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Pearson
Higher Nationals in
Construction/Construction
and the Built Environment
PEARSON-SET ASSIGNMENT GUIDANCE
UNIT: 1 Individual Project
For use with the Pearson BTEC Level 4 Higher National Certificate
and Higher National Diploma in Construction
First teaching from September 2017
Issue 2
Edexcel, BTEC and LCCI qualifications

Edexcel, BTEC and LCCI qualifications are awarded by Pearson, the UK’s largest awarding body offering academic
and vocational qualifications that are globally recognised and benchmarked. For further information, please visit
our qualification websites at www.edexcel.com, www.btec.co.uk or www.lcci.org.uk. Alternatively, you can get in
touch with us using the details on our contact us page at qualifications. pearson.com/contactus

About Pearson

Pearson is the world’s leading learning company, with 40,000 employees in more than 70 countries working to
help people of all ages to make measurable progress in their lives through learning. We put the learner at the
centre of everything we do, because wherever learning flourishes, so do people. Find out more about how we
can help you and your learners at qualifications.pearson.com

References to third-party material made in this specification are made in good faith. We do not endorse, approve
or accept responsibility for the content of materials, which may be subject to change, or any opinions expressed
therein. (Material may include textbooks, journals, magazines and other publications and websites.) All
information in this document is correct at time of publication. All the material in this publication is copyright ©
Pearson Education Limited 2016

HNC/HND Construction 2
Contents
Unit Planning 4
The role of the Tutor 4
Milestones and interim feedback 5
Authentication of a project 5
Guidance for Tutors 5
Templates for Evidence Collection 7
Project Logbook Template 7
Performance Review Template 9
Guidance for Students 9
Project Brief 10
Assessment Criteria 11

HNC/HND Construction 3
Unit Planning
The aim of this unit is to offer students an opportunity to demonstrate the skills required for managing
and implementing a project. They will undertake independent research and investigation for carrying
out and executing a Construction project which meets appropriate aims and objectives.
The project brief will be set by the centre, based on a theme and topics provided by Pearson (this will
change annually). The chosen topic, within the theme, will enable students to explore and examine a
relevant and current topical aspect of Construction in the context of the construction environment.
Centres should consider the best way to deliver the unit according to the needs of the students.
Possible delivery methods include whole-class teaching, small group teaching, or e-learning. Deliverers
could be tutors, appropriate members of the community or representatives from relevant
employment sectors.
The unit should be taught in the way(s) most appropriate to the students and the centre. Some
suggestions include:
• a block of lessons at the start of the course

• lessons throughout the course

• small-group teaching, focusing on relevant aspects

• teaching of, or seminars on, project management and/or subject specific skills delivered by
external experts.

Delivery should include the development of:

• project management skills

• research skills

• writing, investigative, field study, performance or production skills, as appropriate presentation

skills.

The role of the Tutor

All students should have initial guidance in planning their work and regular monitoring meetings.
However, when reviewing drafts of students’ work, tutors should ensure they use their professional
judgement and do not give excessive guidance. The student should meet individually with their tutor
to monitor the project and ensure it is progressing in an appropriate direction and at a pace which will
enable the student to meet the assessment requirements. Interim reviews should be held as necessary
and documented by the student in the logbook. Students will perform best if some time is allocated
within the normal centre timetable for working on the project. The tutor must be able to authenticate
the work as the student’s own, which can be done by regular monitoring of progress and conducting
interim reviews.

HNC/HND Construction 4
Milestones and interim feedback
The purpose of milestones is to monitor the progress of the project and to maintain momentum,
making it more likely that the project will succeed. Each milestone should be a clear, achievable activity
that the student aims to achieve by a particular time. Students should agree at least two milestones
with their tutor. Examples of milestones include:
• producing a first draft of findings

• completing all primary research.

At each milestone, the tutor liaises with the student to check whether it has been achieved. They may
need to redirect the student if necessary.

Authentication of a project
Centres are to provide confirmation of the authenticity of a project. It is important that students are
made aware of the issue of plagiarism. Students are required to sign a declaration stating that the
work they are submitting is their own.

Guidance for Tutors

• Project briefs for this unit must be based on a theme and topics released by Pearson in the first
week of June of every year.

