Practical and Internal Assessment
What the exam tests
The practical and internal component marks what you can actually do: a front-office check-in role-play, a bed-making demonstration, a table set-up, one prepared dish, a communication task and a project file with viva. Examiners score process and explanation, not just the finished article.
Core rules and concepts
- Keep a practical file: attendance, workshop records, recipes or procedures, photographs of your own work, and a signed log.
- Grooming is assessed silently throughout: clean uniform, closed shoes, trimmed nails, tied hair, minimal jewellery, ID card.
- Front office role-play is scored on greeting, registration accuracy, key handover, information about facilities and closing.
- Housekeeping bed-making is timed: strip, sheets mitred and tucked, pillowcase openings hidden, bedspread symmetrical, room left safe.
- F&B set-up is scored on cutlery order, glass positions, napkin fold and overall symmetry of the cover.
- Food production is scored on mise en place, hygiene, cooking method, seasoning, plating and safe clearing of the station.
- Project report structure: title, objectives, place studied, methodology, findings, photographs, conclusion, acknowledgements.
Worked example
A bed-making demo for marks: knock and announce, strip and inspect the mattress, place the bottom sheet right side up and mitre all four corners, add the top sheet and blanket, insert the pillow and hide the opening, smooth the bedspread. In the viva you are asked why corners are mitred - answer: to hold the sheet firmly, keep the bed safe to sit on and give a tidy finish. Reasoning shown earns the second mark; a silent correct action alone often does not.
Traps that cost marks
Submitting a downloaded or copied project; arriving without full uniform; being fast but rough (spills, uneven covers); failing to sanitise hands before food handling; not knowing the "why" in viva; leaving the workstation dirty at the end.