A work log is a dated record of what you decided, tried and changed on your project. It keeps the submission yours and lets you explain any part of it if your school teacher asks.
This lesson belongs to web and project development. It differs from general debugging notes, because here the log also records where outside help stopped and your own writing began.
What is the difference between explaining and completing?
Help that explains leaves the decision and the writing with you. Help that completes hands you the finished part.
| Explaining (your work stays yours) | Completing (the work becomes someone else’s) |
|---|---|
| Showing how a loop works using an unrelated example | Writing the loop for your project |
| Asking why you chose a text box instead of a dropdown | Choosing and building the control for you |
| Pointing out that your test skipped empty input | Rewriting your test table |
| Explaining what an error message means | Fixing the code and sending it back |
Your school sets the rules for assessed components, so confirm them with your subject teacher. A good log makes it easy to show which column you were in.
Worked example: a log for a fictional quiz page
Mei Ling is building a short revision quiz page for her assessed project. This is a worked example.
Entry 1, 4 March. Goal: show the score after the last question. I wrote a function that adds one point for each correct answer.
The score showed 0 every time. I checked the variable and found I reset it to 0 inside the loop.
Entry 2, 5 March. Moved the line that sets score to 0 above the loop. Score now counts correctly for 3 of 3 test runs.
My teacher explained the difference between a variable inside and outside a loop using a shopping basket example. I applied it myself.
Each entry has a goal, an action, a result and a next step. The second entry also records the help: an idea was explained, and the change was Mei Ling’s.
The mistake: vague entries
A vague log proves nothing and helps nobody.
| Vague entry | Specific entry |
|---|---|
| “Worked on quiz.” | “Added a Next button that shows question 2 after question 1 is answered.” |
| “Fixed bug.” | “Score stayed 0 because I reset it inside the loop. Moved the reset above the loop.” |
| “Got help.” | “My teacher explained how a loop repeats. I wrote the counting code myself.” |
The test is simple. Could you explain this entry to your school teacher without opening the code? If not, add the missing detail.
How do I keep the log going?
Write the entry straight after each work session, while you remember what happened. A five minute habit beats trying to rebuild two weeks of work the night before submission.
Keep the log in the same folder as your project files, with one heading per date. The project planning lesson shows how to set milestones so each log entry has something to report against.
Check yourself
Rewrite this entry so it is specific: “Did the form. Got help from a friend. Works now.”
Answer
One good version: “6 March. Goal: stop the form accepting an empty name. I added a check that shows a message when the name box is blank.
My friend explained what an empty string is, and I wrote the check myself. Tested with a blank name and with ‘Amir’; both behaved as expected.”
It states the goal, the action, the help received and the tests. Any version with those four parts is acceptable.
What to study next
Continue with testing interaction and data validation to record tests in a table. For the wider question of feedback and authorship, read feedback during Computer Science tuition while preserving project authorship.
If you want a teacher who explains concepts while you write the project, see online one-to-one Computer Science tuition.