Practical / Project Work and Portfolio
What the exam tests
Your practical process and portfolio: evidence of research, design development, pattern and construction skill, costing, quality checks and evaluation. The viva tests whether you can explain decisions, not just show a final garment.
Core rules
- A portfolio is a process record, not a scrapbook: cover → contents → brief/client → mood board → research → design development → technical flats → final illustrations → fabric and trim swatches → pattern → construction samples → final photographs → cost sheet → quality checks → evaluation.
- Every sample should be labelled with fibre, fabric, stitch/needle, seam allowance and purpose.
- Specifications include measurements, grade rules, seams, trims, label and packing.
- Evaluate against the brief: fit, function, finish, cost and sustainability.
- Practical exam safety: correct machine threading, needle guard, iron temperature for the fibre, tidy workstation.
Worked example
A project brief is “sustainable kidswear for ages 4–6”. Reasoning: the mood board uses recycled cotton and natural dyes; three design developments are sketched; the final dungaree uses a French seam for comfort, adjustable straps and a grow-with-me hem. The cost sheet includes fabric, thread, labels and packaging; the evaluation records fit on a child, seam strength and wash performance. The portfolio shows why each choice was made, not only the final product.
Traps
- Presenting only final illustrations with no research or iteration.
- Omitting fabric swatches and specification sheets, so the design cannot be reproduced.
- Leaving unsafe machine practice or an untidy workstation in the practical exam.