Why do you need to produce a portfolio? Why not just take a test to prove you can use ICT, calculate numbers or write a variety of documents?

In most subjects, your final work is all that is required, or you will need to take a test to prove that you've reached a certain level of competence in the course that you've been studying.

However, whether you get a job or go to college or university, you may be asked to research a subject or project and present it in a certain way.

You might be asked to produce a report, case study or portfolio on something that you've been asked to research.

By recording the skills of planning, researching, developing and presenting your work, you learn by reflecting on what you've done. So, the evidence in your portfolio shows you how you're getting on and allows you to evaluate your finished work to see if you could have done it better or differently/more effectively.

Go to the next screen to find out about 'levels of competence'.