Pick the track the Gate gave you.
Synthesises analytical findings into a comprehensive evaluation of service effectiveness against criteria 1. Justifies prioritised, cost-neutral strategic recommendations, rigorously weighing competing stakeholder needs and constraints. Evaluates dataset limitations and analytical assumptions with thorough critical insight.
Demonstrates complex enterprise insights fluently in a professional report structure with clear logical cohesion. Applies a precise, audience-targeted register and terminology tailored to council decision-makers. Applies accurate APA 7 referencing for all data sources and literature.
Mark two practice-data paragraphs blind with the marking criteria, then compare with the teacher’s marking.
Each criterion gets a judgement backed by a Section 2 finding. Some criteria cannot be settled, because the data that would decide them is missing or unreliable. Record those as “cannot assess” and name the missing data. That gap is a finding in its own right, and it often becomes a recommendation: fix the data before deciding the money.
| Criterion (Section 1) | Finding (Section 2) | Judgement |
|---|---|---|
| met · partly · not met · cannot assess | ||
| met · partly · not met · cannot assess | ||
| met · partly · not met · cannot assess |
| Request (verbatim) | Serves which criterion? | What evidence supports it? | Cost-neutral, or sequenced? |
|---|---|---|---|
| “The Library Operations Manager wants to increase the budget for book purchasing both physically and digitally along with extended weekend library hours.” | |||
| “The Youth Services Division is calling for a youth program in order to increase the number of teens participating.” | |||
| “Council Finance notes that the $8.79 million in funding for Penrith's operation budget is a significant investment and needs to be proven efficient.” |
| Common draft habit | Director-ready version |
|---|---|
| A file or field name | The practical name, e.g. “membership registration records”: the term the Director uses. |
| A recommendation that adds cost | Test it against the cost-neutral constraint, or reframe it as a sequencing step: “Before deciding on ______, the council should verify ______.” |