Practical/Laboratory Skills and Project Work
Practical and project-work questions test laboratory safety, documentation, testing discipline and honest project reporting.
Laboratory practice
Before starting: know the lab rules, check cables and power, and never open a powered supply. Save work frequently with clear names and keep a backup. In programming labs, write the algorithm or pseudocode first, then code, then test. Document inputs, outputs, errors and corrections; keep source files, not only screenshots.
Project work
A project report should state the problem, aims, requirements, design, code or procedure, test evidence and evaluation. Test tables should include normal, boundary and invalid data. Acknowledge sources and follow the school’s plagiarism policy. If a project uses personal data, minimise collection and obtain consent.
Worked example
A program assigns grades: marks ≥ 60 → A, 33–59 → B, below 33 → Fail. Test cases: 100 (A, upper boundary), 60 (A, boundary), 59 (B), 33 (B, lower pass boundary), 32 (Fail), -1 and 101 (invalid). The reasoning: boundaries reveal off-by-one errors; invalid values check validation. Record expected and actual results; if 60 returns B, the comparison uses > instead of ≥.
Traps that cost marks
- Testing only typical values and ignoring boundaries.
- Submitting code without evidence that it runs.
- Forgetting to close files or release resources.
- Copying a project without citation, which is both unethical and a marking risk.