At National 5 level the Close Reading exam makes up 20% of your final grade.
A good way to improve your close reading skills is to read some non-fiction. The easiest way to do this through online newspaper articles.
Newspapers that often have articles used as exam texts:
“Opinion” pieces are a good place to start as the writer usually has some strong opinions and views to share.
To help you prepare for the Close Reading exam paper you could:
- Pick out the writer’s main points
- Work out the tone used
- Use context clues to work out difficult words
- Comment on effective punctuation
- Identify linking sentences
- Look for imagery and comment on its effectiveness
- Put Key points into your own words.
If you find a good article with lots of close reading potential you can even share it in the comments.