1

Commissioning Brief

GCSE Learning for Life and Work

Overview

Learning for Life and Work (LLW) aims to empower students with independent thinking and decision

making skills when faced with personal, social, economic and employment issues. It is available to

students in Northern Ireland studying the curriculum with the CCEA exam board with around 25% of

all students in Northern Ireland sitting the exam in summer 2015.

BBC Bitesize will create a compelling, learner-centred Programme of Study for this subject which is

uniquely tailored for the core audience of 14-16 year old learners.

Summary of deliverables We require the following content for 18 X Study Guides:

Text: 18 X Revise chapters of 3-5 pages in length (200-300 words per page)

Interactive quizzes: 18 X Test chapters

Video: At least 18 x 2 minutes of original video or animation PLUS 20 minutes of BBC

Archive enhanced with an animated overlay (more detail below).

Infographics: Up to 6 infographics across the entire commission (2 per chapter).

2

(Indicative budget: £100,000)

Bitesize Brand Values and Tone

Quality learning resources with high production values, tailored to the needs of the audience. Clear, concise delivery of the key educational points in bite-sized chunks. Accessible to every level of academic ability and learning style. Factually correct, high-quality and curriculum-relevant. Simple, straightforward language. Funny, quirky or irreverent tone. Innovative educational media format.

Audience

The target audience for this commission is 14-16 year old students studying GCSE Media Studies.

From our initial audience research on this subject, we found that students:

○ Enjoy learning the Personal Development unit the most

○ Struggle with laws and regulations especially in relation to government, non-governmental

organisations and employment

○ Find studying Local and Global Citizenship very dry and uninteresting

○ Would welcome focused, structured content

*For more detail, see Appendix: Item B

The Subject

CCEA are the only exam board to offer LLW in the UK

There are THREE topics that will need to be covered:

○ Local and Global Citizenship

○ Personal Development

○ Employability

- For a more detailed breakdown, see the Appendix: Item A: Suggested Content Breakdown

3

Content for Delivery

Bitesize Components

Text ○ Working with BBC approved writers you would produce text for Revise Chapters.

○ These chapters will hit key learning points and deliver learning outcomes in each of the Study

Guides.

○ This is a revision tool and therefore must be focused on what students need to know in

preparation for an exam.

○ All Study Guides MUST contain a Revise Chapter.

For this commission, we estimate that you will produce an average of 3-5 pages of text (approx.

300 words per page) per Revise Chapter.

Infographics ○ These will sit within the Revise Chapters.

○ Infographics are core to Bitesize and are used to explain and creatively lay out the structures,

theories or other complex topics students need to understand.

(All Graphics must adhere to the Bitesize Style Guide which is available to download from the

commissioning site)

For this commission, we estimate that you will produce around 36 iGFX , approximately 2 per

study guide.

Video/Animation

Original Video

○ Age-appropriate originated video or animation, delivering clear learning outcomes

○ Video can be presenter-led, narrated or graphically signposted

○ Please note, payments may need to be made to clear copyright on some material including music

For this commission we require a MINIMUM of one original video or animation per topic area.

Each video/animation is likely to be 2-3 minutes in duration and should contextualise or give an

overview of the topic.

Archive video

○ Use of archive, mostly BBC, is essential to ensure that content is grounded in real industry

examples

4

○ Archive should come from a range of genres - we can advise what is available from the BBC

○ We require approximately 16 minutes of archive video (in 2 minute clips) to be enhanced with

an animated overlay providing snippets of additional information, across the 8 topic areas. The

BBC will source this archive and provide you with a list of suitable material - however you will

provide the animated overlay, which will drive the learning outcome of the content.

○ You may wish to create additional video if you believe it is the best way to deliver a particular

learning outcome

*For more detail, see Appendix Item C: Video spec for delivery

Test Chapters ○ Multiple choice quizzes which test students on what they’ve learned in Revise & Video chapters.

○ All Study Guides must contain a Test Chapter.

○ Audio clips and stills can be used within the test chapters.

For this commission a Test Chapter will be required for each Study Guide.

BBC Bitesize App ○ On the Bitesize App, LLW will exist as a series of flashcards, including text summaries, glossary

terms, audio and video content, infographics and quizzes. This App flashcard content is a condensed

version of the website content.

Sample Outlines

How Study Guide components might work together within a Topic area:

BITESIZE > GCSE LLW > LOCAL AND GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP > THE ROLE OF NGO’S

LEARNING OUTCOME

What is the role of non-governmental organisations in dealing with local, national and global issues?

