National 5 Gaelic (Learners)

Learning a new language allows you to make connections with different people and their cultures. Language is at the core of thinking. You reflect, communicate and develop ideas through language.

Studying Gaelic will deepen your knowledge and understanding of Scottish culture and heritage. The recent revival in the Gaelic language means there are now more career opportunities for people who can speak it. Career options include teaching, the performing arts, media and literature and in TV and radio.

This course offers you the opportunity to develop skills in reading, listening, talking and writing in Gaelic, which are essential for learning, work and life. You will also learn to understand how language works and how to get across information and ideas.

You will study a wide range of various types of texts in a variety media. You will also learn to think critically, creatively and develop cultural awareness.

The course comprises three areas of study.

Reading and Writing; Listening

You will develop:

• reading, writing and listening skills in Gaelic

• your knowledge of detailed language in the contexts of society, learning, employability and culture.

Assignment – Writing

You will develop:

• writing and grammatical skills in Gaelic

• your knowledge and understanding of detailed language in the contexts of society, learning, employability and culture.

Performance – Talking

You will develop:

• talking and writing skills in Gaelic

• your knowledge and understanding of detailed language in the contexts of society, learning, employability and culture.

The course assessment has five components totalling 120 marks:

• Component 1: question paper 1: Reading – worth 30 marks

• Component 2: question paper 1: Writing – worth 20 marks 

• Component 3: question paper 2: Listening – worth 20 marks 

• Component 4: assignment - writing – worth 20 marks

• Component 5: performance - talking – worth 30 marks.

For the performance component, you will be asked to deliver a spoken presentation and take part in a conversation in Gaelic in one of the following contexts: society, learning, employability or culture. Your performance will be set by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) and marked internally by an SQA assessor.

The question papers will be set and marked externally by the SQA.

The grade awarded is based on the total marks achieved across all course assessment components.

The course assessment is graded A-D.