Practical / Portfolio Work and Presentation
This domain tests how you plan, produce and present practical work. Expect questions on portfolio selection, sketchbook evidence, mounting, labelling and safe workshop practice.
Core rules
- A portfolio should show range and depth: observational work, design development, final outcomes and a coherent theme. Include process evidence - thumbnails, notes, tests and rejected options.
- The sketchbook is dated and annotated: what you tried, why, and what changed. Experiments and failures are evidence of thinking.
- Mounting: use clean margins, straight cuts, dry mounting or archival adhesive, and avoid bubbles. Label each work with title, medium, support, size and date, consistently.
- Presentation sequence matters: open with a strong piece, group related work, and end with a resolved outcome. Use neutral backgrounds and avoid glare.
- Digital portfolios need consistent file naming, correct resolution and a PDF that opens without missing fonts.
- In a timed practical: plan, test colours, complete the final, then mount and clean up. Keep blades retracted, cut away from the body, and ventilate solvent use.
Worked example
A three-hour practical asks for a poster. Spend 10 minutes on three thumbnails, 20 minutes on a full-size rough and colour tests, 2 hours on the final, 20 minutes on mounting and labelling, and 10 minutes on cleanup. Photograph the work before submission. The reasoning: the final carries most marks, but presentation and process evidence carry the rest; an unfinished mount can lose more than an extra detail gains.
Traps that cost marks
- Submitting only final pieces with no development.
- Overworking a piece until the paper or surface is damaged.
- Crooked mounting, visible adhesive or inconsistent labels.
- Unsafe cutting or solvent use.
- Missing title, medium or date on the label.