REVISE CHAPTER

Text To introduce Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO’s), text will give students the key points on the purpose, structure and social issues that NGO’s are involved in. Examples of NGO’s will signpost students to the relevant causes which they champion. It will also address the limitations it faces too through factors such as funding and staffing. Infographic Using data journalism, a map will illustrate poverty on a worldwide scale so students can learn by visual representation the scale and disparity of poverty.

VIDEO CHAPTER

Animation A short animation will explain what an NGO is, what its role is and how it addresses different issues of social justice and equality such as poverty.

5

TEST CHAPTER

A multiple choice quiz that uses information from the previous pages to pose questions

BITESIZE > GCSE LLW > PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT > MAKING INFORMED FINANCIAL DECISIONS

LEARNING OUTCOME

What are the advantages and disadvantages of your choices as a consumer?

REVISE CHAPTER

Text Key points on the importance of a budget will be followed by reveal questions so students can learn about rent, utilities, priority bills and discretionary expenditure. This will help students understand their attitudes towards money and spending habits and will be a way of introducing concepts of money management. Infographic Infographics will highlight the advantages and disadvantages of the key issues of developing student’s competence as discerning consumers. They will look at issues such as; want versus need, quality versus price, cash versus credit, buying versus renting and new versus second hand.

VIDEO CHAPTER

Archive Using clips from the Business section of BBC News, in particular the ‘Your Money’ strand, archive footage with animated overlay will illustrate key points, giving real life examples relating to the curriculum to reinforce students learning.

TEST CHAPTER

A multiple choice quiz that uses information from the previous pages to pose questions around money management will test students’ knowledge of consumer choice.

What we’re looking for…

Creative Proposal Companies are invited to submit a creative proposal detailing their approach to the ‘Personal Safety

and Wellbeing’ Study Guide within the Learning for Life and Work Programme of Study.

Your proposal should include:

Content/Editorial Plan This proposal will include a content and editorial plan which sets out clearly how you will use each

Bitesize component to deliver the key learning outcomes as listed in the content grid in Appendix:

Item A, and how your approach incorporates the Bitesize brand values.

Please use the sample guides listed above to inform the structure of your content plan.

Production schedule

Please provide a top level schedule of major milestones / project management approach.

6

Note: A project management system will be required (i.e. Basecamp or other tool) to manage the

production of the content and to allow the BBC to track the project’s progress and record feedback.

Indicative budget

Within your indicative budget, you will need to make allowance for the following:

Writers

Two BBC sourced writers are needed, one to write an initial draft and a second to review and rewrite

where necessary.

Advisers

A BBC sourced education consultant is essential to advise and offer guidance on the content during

each stage of the production.

User Testing

There should be two user testing sessions during the course of the production. This should be done

with two teachers from different schools who are teaching GCSE LLW. You will be responsible for the

first of these sessions once the written content (including Revise Chapter text and any video scripts)

has been created. The BBC will conduct the second session once content has been delivered and

uploaded.

Working with the BBC

There will be 4 face-to-face meetings during production (this does not include the project initiation

meeting). In addition, we require a weekly content report/update (via phone or teleconference).

The 4 face-to-face meetings will be with the production team in Belfast – so your travel expenses

should be considered within your budgeting.

Project Initiation Meeting – This first meeting will be a chance to meet the production team in

Belfast. We will discuss the editorial scope of the project, confirm the timeline for delivery and hear

some early ideas for content.

Meeting #2 – This meeting will take place at the mid-point of the pre-production process and will

focus on proposed video content (scripts, storyboards, talent, style and tone), iGFX samples (looking

at approach and style) and use of text to deliver learning outcomes.

○ Checks on text style and tone

○ Production schedule/milestones

○ Formal Input from the Education Consultant and user testing

Meeting #3 – This meeting will be scheduled for the mid-point of the production process and will

assess content produced to date and next steps including:

○ Production schedule/milestones

○ Formal feedback from the Education Consultant and user testing

7

Meeting #4 – This final meeting will scheduled around the end of the production process to focus on

how the content fits together within the Bitesize framework. We’ll look at learner journeys and

progression through the content to determine if it is delivering on these key learning outcomes:

○ Production schedule/milestones

○ Formal feedback from the Education Consultant and user testing

Company and project team profile

We want to hear from companies who are passionate about learning and enthusiastic about creating

content for one of the BBC’s premier online brands.

