Reading a Git Log as a Project Record
Three real Year 12 commit histories, anonymised. This is what a marker sees when they open yours.
The band this serves. C10-3, 7–8: "Uses adjustments or logs/journals to document and explain the modifications made to the initial project plan." A commit history is a log. On its own it is a thin one; it becomes strong when the messages, and the log files committed alongside the code, explain what changed and why.
The two commands
Run either one inside your project folder. The second is the one worth keeping — send it to a file and commit it: git log --pretty=format:"%h %ad | %s" --date=iso > C10/plan-log.txt
git log --oneline --decorate --graph --date=short git log --pretty=format:"%h %ad | %s" --date=iso
What the shape of a log tells a marker
gantt
title Where the commits actually landed — three real logs, anonymised
dateFormat YYYY-MM-DD
axisFormat %d %b
section Log A · 6 commits
early work :a1, 2025-06-12, 2025-06-24
nothing committed :done, a2, 2025-06-24, 2025-08-10
both submissions, 2 min apart :milestone, a3, 2025-08-10, 0d
section Log B · 17 commits
steady work, some branching :b1, 2025-06-12, 2025-07-29
nothing committed :done, b2, 2025-07-29, 2025-08-10
submission :milestone, b3, 2025-08-10, 0d
section Log C · 43 commits
steady work, weekly logs :c1, 2025-06-05, 2025-08-08
Before anyone reads a single message, the dates draw the term. Log A has a seven-week hole and two commits two minutes apart at the end; Log C has a trail you could write a C10-3 answer straight off. Same task, same term.
Log A — six commits
Four commits in the first fortnight, then nothing for seven weeks, then both submissions two minutes apart. There is no record here of anything changing, so there is nothing for an annotation to cite.
* 315926d (HEAD -> master, origin/master, origin/HEAD) SAT7 Submission * 0c1b34f SAT6 submission * cb93486 feeback response message * 983e56b update * f335202 basic image ai code * 7260fdc Initial commit
student@laptop project % git log --pretty=format:"%h %ad | %s" --date=iso 315926d 2025-08-10 15:50:52 +1000 | SAT7 Submission 0c1b34f 2025-08-10 15:48:15 +1000 | SAT6 submission cb93486 2025-06-24 13:01:19 +1000 | feeback response message 983e56b 2025-06-23 15:22:26 +1000 | update f335202 2025-06-13 12:00:35 +1000 | basic image ai code 7260fdc 2025-06-12 12:06:32 +1000 | Initial commit
Log B — seventeen commits
Steady work with branches and merges, and dated log files committed alongside the code — log-2025-06-20.md, log-2025-06-23.md, log-2025-07-25.md. Those log files are the C10-3 evidence; the code commits are the corroboration.
* 2ddb1f0 (HEAD -> main, origin/main, origin/HEAD) SAT6 Submission * 6772106 (tag: SAT6-ready) Create log-2025-07-25.md * e05c066 Updates * 4545ee8 added tidbits folder for tidbits * 6fa86df Added Code * 13325d1 Merge branch 'main' of https://github.com/example/project |\ | * 4b21469 Create SRS.md | * 5200f8f Create log-2025-06-23.md | * e3d831c Update log-2025-06-20.md | * 3ba0e74 Update log-2025-06-20.md | * b0806ef Create log-2025-06-20.md * | 17e4fed Working on main menu * | e6f656a added button |/ * cf11366 Update README.md * 1a44882 16/06/2025. Readme.md updated * 627535b Test Changes * 896368b Create Godot Project
2ddb1f0 2025-08-10 16:28:36 +1000 | SAT6 Submission 6772106 2025-07-29 13:04:58 +1000 | Create log-2025-07-25.md e05c066 2025-07-27 16:29:41 +1000 | Updates 4545ee8 2025-07-25 12:06:22 +1000 | added tidbits folder for tidbits 6fa86df 2025-07-25 12:01:17 +1000 | Added Code 13325d1 2025-06-26 11:33:04 +1000 | Merge branch 'main' of https://github.com/example/project 4b21469 2025-06-26 11:25:13 +1000 | Create SRS.md 17e4fed 2025-06-24 13:01:03 +1000 | Working on main menu 5200f8f 2025-06-23 15:30:25 +1000 | Create log-2025-06-23.md e3d831c 2025-06-23 15:20:04 +1000 | Update log-2025-06-20.md e6f656a 2025-06-20 12:09:17 +1000 | added button 3ba0e74 2025-06-20 11:58:21 +1000 | Update log-2025-06-20.md b0806ef 2025-06-20 11:56:45 +1000 | Create log-2025-06-20.md cf11366 2025-06-16 14:21:08 +1000 | Update README.md 1a44882 2025-06-16 14:20:27 +1000 | 16/06/2025. Readme.md updated 627535b 2025-06-12 12:21:54 +1000 | Test Changes 896368b 2025-06-12 12:18:22 +1000 | Create Godot Project
Log C — forty-three commits
Small, frequent commits across the whole term, with numbered logs. The messages are informal and some say almost nothing — that matters less than you would think. The dates, the cadence and the numbered log files are what a marker can use.