• On the following pages, there is an example of a project brief. You will set the topic based on
the theme and the type of project to be undertaken. All students must complete the project for
the chosen topic in order to complete learning outcomes for this unit.

• The topic and type of project chosen must be appropriate for small-scale research. The project
must balance the duration of time committed to delivering input to support student’s research
and the time necessary to conduct the project.

• The project topic and type of project should be verified by the Programme Leader as part of the
internal verification process.

• Group work is not appropriate for this project. Student work must be individual.

• Teaching delivery must include how the student should go about planning, researching,
conducting, recording and reflecting on the project.

HNC/HND Construction 5
• It is good practice for your scheme of work to include individual student support appointments
to support and monitor completion of the project, and project workshops to give students the
opportunity to complete each stage of the project.

• Encourage students to keep notes of their progress in a logbook, as this is a mandatory

requirement for this unit.

• Students will need to reflect on the success of their project and their own performance in a
personal performance review at the end of the project. This is a written reflection of 500 words
(students will not be penalised if they exceed this word limit). It is advisable to provide students
with an appropriate structure for this reflection (see the Performance Review template below).

• The project could take the following forms but these are not exclusive:

Types Examples
Professional research report
Research projects Investigation/fieldwork
Feasibility study
Building Management Report
Construction Management Projects Project Management Plan
Site Health & Safety Plan
Practice Financial Report
Construction Practice Projects Company Formation Report
Staff Development Plan
Topographic Survey
Surveying/Measurement Projects
Building Setting-out
CAD Information Production
Architectural Technology Projects
BIM Information Production
Structural Design Proposal
Civil Engineering Projects
Structural Analysis Report
Tender Package Preparation
Building/Quantity Surveying Projects Building Quantities Take-off
Building/Defects Survey
HVAC System Design Proposal
Building Services Engineering Projects Electrical System Design Proposal
Public Health Engineering Report

HNC/HND Construction 6
Templates for Evidence Collection
The logbook template and performance review questions are examples of what can be used, but
tutors can devise or use other appropriate resources if they wish to do so.

Project Logbook Template

Name:

Project title:

Date:

Update on weekly research/tasks achieved

Points to consider:
• What have you completed?

• Did you fulfil task requirements?

• Are you on track and within deadlines set?

• Did you need to make any changes to your project management plan?

Any risks and/or issues identified?

Points to consider:
• Did you identify risks/issues with a lack of skills required for undertaking
research/tasks?

• Did you identify any additional risks/issues that have an impact on the project
management plan?

Problems encountered

Points to consider:
• What barriers did you face?

HNC/HND Construction 7
 • How did you overcome them?

New ideas and change of project direction

What have you learned about yourself this week?

Points to consider:
• How did you feel when you had to deal with tasks/problems?

• Did you find it useful to complete the tasks?

• How well have you performed? What did you contribute?

• What can you improve on next week?

• How might this learning apply in the future?

Tasks planned for next week

Points to consider:
• Which tasks should you prioritise?

• Have you set aside sufficient time for completion?

Project plan status to date

(on, ahead, behind)

Supervisor comments to address

HNC/HND Construction 8
Performance Review Template
Performance Review
• What was the project supposed to accomplish?

• Did the project succeed in its aims? How do you know? Specifically, please outline any
evaluation and assessment undertaken.

• What things do you think worked well and why? Evaluate all aspects of the project (e.g.
initial inception, project activities and project outcomes) from a range of perspectives.

• What problems emerged during the project and how were they tackled? Was there
timely identification of issues and resolution during the project process?

• What did you learn from undertaking the project?

• How would you rate your performance as project manager?

• What strengths and weaknesses of your performance did you identify?

• How will this inform and support your continuous professional development?

Guidance for Students

You should read this information before starting on your project. You should refer to these
instructions as you complete work for this unit.
• Read the project brief and think about what it is asking.

• Research what the project brief is asking. How can you approach the problem, opportunity,
hypothesis and requirements being posed?

• Apply a range of secondary research sources to plan/scope and support the project and its
findings. Secondary research sources may include textbooks, journal articles, newspapers and
magazine articles (not factual accounts).