Audience awareness will also be key; do you know this audience and their needs? Have you

produced content for them before? Can you produce content that will resonate with them?

Please include details on the skills and experience of the key members of your project team.

We would like to see evidence of your capacity to deliver this content.

Links to relevant portfolio examples

Please send links to content you’ve produced which you think are relevant to this commission.

Budget

£100,000

Please provide a budget breakdown to show how you intend to cost the project. Payment schedule

to be agreed upon award of contract. Typical payment might be:

40% on signature of contract

30% divided upon completion of defined production milestones

30% upon final delivery

Working together

Who is responsible for what?

You will be responsible for:

• Project management and production of deliverables to agreed deadline and budget

• Chairing regular production meetings and communicating project plans and status

8

We will be responsible for:

• Sharing project documentation

• Collaboration throughout the production and delivery

Sourcing any relevant BBC archive

• Sign-off at milestones on all content, and on final delivery – within an agreed timeframe

• Post-production paperwork to be completed in format supplied by BBC (WebasC)

We will be jointly responsible for:

• Ensuring the learning outcomes are met

• Ensuring that content is best-fit for the Bitesize audience

• Quality assurance of content

The BBC Learning team • Emma Dunseith - Executive Producer

• Emma McIlveen - Producer

• Daniela Cavaliere – Content Assistant

Schedule/project management

• All Bitesize productions follow an iterative development process and we will feed back as

soon as possible on all editorial decisions

• Final delivery and sign off for the project is 3rd March 2017

This project is highly dependent on specific delivery dates that will be defined in the contract. As

such we would like you to give particular attention to clause 9 in our standard terms which states

the following:

If you fail or are due to fail to deliver a Deliverable (or any part thereof) due at any stage specified in

Schedule 2 for any reason not directly and solely attributable to the BBC, the BBC shall (without

prejudice to any other rights or remedies available to the BBC under this Agreement or at law) be

entitled to terminate this Agreement

Should this situation arise and the BBC is forced to terminate, the BBC would only be liable to you for

anything delivered prior to termination. For this reason we would ask that you give timeframes and

delivery the highest priority.

The pitching process

Shortlisted companies will be invited to Belfast to pitch their proposals.

(An allowance of £250 toward travel costs to Belfast will be made available if based outside Northern

Ireland)

9

Learning experience is not a prerequisite, but a thorough understanding of the needs of the Bitesize

audience and clear approach to addressing those needs is expected.

Deadline for submissions, pitch deliverables and selection requirements are outlined below:

Commissioning Schedule

Deadline for creative proposal submission 11th August 2016

Deadline for notification of shortlisted proposals 16th August 2016

Pitch meetings (Belfast) 31st August 2016

Commission decision deadline 1st September 2016

Contract signed 9th September 2016

Project initiation meeting 26nd September 2016

Full delivery of commission 3rd March 2017

Proposal Deliverable List

Company Overview, Portfolio and Project Team

Project Overview

Content/Editorial plan for ‘Personal Safety and Wellbeing’ Study Guide

Production Schedule and Project Management approach

Budget Breakdown

Selection

The BBC will use the following standard criteria to evaluate the pitches submitted:

Quality of the idea proposed – suitability for Bitesize audience

Prior experience of company

Ability to meet editorial requirements

Core staff experience

Project management / production plan

Pricing / value for money

Presentation of response

Next Steps

10

All proposals should be submitted via email to daniela.cavaliere01@bbc.co.uk by Thursday, 11th

August 2016

This is an open brief published on the BBC Learning Commissioning website. Please note that this document is for information purposes only and does not form part of a contractual agreement with the BBC. This is a stand-alone new media commission and the BBC will require all rights in the content, worldwide and on all platforms. The commission will be contracted using the BBC’s New Media Rights Framework 2 agreement. Further information on the BBC New Media Frameworks can be found here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/technology-online/how-we-work/new-mediarights-framework.shtml

11

APPENDIX

Two items

Item A: Suggested Content Breakdown

Content grid outlining the 3 main topics and 18 Study Guides

Topic

Study Guide

Notes/Potential Pages

Local and Global Citizenship

1. Diversity and Inclusion:

Challenges and Opportunities

Influences on cultural identity and how cultural identity can create both cohesion and conflict in communities and society;

The challenges and opportunities of living in a diverse society;

Causes and consequences of conflict at local, national and global levels;

