National 5 English: portfolio discursive writing

The portfolio is worth 30% of National 5 English. You submit one piece of writing, either broadly creative or broadly discursive; it is marked externally out of 15 for content and style, and the mark is doubled to 30. This material covers the discursive route: argumentative and persuasive essays, reports, and transactional or informative writing. Its companion in this category covers creative writing.

Many marks are lost on rules rather than on writing, so the material starts there, following the National 5 English course specification: the 1,000-word maximum (no minimum, with a penalty for going more than 10% over), the first draft written in class under supervision, feedback on one draft only, what a teacher may and may not do, the signed declaration, and the requirement to acknowledge every source in footnotes or a list at the end, with specific details.

It then turns to the craft of discursive writing. The quiz asks you to tell argumentative from persuasive writing, choose a suitable structure and an effective opening for a practice question on a four-day school week, pick the right linking words for a counter-argument and recognise what the top band of the marking descriptors values: careful research, presented for impact and sequenced to highlight key points. The support notes' advice on mixing facts and opinions without becoming too anecdotal is built in.

The flashcards cover the rules and key terms for quick revision.

The written work has eight tasks with model answers: plan an argumentative essay paragraph by paragraph, write a persuasive opening, present and rebut a counter-argument, acknowledge a source correctly, rewrite a paragraph that relies on anecdote, write a balanced conclusion, explain the difference between argumentative and persuasive essays, and list the portfolio rules.

In the oral exam an examiner works through the same stages with you on a practice topic, one question at a time.

Everything here uses practice topics on purpose. The portfolio rules say that nobody else may supply key ideas, a structure, model answers or rephrasing for the piece you actually submit, so use this material to build the skills, then write your own piece independently.

• State the portfolio rules: one piece, marks, word limit, first draft, feedback and declaration
• Distinguish argumentative, persuasive and informative writing
• Plan a discursive piece with a clear, sequenced structure
• Write openings, counter-argument paragraphs and conclusions
• Acknowledge sources accurately in footnotes or a list
• Balance facts, opinions and personal detail

Practice material written by Zestly, based on the National 5 English course specification (Qualifications Scotland, formerly SQA, version 6.0, September 2025): portfolio–writing (broadly discursive writing), its assessment conditions and marking instructions, and the course support notes. Practice topics and examples are original.