1. National 5 Modern Studies
Torry Academy

2. National 5 Modern Studies
Pupils will have 4 periods (two doubles) each week
Pupils will study 3 different topics
Pupils will learn to answer knowledge and understanding (KU) questions and skills questions
Pupils will complete their own assignment

3. Course Details Pupils will study 3 different topics Political Issue
International Issue
Social Issue
Democracy in Scotland
The USA
Crime and the Law
June - July (5 weeks) + August - September
September - December
January - March

4. In order to pass National 5 Modern Studies pupils must complete the three areas of assessment:
Unit Outcomes
Assignment
The Exam

5. How pupils will be assessed- Unit Outcomes
Pupils need to pass ‘unit outcomes’
Each topic has 2 outcomes that pupils must pass
Pupils will need to produce evidence that they have achieved the outcome
Examples: written questions, homework, a script from a presentation.

6. How pupils will be assessed – The Assignment
Worth 25% of a pupil’s final grade (out of 20 marks)
Pupils will choose their own topic, research it and write it in exam conditions in one hour.
Pupils will need to put a lot of effort into this in order to get a good grade

7. How pupils will be assessed – Exam
Worth 75% of the final grade
The exam paper is out of 60 (20 marks per unit)
Each section will have 2 knowledge questions (4, 6 or 8 marks) and a skills question (8 or 10 marks)
Exam will last 1 hour 45 minutes

8. The course is graded A-D and this is determined by a pupil’s total mark for all the Course Assessments (Exam and Assignment)

9. Democracy in Scotland
Representation – How people are represented in Scotland.
Participation – Who participates in politics in Scotland?
Election Campaign – The process of a campaign and how people vote.
Influence – Pressure Groups: How do they influence decision makers?

10. The USA Introduction to the USA: USA today.
USA Issues: American Dream, Immigration.
Political Issues: System of Government, President, Political Participation, Voting.
Social and Economic Issues: Education, Housing, Health, Crime, Family Structures and Poverty.
Government Responses: What is the government doing to help?

11. Crime and the Law
Introduction: What is crime/who decides what makes someone a criminal.
Different types of crime.
What are the causes/impact of crime?
Efforts to tackle crime (role of the police)
Laws regarding alcohol, drugs and road traffic offences
The criminal justice system in Scotland (High Court, Sheriff Court, District Court)
Scottish juvenile system: Children’s Hearings.