1. National 5 Masterclass 2018

2. Reading for Understanding, Analysis and Evaluation
Paper 1
Reading for Understanding, Analysis and Evaluation

3. UNDERSTAND what the text is about ANALYSE how it is written
The National 5 RUAE exam paper is a non-fiction text and a set of questions which will require you to show you can:
UNDERSTAND what the text is about
ANALYSE how it is written
EVALUATE how well it achieves its purpose.

4. This part of the exam is worth 30 marks (30%).
It lasts for 1 hour.
There will be between 7 and 10 questions.
Each question will be worth 2 or more marks.
You are not marked on the quality of your spelling, punctuation etc. and as such you do not have to write in sentences and can use bullet points where it is helpful to you to do so.

5. Questions will have line references to guide you to the part of the passage containing the answer.
Each question will have a number of marks associated with it. Use the number of marks to judge how many separate comments you need to make. For example, a 3 mark understanding question will require three separate points in the answer.

6. As this is a test of your reading skills it is crucial that you take the time to read the whole passage carefully before attempting to answer any of the questions. Do not panic if you come across words or phrases you do not understand on first reading. What you need is to get a basic understanding of the writer’s main arguments and his/her attitude towards the topic.
You must also remember to read the questions carefully and correctly identify what is expected of you.

7. Understanding
The majority of the questions will test your understanding of the writer's ideas.
You could be asked to explain, identify or summarise the writer's ideas.
You could also be questioned on how ideas are linked together and how ideas are developed.
All of these question types will require you to use your own words as far as possible.
The reason you are asked to use your own words is that this proves you understand the writer's ideas.

8. Understanding
These questions should always be answered in your own words as far as possible. However, you are not being asked for a word by word ‘translation’.
Some words will not need to be changed such as the names of specific people and places - proper nouns - or words for which there is no straightforward alternative.
There is also no need to change very commonly used words, because doing so does not show your understanding of the writer's idea.
Think carefully about the points the writer is making and explain them in simpler terms.

9. Understanding
You may be asked to work out the meaning of a word or phrase from the context. There will normally be 1 mark awarded for a correct definition and up to 2 marks for explaining how the context helped you work out the meaning.
A summary gives a broad overview of the main ideas or points the writer makes, but ignores supporting detail. Summaries should usually be written in shorter, simpler language than the words used in the passage, and can be bullet pointed.
A linking sentence is essentially a topic sentence that connects two paragraphs together. It will refer back to a previous idea and then connect it with the idea that comes next.

10. Analysis
Questions that ask about the writer's use of particular language features —word choice, imagery, sentence structure, tone - are analysis questions. You will usually be asked to 'analyse how' or 'explain the effect of' specific words or phrases. These questions require you to quote examples from the text, explain them, and show WHY the writer has used them.
“This chilli will blow
your head off.”

11. Analysis
In some analysis questions you may simply be asked to comment on the writer’s use of ‘language’ or ‘language features’ - this includes word choice, sentence structure and imagery. (You may find it easiest to identify and comment upon examples of word choice.)
However, the question may be more specific. Where, for example, you are asked to comment on sentence structure or word choice, you need only choose one or the other. If the question asks you to identify two different language features you will not be awarded full marks for identifying only one.

12. Analysis
At National 5 you will be awarded 1 mark for a quote and 1 mark for an appropriate comment/ explanation.
E.g. In a 4 mark analysis question asking for two examples of word choice, marks will be awarded as follows:
quote = 1 mark; comment/explanation = 1 mark
2nd quote = 1 mark; 2nd comment = 1 mark
WARNING: Without a quote or specific reference to a language technique, any comment you make will not be rewarded.

13. Analysis
As well as a basic meaning (called the denotation), words have connotations. Connotations are the feelings or ideas associated with a word.
It is important that you are aware of the subtle differences in connotations when analysing a writer's word choice.
However, it is not enough to simply explain the connotations of words on their own; what matters is how the words support the writer's purpose.

14. Analysis - Imagery
It is likely that you will have to identify and then analyse an image. Remember that you are looking for ideas that are not literally true - there is no 'mountain' of homework, no rocks, gravel, snow or mountaineers climbing up the side of it, just a lot of work that needed to be completed.
You can use the clue words 'like' and 'as' to find similes, but all types of imagery can be identified by finding comparisons that are not literally true.

15. Analysis - Imagery
All images — similes, metaphors and personification —are made up of two parts: the literal idea the writer wants the reader to understand and the figurative idea. It is important not to mix the two up when analysing an image.
Think about the qualities that the two things share. For example, in the metaphor 'a mountain of homework' qualities of a mountain such as being 'made of stone' or 'covered in snow' are not relevant to the writer's purpose: in this case, emphasising how much homework has to be done. The qualities of a mountain that are relevant here are its size, density and the difficulty of getting past it.

