Practical Work, Project, and Portfolio Assessment
This domain covers the practical file, project report, portfolio and viva - where marks come from documented evidence and your ability to explain your own work.
Core rules
- Deliverables usually include a practical file (each activity with aim, procedure, observation, result), a project report, a portfolio and a viva or demonstration.
- Project report structure: title page, certificate, acknowledgement, index, introduction, objectives, requirement analysis, design, implementation, testing, conclusion, bibliography.
- A portfolio is curated evidence, not a folder dump: captioned screenshots, sample files, certificates, and a reflective note on what you learned and what you would improve.
- Documentation discipline: consistent file naming such as project_name_v2.xlsx, version control, dated entries, cited sources.
- Rubrics usually weight relevance to the syllabus, completeness, accuracy, presentation, originality and viva performance.
- In the viva you must explain every formula, query or design choice; you cannot defend work you did not do.
Worked example
A spreadsheet project on 'Monthly household budget' scores well because it uses real categories with =SUM() totals, an =IF() flag when spending exceeds budget, a labelled pie or column chart, currency formatting, and a note explaining assumptions. Marks are lost if totals are typed as fixed numbers, the chart has no title, or the student cannot explain the IF formula in the viva. Reasoning: examiners reward demonstrated process and understanding, not decorative formatting.
Traps
- Submitting a downloaded project; plagiarism is detectable and penalised.
- Screenshots with no caption or date.
- No testing evidence - no before/after or error cases.
- A disorganised folder, so nothing can be located during the viva.
- Writing only theory with no output or result shown.