The question paper: overview of the SQA National 5 Art and Design written exam

The question paper is the externally set, externally marked written exam in SQA National 5 Art and Design. It is worth 50 marks and tests your ability to analyse and respond to artists' and designers' work, rather than to make art yourself. This page maps the paper and links to the skills that earn the marks.

What the question paper is

The question paper is the written half of how National 5 Art and Design is assessed. While the two portfolios show what you can make, the paper shows that you can look at art and design critically and explain how they work. The images are usually unseen, so it is a test of transferable analysis skills, not of memorised facts about particular artists.

The two sections

Section 1: expressive art. You analyse and respond to an artist's work, commenting on media, techniques and the visual elements, judging mood and impact, and justifying a personal response.

Section 2: design. You analyse a designer's work, commenting on materials, techniques and design elements, and judging how well the design meets its purpose and suits its target market, as well as how it looks.

How it is assessed

The paper is set and marked externally by SQA and is worth 50 marks. It is graded as part of the 250 mark course total, alongside the expressive portfolio (100 marks) and the design portfolio (100 marks). There is no practical making in the paper itself.

The skills it rewards

1. Observation plus explanation. Name a feature you can see and explain its effect; never describe or praise without explaining.
2. Accurate vocabulary. Use the visual elements (line, tone, colour, shape, form, texture, pattern) and design principles (composition, balance, contrast, proportion, rhythm, emphasis, harmony) correctly.
3. Judging design on function. Measure a design against its purpose and audience, not only its appearance.
4. Using influences. Link social, cultural and other influences to specific choices in a practitioner's work.
5. Matching depth to marks. Make roughly as many developed points as the marks suggest, and answer every question in both sections.

How to revise the question paper

Practise analysing images you have not studied: pick any artwork or design and write developed points pairing observation with effect. Drill the vocabulary until naming an element and its effect is automatic. For design, always ask what it is for and who it is for. Work through SQA specimen and past papers under timed conditions so you learn to match the depth of your answers to the marks and to keep enough time for both sections.

For the official course specification

The SQA publishes the National 5 Art and Design course specification, the specimen question paper and past papers at sqa.org.uk. Always revise from the current specification and SQA past papers, because the paper's structure and emphasis are set by the board.