1. National 5 Modern Studies
Final Exam

2. Final Exam The paper lasts for I hour 30 minutes
There are 60 marks worth of questions
The KU questions are worth 60% of the total mark – revision of the topics is essential.
For every mark you have one and a half minutes, for example:
4 mark question 6 minutes
6 mark question 9 minutes
8 mark question 12 minutes
10 mark question 15 minutes

3. Key Topics You must revise the THREE topics you have covered so far:
Democracy in Scotland
Crime and the Law
World Powers: The USA

4. How Should I Revise?
Prepare summary notes for each topic - - include keywords , key dates and key facts.
Do a self-check test – pick an area of the topic, revise the key facts then write down everything you can remember in 5 mins.
Practice timed answers – remember you will have roughly 1 ½ mins per mark.

5. How Should I Revise?
Use the School Website – all the key power points for each topic are on there.
Use the SQA website for the specimen paper.
Use the BBC bitesize revision website

6. Knowledge and Understanding Questions
The exam paper has TWO types of
questions:
Type 1: the describe question
Type 2: the explain questions
These questions will be worth 4, 6 or 8
marks.

7. Type One: Describe Question
You will be expected to give detailed
descriptions of an issue from your own
knowledge.
For Example:
Describe, in detail, the ways in which the
police try to reduce crime levels.

8. Type Two: Explain Question
You will be expected to make an issue plain
or clear by, for example, showing
connections between factors and/or
between events ideas.
For Example:
Explain, in detail, the ways in which local
councils in Scotland can raise money.

9. PADRE – The Key To Success
P oint
A dditional
D etail
R elevant
E xample
Use phrases such as ….’this
means’………….’a good example of this
would be’…..’another way…….’

10. Skills or Source Questions
Type 3: selective in the use of facts
Type 4: decision-making task
Type 5: drawing conclusions
These questions are all source questions –
you have to use sources e.g. text, graphs,
tables, pie-charts to answer this type of
question. These questions will be worth 8 or
10 marks.

11. Type Three: Selective In the Use of Facts
You will be given a statement – parts of the statement may be true, untrue or even partly true.
Identify parts of the sources that support the statement (i.e. not selective).
Identify parts of the sources that contradict or disprove the statement (i.e. selective).
If you only include one type of evidence you will not get any more than 6 marks.

12. Type Three: Selective In the Use of Facts
Remember:
Use all of the sources in the question or you will lose marks.
Include accurate and detailed evidence from the sources.
Remember to look for connections between the sources – where evidence from one source supports another.

13. Type Four: Decision Making Task
State your choice clearly.
Provide detailed evidence from the sources to justify your answer.
Show how information from one source is ‘backed up’ by information from another. Use phrases such as ‘this is backed up by…’ or ‘this is supported by’
Criticise the alternative option using the sources.
Use all the sources that you are given to achieve full marks.

14. Type Five: Drawing Conclusions
You will be asked to look at a number of statements and come to some sort of conclusion.
A conclusion states what is happening or what the connection is between two things.
Use words that show ‘connections’

15. Conclusion Type Words Higher than…. Lower than………. Decreasing……….
Increasing………..
The same as………
Bigger………..

16. Type Five: Drawing Conclusions
Clearly state the conclusion or the relationship e.g. ‘The relationship between ….’
State the sources which show this conclusion.
Use evidence from the sources to ‘prove’ the conclusion.