You search a question, get ten results, and open the first one that looks tidy. That habit is normal. It is also how weak sources end up in a research pack.
Today you learn six questions that hold a website to account: authenticity, authorship, bias, objectivity, accuracy and purpose. A website is trying to do something to you: inform, sell or recruit. Your job is to spot what, and how. You will fill the Website Analysis Template on one practice site. M2 KA1 is the research Key Assignment where you analyse real websites on your own topic; this completed template is the working tool you reuse there.
Six criteria. For each one you later write one sentence of evidence pointing at a real place on the page (About, byline, date, sources, ads, URL).
Bias vs objectivity (the split that trips people up):
Glance back at this table during Mark It Up and the template:
| Term | What it means | Look for |
|---|---|---|
| Authenticity. Real, traceable source? | Findable publisher, not a blank shell. | Named body, contact address |
| Authorship. Who wrote or published it? | A name you could follow up. | Byline or organisation name |
| Bias. Is the writing steering you? | Loaded words, one-sided quotes, missing voices. | Campaign page quoting only supporters |
| Objectivity. Where does fact stop and pitch start? | Fact and sell/recruit copy kept apart. | Prices as facts; slogans kept apart |
| Accuracy. Checkable and current? | Dates, sources, working links. | Figure linked to a named report |
| Purpose. Why does this page exist? | Inform, persuade, sell, recruit or entertain. | Free information vs sales page |
Three results you might meet in a search. For each one, weigh the tells (they map to the six criteria), pick a verdict, then read the reasoning. Practice only: capture your verdict and the one tell that decided it.
Then tell the person beside you which tell would have changed your verdict if you had ignored it (talk only, about 30 seconds).
This is the piece that goes in your portfolio: a full analysis of how one webpage communicates (purpose, pitch, facts, gaps). Read the practice mock page below, fill the Website Analysis Template for all six criteria, then pressure-test your notes on the review checklist if time allows.
Practice site: Harbour Skills Hub (invented for class use; not a live site)
URL: harbourskillshub.ie
Tagline: Free weekend workshops for 16–19s in Cork.
About
Harbour Skills Hub is a volunteer-run project based in Cork city. We offer free Saturday workshops in bike repair, basic coding, and CV writing. This page was last updated six weeks ago. For questions email the team at hello@harbourskillshub.ie.
Workshop list
Three free workshops with times. No individual author byline. No ads or payment buttons.
Why it matters (box)
"Research shows young people who try practical skills before leaving school are twice as likely to find work they like." No study is linked.
Footer
Email only; no company or charity number.
Photo credit
One photo carries a credit line and a date.
For each criterion write one sentence of evidence that points at a specific place on the page. Finish with a short overall note: would you use this site in a research pack, and for what?
Save a copy into your Communication Portfolio (same folder as your Module 1 entries) as m2_l37_website_template_<your-initials>. This is the working template you reuse for KA1.
Talk this through with the person beside you, or sit with it quietly:
When you last opened the first tidy result for homework or a Student Task, which check did you skip (author, date, or purpose), and what would that cost you if that page went into a research pack?
If you want this kept, write it in your Reflective Journal after class, not on this page.
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