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What

Coursework 3:

This is the final piece of your coursework portfolio for Academic English Skills. In part 1, you completed the research and produced an outline of your essay. In part 2, you presented your research. In part 3, you will write your research–based essay in 2000 words. Make sure that you adhere to the word limits; submissions of under 1600 words will not be accepted, and any work above 2150 words will not be marked.

Why

Writing clearly and appropriately for an academic context is arguably the most important skill you will need at University. CW 3 tests your ability to write a research-based essay which incorporates evidence that:

- you have read and understood relevant academic sources on the subject

- you are able to organise information and ideas logically and clearly

- you are able to incorporate sources to support your arguments

- you are able to write clearly and accurately, using appropriate academic register and tone

- you are able to use subject-specific language appropriately

- you are able to fully and accurately cite and reference sources.

This assessment counts for 60% of your final mark for writing.

When

· You will write your CW3 essay during five coursework writing sessions during your timetabled AES classes. You must have a laptop/tablet device on which you can access G Drive to write your essay in class.

· You will begin the AES CW3 writing during week 5.

· Further sessions will be held in weeks 6, 7, 8 and final submission at the end of the session in week 12.

· You must complete all work on a Google document stored in the class Google Drive account to which your tutor will give you access. You are not permitted to complete any written work for CW3 outside of the writing sessions in your timetabled classes.

· You can of course continue to research and make notes related to your CW3 at any time and you should bring all your notes with you to the CW3 writing sessions.

Stage 1) Week 8 (w/c 15th June) Go through the CW 3 Checklist and Feedback Sheet to make sure you have completed the assessment fully and correctly, and submit the draft of your essay.

Stage 2) Week 10/11 (w/c 29th June/6th July) Your tutor will provide feedback on your draft in a tutorial. Make notes of your tutor’s comments on the CW 3 Checklist and Feedback Sheet. Your tutor will advise you on whether your submission is acceptable as a piece of academic work, or if further work is needed.

Stage 3) Week 12 (w/c 13th July) Submit your CW 3.

How

Your work is submitted and marked electronically. Your tutor will give you the marking criteria and samples of student submissions so that you can see how the assessment is marked.

Your work will automatically be checked by similarity software (Turnitin) to make sure you have submitted work in your own words. You may be able to submit your work ahead of the submission deadline in order to check the similarity score.

What if…

my similarity score on Turnitin is high?

First, check your similarity report and make sure your reference list has not been counted in your overall score; your tutor will discount this. Check whether chunks of your writing have been highlighted in the report – are they direct quotations? If so, don’t worry, if not, this indicates you have not paraphrased effectively. Poor paraphrasing is a form of plagiarism, and will result in your work being reported for academic misconduct. You should therefore revise your work and resubmit it before the assessment deadline.

You can find further information on the Academic Misconduct process in your Student Handbook.

I don’t submit a draft of CW 3?

You are required to submit a draft of CW 3 so that your tutor can monitor your progress, and provide you with feedback on your work. Your tutor may advise that your draft submission is acceptable, or requires only minimal changes, in which case, your workload later in the course will be lighter (remember you will also have a number of other subject assessments to be submitted at the end of your course). Note that you will not receive comments on your final submission, just a mark, so if you are required to resubmit, you will not receive guidance on areas you need to work on. If you do not submit a draft, and then submit a very strong piece of work for your final submission, it is likely that you will be flagged for Academic Misconduct as your tutor will not have evidence that the work is your own.

I submit the coursework late?

If you submit an assessment late, a penalty will be applied to your final mark. The penalties for late submission are outlined in your Student Handbook.

I don’t submit CW 3?

You must submit CW 3 in order to demonstrate that you have met module Learning Outcomes 2, 4 and 6; you cannot ‘pass’ the module unless you have met the minimum standards for all learning outcomes. This assessment also constitutes 60% of your writing mark, and 15% of your total module mark, so you are unlikely to meet the minimum pass standard for the skill, or achieve the overall score required to pass the module. If you are unable to submit CW 3 by the deadline, you will need to apply for mitigating circumstances. Further information on mitigating circumstances can be found in your student handbook.

I don’t pass CW 3?

You should submit a draft of CW 3 so that your tutor can provide you with feedback to improve your work before you submit it.

If you score below 40% on CW 3, you will be required to resubmit at the end of the module. If your CW 3 needs improvement or development, you can resubmit a re-working of your original submission. If you are awarded zero due to Academic Misconduct (ie. you have submitted work which is not your own), you will be given a new essay title to research and write.

I don’t use the sources I included in my CW 1?

