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This is not your brief - it's just an example. Have a look to see what sorts of things you might be asked to do.

Activity 1

You need to do some research. That means you will need to:

  • construct a research plan 

  • conduct the research

  • present the results

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Your teacher might remind you how research is conducted at this point.

Here's an example of what a research plan (for another brief) might look like. It is NOT a template or a model for you to copy; your work needs to be 100% your own - but this might suggest the range of stuff you need to cover.

Activity 2

You need to start generating ideas. You will need to be able to show how you are incorporating the results from your research into your thinking.

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You might begin with a mindmap. Remember, though, that you are actually going to be assessed on the appearance and content of this mindmap. Use something like mindmeister to keep it presentable if necessary.  

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Mindmapping and ideation in general work much better in groups. Get a group together; discuss your own ideas or collaborate on one mindmap (this will depend on whether your teacher has you working in groups or individually at this stage.) RECORD THE MEETING! Evidence is important in BTEC courses; if you make the effort to do something, make sure you gather evidence so you get credit for it.

Another way to generate and refine ideas is to produce moodboards for some of your ideas or generally to express what you think you want to achieve.

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As with your mindmap, you are going to have to explain what the purpose of the moodboard is and how it relates to your initial research and your ideas; so try not to create a series of random or repetitive images from the internet!

Activity 3

The next task is to decide which ideas to proceed with. You should have generated A LOT of possible ideas responses to your brief so far (if you haven't got a minimum of ten viable ideas, you are not ready to move on yet!)

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One way to do this is by conducting a SWOT analysis for any idea which you think might be good enough to proceed with. It would be reasonable to do this for your top three-five ideas.

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You can use this template, or make your own.

Activity 4

The last thing to do for this section is to present your findings. This might take the form or a pitch or a report; it depends what the brief asks for.

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  • What research you have done

  • What your results suggest

  • What ideas you have come up with, using your mindmaps, moodboards and SWOT analyses to explain your thinking

  • Your final idea.

NOTE -we are not presenting the pitches yet; we will do that at the very end of the whole process. But you can start bringing your ideas together as a presentation.

Unit 1 Assessment

Here are the assessment criteria - how do you think you are doing?

Is your research effective?

Is it well presented?

Have you shown how you generated and selected ideas? Does your idea satisfy the brief?

Is your pitch (so far) detailed, clear, and engaging? 

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