National 5 Tutoring

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Your child can get National 5 tuition for as low as £22.50 per session. The price of each private tuition session depends on how regularly and for how long your child takes tuition with us. Book a free trial session with us and you can find out how affordable private tuition with GoStudent can be for you.

Your child could benefit from private National 5 exam revision:

  • Private tutoring can help your child consolidate what they have been learning in school.
  • One to one tutoring can be great in helping your child work through the different types of exam questions.
  • Personal tutoring is a great way for your child to build confidence ahead of their exams.
  • Tutoring is a great way to help your child if they need a little extra help with just one section of the exam.
  • Tutoring is also a great way to prepare your child for further studies at university.

Discover how your child can take advantage of these benefits by booking a free trial lesson.

GoStudent can help give your child support with private National 5 as well as offering tuition for other levels that your children might be studying for:

  • SQA National 2
  • SQA National 3
  • SQA National 4
  • SQA Advanced Higher
  • SQA Higher
  • University Level

Your child isn't tied into one subject with GoStudent either. You can get help with a variety of different subjects at National 5 with the same package.

With GoStudent your child can get private tuition online from one of our National 5 tutors. Online tuition is a great option for you and your child, meaning you don't have to take your child to a class or cover the cost of a tutor to come to your home. Why not see how private tuition can work for you and your child by booking a free trial lesson.

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National 5: Everything you need to know to help your child pass this essential exam

Looking for the perfect National 5 tutor for your child? We have some advice on what to look for and where. It’s our passion to see kids succeed at school so their future is bright and they can achieve what they want to. That’s why we’ll also share important information about National 5 lessons and exams and how best to revise.

What is a National 5?

For school students, a National 5 is taken in secondary school (usually in S4). The National 5 (along with the National 1, 2, 3, and 4) was introduced as part of Curriculum for Excellence. The National 5 certificate has been issued since 2014 and is awarded by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA).

What is a National 5 equivalent to?

A National 5 is equivalent to the GCSE. The current National 5 qualification was previously known as Standard Grade (Credit), Intermediate 2 in Scotland.

What are the National 5 grades?

Each National 5 course consists of three National units, each one being 40 hours long. There is an assessment at the end of each unit which pupils need to pass in order to sit the final National 5 exam. If they fail the final exam, then their grades from the other assessments are recorded.

The National 5 lessons are graded A-D or “no award”. National 5 students awarded grades A-C are equivalent to grades 4-9 in GCSEs. Students who score less than 40% don’t receive a National Course which results in “no award”.

What is an A at National 5?

An A is the highest grade awarded for a National 5 exam or assessment. In 2021, the percentage of As handed out was 46.7%.

What are the National 5 subjects?

How many and what National 5 lessons your child can take will be dictated by the school they attend and region. Schools and councils can decide how many National 5 courses are available on the curriculum. Usually, students at state schools will study six or seven National 5 courses and students at independent schools will sit eight National 5 exams.

There are nearly 50 different National 5 courses available, although not all will be offered at each school or in every region. Check with your kid’s school to see what the choices are to make sure you can plan ahead of time. 💪

Here are some frequently asked questions about two of the most essential National 5 courses for further education: English and Maths.

How do you get a National 5 in English?

To get a National 5 in English, students need to take four types of assessments:

  • An exam on Reading for Understanding, Analysis and Evaluation - counts for 30%
  • An exam on Critical Reading - counts for 40%
  • Portfolio writing (at home) - counts for 30%
  • Performance-spoken language (assessment) - awarded “achieved” or “not achieved”

How long is the National 5 English exam?

The exam on Reading for Understanding, Analysis and Evaluation is one hour and the exam on Critical Reading is 1.5 hours.

How hard is National 5 English?

National 5 English is designed to be challenging and your child will have to do plenty of work autonomously at home. However, most students can get good results in this National 5 course. Here are the results for National 5 English in 2021, showing what percentage of pupils were awarded each grade.

Grade & results

A 47.6%

B 24.1%

C 19.3%

D 6.5%

No Award 2.5%

As a comparison, the lowest proportion of As awarded in a National 5 course was for Application of Maths, where just 22.7% of students received an A.

Is English available as a National 5 online course?

Yes, there are National 5 online courses available for English. There are a number of different styles but many offer flexible schedules or a work-at-your-own-pace structure.

How many topics are there in Nat 5 Maths?