Prejudice and types of discrimination;

Racism, sectarianism and homophobia;

Impact of immigration on communities and society;

Conflict management, dealing with conflict in a peaceful way;

Strategies for promoting inclusion in society, for example:

school;

the community; and

the workplace;

2. Rights and

Responsibilities: Local and Global Issues

The nature and development of international human rights including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC);

How young people can exercise their human rights;

Human rights abuses – child labour, child soldiers, sexual exploitation;

How young people can demonstrate social responsibility; and

The argument for balancing human rights with social responsibility;

3. The Role of

Government and Society in Safeguarding

Causes and consequences of inequality and social injustice;

The importance of equality and social

12

Human Rights

justice in society;

The role of government in promoting equality and social justice through laws and the justice system;

75 NI Act (discrimination);

Equality Legislation; and

The role of government in safeguarding and promoting human rights.

4. Democratic

Institutions: Promoting Inclusion, Justice and Democracy

The characteristics of a democratic society;

The role of laws, policing and the justice system in Northern Ireland;

Key features of the Northern Ireland Act (Belfast/Good Friday Agreement);

Key democratic institutions established as a result of the Agreement;

the role of the Northern Ireland Assembly;

the role of MLAs;

the role of the Equality Commission;

the role of the NIHRC; and

the role of the Police Ombudsman’s Office;

5. Democracy and Active

Participation

Social responsibility and participation in society;

Ways in which individuals and in particular young people can take an active part in the democratic process (school-community-wider world) and influence change;

Benefits of participation to the young person, school, community, society and wider work;

6. The Role of Non-

Governmental Organisations: Promoting Human Rights, Equality and Social Justice

The role of non-governmental organisations in dealing with local, national and global issues such as:

poverty;

famine;

health;

welfare;

animal rights;

environment;

natural disasters;

conflict;

human rights abuses; and

homelessness;

Factors which limit the impact on the

13

work of NGOs e.g.

public support;

funding;

staffing, volunteers, resources; and

corruption

Topic

Study Guide

Notes/Potential Pages

Personal Development

1. Personal Health and

Wellbeing

The contribution of diet, exercise and attitudes to health and wellbeing;

Causes, consequences and risks to health and wellbeing associated with ‘poor’ diet, lack of exercise and attitudes to health and unhealthy lifestyle choices such as:

alcohol;

smoking; and

drugs (misuse of legal prescription drugs and illegal substances);

Causes, consequences and risks of lifestyle factors such as hygiene, stress, work life balance on peoples’ physical and mental health;

Causes and consequences of depression and ways of dealing with it;

Sources of support and ways that young people can get help to overcome addictions or to deal with mental health issues;

Making informed decisions about immunisation;

2. Emotions and

Reactions to Life Experiences

Reflect on, and respond to, their developing concept of self, including managing emotions and reactions to on-going life experiences;

How changes in young people’s lives can affect their personal development for example:

Starting a new school;

Going to college or university;

Starting a new job;

Emigrating to another country;

Living with a partner or getting married;

Becoming a parent;

Having a serious illness or having a

14

family member diagnosed with a serious illness;

Bereavement; and

Unemployment;

Recognise and manage a range of emotions including:

Anxiety;

Stress;

Loneliness;

Frustration; and

Sadness;

Develop ways to successfully manage change in their lives for example:

Talk to their friends and family about their feelings;

Seek professional support if appropriate for example, from a counsellor; and

Consider practical ways to deal with change;

3. Personal Safety and

Wellbeing

Causes and consequences of risk taking behaviour:

Examples of causes include:

Curiosity;

Boredom;

Part of growing up;

To impress peers;

Attention seeking;

Influenced by drugs;

Adrenalin rush; and

Financial gain;

Examples of consequences:

Injury or harm to themselves or others;

Can negatively affect their relationships with others;

Viewed by others as being foolish;

May regret their actions; and

May face criminal charges;

Recognise, assess and manage risk in a range of real-life contexts for example:

Engaging in antisocial behaviour;

Taking drugs/substance abuse;

Sexual behaviour;

15

Deliberate self-harm;

Severe or excessive dieting;

Compulsive over-eating;

Dangerous driving (joy riding, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs); and

Misuse of social media;

Assess the risks associated with certain types of behaviour and actions;

Different forms of abuse (physical, emotional, sexual and neglect);

Dealing with bullying (including cyberbullying and homophobic bullying);

