Why PATs are Important for Grade 12
A practical assessment task (PAT) is a compulsory component of the final promotion mark for all candidates offering subjects that have a practical component and counts 25% (100 marks) of the end-of-year examination mark.
The PAT is implemented across the first three terms of the school year. This is broken down into different phases or a series of smaller activities that make up the PAT. The PAT allows for learners to be assessed on a regular basis during the school year and it also allows for the assessment of skills that cannot be assessed in a written format, e.g. test or examination.
It is therefore important that schools ensure that all learners complete the practical assessment tasks within the stipulated period to ensure that learners are resulted at the end of the school year. The planning and execution of the PAT differ from subject to subject.
The Structure of Engineering Graphics and Design Grade 12 Practical Assessment Tasks
Below is the structure that Grade 12 Engineering Graphics and Design students should follow:
The Engineering Graphics and Design (EGD) PAT is a compulsory national formal assessment task that contributes 100 marks (25%) towards a learner’s final NSC mark. It is therefore regarded as a third NSC examination paper.
The purpose of the PAT is to assess topics, content and concepts, which are contained in the CAPS, but not assessed in tests or examinations. These are:
- The design process
- The application of the design process
- The quality and neatness of freehand, instrument and CAD drawings
With the inclusion of the research component as part of the design process, content and concepts that are not included in the CAPS may be included in the PAT. The PAT is therefore designed to develop a learner’s ability to integrate and apply knowledge that is taught and self-acquired, and to demonstrate attained levels of skills and competency. The PAT gives the learner an opportunity to apply knowledge in a creative way through the design process.
The learner is also given an opportunity to complete the PAT in an environment which is more conducive to the creative processes. This environment should therefore provide the learner with easier access to, and a wider variety of, resource material than would otherwise be available in a formal test or examination.
The PAT is divided into THREE PHASES:
- PHASE 1: The design process
- PHASE 2: Preparing working and pictorial drawings
- PHASE 3: Creating the PAT file/portfolio
The three PHASES require that the learner demonstrates a clear understanding of, and is able to apply, the design process. As part of the design process, the learner must be able to do the following:
- Analyse the given scenario and formulate a design brief that includes a list of specifications, constraints and a management plan
- Conduct relevant and usable research
- Use the research in generating ideas/concepts/solutions, analytically and graphically, using freehand drawings
- Select a final solution that demonstrates a clear understanding of the design brief
- Present the final solution as a set of working drawings and a pictorial (3D) drawing
- Provide clear evidence of continuous self-evaluation during the development of the PAT
- Create a PAT file/portfolio
PHASE 1 and PHASE 2 of the PAT have been designed to give the learner the opportunity to demonstrate a level of competency and skill that has been attained in the following drawing methods:
- Freehand drawings, prepared using a pencil and grid/graph paper only
- Instrument drawings, prepared in pencil and using drawing instruments
- CAD drawings, prepared using a CAD program
TWO practical assessment tasks (PATs) are included in this document:
- PAT 1 is a task in the context of civil technology, with an electrical component
- PAT 2 is a task in the context of mechanical technology