Description of Problem (Right click & press print or click File & Save As)
This is possibly the most difficult section to understand. You are preparing to start a course and you know as an end result you have to think of something to make. Discuss the matter with tutors so you get a clear idea of the way your centre does things. They may stick to particular themes or allow you a free hand at making. Get some idea of how good you are. Ask, one of the best indicators are your past reports. Whatever your ability it is most important that you choose a piece of work which is challenging. What is challenging for you may not be for somebody else. Make sure the project doesn’t end up too difficult also.
A good starting point is to make a list of 10 things that you need but haven’t got. It could be a bike lock, a bedside cabinet, a box for bits and pieces, a telephone stand, a table centrepiece for candles, a gate, the lists are endless. Once you have made your list seek advice about what type of work best suits your centre. TAKE ADVICE! Originally you made the list because you needed the articles on it. Now what you have to do is put down in writing what you were thinking when you made up the list. For example:
Recently there have been a number of bike thefts in and around my area and these have largely been the result of entry by thieves into garages. Once in the garage the bikes are easy to steal because they can be ridden away. Our garage is a similar design to those round about and we do own a number of bikes. The bikes altogether cost …. and it would be almost impossible to replace them if they were stolen. For these reasons I think some sort of security device for bicycles would be a good idea. If possible the finished article would be a permanent fixture, being fixed to the wall, to make stealing the bikes more difficult. I hope to consider a system that would secure up to 3 bikes at once. Any design would need to be robust and difficult to damage either in use or by intruders. Although the device would be inside it is damp in the garage so any materials, which are used, would probably have to be protected against the elements.
This short introduction, (based on one of the choices on my list), clearly states the situation that exists in terms of bikes being stolen. It highlights why bikes have been stolen and it suggests how bikes could be stored to make them safer. It further indicates a need to secure more than one bike. Although materials have not been mentioned, words like robust and difficult to damage provide clues. This kind of introduction is a statement of the problem that exists and describes some of the factors that have created the problem. Now the problem has been outlined it is a good idea to state your intentions. This can be a simple sentence or two such as:
I intend to design and make a security device, which will prevent bicycles being easily stolen, which will be a robust permanent fixture in the garage. The finished design will have to fit in the space available and provide some resistance to damp conditions.
Altogether this short explanation is about 120 words. They now need to be presented in an acceptable way that the reader (examiner) will understand and enjoy.