Sexual exploitation;

Avoiding risks and personal safety:

Think about the consequences of your actions to you and others;

Review your friend groups;

Seek support from parents/teachers and trusted friends; and

Know the actions to take to ensure your personal safety in different circumstances, including e-safety;

4. Relationships and

Sexuality

Relationships and sexuality and the responsibilities of relationships;

Recognising healthy and unhealthy relationships;

The positive factors that contribute to the development and maintenance of healthy relationships in families, amongst a peer group and in sexual relationships:

Commitment;

Trust;

Mutual respect; and

Willingness to accept responsibility for actions;

The emotional, social and moral implications of underage parenting;

The influence of cultural backgrounds and practices on relationships for example female genital mutilation (FGM), child brides, arranged and forced marriages;

The effects negative relationships may have on individuals; and

Types of support available for people in unhealthy relationships;

5. Responsible Parenting

Develop an understanding of the roles and

16

responsibilities of parenting;

Challenges faced by young parents, for example: emotional issues; financial issues; and career prospects;

Challenges faced by different types of parental responsibility (carer, single, teenage, older and step parents);

The social, emotional and economic impact of becoming a parent;

Impact of parenting on a child’s physical, social, emotional, cognitive and spiritual development;

6. Making informed

financial decisions

The advantages and disadvantages of consumer choices and managing a budget, for example, debt and issues of:

Quality versus price;

Cash versus credit (including credit and debit cards); and

Buy versus rent;

Making personal financial decisions based on research, advice and information about for example:

Internet banking;

Managing a current account;

Savings schemes; and

ISAs;

Assessing the credibility of financial information and advice;

Protecting against fraud, debit cards, to include contactless payments (apple etc.);

Advantages and disadvantages of comparison website for insurance/ electricity/ gas/oil etc; and

Sources of financial advice and consumer protection to include the Consumer Credit Act and the Sale of Goods Act.

Topic

Study Guide

Notes/Potential Pages

Employability

1. The Impact of

Globalisation on Employment

The impact of global economic changes on Northern Ireland;

Changing employment patterns;

Migration;

The growth and impact of new

17

technologies;

Skills shortages in STEM based careers;

Emerging careers as a result of globalisation; and

Impact of regional development and urban renewal on employment patterns;

2. Preparing for

Employment: Recruitment and Selection

The skills, qualities, attitudes, dispositions, and achievements required for potential and future career aspirations:

Communication (Literacy), Using Maths (Numeracy) and Using ICT (digital literacy) Problem Solving, Self-Management, and Working with Others;

Examples of qualities;

Examples of attitudes and dispositions; and

Examples of achievements;

The importance of lifelong learning in achieving your personal and professional potential;

How an employer assesses a candidate’s suitability for a job:

Application form;

Curriculum vitae;

Covering letter;

Telephone conversation;

Interview;

Aptitude testing;

Presentations; and

Social media presence;

Interview preparation:

The importance of researching the job and the employer;

Candidates’ appearance and behaviour (including body language) during an interview;

An ability to draw on personal experience for evidence of suitability for the post, for example the STAR system; and

Evaluating interview performance.

3. Rights and

Responsibilities of Employers and Employees

A contract of employment between an employer and employee to include the areas in which an employer owes a duty of care to an employee, including:

Salary with consideration to income and deductions;

18

Leave entitlement;

Health and safety; (training, first aid, fire safety, risk assessment, safe lifting, access requirements, waste disposal, Visual Display Unit, Display Screen Equipment, and Personal Protective Equipment);

Career development; and

Promoting equality and reducing discrimination in the workplace and the importance of equality legislation (Section 75 and Equality Act);

employee responsibilities, for example:

Attendance and punctuality;

Appropriate behaviour; and

Demonstration of the skills, qualities, attitudes and dispositions, and achievements required for their job role;

The idea of fair employment from a moral perspective consideration of the following:

Treating people fairly and with respect;

Minimum wage;

Living wage;

Zero hours contracts; and

A healthy work-life balance;

Developing positive working relationships:

Respectful interactions;

Managing conflict; and

Working with others;

Causes and consequences of stress and managing workload;

Ways of dealing with work issues and stress;

The role of trade unions in protecting employees’ rights;

The consequences to employers and employees of failing to meet their responsibilities:

Consequences for the employee – verbal warning, written warnings, dismissal, retraining, non-promotion, loss of commission / bonus; and

Consequences for employer – poor employee relationships, poor work standard, low productivity, loss of business, trade union action and bankruptcy;

19

Benefits to the employee of meeting responsibilities and targets e.g. commission, bonus payments and non-financial incentives.

