Practical/Project Work and Applied Home Science
The practical paper rewards correct procedure and clear recording, not only a finished product. Expect a skill activity or experiment, a project or survey report, the record file and a viva.
Scheme and what is assessed
Usually theory 70 marks plus practical 30 marks, assessed on the record file, one skill activity, the project report and the viva; confirm the current board scheme for your year. Examiners look for correct method, safe handling, neat labelling and the ability to explain why each step was done.
Project report format
- Title and aim. 2. Introduction and need. 3. Objectives (two or three, measurable). 4. Methodology - sample, tools, procedure, controls. 5. Observations in tables or graphs. 6. Analysis and discussion. 7. Conclusion and suggestions. 8. Limitations. 9. References.
Activities to be ready for
- Nutrition: 24-hour dietary recall checked against RDA; germination and vitamin C change; food tests - iodine for starch, biuret for protein, grease spot for fat, dye decolourisation for vitamin C.
- Adulteration: iodine in milk for starch, metanil yellow in turmeric.
- Preservation: squash, jam or pickle, with total soluble solids and a correct label.
- Textiles: fibre identification by burn test, thread count, stain removal, mending and buttonholing.
- Human development: milestone observation of a child, preparing a toy or picture book.
- Resource management: family budget, time plan, label comparison survey.
- Housing: colour scheme board, curtain measurement.
- First aid: bandaging a fracture, dressing a burn.
Worked example
Project: "Does sprouting increase the vitamin C of green gram?" Answer: take two equal 50 g samples; soak and germinate one for 24 hours in a moist cloth, keep the other dry as control. Estimate vitamin C by dye decolourisation using the same extract volume and dye for both; repeat three times and average. Result: the germinated sample decolourises more dye, so its vitamin C is higher, because germination synthesises ascorbic acid. Record limitations: temperature, seed lot and titration error.
Traps
- Stating a conclusion with no data table.
- Omitting the control sample.
- An incomplete file, or a report without limitations and references.
- Being unable to justify a step during the viva.