Group A Specialist Electives: Advanced Carpentry Scope
What specialist electives cover
Group A electives extend beyond general framing and finishing into higher-skill or regulated work: formwork for concreting, stair construction, advanced roof framing, timber decking and external structures, shopfitting and detailed joinery, and heritage or specialised installations. Questions test sequencing, structural awareness, tolerances and compliance with standards and manufacturer instructions.
Concepts to master
For formwork, know the load path from wet concrete to bearers, joists, props and bracing, plus strike times and release agents. For stairs, understand rise-to-going relationships, the 2R+G rule, maximum and minimum dimensions, landing requirements, headroom, balustrade height and gap limits, and the difference between closed and open risers. For roofs, revise pitch, span, ridge and hip/valley geometry, underpurlins and strutting, and the effect of pitch on covering selection. For decking, focus on footing and bearer sizing, joist spacing, decking gaps, fixings, drainage and termite protection. Joinery questions test joint selection, tolerance, grain matching and hardware.
Traps in exam questions
- Confusing number of risers with number of goings (there is usually one fewer going than riser in a simple flight).
- Mixing up minimum balustrade height with maximum baluster gap.
- Assuming formwork can be struck at a fixed time regardless of concrete strength.
- Ignoring manufacturer span tables when substituting materials.
- Forgetting that decking must fall away from the building.
Worked example
A stair has a total rise of 2,700 mm. Rule of thumb: divide rise by a comfortable riser near 175 mm to find the number of risers - 2,700 ÷ 175 = 15.43, so use 15 risers of 180 mm (2,700 ÷ 15). With 2R+G ≈ 600–650 mm, a going near 275 mm gives 2(180)+275 = 635 mm, a comfortable proportion to verify against the applicable standard.