Guide

How to get a Distinction in Junior Cycle Graphics

By Val Connell - 5 minute read

Val is an experienced teacher and in this guide, he shares his advice for succeeding in this subject.

Introduction

Graphics is an excellent subject to take at Junior Cycle. It is a branch of technology-based subjects and is an important skill to have to do well in the other three subjects (engineering technology, wood technology and applied technology).

This subject looks at developing your skills in freehand sketching, technical drawing and 3D computer models. These are excellent skills to help you communicate ideas for an object you wish to make or to help you interpret how an object will be made from existing objects.

Assessment breakdown

There are three areas of assessment in this course. Let's have a closer look:

Classroom-Based Assessments

Graphics compromises of two Classroom-Based Assessments (CBAs). CBA 1 is due in May of 2nd year and CBA 2 is due in October of 3rd year. CBA 1 will develop your sketching skills and will ask you to identify geometry in a selected theme, for example, a sports theme and it should be completed on an A3 sheet. Each CBA will be awarded one of the following descriptors:

Exceptional
Above expectations
In line with expectations
Yet to meet expectations

Remember

Put plenty of effort into your CBAs as they are invaluable preparation for your project.

Top tips

Here's some advice for your CBAs:

Keep the sheet detailing the CBA in a safe place so you can consistently refer to it.
Analyse geometry in objects that you can physically get your hands on as opposed to analysing objects on the internet or in books. You can discover a lot more about something when it is in front of you.
When analysing geometry, look at the solids, shapes, lines and lengths in different views/truncations (cuts).
Keep a list of your research sources as you go along to avoid trying to find your sources again at the end when you need them.

The project

As with the CBAs, make sure to keep your project brief in a safe place, keep referencing research as you go along and familiarise yourself with examples of good quality work (your teacher should have examples).

It's important to practice your sketches for the project. Practice using light pencils and then you can go over them heavier once you're happy with the geometry (or you can sketch out on multiple sheets, cut out your sketches and assemble onto one page). See below what you need for your project sheets.

Sheet 1 checklist

Follow the project brief to the letter.
Do one or two layout drafts to help you decide how best to place sketches and text on the sheet.
Use thick paper (120g/Cm3 or heavier) as lighter paper tears more easily and doesn’t look as professional. Ask your teacher if in doubt.
Pay particular attention to key terms such as physical form, shape, underlying geometry, proportion, colour, materials, etc.

Sheet 2 checklist

For your measured drawings, make sure you:

Be neat.
Clean your equipment before starting (T-square and set square).
Have a border and a title block on your sheet.
Use the correct line type and line weights, i.e. H or 2H for heavy lines, 3H or 4H for light lines and HB for lettering.
Keep your pencils sharp.
Don’t crease or fold your sheets.
Stick to orthographic projection rules, for example, the plan view is always drawn underneath the elevation.
Don’t forget any hidden details.
Add notes and try to use title lettering, i.e. block capitals.
Clean your sheets with a rubber if they get dirty.
Follow dimensioning standards.

Note

Covid-19 ammendments:

Measured drawings printed from softwares such as Solidworks, Onshape and AutoCad are acceptable for Junior Cycle year groups of 2022 and 2023. This may change after Covid-19 arrangements end.
Currently, Sheet 3 is not examinable due to Covid-19 arrangements.

Marking scheme

Below you can see the marking scheme for the project (this can change each year) and you should look to this guide or your teacher for examples of each category of work. You must identify geometry in your project such as tangents, solids and truncations (cuts) of solids.

Written exam

It's important to know what topics might be covered in the exam. Graphics is divided into three areas:

The basics

Bisecting a line or angle
Dividing a line into equal parts
Drawing parallel and perpendicular lines
Angles
Triangles
Quadrilaterals
Polygons
Tangents
- A tangent to a circle from a point outside the circle
- An external or internal tangent to two circles
- Tangential circles
Transformation
- geometry-central symmetry
- axial symmetry
- translation and rotation
Circles
- Finding the centre of a circle when given two chords
- Circle terminology
Conics
- Ellipse and parabola
- The concentric circles method for drawing the ellipse and one other method
- Focal points in ellipses
- Tangents to ellipses

3D graphics

Orthographic projection
- Elevations
- Plans
- End elevations
- The true lengths of lines and true shapes
- Circles on sloping surfaces
Pictorial projection
- Oblique and isometric drawing
- Isometric projection using the axonometric projection method
Developments
Auxiliaries
- Auxiliary elevations
- The plans to find true shapes, lengths and angles

Applied graphics

Freehand sketching and rendering

Exam Tips

Here's some useful information and advice for your exam:

Timing

Questions 1 and 2 should take a maximum of 10 minutes each and you can spend an average of 20 minutes on each of the other questions. This leaves you an additional 20 minutes to read through the questions and check your answers at the end of the exam.
Marking

As of yet, questions do not carry equal marks, for example, Question 3 might carry over 50 marks while question 4 might be worth less than 30.
During the exam

Read questions carefully and try your best to be neat and tidy in the exam. Make sure to tape the back of the booklet first and remember that there is space at the back of the booklet if you need to do extra work (label it clearly if you do).

Remember

Make sure to replace any damaged equipment in your kit such as set squares, etc.

Best of luck! You'll be great.

By Val Connell

Val is a DCG and Junior Cycle Graphics teacher at Newpark Comprehensive School in Dublin for the last 8 years. He has also taught Leaving cert construction studies in the past.