Practical Skills, Project Work and Portfolio (School-Based Assessment)
Domain 11 tests practical competence and evidence of project work. You must show safe technique, correct sequence and a portfolio that proves what you did, not just what you copied.
Core rules and concepts
- Practical skills may include bed making, towel folding, table setting, napkin folding, mocktail preparation, greeting and check-in role-play, itinerary preparation and guided walk presentation.
- Project work steps: choose a topic, set aim, research, plan, take permissions, prepare budget and risk plan, execute, record evidence, reflect and present.
- A portfolio is a organised collection of checklists, photographs, drafts, feedback, logbook entries and reflections. Each entry should state date, task, skill, evidence and learning.
- Assessment rubrics usually reward preparation, safety, hygiene, teamwork, communication, accuracy and reflection.
- Use school and community resources ethically; obtain consent before recording people or places.
Worked example
A heritage-walk project in your locality. Aim: identify five heritage structures and explain their significance. Reasoning: first get permission from the school and local authority; map a safe route; prepare a risk plan for traffic and weather; write a script; rehearse; record attendance and feedback; add photographs and a reflection on what went well and what to improve. The portfolio should show planning, execution and learning, not only a final poster.
Traps that cost marks
- Copying a project from the internet without field evidence.
- Missing reflection or feedback.
- Ignoring safety, permissions and consent.
- Presenting only a final product with no process records.
- Using unsafe or unhygienic practical technique during assessment.