4. Social Responsibility of

Businesses

Ways in which businesses can demonstrate social responsibility:

Addressing environmental issues:

Carbon footprint;

Reduce, reuse, recycle; and

Strategies to reduce their environmental impact;

Supporting the local community:

Paying taxes;

Voucher schemes;

Sponsorship of local teams and projects;

Scholarship programmes;

Work experience placements; and

Encourage the use of and distribution of local products;

Reasons why businesses are becoming more socially responsible;

5. Personal Career

Management

Understand that career planning is a lifelong learning process:

Review/evaluate progress and achievements;

Goal setting;

Target setting (SMART Targets); and

Taking action

Developing decision making strategies in order to make and implement informed, realistic and appropriate career choices;

The impact of external influences on their attitudes and

Values to education, training and employment;

Career pathways and the qualifications, further study and training required for their career choice;

Relevant personal skills and qualities required for a chosen career; and evaluating and improving upon own learning and performance;

The importance of an entrepreneur carrying

20

6. Exploring Self-Employment

out research before starting up a business;

The advantages and disadvantages of being self-employed, for example opportunities and risks;

The support provided by the following agencies:

The Department of Employment and Learning;

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI);

Invest Northern Ireland;

Enterprise Northern Ireland; and

The Prince’s Trust.

21

Item B: Target Audience: Student Questionnaire Analysis

G.C.S.E. Learning for Life and Work

Student Questionnaire Analysis

As part of the pre-production research for LLW, we visited 4 schools in Northern Ireland to collect

qualitative information about how GCSE students revise. This included the type of content they use

and what kind of resources would they find helpful when revising GCSE Media Studies.

St Joseph’s College is a co-educational, all-ability school on the Ravenhill Road in Belfast.

Grosvenor Grammar School is a co-educational grammar school in East Belfast.

Ashfield Girls School is an all-girl, all-ability secondary school in East Belfast

St Patrick’s High School, Keady is a co-educational, all-ability secondary school in the village of

Keady in South Armagh

Question 1

Do you use Bitesize?

Across the four schools visited, 78% of students used Bitesize. The top five subjects in order of

popularity were: Science, English, Business Studies, Geography and History.

A selection of the responses cited as to why the students used Bitesize included:

St Joseph’s College, Belfast

Easy to understand

Useful because it includes pictures, diagrams, has a neat layout and is colourful

Explains in a more simple form which makes it easier to revise and make notes on

Ashfield Girls, Belfast

It has videos and a quiz at the end

It has the information you need then a video explaining that information and then there is a

quiz to test yourself

It helps me to learn a subject in more detail or if I've forgotten anything learned in class, I

can look over it

Grosvenor Grammar, Belfast

It breaks down large topics into small manageable chunks and includes visual aids

It shows labelled diagrams and explains in a simple way how everything works

22

It is useful to see animations or pictures that are simplified so people understand it easier

St Patrick’s, Keady

It gives you all the topics you're learning

It tells me everything I need to know

If I'm struggling with something, Bitesize has the information I need

I enjoy watching videos on the themes as it is a more enjoyable way of learning

It's really useful because you can find all the relevant information you need in one place and

I don't have to go through many different places

Question 2

What are your favourite topics in each of the three units of LLW?

The responses to this question varied between schools however Personal Development featured

highly across all schools. Particularly popular topics were recognising and managing risk, alcohol

abuse, maintaining healthy relationships, coursework and controlled assessments on Personal

Development.

Interest in Local and Global Citizenship varied between schools with 15 pupils from two schools not

providing any response to the question. However, Culture and Identities within this unit was by far

the most popular topic at Ashfield Girls with 53% of pupils citing it as one of the areas they enjoy

most.

Employability featured consistently across all schools.

The most popular in each of the schools were:

St Joseph’s College, Belfast

Citizenship - learning about equality, democracy and the social injustices in society

Coursework about young parents

Ashfield Girls, Belfast

Culture and Identities

Concept of self

Maintaining healthy relationships

Grosvenor Grammar

Northern Ireland Assembly

Good Friday Agreement

Drug Awareness

Impact of globalisation on employment

St Patrick’s, Keady

Alcohol Abuse – 71% reported this as their favourite subject area to study. This is far greater

than the responses from any of the other schools.

