The Ultimate Guide to Acing Your A-Level H1 Project Work

If you are reading this, chances are you are a Junior College 1 (JC1) student preparing for your upcoming A-Level Higher 1 (H1) Project Work (PW) Syllabus 8808. 

If you are the 2024 JC1 intake, congratulations are in order because from your batch onwards, PW will be removed from the calculation of your University Admission Score (UAS). You will receive a Pass/Fail grade instead of letter grades.

For those from the 2023 JC1 intake, your PW grade will still count towards your UAS, but this is not necessarily bad news because PW is an easy subject to score an ‘A’ grade in.

Furthermore, the 2023 A Level PW topics are “Digitalization” and “Opportunity”, which are really interesting broad topics with much room for idea expansion. Therefore, there’s nothing to fear!

You should read the entire article as it may be your life-saver for PW.

What Are The Two Main Components Of PW?

They are the (1) Written Component, and the (2) Oral Component.

The Written Component is split into two sub-components:

  1. Written Report
  2. Insights & Reflections

The Assessment Framework right below shows you the respective group and individual weightings of each component. 

As you can see, group work carries a little more weight than individual work. 

So, if you know you aren’t that great at working well with other people, be prepared to change your mindset and start learning to collaborate. 

What Do I Have To Do For Each Component Of PW?

In regards to the Written Report, your group is required to produce a formal exposition of 2500-3000 words with proper citation.

For the Insights & Reflections component, each individual is required to write a formal exposition of no more than 500 words.

As for the Oral Presentation, if you have 3 members in the group, the presentation should not exceed 25 minutes, and if there are 4 or 5 members, the presentation should not exceed 30 minutes. Each member of the group is expected to present for a minimum of 5 minutes, and after the group presentation, there will be a Q&A session where every member is required to answer at least one question.

To dive deeper into the assessment criteria of each component, you may wish to read pages 7-9 of the Official 2024 SEAB Project Work Syllabus 8808 Document. 

Moving on…

Having recently achieved an ‘A’ grade for Project Work and a flawless 100% score for the Written Report, I think I am well-positioned to offer you all the significant tips I can provide.

1. Choose A Topic That Makes Everyone Excited

Selecting an engaging topic for your group project can help keep all members motivated and enthusiastic throughout the year-long assignment. 

Additionally, an interesting topic is likely to captivate your audience, including the assessors, who are human and have likely reviewed numerous PW Written Reports and Oral Presentations. 

You want to avoid boring your assessors with a repetitive topic, as this may lower your score. 

Do not give them a reason to think to themselves “Oh, not this good old boring topic again”.

Instead, aim to spark positive emotions in them by presenting a compelling topic, which could potentially result in a higher score.

2. Understand Your PW Assessors And What They Want

During the process of writing the Written Report and Insights & Reflections, your group’s PW teacher(s)-in-charge will likely provide a lot of guidance. 

They are familiar with the marking criteria and are the best source for feedback.

To meet your teacher’s expectations for the written components, communicate with them and adapt accordingly.

Your Oral Presentation assessors will mostly consist of your school teachers and possibly external moderators from SEAB or other schools, whom you may not know until the presentation day.

However, you may already know your peers’ PW teachers. Consider consulting with them for constructive feedback on your ideas and to improve your content and presentation, as they may end up being your Oral Presentation assessors on the day of the presentation.

3. Create A Feedback Loop With Your PW Teachers-In-Charge

Your PW teachers-in-charge are knowledgeable about what it takes for you to achieve a good score. 

They are invested in helping you do well. It is important to keep them informed about your group’s progress so they can give you constructive feedback. 

Whenever you make a significant change in your Written Report, Insights & Reflection, or Oral Presentation, inform your teachers promptly so that they can provide feedback as soon as possible. 

It is crucial to avoid situations in which you and your group members burn multiple nights of midnight oil to come up with a 10-page sub-section of the Written Report only to have your teachers point out numerous flaws.

Frequent communication with your teachers – at least once every 2-3 days – will ensure that your group stays on track and avoids demoralization.

4. Do Not Be Afraid Of Iterations

During the process of improving your Written Report, Insights & Reflections, and Oral Presentation, you may encounter numerous rounds of revisions based on the feedback from your PW teachers-in-charge.

However, this is a common process and should not be seen as a waste of time.

Instead, you should view each round of revision as an opportunity to increase your score.

Again, your PW teachers-in-charge are knowledgeable about how you can excel and they are invested in your success.

By following their feedback and making the necessary changes, you can increase your chances of scoring well.

5. Elevate The “Slackers” Or Be Prepared To Carry Your PW Team

It is not new that in many group work situations, there will always be people who are viewed as the “Slackers”. 

Sometimes, they are also known as the “Leeches” or “Freeloaders”. 

As those nicknames suggest, they do less than what is expected of them and sometimes take credit for what other team members have done. 

As a motivated group member, instead of immediately judging or dismissing these individuals, it’s important for you to try to motivate and encourage them to participate more fully.

If you do not have the knowledge and mental capacity to encourage them, seek help from your PW teachers-in-charge early – within the first few weeks – in the year 

DO NOT wait till Term 2 or 3 to seek assistance from your teachers-in-charge!

If those “Slackers” still do not rise up to the occasion,

I am sorry to say this… 

…but it is necessary for the rest of the team to do whatever it takes to pick up the slack and carry them through the project.

