CRITERIA FOR THE INTERNAL ASSESSMENT

The following are the guidelines for assessing the journal.

The journal is internally assessed by the teacher and externally moderated by CXC.

Each candidate will be required to complete a journal in which he/she will be expected to
demonstrate the practical skills listed on Page 53.

THE JOURNAL

The reports for a series of site-visits and laboratory exercises associated with the site-visits
are recorded in the journal.

The journal will comprise:

an entry for each site visit

a report for the journal
a final report on the set of site-visits

Each student is expected to conduct and write a final report on a minimum of four (4) site
visits and four (4) laboratory exercises.

Site visits should be based either on visits to one site where changes over a period of
time are observed OR on a series of visits to different sites to compare and contrast
similar processes or occurrences.

Laboratory exercises should relate to each or any of the series of site-visits.

The entries for the site-visits and the reports for the laboratory exercises MUST
inform the final report for the journal. The final report must not exceed 1500 words.

Teachers are expected to work closely with students by providing feedback on all aspects of the
project.

Students should be encouraged to develop the habit of keen observation, relevant and precise
reporting, concise recording and the ability for critical thinking, problem-solving and decision-
making.

Each student is required to keep a record (journal) for the reports on the laboratory exercises and a
final report for entries on the site-visits.

It is recommended that the assessment criteria be available to candidates at all times.

Site-Visit

The entry for each site-visit should be recorded using the format below:

CXC A25/U2/10 55
 Entry Number

Date

Site (Location)

(iv) Objective(s) 1 mark

(v) Activities 4 marks

(vi) Observations 2 marks

(vii) Comments 2 marks

(viii) Follow-up Activities 1 mark

10 Marks

The teacher is required to assess each site-visit for a maximum of 10 marks. The total from a
maximum of 40 marks should be scaled to 10 marks. No fractional marks should be awarded.

Laboratory Exercise

The areas that will be assessed in the report for each laboratory exercise are:

(a) Planning and Designing; 4 marks

(b) Observation and Recording; 5 marks
(c) Manipulation and Measurement; 2 marks
(d) Analysis and Interpretation; 6 marks
(e) Reporting and Presentation. 3 marks
20 marks
Total
(Scaled to 10 marks)

The teacher is required to mark and award a score out of a maximum of 20 marks for each laboratory
report and then scale to 10 marks. No fractional marks should be awarded.

These entries for the site-visits and the laboratory reports should inform the final report for the
journal.

Laboratory exercises should be reported using the format below:

i) Title ii) Aim

CXC A25/U2/10 56
iii) Materials iv) Procedure

v) Data Collection/Results vi) Discussion and Conclusions

 Final Report for Journal

The areas that will be assessed in the final report for the journal are summarised in the table below.

Final Report for Journal Marks

1. Clarity of the statement of the real world problem being studied (project 2
description)

2. Definition of the scope of the project (purpose of project) 3

3. Adequacy of information/data gathered and the appropriateness of the

design chosen for investigating the problem 3

4. Appropriateness of the literature review 5

5. Presentation of data/Analysis of data 6

6. Discussion of findings 8

7. Conclusion 3

8. Recommendations 4

9. Communication of information 4

10. Bibliography 2

Total 40

CXC A25/U2/10 57