Contents
This guide provides information and advice on:
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How the Individual Investigation can be structured
Choosing an effective focus and title
Planning the Individual Investigation
Finding and using sources and information
Presentation
How the Individual Investigation is assessed and graded
Introduction
The Individual Investigation provides you with an opportunity to carry out an independent
study. The Individual Investigation can extend your knowledge and understanding of an aspect
of the Welsh Baccalaureate Core or Options or you could choose a topic of personal interest.
Many students choose a topic related to their plans for future study or employment.
The Individual Investigation must:
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Be based on a local/Wales perspective and at least one other country or region of the
world
Have a contemporary focus, although you can include with historical perspectives and
material where appropriate
Have a title based on a key question or hypothesis
be presented in written form that will normally include graphs, images, statistical tables,
diagrams, drawings, etc. and be at least 3,000 words in length (excluding graphs, tables
and diagrams)
Be the original work of the learner and not be based on an assignment/s already
submitted/to be submitted for assessment in another qualification e.g. A Level
coursework.
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GRADING
The Individual Investigation is graded Pass, Merit or Distinction and together with achievement in
ESW/Wider Key Skills contributes to the final overall Core grade as set out in the table below.
Individual
Investigation
6 ESW/ WKS at
level 2 or 3
Overall Grade for
WBQ Core
Distinction
Distinction
Merit
Merit
Pass
Pass
4 or more at
level 3 with
at least 2
ESW
3 at level 3
with at least
1 ESW
4 or more at
level 3 with
at least 2
ESW
3 at level 3
with at least
1 ESW
4 or more at
level 3 with
at least 2
ESW
3 at level 3
with at least
1 ESW
A*
A
A
B
B
C
STRUCTURE
There is no ‘official’ or ‘right’ way to present the Individual Investigation. A common and
successful format is shown below.
Key Question or
hypothesis
Frame
title &
focus
Cover
Wales/other
country or
region
Set aims &
objectives
Produce
Rationale
Describe &
explain
research
methods
Find primary &
secondary
sources
Organise the
main body break down into
themes/sections
Find sources
Presentation
Analyse & select
information from
sources. Evaluate
its usefulness
Where
appropriate add
knowledge,
understanding,
arguments,
viewpoints
Summarise &
make overall
judgements
Conclusion
Address key
question or
hypothesis and
original aims
Comment on
strengths &
weaknesses
of your own
performance
Evaluation
Comment on
extent you
met your
original aims
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How Could The Advanced Individual Investigation Be Structured?
Research
Question
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The Research Question must be phrased as a Key Question or Hypothesis
Cover the issue, Wales and the other country/region.
(i) Aims and
Objectives
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(ii) Rationale
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(iii) Finding
information
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Introduce the topic or issue generally
State your aims and objectives.
Explain what you expect to find out in your investigation about Wales and
the other country/region.
Outline, explain and justify the research methods you intend to use in your
investigation
Identify and obtain relevant primary and secondary information from a
range of sources including from a local/Wales perspective and one other
country or region.
Analyse, synthesise and evaluate the usefulness of information from these
sources in preparation for use in your work.
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Main Body
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Conclusion
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Evaluation
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Bibliography
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Appendix
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Present information using a logical sequence e.g. sections or chapters
covering different aspects of the topic or issue.
Build and present a coherent argument, presenting any conflicting
arguments in a structured way.
Meet the requirement to cover Wales and the other country or region
chosen in balanced and effective way.
Support arguments with evidence from a range of relevant and appropriate
sources – primary and secondary.
Use and present relevant evidence from questionnaires, interviews etc.
Reference sources clearly throughout.
Provide evidence of a range of appropriate skills and techniques.
Display a good knowledge and understanding of the topic or issue, making
appropriate connections between relevant information and concepts.
A summary of your findings - including from the local/Wales and other
country/region perspectives.
Your views on these findings and the extent to which they met your aims.
Comment honestly and in detail on the strengths and weaknesses of your
own performance.
Comment on your planning and research methods and the effectiveness of
your research, organisation of work and use of information.
Comment on the extent to which you have met your aims and objectives.
