National 4 Mathematics
Course Specification
This explains the overall structure of the Course, including its purpose and aims and information on the skills, knowledge and understanding that will be developed.
Unit Specifications
These provide an outline of what each Unit will cover within the following Unit Specifications and detail the Outcomes and Assessment Standards.
Added Value Unit Specification
These define the mandatory requirements for the Added Value Unit, including the Outcomes and Assessment Standards.
They also include the further mandatory information on Course coverage for the National 4 Course and include information on the assessment method to be used and the conditions of assessment.
Added Value Unit Assessment
The Mathematics Added Value Unit assessment is a test. Centres are permitted to adapt the published assessment within limits that are clearly described in the Assessment Overview of the Added Value Unit assessment. In accordance with this, the assessor provides an opportunity for candidates to respond to a set of questions which cover each of the skills to be assessed.
Centres can access the assessment through their SQA Co-ordinator.
As with all SQA Unit assessments, Added Value Unit assessments must be internally verified by centres.
Course and Unit Support Notes
These provide advice and guidance for teachers/lecturers on learning, teaching and assessment within the Course and its Units.
Past Papers and Marking Instructions
Unit Assessment Support
These documents contain details of Unit assessment task(s), show approaches to gathering evidence and how the evidence can be judged against the Outcomes and Assessment Standards. Teachers/lecturers can arrange access to these confidential documents through their SQA Co-ordinator.
Verification and Course reports
Qualification Verification Summary Reports distil messages from verification activity from a given session. In 2020 not all planned activity took place, so reports have a more limited scope than in previous years.
- Mathematics Qualification Verification Summary Report Round 1 and 2
June 2023 - Mathematics Qualification Verification Summary Report
June 2022 - Mathematics Verification Key Messages Round 1
March 2017 - Mathematics Verification Key Messages Round 2
June 2017 - Mathematics Qualification Verification Summary Report June 2019
June 2019 - Mathematics Qualification Verification Summary Report
June 2020 - Mathematics Verification Key Messages Round 1 March 2018
Understanding Standards
Examples of candidate evidence with commentaries
Examples of candidate evidence and commentaries for unit assessment can be found on the SQA secure site. You can access these through your SQA Coordinator.
Course assessment overview
- Overview of unit assessment - presentation with audio (6.55 MB)
- Overview of Added Value unit assessment - presentation with audio (3.31 MB)
Changes to understanding standards materials
Please note: Understanding Standards materials are regularly reviewed to ensure they remain up to date.
Related Information
- Advanced Higher Mathematics Analysis Grid (15.6 KB)
- Higher Mathematics Analysis Grid (204 KB)
- Mathematics command words (90 KB)
- National 4 Mathematics Added Value Analysis Grid (13 KB)
- National 5 Mathematics Analysis Grid (29 KB)
- Mathematics Marking Guidance (269 KB)
- NQs - notification of changes to documents
Contact Information
- Candidate and General Enquiries
- 0345 279 1000