CREST Award levels overview

CREST Award levels overview


Star

CREST Star activities should support students to solve real-life science, technology, engineering and maths challenges through practical investigations and discussion. Star activities should relate to situations we expect children to have already come across, or to be likely to come across.
Activities should be designed to last approximately one hour. All CREST Star activities should be designed so that you don't need to be a teacher or have a science background to run them.

SuperStar

CREST SuperStar activities should support students to solve real-life science, technology, engineering and maths challenges through practical investigation and discussion. SuperStar activities should relate to situations that children can relate to, for example the community or on broader issues such as recycling.
Activities should be designed to last approximately one hour. All CREST SuperStar activities should be designed so that you don't need to be a teacher or have a science background to run them.

Discovery

CREST Discovery activities should offer a first introduction to project work and should be suitable for classroom, club or youth group activity days. Students should complete either a single project or a series of linked challenges with clear real-world contexts. The project can be around any STEM topic or theme.
At Discovery level, students should work collaboratively on the project or challenge(s) in self-managed groups, record and reflect on their work throughout, using a CREST Discovery passport, and communicate their findings through a group presentation.

Bronze

Bronze Awards should focus on having fun and developing transferable skills, such as problem solving and communicating effectively. They should do this whilst experiencing the project process.
At Bronze level, students should develop a project using their own ideas, taking decisions about how to progress through it, write about their findings and evaluate their project in their CREST profile form or workbook.

Silver

Silver Awards should stretch students and enrich their studies. Students should develop their own project idea and gain experience of the scientific method.
At Silver level, students should develop and lead the project, consider the broader impact of their work and demonstrate an innovative approach to solving problems. Students will need to reflect on their work throughout the project and produce evidence of their work to be presented to CREST assessors.

Gold

Gold Awards should allow students to conduct real research. There should be longer-term projects that require students to contribute something new to the scientific or technological community or to a particular field of study.
At Gold level, students should develop and lead the project, consider the broader impact of their project and demonstrate an innovative approach to solving problems. Students will need to reflect on their work through the project and produce evidence of their work to be presented to CREST assessors.



    • Related Articles

    • FAQ 12 - Can I submit for CREST Silver or Gold Award without a mentor?

      Yes, you can submit for CREST Silver or Gold Award even without a mentor. Mentors are not a requirement when taking part in CREST, however, they are strongly recommended at Gold level, preferred at Silver, and optional at Bronze and Discovery levels. ...
    • Submitting for CREST Awards and the Big Bang Competition

      Did you know you could receive extra recognition on your Big Bang project by submitting for a CREST Award? Or vice-versa? The British Science Association and Engineering UK are working together to enable you to submit your project for both! Click ...
    • How do I assess a Discovery project?

      CREST Discovery requires students to demonstrate skills including problem-solving, independent learning, organisation, teamwork, and communication. To achieve a Discovery Award, you should confirm on your CREST account that each student has: ...
    • Enter an Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) for a CREST Award

      If your students are working towards an Extended Project Qualification in an area related to science, technology, engineering or maths, they can gain extra recognition for their work by entering your project for a CREST Gold Award. There’s a lot of ...
    • Using CREST for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award

      You can do project work in science, technology, engineering or maths (STEM) and count it towards your DofE Skills section through the CREST Awards scheme. Lots of people think of ‘skills’ as being related to art, music or drama, but we know that ...