student@laptop project % git log --oneline --decorate --graph --date=short * 4f8758e (HEAD -> main, origin/main, origin/HEAD) Buttons complete hell yeah :D * f41017b GOT MOST BUTTONS WOKRING WOOOHOOO |\ | * f6b7415 Update Log 05.md | * ae82aca Create Log 05.md * | 25b0ce4 GOT (most) BUTTONS WORKING WOOOOOOOOOOOO) |/ * f0bce3d All functonal requirements (that are still valid) have been met * fbb7778 MVP almost complete * 74aae74 Create log 04.md * 3d452dc A simple version of the main song scene is complete * 7b66e55 Got the staarting music after tapping 16 times working!!!! * 56b9f12 k |\ | * 4dfc924 Update and rename Log 03 to Log 03.md | * 516938b Create Log 03 * | 7ba030a Got the standard deviation equation working |/ * e05e69e More stuff set up * 9f74fdc starting to get the main system wokring.. not really but :P * edb457e uh |\ | * 5629d8c Update log02.md * | 4dd1db8 Added recourses |/ * ed4f1d4 ds * 94e22c5 uh kinda useless * ef72a41 figured saving * c30c2a2 Update log02.md * 4d754a7 Update log02.md * c98b612 Create log02.md * 4fa565d Started Creating Class * 9605c8f uh |\ | * c962668 Update log01.md | * 88b94ec Create log01.md * | 1057653 click detection set up |/ * b39c1cd Just in case * 7812305 does this work * 67d6eff add song menu * e5c4dc1 Changed hitbox of button to a collision polygon * 71f82f7 Created Menu * 2b83bb5 Practice end * 71b4b0e New stuff from practice * 5de717f hi * 58d28fb Updated Read Me * 674aca7 m * ec57136 Update README * 8cffaae Setup Godot * f24b245 Initial commit
student@laptop project % git log --pretty=format:"%h %ad | %s" --date=iso 4f8758e 2025-08-08 14:27:08 +1000 | Buttons complete hell yeah :D f41017b 2025-08-08 14:20:57 +1000 | GOT MOST BUTTONS WOKRING WOOOHOOO 25b0ce4 2025-08-08 14:19:14 +1000 | GOT (most) BUTTONS WORKING WOOOOOOOOOOOO) f6b7415 2025-07-25 12:04:25 +1000 | Update Log 05.md ae82aca 2025-07-25 11:57:19 +1000 | Create Log 05.md f0bce3d 2025-07-19 11:37:40 +1000 | All functonal requirements (that are still valid) have been met fbb7778 2025-07-19 11:19:36 +1000 | MVP almost complete 74aae74 2025-07-17 14:06:07 +1000 | Create log 04.md 3d452dc 2025-07-17 14:02:14 +1000 | A simple version of the main song scene is complete 7b66e55 2025-07-17 13:25:59 +1000 | Got the staarting music after tapping 16 times working!!!! 56b9f12 2025-07-10 10:01:50 +1000 | k 7ba030a 2025-07-10 10:01:21 +1000 | Got the standard deviation equation working 4dfc924 2025-07-10 09:46:30 +1000 | Update and rename Log 03 to Log 03.md 516938b 2025-07-10 09:37:02 +1000 | Create Log 03 e05e69e 2025-07-10 09:31:02 +1000 | More stuff set up 9f74fdc 2025-06-27 10:09:33 +1000 | starting to get the main system wokring.. not really but :P edb457e 2025-06-25 10:46:22 +1000 | uh 5629d8c 2025-06-25 10:45:26 +1000 | Update log02.md 4dd1db8 2025-06-24 15:13:32 +1000 | Added recourses ed4f1d4 2025-06-24 13:01:15 +1000 | ds 94e22c5 2025-06-24 13:00:43 +1000 | uh kinda useless ef72a41 2025-06-24 12:00:09 +1000 | figured saving c30c2a2 2025-06-24 11:39:18 +1000 | Update log02.md 4d754a7 2025-06-24 11:39:00 +1000 | Update log02.md c98b612 2025-06-24 11:36:21 +1000 | Create log02.md 4fa565d 2025-06-24 11:35:12 +1000 | Started Creating Class 9605c8f 2025-06-23 21:12:48 +1000 | uh 1057653 2025-06-23 21:11:03 +1000 | click detection set up c962668 2025-06-20 14:24:26 +1000 | Update log01.md 88b94ec 2025-06-20 12:08:41 +1000 | Create log01.md b39c1cd 2025-06-20 12:03:14 +1000 | Just in case 7812305 2025-06-16 14:23:15 +1000 | does this work 67d6eff 2025-06-16 14:19:01 +1000 | add song menu e5c4dc1 2025-06-16 09:55:09 +1000 | Changed hitbox of button to a collision polygon 71f82f7 2025-06-15 12:47:15 +1000 | Created Menu 2b83bb5 2025-06-13 12:02:51 +1000 | Practice end 71b4b0e 2025-06-13 11:54:14 +1000 | New stuff from practice 5de717f 2025-06-12 12:07:18 +1000 | hi 58d28fb 2025-06-06 11:47:39 +1000 | Updated Read Me 674aca7 2025-06-05 15:21:00 +1000 | m ec57136 2025-06-05 15:19:35 +1000 | Update README 8cffaae 2025-06-05 15:17:42 +1000 | Setup Godot f24b245 2025-06-05 14:51:31 +1000 | Initial commit
Check Your Understanding
1. Log A's last two commits are two minutes apart and are the only commits in seven weeks. What does that cost the student under C10-3?
Answer
Almost everything above band 1–2. There is no record of modifications to annotate, describe, explain or evaluate — the history shows one drop, not a project. C10-3 scores what the evidence carries.
2. Log C's messages include "uh", "ds" and "hi". Does that sink it?
Answer
No. Untidy messages are not the instrument being marked — the record of changes is, and Log C has numbered log files and a dense date trail. Better messages would make the record easier to cite, but the trail is there.
3. You have written nothing down all term. What is the honest thing to do before class write 3?
Answer
The commit-now prep step: commit your plan's current state — a Gantt or board export — with an honest note of what has changed since your C01 baseline, and save your git log output beside it. An honest, thin record scores; an invented one contradicts the server dates.