23

Question 3

What areas of LLW do you dislike or struggle with in each of the three units?

Local and Global Citizenship was the least favourite with students as they struggled with laws and

legislations, human rights and government. As mentioned above, 15 pupils left the question relating

to their favourite area of Local and Global Citizenship blank so perhaps it can be assumed that

students did not like any of this unit.

In contrast, 16 pupils from St Patrick’s left Personal Development unanswered and four pupils said

they didn’t dislike any of it.

It is also noteworthy that when students at Ashfield Girls were asked what they disliked the most, 16

pupils left this question blank across the three units suggesting that they liked all of the subject area.

Globalisation featured highly in three of the schools

Beyond this, below are the least favourite areas:

St Joseph’s, Belfast

Controlled Assessments - 60% of students disliked this the most

Ashfield Girls

Finance

Legislations and Laws

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Role of Government

Recognising, assessing and managing risk

Globalisation

Grosvenor Grammar

NGO’s

Young mothers

Human Rights

Impact of Drugs

Effects of globalisation on employment

St Patrick’s, Keady

NGO’s is the most disliked area with very little else standing out. Although plenty are topics

are mentioned, none scored particularly strongly.

Question 4

When you revise online, what do you look for first?

Below is a table of the 10 highest scoring responses from students across the schools surveyed:

24

When you revise online,

what do you look for

first?

No. of

Students

Total: 97

Video/Video Explanations 44

Past Papers 20

Example Essays 19

Bullet Points 13

Well known websites 10

Mind Maps 7

Diagrams 6

Quizzes 5

Simple Explanation 5

Definitions 4

Overwhelming video explanations and video content were the most popular amongst students with

44 pupils seeking it first when revising online. A student from St Joseph’s, Belfast commented that

they ‘prefer video as it doesn’t feel like revision and it doesn’t stress me out as much as long essay’s

do.’

There was a noticeable drop to the next two most common responses with 20 and 19 students

answering past papers and example essays respectively.

Question 5

What resources have you used in the past to revise for LLW?

Resource %

Text 60%

Video 52%

Infographics 22%

Audio 16%

Other 16%

Interactives 13%

When selecting the ‘other’ option, pupils were asked to specify what ‘other’ resources they were

using. The three most common responses were past papers, YouTube and GCSE Pod.

There were clear divisions in the responses depending on the school attended which could be as a

result of the teacher’s preferences for learning aids. For example, half of students from Ashfield Girls

cited GCSE Pod and it was not mentioned in any of the other schools surveyed. However, appearing

consistently throughout all schools were CCEA past papers and to a lesser degree, YouTube.

It is clear that students value past papers for revising which perhaps explains why text resources

were the highest scoring despite students reporting in the previous questions that they look for

videos as their first preference.

25

Question 6

What would be the best resource we could make to help you revise for GCSE LLW?

Clear trends emerged from the responses to this question which consolidates findings for previous

questions. Students had the opportunity to write their opinions freely which gave an insight into

their preferences for learning.

For the purposes of drawing meaningful conclusions, similar answers have been groups together and

counted collectively.

In order of preference, the results were as follows:

Best Resource Possible

No of Pupils &

Percentage of Total

Respondents

Past Papers and Exemplar Answers 41 (42%)

Concise Information 39 (40%)

Games and Tests 36 (37%)

Video 33 (34%)

Visual Learning Aids 27 (28%)

Contained within these heading were various answers including:

Past Papers and Exemplar Answers

Sample papers on a website for past paper

questions

Worked Examples

Real life examples to go with information on laws

Exam Questions

Exemplar Answers

Practical Examples

Marking Schemes

Concise Information

Bullet Points

Text broken up into manageable chunks - not long

paragraphs

Revision Notes

Revision Cards

Simple facts with explanations

Key Points

Easy to understand/read

Information in Sections

26

Clear understanding of the different terms used in

LLW

Split the topics up

A resource that contains the syllabus laid out into

categories with key points of each section

emphasised and short explanations and examples

underneath

Games and Tests

Multiple choice games with answers

Quizzes

Photo Quizzes

Practice Tests

Practice Tests with time conditions

Practice Tests with multiple choice answers that

could be used in the actual exam

Videos

Interactive videos

Video Explainers with diagrams and images

Visual Learning Aids

Infographics

Mind Maps

Diagrams

Spider Diagrams

Flow Charts

Graphics/Images