Practical Workshop and Project Work
What the domain covers
Practical Workshop and Project Work tests safe hand skills, measurement, cutting, joining, fixing, testing and finished work quality. The examiner looks for sequence, accuracy and housekeeping as much as the final joint.
Core rules
- Plan the job, collect tools and PPE, isolate supplies and protect the work area.
- Measure twice, mark clearly, cut squarely, deburr and dry-fit before making a permanent joint.
- Clamp work in a vice; use the correct saw, cutter, die or cement; do not force a fitting.
- Support pipes, keep the required fall on drainage, align fixtures level and plumb, and leave access to valves and traps.
- Test before handing over: pressure-test supply lines and flow-test drains; clean the area and record the work.
Worked example
Install a PVC P-trap under a wash basin. Isolate the supply, remove the old trap, measure from the basin outlet to the waste connection, cut the pipe, deburr, dry-fit the trap and mark the socket depth. Apply primer and PVC solvent cement, insert with a quarter-turn, hold briefly, support the trap and maintain fall to the wall pipe. Test by running water and checking for seepage. The reasoning is that dry-fitting prevents a wrong cut, and cementing without primer or support risks a leaking joint.
Traps that cost marks
Skipping the dry fit, using too much cement, failing to deburr, leaving the trap unsupported, giving a drain backfall, and not testing before the customer uses the fixture.