Coursework and Practical Application
Coursework and Practical Application tests how you plan, make, check and document a practical project. The examiner looks for a clear brief, a sensible sequence, accurate marking out, safe machine use, quality joints, a suitable finish and honest evaluation.
Core rules
- Start with a brief and a cutting list. The cutting list gives material, quantity, finished size and allowances; it prevents waste and shows planning.
- Work out the sequence before cutting: face side and face edge, marking out, datums, joints, dry assembly, glue-up, finishing.
- Use tolerances: check square with a try square, diagonals for frames and winding sticks for twist. Test-fit joints before glue.
- Record evidence: sketches, photographs, test results, risk assessments and an evaluation of what worked and what you would change.
Worked example
Make a small stool. Cutting list: four legs 400 mm, four rails, one seat. Mark face side and face edge on each leg, set out mortises from a common datum, cut tenons with a fine saw and chisel, and dry assemble. Check the frame for square by comparing diagonals; only then glue and clamp. Clean up, ease arrises, apply a finish and evaluate stability, joint tightness and finish against the brief.
Traps
Cutting without a cutting list, gluing before a dry fit, forcing a joint, skipping the square check and leaving no photographic or written evidence are common mark-losers.