Please do not be mistaken that as the “Carry” you are putting yourself in a disadvantageous position. 

Yes, as the “Carry”, you are responsible for more parts of the Written Report and possibly the Oral Presentation. 

However, this gives you the rare opportunity to understand your project even better, and prepare you to answer all sorts of questions that may be thrown at you during the Q&A session of the Oral Presentation. 

Look at the bright side!

Read also: Different Group Mates You Will Meet In A Project Work Situation

6. It Is Time To Practise Patience, Acceptance, And Tolerance

If you have a “Slacker” in your group, the above point number 3 already tells you what to do. 

But if you do not have one in your group, it does not mean that your year-long PW journey will be a bed of roses. 

No matter how much you like your PW group members, you will find various differences in everyone.

In times of clashing personalities and working styles, you have to be patient; you have to accept; you have to sometimes tolerate. 

More importantly, everyone in the PW group should work towards a common goal – most often an ‘A’ grade – despite having those differences. 

As soon as each group member is able to identify that common goal, it will be easier to put aside each other’s differences like the mature 17- or 18-year-old’s that you all should be.

7. Go Even Further – Bond Well With Your PW Group Members

Merely setting aside differences may be sufficient to achieve an ‘A’ grade for PW.

However, instead of stopping there, why not seize the opportunity to build life-long friendships?

Throughout this challenging journey of refining the Written Report and Oral Presentation as a team, you are likely to go through ups and downs together. 

In these moments, you will not only come to know your group members as mere classmates but also form profound connections as life-long friends or confidants.

It’s possible that being closer friends with your group members could even make it easier for the entire team to earn an ‘A’ for PW!

8. Juggle Your Time Well With Other A-Level Subjects

It’s important to recognize that while PW is just one of the A-Level subjects you’re taking, it can be one of the most time-consuming ones

Failing to manage your time properly for PW can result in not having enough time to focus on your other subjects.

Conversely, if you spend too much time on other subjects, you might not have sufficient time to invest in getting an ‘A’ for PW.

Therefore, it’s crucial to plan and allocate your time wisely for every subject. 

Your objective should be to excel not only in PW, but also in all of your other A-Level subjects.

Ignoring one subject at the expense of another is not a wise strategy.

9. Be Aware Of Other Available PW Resources

As an A-Level PW student, it’s important to be resourceful and know where to find PW resources for yourself and your group members.

There are helpful PW guides available on YouTube, including a 6-video playlist created by LevUp Education.

The videos are provided below, and watching them can give you different perspectives on how to approach PW and score well. 

If you want to make the most of these resources, you should watch all six videos now!

In addition to finding PW resources online, you can also obtain valuable information from your JC2 seniors.

You can request that they share their Written Report, Insights & Reflections, and if possible, a recording of their Oral Presentation.

However, it’s important to be selective about which seniors you ask for help.

Identify those who performed exceptionally well in their PW and politely request their past work to learn from the best!

10. Oral Presentation: Rehearse, Rehearse, Rehearse.

According to Dictionary.com, “rehearse” means to practice (a play, piece of music, or other work) for a later public performance. 

The PW Oral Presentation is considered a public performance that can be perfected through practice.

It is important to rehearse the Oral Presentation in advance so that the delivery on the actual day is flawless.

Practising in front of 5-6 people from other groups in your class can be helpful. 

In exchange for their help, you should do the same for them.

It is even possible to rehearse the Q&A portion of the presentation by writing down all possible questions related to your topic and practising answers to them.

Reproducing these questions during the Oral Presentation will make the performance smoother. 

The more you rehearse, the better your performance will be on the day of the assessment!

See also: 10 Tips In Improving Project Presentation

11. Demand The Best From Yourselves

Failing PW to the point of having to retake it is highly unlikely, so it’s important to give it your best effort the first time around.

Fortunately, for the 2023 JC1 cohort, PW is still considered in the UAS calculation and it’s one of the easier subjects to earn an ‘A’ grade.

Meanwhile, for the 2024 JC1 cohort, PW is a Pass/Fail subject, so putting in the right effort can lead to a ‘Pass’ grade. 

It’s essential to demand excellence from yourself and your group members to succeed in PW and create positive momentum for the rest of your A-Level subjects.

The culmination of all the time and effort that you invest in PW is also a subconscious acquisition of a wealth of valuable life skills. It is difficult to deny that skills like time management, effective communication, critical thinking and entrepreneurial leadership will be critically useful in our lives and careers at some point.

While PW seems to be an oft-cited burden for numerous students, you can take this chance to reconsider the value that it has for both the present and the future. FamilyTutor wishes for a triumphant PW journey for the JC1s who are taking it this year!

When you need a home tutor for other A-Level subjects, do not hesitate to request for a tutor from us early!

Radiance

Radiance

Radiance Is FamilyTutor's Client Success Officer. Graduated from a prestigious Junior College, not only did she score an 'A' for her A-Level H1 Project Work, she also attained a perfect score for the Written Report.

About FamilyTutor!

FamilyTutor is an established home tuition agency in Singapore! We match suitable home tutors for our clients not just to improve the students' academic grades, but also to build a strong rapport and meaningful relationship with the students and even the their whole family. FamilyTutor put every student in good hands!

If you need an excellent home tutor, feel free to call/WhatsApp us at +65 8777-2168! Our matching service is free!

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