QQI Level 6 Employment Law Assignment Brief 2026: Scenario-Based Application at the Watery Fowls Hotel (70%) | The Open College

QQI Level 6 Employment Law Scenario-Based Assignment, The Open College

This Open College QQI Level 6 Employment Law assignment is a scenario-based application worth 70%, submitted as a written answer of up to 3,000 words or a multimedia piece of up to 10 minutes. Learners act as HR manager of Watery Fowls, a small hotel and restaurant, and apply Irish employment law to a series of problems created by its owner, using the ILAC method.

How to Use This Brief

This brief explains what your assignment is and how your tutor will mark it.

• Please read it carefully to understand the tasks and follow the instructions on structure, word count, and formatting.
• Check the marking guide to know what is expected.
• Submit on time following the given guidelines.

If you need further information, please email your tutor.

Summary

 What is a Scenario-Based Application?

• It is an assessment where you apply the law to the particular facts of the case, showing how you would use your knowledge in a practical or workplace-based context.
• It is based around a hypothetical scenario that raises a number of legal issues which need to be considered.
• It is designed to test your ability to apply the relevant legal principles that you have studied to a set of facts.
• You are not just being asked to explain and analyse; you have to apply the law in a given area.
• Using the ILAC method is a comprehensive way to address problem questions and more information on this method will be provided after the scenario below.

Scenario

You are the long-suffering Human Resources Manager at Watery Fowls, a small hotel and restaurant. Its bumbling owner, Basil Faultless, thinks that he knows more about employment law than you do despite having no training whatsoever in the subject, but his interfering inevitably leads to chaos which makes your life more complicated. You arrive in the office on Monday morning fresh from your two-week summer vacation with a sense of foreboding as you have just heard that Basil’s wife, Sybil, has also been away, receiving treatment for an ingrown toenail, leaving her husband to his own devices. What could possibly be awaiting you?

1. Employment Contract and Status

You open the door to your office and are in the process of hanging your coat, when Basil bursts in and excitedly begins to tell you about his cunning plan to earn extra income which he concocted while you were on holiday. He has set up a food delivery service from the hotel kitchen and has hired a local man named Manuel to be a courier. Manuel picks up the food parcels from the kitchen when told to do so by Basil and delivers them to clients who have placed orders with the hotel. He cycles a bicycle and wears a delivery uniform both emblazoned with the hotel’s name and livery and helps in the kitchen when not delivering food.

Basil is interrupted by the ringing of his phone and you hear him shout, “But his contract states that he is self-employed and that is the end of the matter.” Before he storms out of the room, Basil says that the caller was from Revenue and that they claimed that Watery Fowls now owes PRSI on the money paid to Manuel because he was an employee of the hotel. Prepare a short memo for Basil setting out the law on the status of workers. Refer to case law and to the tests used by the Courts to determine whether a contract of service or a contract for services exists and advise Basil as to whether a Court would agree with his interpretation of the law.

(Learning Outcomes 1 & 3)

2. Equality 

You draw a deep breath and sit down. Then you notice an advertisement which has been left on your desk.  It is in relation to a recruitment campaign for a new waitress which Basil ran in the local papers in your absence. It reads, “Young, dynamic professional needed for immediate start at Watery Fowls Hotel. Must be Irish, able bodied, female and unmarried. Gay people or members of the Traveller community need not apply.” Write a short note on the implications of Basil’s recruitment campaign, making reference to relevant employment law institutions, legislation and case law.

(Learning Outcomes 2 & 5)

3. Protective Leave/Health & Safety

A knock on your door causes you to look up from the advertisement and you are surprised to find that it is Polly, the current waitress, who is heavily pregnant. She is very upset and explains that when she tried to give Basil notice of her intention to take maternity leave, he told her that she was not entitled to this as she only worked part-time and was in any event employed on a fixed-term contract which was now in its fifth year. Basil then told her that he would not need her services anymore, that she was going to be made redundant and that he was going to hire another waitress to do her job. Basil has also refused to make any allowances for Polly’s safety while pregnant and has insisted she carry out her duties as usual, despite her attempting to provide him with a letter from her GP stating that she should be on restricted duties. Last evening, while Basil was performing funny walks to amuse the guests in the dining room, a moose’s head which had been negligently affixed to the wall fell on Polly’s head, injuring her. What legal issues could potentially arise in reference to the hotel’s relationship with Polly? Refer to relevant case law and statutory provisions in your answer.

