Summative project briefs

A Summative Project Brief (SPB) substitutes for a formal examination. SPBs are set by Edexcel and are the means by which students' attainment is assessed. Students are expected to spend approximately 30 hours of classroom time working on a project.

The SPB is not a vehicle for teaching the course. Teachers should act as 'line managers' to students working on an SPB. They can monitor their progress, offer advice, make suggestions for improvement etc. If students require additional support and guidance this must be reflected in the marks they are awarded.

Identification

SPBs are identified by their unit number and the month of release.  For example, the D201 brief published in September 2007 is identified as D201 SPB0907.

All existing briefs have been re-titled to match this convention.

Life span

SPBs have a limited life span.  Those issued in September 2005 (0905) are now only valid for one more moderation window, i.e. December 2007.

Those issued in September 2006 (0906) will be valid for moderation in June 2007, December 2007, June 2008 and December 2008.

Those issued in September 2007 (0907) will be valid for moderation in June 2008, December 2008, June 2009 and December 2009.

SPBs that are no longer valid have been archived and may be used for practise purposes.

Mix and match

Students can mix and match SPBs released in different years. For example, a student taking DiDA over three years could do the 0905 SPB for Unit 1, the 0906 SPB for Units 2 and 4 and the 0907 SPB for Unit 3.