Your tutor may have advised you to find alternative sources after your CW 1 submission, so in this case, you should use your new sources in your essay. The AES Coursework Portfolio is designed to take you through the stages of researching, presenting and writing academic work; you should not therefore disregard all the work you have done by changing topic. If you wish to change the topic of your essay after you have submitted CW 1, you must get the agreement of your tutor.

Level

Task Achievement

a) Knowledge and understanding

b) Use of academic sources

c) Thematic development

Organisation

a) Coherence

b) Paragraph structure

Grammar

a) Range

b) Accuracy

Lexis

a) Range

b) Accuracy

Academic Conventions

a) Register and tone

b) Use of summary, paraphrase and quotation

c) Use of citation and referencing

10

C2

IELTS 8.5 – 9.0

90 - 100%

a) Demonstrates outstanding understanding of key concepts related to the title.

b) Substantial number of academically appropriate sources well understood and used skilfully. (I2)

c) Communicates complex ideas in an effective way, holding the target reader’s attention with ease and fulfilling all communicative purposes. (C)

a) Coherent and cohesive text making full and appropriate use of a variety of organisational patterns and a wide range of connectors and other cohesive

devices. (C)

b) Skilfully manages paragraphing (I); introduction, conclusion and topic sentences are consistently logical/ effective. (I2)

a) Uses a wide range of complex structures and sentences with full flexibility. (I)

b) Consistently maintains grammatical control of complex language. Errors are rare and difficult to spot. (C)

a) Uses a wide range of vocabulary with very natural and sophisticated control of lexical features. (I)

b) Produces only rare, minor errors in word choice, spelling and / or word formation. (I)

a) Appropriate academic register and tone consistently realised. (T)

b) Skilfully quotes/ paraphrases/ summarises/ key content points from the texts.

c) References and citations are clear and accurate throughout.

8 - 9

C1

IELTS 7.0 – 8.0

70 - 89%

a) Demonstrates excellent understanding of key concepts that are relevant to the title.

b) Use of relevant sources, well understood and applied appropriately, evaluating and synthesising information and arguments effectively. (I2)

c) Expands and supports main points at some length with subsidiary points, reasons and relevant examples. (C)

a) Produces well-organised, coherent text, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices. (C)

b) Uses paragraphing sufficiently and appropriately. (I)

a) Can use a broad range of complex grammatical structures appropriately and with considerable flexibility. (C)

b) Produces frequent error-free sentences. (I) Errors do not impede understanding.

a) Has a good command of a broad vocabulary (C) sufficient to convey precise meanings. (I)

b) Produces rare errors in word choice, spelling and / or word formation. (I)

a) Appropriate academic register and tone consistently realised. (T)

b) Clearly quotes / paraphrases/ summarises throughout. (I2)

c) References and citations are generally clear; there may be occasional minor errors in formatting either in-text or end of text.

6 - 7

B2.2

IELTS 6.5

60 - 69%

a) Demonstrates very good understanding of key concepts that are relevant to the title.

b) Inclusion of mostly relevant and reliable sources, evidence of ability to evaluate and synthesise information and arguments. (I2)

c) Develops an argument systematically with appropriate highlighting of significant points and relevant supporting detail. (C)

a) Information and ideas arranged coherently with clear overall progression, (I) using a variety of cohesive devices and linking words effectively. (C)

b) Paragraphing, introduction, conclusion and topic sentences are present, but may in ineffective in places. (I2)

a) Uses a range of grammatical structures appropriate to the task so as to avoid repetition. (I2)

b) Maintains good grammatical control, (C) Produces some error-free sentences. Errors rarely impede understanding. (I2)

a) Uses a range of vocabulary appropriate to the task; sufficient to allow some flexibility and precision. (I)

b) Produces some errors in spelling and / or word formation, but these do not impede understanding. (I)

a) Appropriate academic register and tone generally realised. (T)

b) Uses paraphrase / summary and /or direct quotation with only minor errors / inconsistencies.

c) Citations included but may lack accuracy / clarity. References provided but there may be omissions / inappropriate inclusions.

4 - 5

B2.1

IELTS 5.5 – 6.0

40 - 59%

a) Demonstrates general to good understanding of the key concepts that are relevant to the title.

b) A fair range of source material consulted, attempts to evaluate information and arguments. (I2)

c) Develops a clear argument, expanding and supporting his/her argument at some length with subsidiary points and relevant examples. (C)

a) Text is generally well-organised and coherent, using a number linking words and cohesive devices, although there may be some ‘jumps’. (C)

b) Paragraphing is present, but may not be logical/ effective. (I)

a) Uses a range of grammatical structures appropriate to the task, though may be some conspicuous repetition. (I2)

b) Shows a relatively high degree of grammatical control; does not make mistakes which cause confusion. (C)

a) Uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task (I), though there may some conspicuous repetition; (I2) attempts to use less common and topic-specific lexis, but with some inaccuracy. (I)

b) Makes some errors in spelling and /or word formation, but rarely impede understanding. (I)

a) Appropriate academic register and tone sometimes realised. (T)

b) Paraphrases /summarises relevant content points, though with errors or instances of lifting.

c) Referencing and citation attempted, but with omissions/ inaccuracy / inappropriate inclusions.

