CSEC SBA

Here are some Frequently Asked Questions about the CSEC O'Level SBA.

1. Why should I do the Table of Contents last?

Answer: Because you will have lots of changes to make and as a result page numbers will also change. Therefore it is advisable and sensible to do up the Table of Contents last, it also ensures that it is neat and the page numbers correspond.

2. How do I write my Purpose of Study?

Answer: Write it as a question, you will lose marks for placing it as a sentence. Remember you are carrying out an investigation and every investigation starts with a question. You can however, write your title as a statement. Example: "What are the successes and problems of commercial arable farming in Central Trinidad?"

3. How many maps should I have for the Location of Study?

Answer: You should have at least THREE. One with Trinidad showing the town or city where your study is carried out. This map must be of the whole of Trinidad. You should highlight the area of study on this map. So if your area of study is Tabaquite, You should put Tabaquite in red and indicate on the Key that this is the area of study. Do not forget to include in this map: Port of Spain, San Fernando, the water bodies around Trinidad like the Gulf of Paria, Columbus Channel, Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. Another showing the county with main roads and rivers. You must also highlight the area of study on this map. This map can be found in your Atlas. Another showing a street guide of where your area of study is. This map is usually not drawn to scale, as it is a basic sketch map zooming in the area itself. You can use coloured pencils on your map as well as borders. Ensure that your maps are NEAT.

4. What particular details should I put on my maps?

Answer: You should ensure that you have your North sign, a scale, a legend, a title, your lines of latitude and longitude. You should let your map be colourful with the appropriate place names.

5. What is the methodology?

Answer: Simply put, the methodology is how you carried out your study. It entails How, When and Where. How involves the instruments and tests you carried out on your study and should be detailed. So if you used: rain gauges, questionnaires, current meters, quadrats, pens, pencils, pages, cameras etc. You need to say that. When is the time and date you carried out the study. E.g. At Erin Farm on Saturday 10 November, 2005 from 8 am to 3 pm. Where is the location of your study, you should write a few lines about the area itself.

6. Should I put my Presentation of Data separate from my Analysis and Discussion?

Answer: Yes. However, when you are writing up your Analysis and Discussion, ensure that you refer to the diagrams and pictures in your Presentation of Data.

7. How many photos should I put?

Answer: Try your best not to clutter your SBA with too many photos. About 5 to 8 should be enough. What you can do is to combine your pictures into one large image.

8. About how many different types of illustrations should I have?

Answer: At LEAST 3, this includes photographs, tables, bar charts, histograms, pie charts, flow lines etc.

9. What is my word limit?

Answer: 1,000 words, on word, go to FILE then to PROPERTIES, under PROPERTIES, click on STATISTICS and you will see how many words you have. By the way, this applies to Word 2003 and older applications.

10. How do I write my bibliography?

Here is an example:

Rahil, Vohn A.M. New Caribbean Geography, Caribbean Educational Publishers 2007.

Wilson, Mark The Caribbean Environment, Oxford Publishers 2003

BTW, the above figures are not necessarily true, its just to give an example. Notice that the books are arranged in ALPHABETICAL ORDER according to authors' last names. You should use THREE (3) different texts in your bibliography. You can include web sites etc. if you used web sites. DO NOT list this web site in your Bibliography!

11. What goes on the Cover Page?

The following: NAME, SCHOOL, CANDIDATE NUMBER (leave blank), CENTRE NUMBER, TERRITORY,YEAR, TITLE OF STUDY.