A lab record written the week each experiment is performed takes twenty minutes at a time, reads as genuine because it is, and prepares the student for the viva as a side effect. The same record assembled the night before submission takes a whole night, reads as assembled, and leaves the student unable to answer questions about their own readings.
| Cost, weekly | About twenty minutes per experiment |
|---|---|
| Cost, all at once | A night, and it shows |
| Side benefit | Viva preparation happens automatically |
| Class | 11 and 12 |
Why the one-night version is visible
Uniform handwriting and ink across twenty experiments performed over a year. No corrections anywhere. Readings that agree to an implausible degree. Dates written in a single sitting. Teachers who have marked hundreds of these recognise all of it immediately, and it affects the mark.
The deeper problem is that the student did not think about the experiments at the time, which shows up in the viva when they are asked why a particular reagent was used.
Record the reading that disagreed. Real experimental work produces variation, and a record showing it — with an honest mean and a note on why one result differed — reads as authentic and demonstrates understanding. It is also the question most likely to be asked in the viva, and the student who wrote it can answer.
The weekly routine
- Write the entry within a few days of performing the experiment, while the details are remembered.
- Aim, apparatus, theory, procedure, observations, calculation, result, precautions — the same structure every time.
- Calculations shown fully, as in the written paper.
- One line on anything that did not go as expected, which is the most useful sentence in the entry.
Twenty minutes a week through the term is roughly six hours across the year, against a night of panic and a weaker result.
What the tutor should be doing
Asking about it monthly. Most students will not raise the practical file, and a tutor focused entirely on the theory syllabus can go a whole year without mentioning it — by which time the marks are already compromised.
Ten minutes spent on the principle behind whichever experiment was performed that week improves the entry, prepares the viva, and often clarifies the theory chapter it belongs to.
Why this matters more than it seems
Practical marks are separately assessed and do not depend on performing under time pressure in a three-hour paper. For a student who finds the written exam hard, this is where a reliable score is genuinely available — and it is exactly those students who most often leave the record until it cannot be done well.
Questions parents ask
Does the teacher really notice a file written in one night?
Consistently. Uniform ink, no corrections and implausibly clean data are obvious to anyone who marks these regularly.
What if experiments were missed?
Speak to the school early. Missing entries are a straightforward loss and are usually made up if raised in time.
Can a tutor write it with the student?
They can help with structure, theory and calculations. The observations must be the student’s own.
How much is the practical worth?
A meaningful separately assessed portion. Ask the school for the current scheme for your child’s session.