WHAT IS NATIONAL 5 APPLICATIONS?
National 5 Applications of Maths is an alternative Mathematics qualification to traditional National 5 Maths. It is valued at SCQF Level 5. The course was introduced in 2017/18 as an alternative to National 5 Lifeskills which has since been made defunct.
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The achieve a National 5 in Applications you must sit the two exams one non-calculator, which is 45 marks. The other is a calculator paper which is 65 marks.
Who is it for and what are the benefits?
The course is aimed at learners who are comfortable with level four and wish to continue their progress in maths, but would perhaps struggle to grasp the more abstract topics in traditional National 5 Mathematics.
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The benefits include being tailored to real life situations so a great deal of problems can be solved with a very basic level of maths but having good problem solving skills. This makes it an ideal course for people wanting to return to education after some time in order to gain a qualification equivalent to National 5 Maths.
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Universities across Scotland are in agreement that National 5 Applications of Mathematics can be accepted as an alternative to having National 5 Mathematics although it should be noted that there are exceptions.