Portfolio writing: SQA National 5 English folio quiz quiz

15 marks

20 marks

30 marks

40 marks

Two creative pieces

One broadly creative and one broadly discursive, in different genres

Two discursive pieces

Two reports

A personal/reflective essay, short story, poem or drama script

An argumentative essay

A persuasive essay

A report

A short story

A poem

An argumentative, persuasive or report piece

A drama script

Because the form rewards reflection: what you thought, felt and understood

Because it must be very long

Because it must include dialogue

Because it must rhyme

Persuasive takes one side; argumentative weighs both sides and reaches a reasoned conclusion

They are identical

Persuasive is always shorter

Argumentative never uses evidence

Because the criteria reward a developed, evidenced line of argument

Because evidence makes the piece longer

Because opinions are banned

Because the marker counts the facts

Because the work is drafted and redrafted over time, so errors are avoidable

Because it is written under strict exam time pressure

Because accuracy is not assessed in exams at all

Because handwriting is marked

Redrafting improves content, structure and style; proofreading checks technical accuracy

They are the same thing

Redrafting is only for spelling

Proofreading adds new paragraphs

It wastes the portfolio's advantage of time to redraft and proofread

It is always too short

It cannot be marked

It must be handwritten

Matching register, vocabulary, sentence style and technique to the intended reader

Writing as long as possible

Using as many techniques as possible

Avoiding all formal language

They are the reference point for every later choice, keeping register and tone consistent

They make the piece longer

They are required in the title

They replace the need to redraft

Content, structure, style and technical accuracy

Length, neatness, speed and title

Quotations, footnotes, references and a bibliography

Rhyme, rhythm, metre and form