How would you have do things differently if you did this work again?
Add a bibliography including a comprehensive and detailed list of all sources
used – primary and secondary.
You could consider an annotated bibliography commenting briefly on the
usefulness of sources.
Limit what is included in an appendix e.g. one completed copy of a
questionnaire or interview used and/or additional relevant information
relating to your research e.g. tally chart.
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Choosing a Title and Focus
You should ask a question or pose a hypothesis about a topic that you are interested. A
Research Question needs a clear focus.
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• Choose a topic of interest- it is a good idea to choose a topic that you find
interesting.
• Do some prelimary research on the topic -it is good practice to do some
prelimary research to see if there is any information available for futher
study. It is also an opportunity to start thinking of a question or questions
to research. You should also consider if the topic is suitable for collecting
primary and secondary information.
• Start thinking of a question / hypothesis - Consider the above points and
start forming possible questions such as 'Why..' and 'How..'. Remember to
ensure that you refer to Wales and another country / region in your key
question / hypothesis.
• Evaluate your question / hypothesis -is it.. (a) Clear or unclear
(b) Specific or open ended (c) Too simple or complicated
(d) Contemparory
• Choose your question / hypothesis For example • Key Question- 'Is obesity more of a problem in Wales than Missouri?'
• Hypothesis- 'Obesity is more of a problem in Wales than Missouri.'
A key question or hypothesis allows you to follow a research process which
leads to your conclusions.
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Planning
Establish a topic
and title, setting
aims and
objectives
Write a rationale
Candidates must base
their Investigations on a
research question or
hypothesis. It is advisable
to aim for a 50/50
coverage of Wales and the
other country. The aims
and objectives should be
clear, logical. They should
enable you to respond
fully to the key question or
hypothesis and cover all
aspects of the topic.
•
You must identify and
explain the research
methods you are going to
use to achieve your aims
objectives.
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State your aims i.e. the purpose of the
investigation. This should be defined
in a clear and concise manner.
State your objective(s) i.e. indicate the
steps you want to take to achieve your
50/50 coverage of Wales and the
other country or region.
You do not have to compare the two
countries, but can do so if you wish. It
is sometimes better to put points of
comparison i.e. any similarities and
differences between Wales and the
other country in the conclusion.
Describe the methods and steps you
intend to take.
Explain why you have chosen each
method and how it will help you to
achieve your objectives.
Finding and using information
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Find primary and
secondary
information
You will need to find and
use a range of relevant
and useful primary and
secondary information
Select and use the from a range of sources.
most important
You will need to find
information
information which enables
you to meet your
Consider the
objectives – answer the
usefulness and
key question or respond to
reliability of
the hypothesis.
sources
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Information must be from primary and
secondary sources. Primary sources
must include sources you obtain for
yourself e.g. interviews, surveys or
images.
The information collected will need to
be organised and synthesised, so that
only the most relevant and useful
material is selected.
You should consider the usefulness of
sources and information e.g. in terms
of coverage of the topic, bias, currency
and reliability generally.
Sources should be effectively
referenced both within the work and
in a bibliography.
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Where and how can you find information?
Questionnaires/interviews
Questionnaires and interviews can be an excellent sources of primary information. When
designing a questionnaire or planning an interview the following should be considered:
Are the questions relevant?
Is the wording of questions clear?
Are open or closed questions appropriate?
Will the people asked be likely to know the answers?
Are the questions the phrased in a way which is likely to influence the response?
Are the questions too personal or intrusive?
Is your method of sampling organised, fair and effective?
Wikipedia
Wikipedia should only be used as a starting point and to provide useful references. The
reliability of information on Wikipedia must always be questioned, especially as it can be written
or revised by anyone at any time.
Official information
There is a wealth of official and reliable statistical information available. Government statistics
are not as hard to find or use as you may think. The government does all it can to make sure
citizens can access information. One of the ways the UK government has tried to do this is by
using a website. http://data.gov.uk/
The data government website provides a vast resource of official information. For Welsh
statistics see Stats Wales. http://www.statswales.wales.gov.uk/
One of the most interesting developments is the development of statistical apps for your mobile
phone. (http://data.gov.uk/apps) A wide range of apps provided on this site by the UK
government can provide you with information on everything from information about local
services, local and national crime statistics and even environmental issues. There are some
examples based on crime below. Search the apps list to find out more.
