Criteria | Breakdown | Example |
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1 – Planning the project | ||
1.1 The student set a clear aim for the project and broke it down into smaller objectives | The student defined and clearly communicated the overall aim of their project and broke it down into smaller, achievable objectives. | The aim for this project is to investigate the causes and consequences of dehydration and learn more about what oral rehydration treatments are made of. My objectives are:
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1.2 The student explained a wider purpose for the project | The students explained the wider purpose of the project and gave some examples of real-world applications. | This project is important as dehydration is an issue across the globe. Developing better treatments may help thousands of people. |
1.3 The student identified a range of approaches to the project Explanation: This criterion is about how the project as a whole will be achieved and not just the method for any experiments undertaken. Remember that there are different types of CREST projects . | The student described and evaluated a few possible approaches to completing their project. | My project can be done more than one way. I could do an experiment or just take a survey. Doing an experiment is good because I will collect primary data which I can evaluate. However, it will take a lot of time and could cost quite a lot possibly to get all the equipment. Doing the survey would be good because I could ask lots of people in a short amount of time, making my project’s results more reliable. The downside is that my results will be of what people think, and the truth might be different from what they think. |
1.4 The student described their plan for the project and why they chose that approach Explanation: This criterion is about stating the plan for the project at a high-level with students reflecting on and justifying their choices. | The student summarised the approach they will take and gave a simple justification for their choice. | I will start by completing research and then will undertake my practical investigation. I have chosen this approach because it is the cheapest and quickest way of completing my project’s aim. Once this is done, I will work on my analysis and conclusions and then think about the best way to communicate my ideas. |
1.5 The student planned and organised their time well Explanation: This criterion is about evidencing their plan. At Bronze level, we want to see something explicit like a breakdown of timings and dates or a timeline. It’s insufficient for students to only state that they planned. Note that the plan should cover the whole project, from planning and researching; to gathering data; to analysing results and drawing conclusions; to reflecting and presenting the project. | The student broke down the project into a rough timeline and provided timings. | I am doing this project alone, so I will have to make sure I know exactly when I will complete my work. I will be taking part in an after-school club. I will use the first 2 hours for planning, then 2 hours for research, 4 hours for my practical and 4 hours for working on my presentation/editing my report. I might run over time, so I’ve made sure that I can go to every after-school club from now to the end of term. |
2 – Throughout the project | ||
2.1 The student made good use of the materials and people available | The student used resources and people made available to them. | I used the science lab at school and the IT suite during my lunch breaks. My teacher was really helpful when I had a problem and encouraged me to finish my project. |
2.2 The student researched the background to the project and acknowledged their sources appropriately | The student researched some background information and referred to their research in their project. Most of their research is from secondary sources – books, websites etc. | We did some research in the school library and used books such as “Electrical circuits”. We also used some websites such as BBC Bitesize . |
3 – Finalising the project | ||
3.1 The student made logical conclusions and explained the implications for the wider world | The student made logical conclusions and linked them to the wider
world. | From my research I can tell that water salt and sugar are the main components of oral rehydration solutions. This makes sense, as dehydration is caused when you are giving off more water than you are taking in, and so you are losing salts and sugars too. This is important as learning more about dehydration will help us treat it better. |
3.2 The student explained how their actions and decisions affected the project’s outcome Explanation: This criterion is about understanding how the student’s actions and decisions affected the project. The student should be able to demonstrate a reflective approach. “I decided to do X and this changed my project in the following ways…” | The student showed an understanding of how their project went and how their actions changed the outcome of the project. | I think my project was a mixed success. It went well because I was able to achieve my aim, as I researched some causes of dehydration and tested some rehydration therapies to find out what they were made from. It didn’t go well because I found the experiments hard and it took me a long time to finish them. This meant I wasn’t able to repeat my experiment as much as I would have liked. |
3.3 The student explained what they have learnt and reflected on what they could improve | The student explained what they learned and gave a few ways the project could be improved. | I’ve learned a lot about dehydration, and more about how it can be treated. I think I developed my research and practical skills, and I now feel confident doing research by myself. The project could be improved by repeating the tests with each rehydration therapy at least three times so an averaging can be taken. |
4 – Project-wide criteria | ||
4.1 The student showed understanding of the science behind their project, appropriate to their level Explanation: The subject knowledge and complexity of the project should be at these levels. | Key Stage 3/Level 1 3rd/4th level: First year – Third year (S1, S2, S3) IB Middle Years Programme | |
4.2 The student made decisions to direct the project, taking account of ethical and safety issues | The student made decisions about how the project would progress with ongoing support from their educator/mentor. They followed educator/mentor instructions to work in a safe and ethical way. | I spoke to Mr Rodriguez about the way I wanted to run my project and he had a couple suggestions including using Benedicts solution to test for sugars in the rehydration treatments. He helped us plan the experiments so that we were working in a safe way. We wore lab coats and goggles to avoid getting anything in our eyes. We also made sure to wash our hands after the experiments just in case. There weren’t really any ethical or safety issues, other than the fact that I couldn’t do any tests on a dehydrated person for obvious reasons. |
4.3 The student showed creative thinking Explanation: This criterion draws on Bloom’s taxonomy. At Bronze level, the student showed evidence of working at the, “understanding” and, “applying” levels of cognition. | The student applied their understanding of directly related subject matter and ideas to achieve the project’s aim. | I used my existing knowledge and research on aeroplane wings, to create the different designs for the wings of my glider (as seen below). |
4.4 The student identified and overcame problems successfully Evidence: It is highly unlikely a project was problem free. If no problems were encountered, the student should describe problems that could have occurred and how they were avoided. | The student showed they considered any problems they encountered. They resolved the issues with simple but effective solutions. | I had some problems with the practical side of the project, but once I asked my teacher for help I found it much easier to complete. |
4.5 The student explained their project clearly, in writing or conversation | The student communicated the project in an understandable way. The project follows a structure and, where relevant, the student used a variety of ways to communicate information, such as images, graphs, tables etc. | The student has:
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