(Learning Outcomes 2, 6 & 9)

4. Termination of Employment 

It is now 10 am and you are thoroughly miserable with your lot and regret having returned from holidays and the two years you have devoted to working at Watery Fowls. Just when you thought that your day could not get any worse, Basil barges into your office and demands to know what work you are now doing. He reveals that he has covertly installed a recording device in the bookshelf and has been monitoring you for the past half hour and has come to the opinion that you are not working hard enough. He then tells you that you must go to the kitchen and help peel vegetables as he does not need a HR Manager anymore as he is doing a brilliant job himself, due to his in-depth knowledge of employment law. When you begin to protest, Basil says, “Right, you’re fired. Gather your things and leave straight away.” Write a note about the potential implications of Basil’s behaviour with respect to the termination of employment. In your answer refer to remedies and the institutions in which redress should be sought. Refer to relevant case law and statute. (Learning Outcomes 3, 6 & 10)

Task

You should answer all four (4) of the above questions by completing either:

• A written report;OR
• A video or narrated presentation (A short recording using MS PowerPoint or similar).

Your report or presentation should be clearly structured. It is suggested that you use the ILAC method below:

ILAC :

• I: Issue
• L: Law
• A: Application
• C: Conclusion

Issue

• “Issue(s)” requires you to identify the legal areas and the specific problems raised in the problem scenario.
• Look at the problem scenario and identify what legal issues / area of law it raises.

Law

• Having identified the issues, you now need to discuss the relevant law.
• Clearly set out the law i.e. legislation, case law and legal principles that are

relevant to the issue(s) under consideration

• It should be a clear, simple, but full outline of the law in the particular area
• Deal with your points in a structured and ordered manner
• Take the reader through the law clearly

Application

• It is not enough to just state the law: you must apply it to the problem scenario.
• How would you apply the law to this scenario? What arguments would you

make?

Conclusion  

• Summarise and synthesis your findings in your conclusion.

How to Structure your Assignment (Written Report):

Your report should be clearly written, well-organised, and follow a logical flow. It is suggested that you use the ILAC method as set out above. In addition, you should use headings and in-line references to show where you obtained the information you are relying upon (even if it is from the course notes). You should also include a bibliography.

How to Structure Your Assignment (Multimedia Format)

If you are completing this assignment as a video, narrated slideshow, or similar format, follow the guidance below.

Format Options

• A narrated presentation or short video (maximum 10 minutes)

Structure and Content

• Your presentation should follow a logical structure as set out for the written report.

Submission Format

• Submit your video file or link, along with any slides or notes
• Clearly label your files.
• Ensure your recording can be played without needing special software.

Academic Integrity

• Use in-line references to show where you obtained the information you are relying upon.

• Include a bibliography.
• Do not use AI tools.

Marking Rubric

• Identification and discussion relevant issues 15 marks
• Explanation and analysis of relevant legal rules 30 marks
• Application to the facts and discussion of relevant options 30 marks
• Conclusion 15 marks
• Presentation – spelling, grammar, referencing, formatting etc. 10 marks

Module Weighting: 70%

Get Expert Help with QQI Employment Law (QQI Level 6)

Each part of the Watery Fowls scenario is a problem question, so use ILAC every time: name the issue, state the Irish rule with a statute or case (for example the Code of Practice on employment status and the Supreme Court’s Karshan (Domino’s Pizza) judgment for the courier), apply it to the facts and give a clear conclusion for the owner.

Our QQI Level 6 assignment help can guide your legal analysis, and our assignment submission service lets you share the full brief for tailored support. You can also see the latest QQI assignment questions.