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Augmented Crime Scene allows you to view UK crimes that have occurred within the last
month, up to 1 mile from your current location.
The Crime Stats Quiz is a fun and quick quiz to test people's perception of crime with the
actual statistics.
CrimeFox brings the official statistics on crime to your fingertips.
CrimeStatistics uses crime data for postcode comparisons.
It is very important to use up to date statistics. It is accepted that information available may
be a year or two out of date, but unless you are investigating trends, you should look for
data which is as up to date as possible
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How can you organise the information collected?
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You will need to analyse, synthesise, sort, and digest all the information you have
gathered about your topic.
Devise your own method to organise your notes and information. It can be a good idea
to group your notes into sections, perhaps related to relevant themes. You may for
example use a hi-lighter to identify useful sections - summaries, paraphrases or
quotations.
How should you present your Individual Investigation?
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Write an outline plan for the main body of your investigation. It is a good idea to break
the issue or topic down into sections or themes rather than write about Wales and the
other country separately. Try to break this part of your investigation down into sections
and then paragraphs. Use paragraphs to separate each important point.
Make sure that the information you include is relevant and adds something to the point
you are trying to make or your overall argument. Do not include information that you do
not understand or is too complex to explain.
Remember at this level you must show a good knowledge, understanding and coverage
of the topic or issue you have chosen to investigate.
As the work progresses to be able to comment on the reliability of the sources you are
using and to show an awareness of differing points of view.
Look carefully at your research data. Is the information reliable? Is it factual, up-to-date,
and correct?
Quotations from academics or eye witnesses etc, should generally be short and to the
point. Including too long a source may result in the reader losing the thread of the
argument.
Include and make reference to your primary research in the main text and not as part of
an appendix.
Make sure the information that you have noted is carefully recorded and in your own
words, if possible. Plagiarism is definitely out of the question. Carefully and accurately
reference all your sources, including ideas borrowed or quotes used. As you organise
your notes, jot down detailed bibliographical information for each cited paragraph and
have it ready to transfer to your bibliography.
What should you remember when presenting your Individual Investigation?
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Print or type using a 12 point standard font, such as Ariel, Times, Geneva or Calibri.
Number pages consecutively.
Start each new section on a new page – avoid placing headings at the bottom of pages
Produce at least 3,000 words excluding sources.
Use normal prose – avoid jargon, slang or superlatives and phrases such as "I think", "I
guess", "I suppose".
Write in the past tense unless reporting current facts.
Avoid using contractions. Use "cannot" instead of "can't", "do not" instead of "don't.
Finally read your Individual Investigation for any content errors. It is also a good idea to
ask someone else to proof read it. Sometimes a second pair of eyes can see mistakes
that you missed. Do a spelling and grammar check. Correct all errors that you can spot
and improve the overall quality of the paper to the best of your ability.
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How is the Individual Investigation assessed?
Grades awarded for the Individual Investigation are Fail, Pass, Merit or Distinction. A Pass must
be achieved in each of the assessment criteria to achieve a Pass, Merit or Distinction.
Points available for each of the Assessment Criteria are shown in the following table:
FAIL
0
PASS
1
MERIT
2
DISTINCTION
3
The Individual Investigation grade is then calculated by comparing the learners point score to
the overall grade table below.
FAIL
0-7
PASS
8 - 11
MERIT
12-19
DISTINCTION
20 - 24
To achieve a Distinction in the Individual Investigation a candidate must achieve at least 20
points, with a Distinction in at least four of the assessment criteria.
To achieve a Merit in the Individual Investigation, a candidate must achieve at least 12 points,
with a Merit or Distinction in at least four of the assessment criteria.
To achieve a Pass in the Individual Investigation a candidate must achieve at least 8 points and
achieve at least a Pass in all eight assessment criteria.
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