• Develop your project plan based on the deliverables of the project, the constraints of the
project and the assumptions made.

• Conduct your project according to your stated project plan and meet with your tutor to receive
a sign-off at each stage of the project process.

• Primary research sources may include original first-hand accounts, legal and historical
documents, results of experiments and market research data collection. Apply both qualitative
and quantitative research methods to evaluate data collected from primary research.

HNC/HND Construction 9
 • Keep notes of your progress throughout the project in your logbook. This is an important
record of your work and must be used to record the development of your ideas and your
progress through the project. The logbook should include:

o a record of what you did, when and what you were thinking.

o a record of where things went wrong and what you did to overcome any unexpected
results.

• You will be asked to reflect on the success of your project and your own performance in a
personal performance review at the end of the project. This is a written reflection of around 500
words.

• An example of a project brief is set out below. Your centre will set the topic for the brief based
on a theme released by Pearson in the first week of June of every year.

• You must complete the project in order to complete your work for this unit.

Project Brief
Your tutor will provide you with the scenario and type of project to be completed based on a topic
related to the theme.
• Establish your aims and objectives for the project. Outline objectives and timeframes based on
the scenario set by your tutor.

• Produce an appropriate project management plan that includes relevant actions to meet
objectives and timeframes.

• Conduct research to generate knowledge which will form the basis for analysis of the scenario
posed in the brief.

• Analyse your findings and draw conclusions to form the basis for recommendations.

• Present and produce your project in an appropriate manner for the intended audience.

• Communicate your recommendations in an appropriate manner for the intended audience.

• Complete a performance review that addresses the following:

o The success of the project and its effectiveness in addressing the issues identified in the
Pearson-set theme and topic.

o Your own performance.

HNC/HND Construction 10
Assessment Criteria
Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria

Pass Merit Distinction

LO1 Formulate a project that will provide a solution to an identified problem

P1 Select an appropriate construction- M1 Explain why the project LO1 LO2

based project, giving reasons for your specification is of fundamental
D1 Evaluate the relationship between
choice. importance to a successful project
project identification, feasibility and
outcome.
P2 Identify the main components of a project planning, with consideration
project specification. of the impact of project scope on
time and resources.
LO2 Manage a project within agreed timescales and specification, documenting
the process throughout

P3 Identify potential resources, costs M2 Prepare and update a project

and timescales. management plan, using standard
systems of time and resource
P4 Describe a range of appropriate
tracking.
techniques for generating realistic
potential solutions.

LO3 Evaluate potential project management solutions

P5 Explore project management M3 Compare the outcomes of your LO3 LO4

strategies to determine suitability for initial planned resources, timescales
D2 Appraise your own performance
a given project. and costs against actual outcomes.
in managing the project; draw
P6 Justify the selection of your conclusions and make
preferred solution, making reference recommendations that would further
to your initial project specification. improve your performance in the
future.

LO4 Produce a project report and deliver a presentation of the final project
outcomes

P7 Produce a written report M4 Present your final project

identifying each stage of the project. outcomes and recommendations to a
selected audience.
P8 Utilise appropriate forms of
referencing and citation in the
preparation of a written report.

P9 Prepare a presentation of your

final project outcomes, utilising
industry standard software.

HNC/HND Construction 11
Pearson
Higher Nationals in
Construction
EXAMPLE ASSESSMENT BRIEFS
UNIT: 2 Construction Technology
For use with the Higher National Certificate and
Higher National Diploma in Construction
Assignment Brief Number: 1

First teaching from September 2017

Issue 1
Please note that Example Assessment Briefs are for guidance and support only.

They can be customised and amended according to localised needs and requirements.
All assignments must still be moderated as per the internal verification process.

