Information Technology

Practical Assessment Task (PAT)

Grade 12 – 2025

Task Guidelines

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INTRODUCTION

Description

The Practical Assessment Task (PAT) is an assessment of a learner's individual interaction

with the programming languages they have worked with, as well as the various application
packages they have encountered. The PAT is to be completed during the course of most of
the Grade 12 year and should be formatively assessed so that the learners have the
opportunity to submit their best work. The information will finally be presented in several
documents to communicate a solution in an integrated manner.

Purpose

The purpose of the PAT is to allow learners to demonstrate their skills in using the
programming language that they have studied, i.e. Java or Delphi, to create an application
that provides a solution to a specific problem.

This project will form 25% (100 marks) of the overall Grade 12 assessment.

Skills required

All skills acquired during the Grades 10–12 Information Technology curriculum, will serve
as guidelines to the minimum skills that should be demonstrated in the PAT.

Process

The PAT involves the learner choosing a scenario, finding and accessing information for the
scenario, and developing a solution for that scenario. The solution must take into account
managing and accessing stored data for the scenario.

The PAT must be seen as a process that includes planning a solution proposal. It should
be gradually completed over a period of a few months, and evidence of planning should be
provided. This project should allow for independent thought and creative thinking.

Composition of the PAT

The PAT involves the following documents and a coded application.

Every document must include a title page and a table of contents.

• Specifications Document – Phase 1

This document details a summary of the project, the motivation for creating such a
project accompanied by relevant research, the program's functions, the user interface,
and how data will be stored.

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• Design Document – Phase 2

This document is to detail the actual design elements of the program, namely:

− User interface design (what the screens look like and what happens on them).
− Program flow (how the program works – linked to the interface).
− Class design (what the classes are required, their fields and methods).
− Data storage design (what the persistent storage structure is).
− Explanation of primary and secondary storage (justification for storage decisions).

• Coding – Phase 3

This phase requires an application to be developed based on Phase 1 and Phase 2,

where emphasis must be placed on:

− Comments for all the methods.

− Separation of UI from working code.
− Communication using typed methods (functions) and parameters.
− Good general programming techniques (naming, indentation, appropriate data
structures, etc.).
− Good use of persistent storage.
− Defensive programming, including exception handling.
− Fulfilment of specifications.
− User experience.

• Technical Document – Phase 4a

This document outlines the externally sourced code, an explanation of critical

algorithms, and the advanced techniques used.

• Testing Document – Phase 4b

This document outlines the evaluation of the program, functional testing of the program
and testing of two input variables.

Review and monitoring

As this project has a large scope, much of the work will have to be done outside of class
time. The entire process will be facilitated and monitored by the educator, who will provide
timeframes for checking and submitting the various phases. Continuous checking and
feedback at regular intervals will ensure that learners obtain the best possible mark. Phases
3 and 4 will be assessed when they are presented and in conjunction with an interview with
the learner by the educator.

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Resources

Learners are encouraged to use subroutines/classes/units from other programmers to

improve the quality of their project. When Generative AI code is used, learners must
acknowledge and explain their usage of Generative AI in terms of content, process, and
resulting product.

It is the learner's responsibility to ensure that all borrowed, or AI-generated code is properly
referenced (preferably using the Harvard standard) and acknowledged.

Borrowed or generated code may be used for this task up to a maximum of 20 per cent
only from all the learner's code.

Educators will interview learners to establish and ascertain how much borrowed code is in
the project.

Assessment Rubric

A detailed assessment rubric is provided to facilitate marking and internal and external
moderation of the PAT. The rubric stipulates the evidence required for each Phase of the
PAT. The PAT will be marked and moderated as the phases are completed to ensure the
learner does the work independently.

Learners are encouraged to study the assessment rubric to fulfil the requirements of each
phase and help them improve on the subsequent phases.

The four phases should be assessed as follows:

Recommended
Recommended
class time
Phase Details Marks submission time
spent on each
frame
phase
1 Specifications Document 17 1 week February

2 Design Document 30 3 weeks April–May

3 Coding 38 6 weeks July–August

4(a) Technical Document 8 1 week August–September

4(b) Testing Document 7 1 week August–September

TOTAL 100 12 weeks

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Topic and Content

It is recommended that learners consider solutions to national or global problems described

in the National Development Plan 2030 (NDP 2030). These problems described in the NDP
are related to the 17 global goals listed in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set
by the United Nations.

The topic should allow for independent thought and creative thinking and may be a
solution to a real-world problem, a business management system or even a game.

The topic can be implemented on one or more desktop computers, as a mobile application,
or on a separate hardware device such as Raspberry PI or Arduino, or any combination
thereof.

Educators must ensure that learners have written a substantial amount of their solution and
have not relied too heavily on utilities and functions provided by a solution development tool
or Generative AI.

To reduce the risk of plagiarising an existing application, many of which are available on the
Internet, the learner must code a completely new solution for the topic and scenario.

Learners are expected to research existing solutions to their project to determine whether
there is an existing solution and will have to indicate how their project differs from existing
solutions.

