Year 8 - Castles Assessment
SUCCESS CRITERIA
 Clear title
 A well presented drawing showing key features of your castle.
 The drawing will need to be annotated (labelled) with names of
features
 An introduction that describes the task you will be doing.
 Structured sentences with pauses and stops.
 Good use of paragraphing, that shows a change in the information
that you are writing about.
 Descriptions and explanations of each feature and why it is
important.
 Descriptions and explanations about the location of your castle and
why it is the best location.
 A conclusion to summarise the main points.
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO FOR EACH LEVEL
LEVEL 3 – You have drawn a basic picture of a castle with some key
features. You have written a description of some key features. You have
some reasons why you have chosen where your castle should go.
LEVEL 4 – You have drawn a picture of a castle with many labelled
features. You have written a description AND begun to explain why your
key features are good. You have given some good reasons for the location
of your castle.
LEVEL 5 – You have drawn a detailed picture of a castle with all features
labelled. You have written a detailed description AND a clear explanation
why your features are good. You have given valid reasons for the location
of your castle.
LEVEL 6 – You have drawn a very well presented picture of a castle with
every feature accurately labelled. You have written a detailed description
AND a well argued explanation of why you have chosen your features. You
have given well thought out reasons for the location of your castle.
a = Have fully attained this level and are nearly working at the next level.
b = Are comfortably working at this level.
c = Are beginning to work at this level.
Task 2 – Describe the defensive features and explain why you have
chosen them.
The features of my castle.
I am going to be writting about the difences of my castle and why they are
good. I have a drawn a Portcullis it is like a metal gate which goes upp and
down. I have also drawn some embrasures which are gaps where peopple
shoot through. This is good because what you can do is hide behind the wall if
someone is shooting you. To go around the outside of the castel to slow
people down from attacking, I have drawn a moat it is full of water it is quite
big. People might drown if they couldn’t swimm. It goes right around the
outside it might be full of fish it is also good for water for the castle. Next to the
portcullis there is a killing ground where solders get trapped and people throw
things on top of them things like rocks and stuff. This is good because lots of
people get killed.
Task 3 – Describe and explain the best place to locate your castle.
The location of my Castle.
It is on top of a hill so you can see wear people are coming. But it will get cold
and windy. There is a river arround it so people who can’t swim can’t go near
it. The river will give water to the castle for drinking and fishing. It is near a
place with stones which is good because we need stones to build it they can
also be chucked down the killing ground. I have also put it next to a roade to
help take trees to the castle.It would be good if their was a wood nearby for
hunting and children to play in.
Assessment
1. What are the strengths of this piece of work? ( the good things)
2. What can they do to improve it?
3. Make a comment on use of paragraphs,spelling and use of
connectives.
4. Have they completed all the success criteria?
5. What level would you give this piece of work?
Task 2 – Describe the defensive features and explain why you have
chosen them.
The features of my castle.
In this piece of work I will be writing about the defences in the castle I have
drawn and effective they are.
A very important feature of my castle is the moat, this is important because it
is the first defence that attackers will come to. It slows them down, because
they have to get across it to reach the castle, but when they reach the castle it
is difficult to get into because of the curtain wall. The moat was also useful
because if attacking soldiers couldn’t swim they might drown. I have also
included a drawbridge another feature of the defence. It can be lowered by
the castle over the moat to get things in, but it can be raised to stop attackers
entering. A problem with the drawbridge is that it is a big weakness as once
breached people are in the castle.
Behind the drawbridge in the Barbican is the portcullis. It is large metal gate
in a grid pattern with deadly spikes at the bottom. It can dropped quickly in
order to attack soldiers, consequently those trapped in the middle were then in
the killing ground. Hidden above the killing ground soldiers armed with rocks
and hot oil pelted those below through machiolations. This is my favourite
defensive feature because the number of attackers can be killed which
reduces their numbers.
The most important part of the castle and the last line of defence was the
keep. This big and strong building was usually located in the centre of the
castle and was where most of the defenders would eat and sleep .If all the
other defences had fallen to the enemy all the defenders would seek refuge in
the walls of the keep. From the top of the keep archers could fire their arrows
through arrow slits and past embrasures. These feature were excellent
because the defender could fire at the attackers without being hit himself.
To conclude the following defences have been discussed; moat ,curtain wall,
drawbridge, portcullis , killing ground, machiolations, keep , arrow slits and
embrasures. I have shown how the combination of these defences were
extremely effective in deterring attackers.
Task 3 – Describe and explain the best place to locate your castle.
The location of my Castle.
When deciding the location of my castle I had to consider different factors. In
my opinion the most thing was to locate my castle on a hill. One of the
reasons castles were built was to protect people. If it is on top of a hill,
attackers can be seen a long way off, so the people in the castle can prepare
for attack. This is much better than building a castle in a valley, where it
would be vulnerable to attack.
Having a river near by would also be handy. Getting water to fill the moat
would be easier with a nearby water supply. The moat is an important
feature of the defence of the castle and would need to be made quickly. A
river can also supply the castle with water to drink and wash in.
I will also need building materials for my castle, such as stone and trees.
Stones are heavy and difficult to transport, so if there were a supply near to
the hill, it would be very useful. Wood is another key part of any castle.
Having a forest near to the location of my castle, from which I can get a
steady supply of wood is crucial. It is also worth considering that stones and
wood can be used to make things like boulders and arrows, which help defend
the castle.
I have talked about needing stones and wood for my castle. Having a good
road leading to the hill from the forest is very useful. It will save on time and
energy in building the castle. The materials needed for the castle are
awkward to transport and a clear road will make the job easier.
In conclusion, when considering the location of my castle, I thought about
defence of the castle and making it easier to build the castle. Having it on a
hill will provide a strong defence, and having it near a river, forest and road
will ensure it is made efficiently.
Castles Assessment for Year 8
You are William Fitz Osbern, a Norman lord who has been granted land by
King William 1st.
King William will not tell you to build your castle in a particular place, but
he expects you to protect the lands for him, so the castle had better be
on a suitable site. It must also protect you and your family from attack.
TASK 1 –
Draw a diagram of a castle, with labels, showing all the features that help
to defend it. Here are some suggestions of things you could include:
Moat
Hill
Bailey
Arrow Slits
Murder holes
Barbican
Embrasures
Drawbridge
Motte
Portcullis
Towers
Ditch
Curtain wall
Killing ground
TASK 2 –
Describe each of the features that you have drawn on your castle and
explain why you have chosen them.
TASK 3 –
Describe and explain the best place to locate your castle; there are a
number of points to consider:
 You need a strong position, easy to defend, using the natural
features of the land (eg: rivers, high ground) to your advantage.
 You have to be in a position to control the people if they give you
trouble, and you must be able to get to your lands easily to inspect
them.
 Where will your food and water come from?
 Where will you get the building materials you need?
 Do you want a moat around the castle? If so, how will you get the
water to keep it filled up?
Assessment
1. What are the strengths of this piece of work? ( the good things)
2. What can they do to improve it?
3. Make a comment on use of paragraphs,spelling and use of
connectives.
4. Have they completed all the success criteria?
5. What level would you give this piece of work?