, so the design can be improved rather than assumed to be correct.