National 5 Computing Science
National 5 Computing Science is marked out of 120: an 80-mark exam and a 40-mark practical assignment. The 2027 exam is on Thursday 27 May, 9:00 to 10:30.
- Question paper09:00 to 10:30
What grade is my mark?
Type a total mark to see the grade it would have got.
How the A and C boundaries have moved
Boundaries as a share of the total marks. A lower line means the papers were judged harder that year. Qualifications Scotland publishes boundaries from 2022 in this format.
| Year | Out of | A | B | C | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 120 | 84 | 71 | 58 | 45 |
| 2025 | 120 | 86 | 74 | 62 | 50 |
| 2024 | 120 | 84 | 72 | 60 | 48 |
| 2023 | 120 | 84 | 70 | 56 | 42 |
| 2022 | 120 | 84 | 70 | 57 | 43 |
How it is assessed
The exam carries 80 marks in 1 hour 30 minutes. Section 1 is compulsory and worth 55 marks, covering software design and development plus computer systems. You then answer either Section 2 on databases or Section 3 on web design, each worth 25 marks.
The assignment carries 40 marks and must be done within 6 hours. These hours can be spread over several lessons. Task 1 on software is compulsory and worth 25 marks. You then do either the database task or the web task, worth 15 marks.
Answers that need code can be written in any programming language. That includes the exam.
Inside the assignment
The tasks follow the development stages: analysis, design, implementation, testing and evaluation. Task 1 asks for a working program. The database and web tasks follow the same cycle on a smaller scale. Keep your design and test evidence clear, because each stage carries marks.
Strong and weak areas in 2025
Candidates did well on 1-mark computer systems questions, such as binary conversion. They also did well when asked to state or identify features of code. Many identified key attributes and relationships in databases and wrote CSS for a heading.
The demanding areas were:
- describe and explain questions answered without technical language
- applying problem solving to unfamiliar contexts
- writing SQL update statements
- explaining how to reduce the size of a sound file
- in the assignment, telling functional requirements apart from end-user requirements
- writing complete CSS rules, often missing properties such as font size
The report asked teachers to build problem solving and apply standard algorithms in new contexts. It also said input validation should use a conditional loop, not a single if statement.
Practical revision
Write code by hand as well as on screen, because the exam is on paper. Learn the standard algorithms well enough to adapt them. Read every question twice and match your answer to the command word.
Using past papers
The 2025 paper used this same structure, so recent papers are direct practice. Sit Section 1 plus your chosen option in 1 hour 30 minutes. Mark with the marking instructions, which accept any valid language.
Revision checklist
Tick topics as you revise. Ticks are saved on this device only.
- Write the input validation algorithm with a conditional loop from memory.
- Practise running total, traversing an array and other standard algorithms on paper.
- Convert between binary and denary and explain floating-point representation.
- Learn the difference between end-user and functional requirements with an example of each.
- Write SQL select, insert, update and delete statements for a sample database.
- Write full CSS rules with selector, property and value, including font size and colour.
- Practise explaining how the size of a sound file could be reduced.
- Answer describe and explain questions using correct technical terms.
- Sit Section 1 plus your option in 1 hour 30 minutes using a recent past paper.
- Practise tracing code by hand to predict its output.
Quick answers
- How many marks is National 5 Computing Science out of?
120 marks. The exam has 80 marks and the assignment has 40.
- Do I answer both the database and web sections?
No. Everyone answers Section 1, then either the database section or the web section.
- Which programming language can I use in the exam?
Any language. The course specification says code answers may be in any programming language.
- When is the National 5 Computing Science exam in 2027?
Thursday 27 May 2027, 9:00 to 10:30.