RUAE Skills: Evaluation (SQA National 5 English): Revision Note

Evaluation requires you to move beyond understanding and analysis to make a justified, well-reasoned judgement. Examiners want to see whether you can weigh up ideas, assess the reliability or effectiveness of a text, and explain your decision clearly. 

Strong evaluation shows awareness of bias, purpose and audience, and uses evidence to support balanced reasoning. It is not enough to point out strengths or weaknesses: you must comment on why they matter and how they influence the overall effectiveness of the text.

Making a personal judgement

To evaluate well, you must form a clear, defensible opinion based on the writer’s ideas, evidence and techniques. Your personal judgement should be rooted in the passage, not your own external knowledge.

How to form a strong judgement

1. Identify the focus of the question
   Ask yourself: what exactly are you being asked to evaluate?
   

2. Consider the writer’s methods
   Think about:

   • how convincing the evidence is

   • the clarity of the reasoning

   • the tone and style

   • the organisation of ideas

3. Acknowledge limitations
   Strong answers recognise where the text is less successful or where an argument is underdeveloped. Is there a counter-argument they haven’t considered?
   

4. Reach a clear conclusion
   State your judgement confidently and summarise the key reasons for it.

Supporting your judgement with relevant evidence and reasoning

To achieve top marks, you must not only select the best details, but also explain their relevance. The examiner is looking for reasoning that links evidence to your final conclusion.

Key principles when selecting evidence

• Be selective: choose only the points that genuinely strengthen your judgement

• Be contextual: show how the evidence functions within the passage

• Be reasoned: explain the significance of each point, not just what it shows

• Be balanced when required: show that you have considered more than one side

Developing your reasoning

When evaluating a text, ask yourself:

• How does this detail increase or reduce the text’s effectiveness?

• Does the writer support their claims logically?

• Is the language appropriate for the audience and purpose?

For a really effective evaluation, you need to move from what a particular language feature suggests, to why it supports your judgement:

Linking evidence directly to your conclusion shows clarity of thought and strong evaluative control.

Assessing a writer’s purpose, bias, and objectivity

Understanding a writer’s perspective is central to effective evaluation. Writers may present information fairly, or they may select details that support a particular agenda. Your job is to judge how far this affects the text’s reliability or success.

How to assess purpose

• Identify whether the writer aims to inform, persuade, entertain or argue

• Consider whether the chosen techniques (for example, rhetorical questions or direct address) match this purpose effectively

How to assess bias

• Look for selective evidence, one-sided arguments, exaggerated language or emotive appeals

• Ask whether the writer acknowledges alternative viewpoints or contradicting evidence

How to assess objectivity

• A text is more objective when it presents balanced information, uses neutral tone and offers credible evidence

• Consider whether subjective opinions are presented as facts:

  • For example, some newspaper articles called columns often present opinions as facts in order to persuade a reader

Questions to ask yourself when evaluating a text

Evaluating purpose and bias helps you reach a nuanced, well-supported judgement.

Evaluating overall impact and techniques

Your final step is to judge how successfully the writer achieves their overall aim. This means considering the combined effect of language, structure, evidence and tone. A text might be persuasive because its reasoning is clear, or ineffective because its tone is exaggerated or its structure confused.

What to consider

• Language choices: Do they enhance clarity, create impact, or distort meaning?

• Structural organisation: Does the order of ideas strengthen or weaken the argument?

• Use of evidence: Is it relevant, accurate and convincing?

• Tone and register: Are they appropriate for the audience and purpose?

Making your final evaluation

1. Summarise the writer’s main strengths

2. Acknowledge any weaknesses or limitations

3. State a clear, final judgement, based on the focus of the evaluation from the question

Learn more

Discover more SQA National 5 English RUAE exam tips in our expert revision notes: 

• How to Get Full Marks on the RUAE Questions