2 - 3

B1.2

IELTS 5.0

30 - 39%

a) Demonstrates little or confused understanding of the concepts relevant to the title.

b) Sources included may be limited or of limited reliability. Very little analysis of information and arguments attempted.

c) Develops an argument well enough to be followed without difficulty most of the time. (C)

a) Presents information with some organisation but there may be a lack of overall progression. (I) Cohesive devices may be inadequate, inaccurate or over-used. (I)

b) May not write in paragraphs, or paragraphing may be inadequate. (I)

a) Uses a sufficient, but limited range of structures for the task (I) OR the range and accuracy of structures used is inconsistent throughout the essay. (I2)

b) Errors in grammar / punctuation may cause some difficulty, but overall meaning can still be determined. (I2)

a) Has a sufficient, but limited range of vocabulary; minimally appropriate for the task (I) OR the range and accuracy of language used is inconsistent throughout the essay. (I2)

b) Makes noticeable errors in spelling and /or word formation (I), but overall meaning can be determined.

a) Limited awareness of appropriate academic register and tone. (T)

b) Some attempt to include paraphrase/ summary but largely unsuccessful with weak paraphrasing and significant lifts occurring.

3. References may be missing or with significant errors either / both in-text and end of text.

1

B1.1

IELTS 4.0 - 4.5

10 - 29%

a) Demonstrates very little or no understanding of the main concepts that are relevant to the title.

b) No or very limited sources used. Little or no analysis of information and arguments.

c) Presents some main ideas but these are difficult to identify and may be repetitive, irrelevant or not well supported. (I)

a) Information and ideas presented are not arranged coherently and there is no clear progression in the response. (I) Uses some basic cohesive devices but they may be inaccurate or repetitive. (I)

b) No evidence of paragraphing, topic/introductory and concluding sentences, or attempts are unclear throughout. (I2)

a) Uses only a very limited range of structures (I)

b) Some structures are accurate, but errors in grammar / punctuation predominate and sometimes impede understanding. (I)

a) Uses basic vocabulary appropriate for the task, which may be used repetitively or inappropriately. (I)

b) Limited control of word choice, spelling and/or formation, causing strain for the reader. (I)

Lacks in all aspects of academic style and conventions- unacceptable as a piece of academic writing. (I2)

0

A2

IELTS under band 4

a) Not relevant to the title.

b) There is no evidence of academic content. No analysis or evaluation attempted.

c) Response is barely related to task with no position or development clear. (I)

a) Fails to organise information and ideas logically or coherently. (I) Cohesive devices may be limited and inaccurate. Uses only the most important connecting words (for example, “first”, “then”, “after”, “later”). (C)

b) No clear introduction, conclusion or topics sentences provided. (I2)

a) Relies on basic structures. (C)

b) Errors in grammar / punctuation are frequent and distort the meaning of the text. (I)

a) Vocabulary is limited to familiar everyday situations and topics (C) and may be inadequate for the task. (I)

Lacks in all aspects of academic style and conventions - unacceptable as a piece of academic writing. (I2)

U

No attempt made, or unable to assess criteria due the amount of lifting from the source texts.

Marking Guidelines

One criteria of the band met = lower mark, both criteria for the band met = top mark. For the TA and AC criteria ONLY, a .5 mark may be awarded where two criteria have been met.

Note that the yellow highlighted criteria are caps – essays with language which is inconsistent in terms of accuracy and range, suggestive of lifting or poor paraphrasing are capped at 3 for Grammar and Lexis.

To calculate the final mark, total the marks out of 50 and use the conversion table below.

Raw

50

49

48

47

46

45

44

43

42

41

40

39

38

37

36

35

34

33

32

31

30

%

100%

97%

94%

91%

88%

85%

82%

79%

76%

73%

70%

69%

68%

67%

66%

65%

64%

63%

62%

61%

60%

CEFR

C2

C1

B2.2

Raw

29

28

27

26

25

24

23

22

21

20

19

18

17

16

15

14

13

12

11

10

9

8

7

6

5

%

58%

56%

54%

52%

50%

48%

46%

44%

42%

40%

38%

36%

34%

32%

30%

28%

26%

24%

22%

20%

18%

16%

14%

12%

10%

CEFR

B2.1

B1.2

B1.1