Always Learning
Always Learning

DiDA | Summative Project Briefs (SPBs)

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, and so on. 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 2011 is identified as D201 SPB0911.

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

Lifespan
SPBs have a limited lifespan:

  • Those issued in September 2009 (0909) will be valid for moderation in June 2010, December 2010, June 2011 and December 2011.
     
  • Those issued in September 2010 (0910) will be valid for moderation in June 2011, December 2011, June 2012 and December 2012.
     
  • Those issued in September 2011 (0911) will be valid for moderation in June 2012, December 2012, June 2013 and December 2013.

SPBs for September 2008 are no longer valid and are now in the SPBs archive. They may be used for practice 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 0909 SPB for Unit 1, the 0910 SPB for Units 2 and 4 and the 0911 SPB for Unit 3.

September 11 issue
The 0911 SPBs (Units 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5) are valid for moderation for the first time in June 2012 and thereafter in December 2012, June 2013 and December 2013. The grade boundaries for these SPBs will not be set until summer 2012.

Feedback period
From the date of publication, there is a feedback period, during which comments on the SPBs and support notes may be emailed to us at eportfolio@edexcel.com.

The feedback period closes on Friday 14th October 2011, after which, the support notes will be updated to incorporate feedback where appropriate.

These updated notes will be published along with the walkthrough for each SPB.

Please note that we are unable to respond directly to individual comments.