1. National 5 Modern Studies Assignment Report Write Up
The N5 Assignment/N4 Added Value Unit is worth 20 marks. The marks contribute 20% of the overall marks for this course.
It is a written report based on a topic of your own choosing (within limits) which you have individually researched.
You must complete this report within one hour (exam conditions).
You must complete your report on an Assignment Exam Template. You will take research evidence, collected during your research, into the assessment and you should refer to this research evidence in your assessment.
This research evidence should be no more than two single-sides of A4 paper. You will submit this research evidence along with your Assignment Report Sheet to SQA for marking.

2. What do I need to do when carrying out my investigation?
I can research an appropriate Modern Studies topic or issue.
I can collect relevant evidence from at least two different sources of different types.
I can evaluate the effectiveness of two research methods
I can describe and explain some key features of my topic or issue
I can apply my Modern Studies skills to my topic or issue
I can present my findings and reach a well supported conclusion about my topic which is supported by evidence.

3. Choosing a topic
Your topic can be on just about anything bar the following:
- Death Penalty
Assisted Suicide
Animal Rights
Sectarianism in Sport
MUST BE CURRENT AND RELEVANT. (10 year rule)

4. Choosing a topic: Create a hypothesis
Your hypothesis is the central “question” your report is based on. It should be open enough to allow you to find information on both sides of the argument.
“The House of Lords should be abolished”
3 aims

5. Carrying out Research Key Points for Research:
Must have a minimum of two different kinds of sources (2 different newspaper articles are 1 type of source. A newspaper article and a documentary are two different kinds of source)
Suggested number of sources: 2-6 overall
Must keep an accurate record of sources
If you are creating primary sources (letters, surveys, questionnaires) you must collect, collate and interpret the evidence by yourself.
Do not use sources if you do not understand them.

6. Some example of the sort of evidence you can take in are:

7. Section 1 – Hypothesis and Aims (0 marks)
Structure:
The topic I have decided to investigate is… (highlight the wider issue i.e Crime in the UK).
My hypothesis is…(Alcohol abuse is the main cause of crime in the UK)
My aims are:
Aim 1 – (to find out how alcohol can lead to violence)
Aim 2 – (to discover how many crimes are related to alcohol use in the UK)
Aim 3 – (to find out what other factors may cause crime in the UK)

8. Section 2 - Methods of Research (10 marks)
In Section 2 of your Assignment you must discuss at least two different methods of research. This section is worth 10/20 marks – the largest section in the assignment.
Methods Include: databases, writing letters, questionnaires/surveys, interviews, documentaries, newspaper articles, magazines, journal articles, observations on a visit, official government reports.
You will be asked to comment on why you chose to use each method of research. You must describe the advantages and disadvantages of each method. You should also discuss what you could do differently when completing further research.
The key point of this Section is to be specific to YOUR research.

9. Section 2 - Methods of Enquiry- STRUCTURE For EACH method of research:
Name the method used
Give 2 distinct advantages of the method (2)
Give 2 distinct disadvantages of the method (2)
Explain how you could improve your research in the future (1)
One method of research I chose was a newspaper. There were many advantages when using this method such as it being free to read on the internet and the fact that it is very up-to-date.
However, there were some disadvantages of using this method. Most newspapers are biased and articles are often very long and contain information which is not useful.
If I were to research this topic again, I would make sure I compared different newspaper articles together.
This short paragraph would gain 0 marks as it is too generic. You must be SPECIFIC to your own research.

10. One method of research I chose was a newspaper article from the Guardian (Source 1). There were many advantages when using this method. Firstly, the article was published in July 2018 – meaning the information contained within it is incredibly up-to-date and therefore still relevant for my research into gun crime. The newspaper article also contained an interview with an American police sheriff, meaning the information was relevant to my study of gun crime in America.
However, there were some disadvantages of using this method. The Guardian is known to be a left leaning newspaper meaning that articles published within it will be biased towards political parties such as Labour and the Liberal Democrats, making the information less useful. Also, this article was very long and contained information on knife crime as well as gun crime. This was not useful for my research and therefore wasted valuable research time. If I was to complete further research on this topic I would ensure I read newspaper articles from sources which are not left-leaning, such as The Telegraph, to gain opinions from all sides of the political spectrum.

11. Section 3 – Research Findings (6 marks)
In this section you discuss what you have actually FOUND OUT:
Use your aims as a guide
Name your sources as you go
Give FACTUAL information
Structure:
Aim 1: … (Write out Aim 1)
From the Guardian Article (Source 1) I have found out that…(insert factual information)
I also discovered from the Panorama Documentary (Source 3) that …(insert factual information)
DO NOT PUT IN VERY LONG QUOTES FROM SOURCES – USE YOUR OWN WORDS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE

12. Section 4 – Conclusions (4 marks)
In this section, you must come to a series of conclusions on your topic. Remember, a conclusion is a clear decision or judgement that is made based on evidence.
DO NOT JUST REPEAT EVIDENCE FROM SECTION 3!
The first conclusion you should make is based on your hypothesis – have you proved or disproved your original statement?
Following this you should make 3 more conclusions, based on what you have discovered about your topic. It may be useful to consider the following ideas when writing your conclusions:
How successful or effective a course of action has been?
Trends over time such as whether a problem is getting worse or whether improvements have been made?
How much different individuals or groups agree or disagree over solutions or issues?

13. Section 4 – Conclusions - STRUCTURE
In conclusion, it is clear that my hypothesis is correct: gun crime is a growing problem in the USA, as the evidence shows that more and more people are dying due to gun-related violence.
I have also came to the conclusion that gun crime continues to increase because law enforcement officers continue to use their weapons in inappropriate situations.
Also, my research has shown that since the anti-machine gun laws in the USA ran-out, more mass shootings are occurring across the country.
However, it is clear from my research that many people in the USA do not see gun crime as an increasing problem and think that restricting access to gun ownership is against their rights.
1. Conclusion based directly on hypothesis.
2. Conclusion based on the successfulness/effectiveness of actions
3. Conclusion which highlights a trend over time/shows how a problem is progressing.
4. Conclusion which shows why some people/groups may disagree with your own views on the topic.

14. N5 Assignment – Overall Structure
SECTION 1 – Hypothesis and Aims (0 MARKS)
SECTION 2 – Evaluation of Research Methods (10 MARKS)
SECTION 3 – Research Findings – (6 MARKS)
SECTION 4 – Conclusions – (4 MARKS)
Resource Sheet - Bibliography of Sources (MUST ALSO BE HANDED IN)
Each section should be separate from the others as you will have to write this out in the SQA provided template.
Your Official Research Sheet will be given out to you before you complete the Assignment under exam conditions. You must bring this with you when you complete the Assignment under exam conditions.