Learning a new language lets you connect with different people and their cultures. You think, talk about and create ideas through language.
Almost 100 million people around the world speak Urdu, which is the main language of Pakistan. And, it is widely spoken in India, Bangladesh, Nepal and the Middle East. Some 400 thousand people in the UK speak Urdu. Urdu uses the Arabic alphabet, the second most used alphabet in the world. So, you will find learning Urdu really helpful if you want to learn languages like Hindi, Arabic, Persian, Kurdish or Punjabi.
The skills you develop in Urdu are useful in many different career areas such as languages, teaching and classroom support, travel or media.
Career Pathways
To see what career areas this subject could lead to and the routes to get there, download and view these career pathways:
Arts, Social Sciences and Languages
Hospitality, Leisure and Tourism
Information, Culture and Heritage
Uniformed and Security Services
Entry is at the discretion of the school or college. You would normally have achieved:
This course offers you the opportunity to develop your skills in reading, listening, talking and writing in Urdu, which are essential for learning, work and life. You will also learn to understand how language works and how to communicate information and ideas.
You will study a wide range of various types of texts in a variety media. You will also learn to think critically, creatively and develop cultural awareness.
The course comprises three areas of study.
Reading and Writing; Listening
You will develop:
Assignment – Writing
You will develop:
Performance – Talking
You will develop:
Please note - for the 2022-23 session there is no assignment, only the 4 components.
The course assessment has five components totalling 120 marks:
For the performance component, you will be asked to deliver a spoken presentation and take part in a conversation in Urdu in one of the following contexts: society, learning, employability or culture. Your performance will be set by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) and marked internally by an SQA assessor.
The question papers will be set and marked externally by the SQA.
The grade awarded is based on the total marks achieved across all course assessment components.
The course assessment is graded A-D.
If you complete the course successfully, it may lead to:
Further study, training or employment in:
Your school will give your parents an Options or Choices information booklet, which has detailed information on the curriculum and the individual subjects or courses you can study. It will also invite them along to a Parents’ Information Evening.
They can also read the information leaflet(s):
Nationals in a Nutshell - Modern Languages (Urdu) (National 5)