Edexcel, BTEC and LCCI qualifications

Edexcel, BTEC and LCCI qualifications are awarded by Pearson, the UK’s largest awarding body offering
academic and vocational qualifications that are globally recognised and benchmarked. For further
information, please visit our qualification websites at www.edexcel.com, www.btec.co.uk or
www.lcci.org.uk. Alternatively, you can get in touch with us using the details on our contact us page at
qualifications. pearson.com/contactus

About Pearson

Pearson is the world’s leading learning company, with 40,000 employees in more than 70 countries working to
help people of all ages to make measurable progress in their lives through learning. We put the learner at the
centre of everything we do, because wherever learning flourishes, so do people. Find out more about how we
can help you and your learners at qualifications.pearson.com

References to third-party material made in this specification are made in good faith. We do not
endorse, approve or accept responsibility for the content of materials, which may be subject to
change, or any opinions expressed therein. (Material may include textbooks, journals, magazines and
other publications and websites.) All information in this document is correct at time of publication. All
the material in this publication is copyright © Pearson Education Limited 2016

HNC/HND Construction 2
Please note that Example Assessment Briefs are for guidance and support only.

They can be customised and amended according to localised needs and requirements.

All assignments must still be moderated as per the internal verification process.

Higher National Certificate/Diploma in

Construction

Assignment Brief
Student Name/ID Number

Unit Number and Title 2 Construction Technology

Academic Year

Unit Tutor

Assignment Title Construction Substructure and Superstructure

Issue Date

Submission Date

IV Name & Date

Submission Format

The submission is in the form of two written pamphlets. The pamphlets should be written in a concise
and formal business style. As such, your choice of font face and font size should contribute to the
clarity of the information. The pamphlet should be well-structured, using headings, sub-sections and
paragraphs as appropriate. Any images, graphics, or text that is derived from other sources must be
correctly referenced using a standard form of citation. A bibliography should be included and in a
standard academic format. The recommended word limit is 3,000–5,000 words but you will not be
penalised for exceeding the total word limit.

HNC/HND Construction 3
Please note that Example Assessment Briefs are for guidance and support only.

They can be customised and amended according to localised needs and requirements.
All assignments must still be moderated as per the internal verification process.

Unit Learning Outcomes

LO1 Discuss the terminology used in construction technology.

LO2 Describe the different techniques used to construct a range of substructures and
superstructures, including their function and design selection criteria.

Assignment Brief and Guidance

You are working as an Architectural Technician for a large design practice and your employer has
asked you to produce ‘design consideration’ pamphlets to be distributed to new employees. The
documents are to consider the functional requirements and design selection criteria for different
elements of typical commercial building.
Document 1: Substructures
This document should consider the pre-design studies to be carried out and the type of information
to be collated in order to design the most suitable foundation type for different types of structures.
The document should also consider the construction of different types of foundations and their
suitability for use with different types of structures.
Document 2: Superstructures
This document should consider the following elements of the superstructure:
• Walls
• Roofs
• Floors – ground and intermediate
• Windows and doors
• Staircases
• Finishes
The document should contain a description of the functional characteristics of each of the above
elements and the design selection criteria for their use.
Both documents should contain diagrams to illustrate the content. Each pamphlet is to be indexed
with a checklist for use by technicians when carrying out design considerations.
*Please access HN Global for additional resources support and reading for this unit. For further guidance and
support on report writing please refer to the Study Skills Unit on HN Global. Link to www.highernationals.com

HNC/HND Construction 4
Please note that Example Assessment Briefs are for guidance and support only.

They can be customised and amended according to localised needs and requirements.
All assignments must still be moderated as per the internal verification process.

Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria

Pass Merit Distinction

LO1 Explain the terminology used in construction technology. D1 Evaluate how the functional
characteristics and design
P1 Describe the differences M1 Apply the terminology used selection criteria impact on the
between residential, commercial in construction technology to a eventual design solution.
and industrial buildings. given building construction
project.
P2 Explain how the functional
characteristics and design
selection criteria are informed
by proposed building use.
P3 Discuss the ways in which
sustainability can be promoted
in building projects.

LO2 Describe the different techniques used to construct a range of LO2 & LO3
substructures and superstructures, including their function and
D2 Prepare a design report
design selection criteria.
identifying superstructure,
substructure and civil
P4 Describe the pre-design M2 Analyse how site conditions engineering structures
studies carried out and types of impact on the design of necessary for a given building
information collected for a given foundations. construction project.
construction site.
M3 Illustrate how the
P5 Explain the functional component parts of an element
characteristics and design allow it to fulfil its function.
criteria for primary and
secondary elements of a
building substructure and
superstructure.

HNC/HND Construction 5