CBA 1 is a 'mathematical investigation' which you will complete at any stage in 2nd year. Over a three-week period in class, you will work with the problem-solving cycle (see below) to investigate a mathematical problem of your choice and you are free to select any problem that interests you. Examples of mathematical investigations include the following:
Guide
How to succeed in your Junior Cycle Maths CBA 1
By Stephen Begley - 6 minute readIn this guide, maths teacher and state examiner Stephen Begley shares his top tips on succeeding in your Junior Cycle Maths CBA 1.
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Introduction
A bedroom makeover.
Calculating the cost of a trip around Europe.
Designing a swimming pool.
Finding the cost of owning a dog.
Investigating the relationship between the area and perimeter of a shape.
You will then present your CBA in a format of your choice, be it a poster, a written or typed report, a PowerPoint presentation, etc. in roughly 400-600 words.
The problem-solving cycle
There are a few steps in the problem-solving cycle:
- 1
Define your problem. This is where you come up with your maths question on the investigation you wish to solve.
- 2
Break it down into steps so that you can try solving it. Bring the maths into the problem and start working to try to solve your question.
- 3
Present your solutions and interpret them by referring to your question.
The cycle can be vague at times but in our template below, we have lots of prompts and tips on what to do at each stage.
Choosing your mathematical problem
The toughest part of the CBA for most people is thinking of a mathematical problem. My advice is to think of what interests you, things like:
Sports
Animals
Traveling
Fashion
Cooking
Music
Remember, maths links into every single aspect of life so first, find the area of interest you will work in and then try to focus on where the maths is. Your teacher, family, friends and the internet are the best resources to use for this stage. Be sure to ask your teacher for feedback on your problem to make sure there is enough maths in it to carry out a good CBA.
Top tip
Practical topics such as trigonometry, area and volume, financial maths and coordinate geometry are easy to bring into everyday life situations and can be good topics to focus on if you’re struggling to come up with a mathematical problem/question.
Assessment information
Your teacher will award you one of the following grade descriptors for your CBA:
Exceptional
Above expectations
In line with expectations
Yet to meet expectations
Every teacher across the country uses the same tool to correct the CBAs which is called the Features of Quality. It is a good idea to familiarise yourself with them so that you can see where the top grades are going and what is needed to get these results.
Top tip
When you are working through your investigation, be sure to check the Features of Quality to ensure that you are hitting the nail on the head with your approach.
Features of Quality
Below are the Features of Quality for the mathematical investigation:
Source: Junior Cycle Mathematics Guidelines for the Classroom-Based Assessments and Assessment Task, November 2019
Student-friendly version
As you can see above, the language used in the Features of Quality can be complicated as it is used by teachers to correct your work.
See below for a student-friendly version to help you understand the marking process better. While you work through your CBA, it is a good idea to check in with this to check whether you are on track for the grade you are aiming for.
How this guide can help you
This guide contains a scaffold template (under 'useful links' below) that can help you work through your CBA in an organised manner. It breaks the mathematical investigation into 8 steps and the idea is that if you follow each of these steps and follow the prompts, you can then use this as the basis for your final report.
The template follows the four main sections from the Features of Quality and each section has a number of sub-titles and prompts for you to follow. All in all, there are 8 steps within these sections for you to follow to help you create your final report:
Top tip
If you complete this scaffold template (booklet), then you simply take the titles and your workings and copy them into your final report, poster or PowerPoint presentation. You can use it as your rough and messy first draft which you will then copy into your final version.
Sample poster
The following is a sample poster layout, using the scaffolded template titles:
Final tips for CBA 1
Final Tips
1
2
3
4
5
Choose a topic you're interested in
The more interested you are in the topic, the more you will commit to the project. Choosing your question can be a tough task so use resources like your teacher, your friends and family and the internet to try to come up with a mathematical problem for your CBA.
1
Ask your teacher
Ask your teacher for feedback on your progress. Check that you are on track and ask for help if you’re stuck or unsure of what to do next.
2
Stay focused
Don’t waste your class time during the CBA. While 3 weeks seems like a long time, stay on track and set small targets each day to progress through the CBA.
3
Explain everything
When you’re creating your final report, make sure you explain everything. Justify all your steps and workings and be sure you have a detailed conclusion that answers your question. Always show your workings for all calculations. If you follow the prompts in our template, you’ll be flying it!
Features of Quality
Check in with the Features of Quality regularly. This is basically the marking scheme for the CBA so you can clearly see what an 'exceptional' CBA needs to contain. As you work through your CBA, read the student-friendly version of the Features of Quality and ask yourself if you’re hitting the nail on the head with the top sections.
Some final tips
for the Junior Cycle Maths CBA 1.
Choose a topic you're interested in
The more interested you are in the topic, the more you will commit to the project. Choosing your question can be a tough task so use resources like your teacher, your friends and family and the internet to try to come up with a mathematical problem for your CBA.
Ask your teacher
Ask your teacher for feedback on your progress. Check that you are on track and ask for help if you’re stuck or unsure of what to do next.
Stay focused
Don’t waste your class time during the CBA. While 3 weeks seems like a long time, stay on track and set small targets each day to progress through the CBA.
Explain everything
When you’re creating your final report, make sure you explain everything. Justify all your steps and workings and be sure you have a detailed conclusion that answers your question. Always show your workings for all calculations. If you follow the prompts in our template, you’ll be flying it!
Features of Quality
Check in with the Features of Quality regularly. This is basically the marking scheme for the CBA so you can clearly see what an 'exceptional' CBA needs to contain. As you work through your CBA, read the student-friendly version of the Features of Quality and ask yourself if you’re hitting the nail on the head with the top sections.
Hope these help - you've got this!
Useful links
Check out the CBA 1 Scaffold Template here
Best of luck with your CBA! You've got this.
By Stephen Begley
Stephen is a Mathematics & Coding teacher at Dundalk Grammar School. Stephen tutors maths at Maynooth University’s Mathematics Support Centre and is also an examiner. Having a huge passion for teaching maths, Stephen believes that with the right guidance and attitude, everyone can enjoy and succeed in maths.