The following types of projects will be accepted:

• Projects involving the use of multiple database tables/text files

• Projects involving the use of data collected via the use of sensors
• Games or Gaming engines

All projects will be accepted on the premise that the following are strictly adhered to:

• A considerable amount of meaningful data MUST be stored on a secondary storage

device.

• Significant use of backend classes is evident where the bulk of the processing occurs.

Planning and Submission of Phases

It is vital that this project is started early in the year and that learners are given timeframes
for when Phases or aspects of Phases are due.

Educators should check learners' topics early and advise on scope and functionality.
This must be done to ensure that learners are on the right path from the outset.

Educators may want to dedicate a lesson to the PAT timetable to check learners' progress
and advise them periodically. Learners must also address any changes in previous phases.

The following planning/checklists will be used in conjunction with the PAT Assessment
Rubric to ensure that requirements are met.

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PHASE 1: SPECIFICATIONS DOCUMENT

Learner Name: Daniel Miller Due Date: 11 April 2025

Refer to Phase 1 in the Assessment Rubric.

In completing this phase, the learners will have to:

• Provide a brief description, including the purpose of the project, a summary of functions
and a description of the target user group(s). Expand on it to describe exactly what
needs to be done in your own words.
• Conduct research to determine if there are existing projects and provide an explanation
of how the proposed project will differ from existing projects.
• List exactly what the functions of the program are going to be.
• List the specifications of the user interface (what it will look like).
• List and group all data required.

Submission of evidence

Hand in a Specifications Document prepared in an appropriate application, which contains

the following:

Aspect / Comment

Problem Summary

Research and Motivation

Program Functions

User Interface

Permanent Data required

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PHASE 2: DESIGN DOCUMENT

Learner Name: Daniel Miller Due Date:

Refer to Phase 2 in the Assessment Rubric.

In completing this phase, the learners will have to:

• Provide a user interface design.

• Provides a flow diagram of how the program works.
• Provide a class design.
• Provide a Secondary Storage Design.
• Provide an explanation for Secondary Storage Design.
• Provide an explanation for how Primary Data Structures relate to Secondary Storage.

Submission of evidence

Hand in a Design Document prepared in an appropriate application, which contains the

following:

Aspect / Comment

User Interface Design

Program Flow Diagram

Class Design

Secondary Storage Design

Explanation of Secondary Storage Design

Explanation of how Primary Data Structures
relate to Secondary Storage

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PHASE 3: CODING

Learner Name: Daniel Miller Due Date:

Refer to Phase 3 in the Assessment Rubric.

In completing this task, the learners will have to write the actual code for the intended
program and:

• Provide comments in code.

• Ensure separation of UI from Working Code.
• Ensure that inter-code communication between classes and within a class.
• Show good general programming techniques.
• Provide good use of Querying and Manipulation of Data in Secondary Storage.
• Illustrate defensive programming techniques.
• Ensure the fulfilment of program functions, as specified.
• Provide an overall excellent user experience.
• Provide all electronic files used for processing/manipulating the data and running the
program.

Submission of evidence (Educator to interview learners)

Hand in the entire program containing the code and necessary files for the program to run.

Aspect / Comment

Comments

Separation of UI from Working Code

Inter-Code Communication

Good General Techniques

Persistent Storage/Querying

Fulfilment of Specifications

User Experience

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PHASE 4: TECHNICAL DOCUMENT & TESTING DOCUMENT

Learner Name: Daniel Miller Due Date:

Please refer to Phase 4 in the Assessment Rubric.

In completing this task, the learners will have to:

• Provide references to externally sourced code.

• Explain which algorithms are considered critical to the functioning of the program.
• Explain the various advanced techniques that were used.

• Provide an evaluation of the Programmed Solution.

• Provide TWO sets of Functional testing.
• Provide Test Plan and Results for TWO input variables.

Submission of evidence (Educator to interview learners)

Hand in a Technical Document and a Testing Document prepared in an appropriate

application, which contains the following:

Aspect / Comment

Externally Sourced Code

Explanation of Critical Algorithms

Advanced Techniques

Evaluation of Programmed Solution

Functional Testing

Test Plan and Results for TWO Input Variables

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
PRACTICAL ASSESSMENT TASK
DECLARATION

Learner Exam Number

DECLARATION BY THE LEARNER:

I, _______________________________________________________ (learner full name)

hereby confirm that:

• I have read and understood my school's policy relating to Academic Dishonesty.

• I have adhered to my school's policy regarding Academic Dishonesty.
• The PAT submitted has been completed in full by me.
• I have clearly indicated in my PAT any sections of work/code that were generated or
assisted by AI or where code was borrowed, giving credit where it is due.
• I acknowledge that I may have to verbally explain my work presented in this PAT.
• I further declare that my PAT code comprises 20% or less code that is borrowed or from
Generative AI, as required by the IEB.

Acknowledgement of AI tools used:

AI Tools used Purpose Prompts used

Signed: ___________________________ Date: ____________________

Learner

DECLARATION BY EDUCATOR:

I, _________________________________________________ (educator full name & title)

at _______________________________________________________ (name of school)

declare that the work provided by this learner has been monitored and checked for

plagiarism.

Signed: ___________________________ Date: ____________________

Educator
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