There are six topics in the National 5 Maths course:

  1. Numerical skills
  2. Algebraic skills
  3. Geometric skills
  4. Trigonometric skills
  5. Statistical skills
  6. Reasoning skills

Is National 5 Maths important?

National 5 Maths is important because it opens up so many doors. It’s particularly important if your child wants to go on to study something in the area of mathematics and even degrees such as Business will require National 5 Maths and even higher.

Can you get into university without Nat5 Maths?

Maths and English are the most common subjects required to enter university. Most universities will require at least National 5 Maths level at A-C. Studying both of these subjects keeps your options open for later so unless your child is certain of their career path and it doesn’t require maths, it’s usually a good idea to take National 5 Maths.

Can I do National 5 Maths online?

Yes, National 5 Maths can be studied online. You’ll find a number of National 5 online courses available which allow students to study at their own pace and get the National 5 course qualification after passing the assessment.

When to start revising National 5 lessons

The more National 5 lessons that your child is taking, the earlier on they should start revising. The most important thing is to stay on top of each National 5 course. Otherwise, your child can quickly lose control and find it hard to catch up. ⌛

If your child is experiencing difficulties in any of their National 5 lessons, you should consider getting a National 5 tutor straight away so that they don’t become overwhelmed and lose confidence. It’s usually easy to get back on track if any problem areas are tackled quickly.

How to prepare for a National 5 exam

We have some top tips for preparing for a National 5 exam that will help your kid immensely. Studying is all about making the most of time and retaining the information, not just passively going over National 5 content taught throughout the year.

Here are effective ways to prepare for a National 5 exam:

  • Make a detailed study plan factoring in each National 5 course and rest days
  • Practise as many past National 5 exams as possible
  • Go over notes from class and rewrite difficult content again without referring back
  • Enlist the help of a professional National 5 tutor

Why get National 5 private tuition?

National 5 is your child’s gateway to taking their Highers. Getting good grades is important but studying at this level can be daunting. Even if your child was used to getting great results in previous years, National 5 tutoring will boost grades further and here’s how.

National 5 tuition delivers better grades

National 5 tuition isn’t just about resolving knowledge gaps. A National 5 tutor should be able to assist with creating the perfect study plan for your child, scheduling a healthy balance of work and play for ultimate results.

National 5 private tutoring saves stress

An excellent National 5 tutor knows exactly how and what to study to ace a National 5 exam. This will save your and/or your kid from trawling the internet looking for past exams that are appropriate to practise. A National 5 tutor will also bring additional material to sessions to help cement ideas and concepts in place.

It helps with National 5 revision

You would be amazed at how motivating it is for kids to have an extra set of eyes watching out for them and checking they are on track with their National 5 revision plan. We find that regular one-on-one interaction with a National 5 private tutor boosts the level of enthusiasm kids put into studying and wanting to do well. 😊

How to find the best National 5 Tutor

All National 5 tutors will have (or should have) been top of their National 5 course. So, how do you find the right person for the job?

Review qualifications of a National 5 online tutor

Look for a National 5 private tutor who went on to nail their Highers and continues to be successful. At GoStudent, we have a strict screening policy when admitting new National 5 tutors onto the team. Each candidate is heavily vetted so that parents and students can feel at ease when starting a new relationship with any of our tutors.

Match a National 5 private tutor to your child

We are big believers in matching the right National 5 private tutor to your child. This gives both of them the best chance of success! You just need to answer a few questions when you decide you need a tutor and we’ll go away and do the rest for you.

We have a 95% success rate we are hugely proud of and a huge community of happy students and proud parents. We also have a huge community of professional tutors (more than 11,000) which is how we can match the right person for you so easily. You’ll receive a free trial lesson anyway, to make sure you’re happy before continuing.

Additional National 5 online revision

Our tutors are trained to give extra National 5 online revision so that your child is fully prepared by the time their National 5 exams take place.

Summary: How to ace the National 5 course

Now you know the secrets of how to study successfully for the National 5 course.

Go for National 5 online tutoring

Remember, National 5 online tutoring is there to guide your little studier and provide extra support. The earlier you hire a National 5 tutor, the more time and stress they can save your kid (and you) by setting up a tailored learning plan.

Start National 5 revision early

Cramming doesn’t work or help anyone retain information that will be needed as a base for the following academic year. National 5 revision needs to take place throughout the National 5 course with as much practice before a National 5 exam as possible.

If you follow these golden principles, your child will get the results they want and deserve. They can even have a bit of downtime and fun along the way.