16. Analysis – Sentence Structure
It is not enough to simply identify features of sentence structure or describe their function. When analysing a text, you must be able to comment on how particular features of sentence structure have been deliberately used by the writer to achieve a purpose. In other words, you have to be able to write about the effect of the sentence structure on the reader. Look at the relationship between the structure of the sentence and the writer's purpose: context is crucial.
. , … ( ) ! ? ; :

17. Analysis – Sentence Structure: Punctuation!
exclamations can show the strength or a writer's attitude or emotion;
a question can draw attention to an important idea and encourage the reader to think about it;
a rhetorical question is a persuasive technique designed to encourage the reader to agree with the writer's point of view, or to emphasise an important idea;
parenthesis can be used to make an aside, showing the writer's attitude. ? ?
( )
- -

18. Analysis – Sentence Structure: Punctuation
“ “ ;
: - …
inverted commas can show the writer's attitude by creating an ironic, doubtful or critical tone;
a semi-colon can emphasise similarity or contrast between the two sentences it joins;
a colon, dash and ellipsis can create a sense of anticipation or drama.

19. Analysis – Sentence Structure
• a short sentence can emphasise or draw attention to an idea;
• long sentences followed by a very short sentence (or vice versa) can emphasise a contrast.
• repetition and parallel structures can draw attention to particular words or ideas;
• a list can emphasise the number, variety or extent of something;
• climax can draw attention to the final climactic word or idea in the sentence, or emphasise a change or development;
• anti-climax can create humour or show disappointment;
• alliteration can draw attention to particular words and make an idea stand out.

20. Analysis – Tone
Different tones communicate different emotions and attitudes. For this reason, tones are generally positive or negative. When there is no strong emotion or attitude the tone can be described as neutral or matter-of-fact. Rather than just describing a tone as either positive or negative, try to be as specific as possible. There are many different tones that are positive and many different tones that are negative. A writer's tone is shown through language choices. This means that you use your skills in analysing word choice, imagery and sentence structure to explain how the tone is created.

21. Evaluation
Usually there are only one or two questions that require you to evaluate. You might be asked:
• how effective the first paragraph is as an introduction to the passage as a whole;
• how effective the final paragraph is as a conclusion to the passage as a whole;
• how effective supporting detail is in supporting the writer's main idea.
Evaluation questions that ask about the introduction or conclusion will typically award one mark for identifying a feature of the paragraph and a second mark for linking this feature to the writer's purpose or the wider passage.

22. Evaluation An introduction might:
In order to comment on how effective an introduction is, you will have to have read the rest of the passage so you can connect ideas or language features in the introduction to other parts of the text.
An introduction might:
• grab the reader's attention through something interesting, humorous, surprising, shocking or dramatic;
• establish the writer's point of view or main idea;
• establish conflicting points of view or a question that the writer will go on to explore;
• establish why the subject of the passage is important;
• establish the tone of the passage;
• show how the issue is current, topical, controversial or relevant.

23. Evaluation
You may be asked to evaluate how well supporting details - statistics, facts, quotes, examples, anecdotes or comparisons - develop the writer's argument.
• statistics can lend a sense of objectivity to an argument or emphasise the scale or extent of something;
• facts can help prove that the writer's opinions are correct;
• quotes from experts or authority figures lend an argument more power;
• examples can be used to show a problem or issue is widespread or to take an idea and put it into a real life situation;
• anecdotes can help to show how a wider problem or issue affects the writer, and, therefore, how it might affect the reader. An amusing anecdote can help make a complicated topic more interesting;
• comparisons can emphasise how good or bad something is.

24. Evaluation A conclusion might: • sum up the main ideas of the passage;
In order to comment on how effective an conclusion is
you have to consider the purposes of a conclusion:
A conclusion might:
• sum up the main ideas of the passage;
• pinpoint the most important or significant idea in the passage;
• end with a climax or a 'call to action' or an encouragement to the reader;
• link back to the introduction, creating a circular structure;
• return to an idea or image from earlier in the passage or to the title of the passage;
• answer a question asked earlier in the passage;
• either maintain a tone used earlier, or offer a positive or negative final message.

25. Final Reminders No answer = no marks.
If you are unsure about an answer, write down your first thoughts, leave space to add more and move on to the next question. If you have time, come back and add to your original answer. Do not score out your first answer as it might be right.
There are many ways you can structure your answers. You may already be working with structures taught to you by your teacher, or you may approach each question differently. The important thing is that all aspects of a question are tackled.