Practical Activity Planning — National 5 Electronics

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The practical activity is the biggest part of National 5 Electronics. This page explains how it is marked and how to plan the evidence so you don't lose easy marks.

Concept 1

How the course is assessed

30%

Question paper

60 marks, scaled to 30 · 1 hour · set & marked by SQA · data/formulae insert provided.

70%

Practical activity

70 marks · open-book with some supervision · set by SQA from a bank.

For the practical activity you produce three pieces of evidence:

the completed solution (your built, working circuit);
a record of progress — a project log or blog;
a short testing report.

Concept 2

The five marked stages (70 marks)

Five tasks, ten stages. The five tasks below are what your assessor records the marks against. The order you actually work in has ten stages — see the practical activity guide. They are the same 70 marks, counted two different ways.

Know where the marks are so you spend your time well — over half the marks are for safe, accurate construction.

1 · Analysis & design7 marks

Read the brief; identify the input, process and output requirements; choose suitable sub-systems and components; produce a design (block and circuit diagrams). Practise this stage with the Block Diagram Builder.

2 · Designing & simulating7 marks

Simulate the design, test it on screen, and use the results to confirm or improve it before building.

3 · Construction (safe working)44 marks

Build the circuit accurately and tidily using safe working practices (especially soldering safety). This is the largest single block of marks.

4 · Testing7 marks

Carry out pre-power-up and functionality testing (input → process → output) and record the results.

5 · Reporting5 marks

Keep a clear record of progress and write up your testing, evaluating how well the solution works.

The practical activity is marked in five stages. The stage worth the most marks is , where you must use safe working practices — especially safety. You keep a record of progress in a .

Practice 1

Which stage carries the most marks, and what is the key thing assessed in it?

Answer

Construction (44 marks) — building the circuit accurately while using safe working practices (e.g. soldering safety).

Concept 3

Project log / blog template

Keep a short entry each lesson — this is your record of progress. Use these prompts (print this page if it helps):

Each entry

Date & aim — what did you set out to do today?
What I did — the steps you completed (with a photo or sketch where useful).
Problems & decisions — anything that went wrong and how you solved it.
Tests done — what you checked and the result.
Next steps — what you will do next lesson.

✍️ Sentence starters

Today I _______.

A problem was _______, so I _______.

I tested _______ and it _______.

Next lesson I will _______.

Practice 2

Write a one-sentence log entry for a lesson where you soldered the resistors and found one was the wrong value.

Example

"Soldered R1–R3; continuity check found R2 read 470 Ω not 4.7 kΩ, so I desoldered it and fitted the correct 4.7 kΩ resistor — next lesson I will fit the LED."

Concept 4

Testing report template

Record your testing in a table, not as prose — one row per test, with three columns. State the test plan (what you did and what you expected), the result you observed, and any repair you made.

Test plan	Result	Repair made?
Press the switch — output LED should light.	LED stayed off; voltmeter read 0 V across the LED.	LED was fitted in reverse — turned it round; LED now lights when the switch is pressed.
Cover the LDR — buzzer should sound (light alarm).	Buzzer sounded correctly when the LDR was covered.	None needed — working as designed.
Measure the divider output as the LDR is covered.	Voltage rose from 1.1 V to 3.9 V as expected.	None needed.

✍️ Sentence starters

I tested the _______.

I used a _______, connected _______.

It should _______. It actually _______.

So the circuit works / does not work because _______.

Tip: a clear "expected vs actual" makes faults obvious and shows the marker you tested systematically.

Practice 3

Your output LED should light when the switch is pressed but stays off. Write the "expected" and "actual" lines of a testing report entry.

Example

Expected: pressing the switch lights the LED. Actual: LED stays off; voltmeter shows 0 V across the LED — fault traced to the LED fitted in reverse, which was then turned round.

Concept 5

Conditions: open-book, supervised, independent

Open-book — you may use your notes and resources, but the work must be your own.
Some supervision — your teacher oversees the work, especially for safety.
Reasonable assistance — general help (e.g. reminding you of a safety rule, or where to find information) is allowed; doing the analysis, design, construction or testing for you is not.

I understand the brief and the input/process/output it needs.
I have a design and have simulated it before building.
I know the soldering safety measures I will use.
I am keeping a log entry every lesson.
I am recording tests as expected vs actual.

Practice 4

During the practical activity, which of these is allowed: (a) a teacher solders a tricky joint for you, or (b) a teacher reminds you to clamp the work and use fume extraction?

Answer

(b) is reasonable assistance (a general safety reminder). (a) is not allowed — the construction must be your own work.

📚 Useful resources

Practical activity guide — your brief and the ten stages Block Diagram Builder — practise stage 1 Testing methods & checklist Exam & revision Notes & booklets

Interactive

Master Planner — order the five stages

Put the five marked stages of the practical activity into the correct order. Use the ▲ / ▼ buttons to move each stage. Get all five in the right place to earn the 🗂️ Master Planner badge.

Check

Check your understanding

Answer the multiple-choice questions, then mark yourself with the RAG self-check.

RAG self-check

Tap Red / Amber / Green for how confident you feel.

Practical Activity — Planning