ESOFT METRO CAMPUS

Shaping Lives, Creating Futures

Assessments and Assignment Writing

Accelerating Academic Progress

 ESOFT METRO CAMPUS
Shaping Lives, Creating Futures

Spend TEN minutes going through the

sample assignments provided to get an idea about the expectations.

You will get three assignments with

1. Pass
2.Merit
3.Disctinction
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Shaping Lives, Creating Futures

What tools are being used to assess BTEC

learners?
• BTEC qualifications are made up of individual units
which cover specific topics and contain;

– Learning Outcomes define what the learner needs

to know, understand and do.

– Assessment Criteria the grade level at which the

learner can achieve each learning aim.
 ESOFT METRO CAMPUS
Shaping Lives, Creating Futures

What tools are used to assess BTEC

learners?

• Learners studying the internally assessed units need

to generate evidence that they have met the
learning aims/outcomes and assessment criteria
specified for each unit.

1.
2. 4. Case 5. Workplace
Assignments 3. Role Plays
Presentations Studies Assessment
and Projects
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Shaping Lives, Creating Futures

How can you generate evidence?

Learners can generate evidence through a
range of different activities set in a vocational,
work-related context, including:
• assignment and project work
• case studies
• workplace assessment
• role play
• presentations
 What are Assessment Briefs?
(You will get an assignment brief to have a look)

• Assignments are assessments designed to:

– Demonstrate a learner’s knowledge, skills and
understanding in a defined area of study

– Measure evidence of their learning against the:

• Learning aims/outcomes
(What the learner needs to know, understand and do)

• Assessment criteria
(Grade level at which the learner can achieve each learning aim).
 Assignment Briefs at a glance;
• Assignment Title • Qualification
covered
• Assessor name and
issue date • Unit(s)covered
Qualifications,
• Deadline Titles, Dates & Units and • Learning Aims /
Deadlines Learning Aims Outcomes covered
• Duration and Objectives

• Scenario Vocational • Sources of

Scenario and information
• Task Resources
Evidence (websites; textbooks, etc.)
Criteria
• Evidence (e.g. leaflet;
presentation; handout, etc.)

• Assessment criteria
(Distinction; Merit; Pass)
How To Map Tasks on Assignment Briefs With
Grade Descriptors ?????
 Linking Tasks and Assessment Criteria
• Building Blocks
– Pass, Merit and Distinction criteria are directly
linked, and require a qualitative improvement in
the knowledge, understanding or skills
demonstrated within a task
 Linking Tasks and Assessment Criteria
• Funnel
– Several Pass and/or Merit combine to ‘funnel’
into an overarching Distinction grade descriptor:
 Linking Tasks and Assessment Criteria
• Stray Criteria
– Criteria Occasionally, a particular unit may have an
assessment criterion that doesn’t link directly to other
grades. This is unusual, but is occasionally found in Health
& Safety or Engineering units, and where several small
tasks or items of knowledge are required:
 To achieve a Pass…
• Learners must achieve all Pass criteria from
the assessment and grading grid.

• For Higher National programmes all learning

outcomes and associated assessment criteria
must be met.
Pass Criteria- Found on Unit Specification
 To achieve a Merit…
• You must achieve all Pass and all Merit criteria from the
assessment and grading grid.

• Should you achieve some of the Merit criteria but not all, this
would provide the opportunity for additional guidance to
enable you to progress all work to the required standard to
achieve all the Merit criteria.

• Partial achievement of the Merit criteria cannot attract the

Merit grade.

• For Higher National programmes all pass requirements

achieved and all merit grade descriptors need to be achieved.
Merit Criteria- Found on Annexure “C” of Specification
 To achieve a Distinction…
• You must achieve all Pass, all Merit and all Distinction criteria from the
assessment and grading grid.

• Distinction criteria are qualitative extensions of the Merit criteria

• Should you achieve some of the Distinction criteria but not all, this would
provide the opportunity for additional guidance to enable you progress
all work to the required standard to achieve all the Distinction criteria.

• Partial achievement of the Distinction criteria cannot attract the

Distinction grade.

• For Higher National programmes all pass, all merit grade descriptors and
all distinction grade descriptors need to be achieved.
Distinction Criteria- Found on Annexure “C” of Specification
 Understanding Assignment Question
Learn how to analyze your assignment questions in
light of course goals and genre

The topic: Your assignment, essay, or project may

have a specific topic, require you to choose from a
range of topics, or ask you to define a topic of your
own.
A common mistake that students make is attempting
to cover or choosing a topic that is too large or not
clearly defined. The following points are designed to
help you begin to refine your ideas.
 Answering Question
1. Identify the TOPIC that you intend to address

2. Write down some descriptors, or KEY WORDS, relevant to that topic. You can then check
these key words against the subject specification. This will make you aware of other possible
key words as well as helping you to focus your attention on a manageable portion of the field.

3. Now, you may want (or need) to refine your topic further. What terms in your title, or
related to your topic, need to be DEFINED? Remember that dictionaries or wikipedia are not
specialist academic or scientific texts and therefore are not often the best places to go for
definitions in this context. A definition might be a discussion of the possible approaches to a
subject rather than a formula.

4. What LINES OF THOUGHT does your title suggest? Make sure that your title doesn't
include references to an area that you don't want to deal with or, alternatively, omits a major
aspect of your argument.

5. Can you discuss arguments both FOR AND AGAINST the main thesis of the topic?

6. Where an essay question is provided, students often fail to do what the question asks of
them. Take note of the following list of directive words and make sure you are fulfilling the
 Verbs and Command Words

• Words that govern assessment task

completion of each unit.
• Complete list of command verbs and words
will be given to you as a soft copy.
 Types of Assignments
Here are many different types of assignments and
each type has its own structure and features. some
examples include:
– Research Essay
– Literature Review
– Annotated Bibliography
– Reflective Journal
– Critical Review or Analytical Review
– Case Study
– Lab/Practical or Experiment write up
– Project Report
Task Purpose Audience Tone Structure

Research essay • Answer a question • Peers • Factual • Intro

• Present an argument • Academic community • Concise • Body
based on facts • Logical flow • Conclusion
• Clear structure • Usually without headings
• Active voice

Lab/prac report • To explain what you did • Peers • Past tense • Intro
• To draw conclusions • Researchers wanting to • Step by step • Methods
replicate • Clear • Results
• Objective • Discussion
• Passive voice • (IMRD) - headings

Case study (report) • Examine a situation • Professionals - not always • Factual • Numbered headings
• Identify positives and academics • Authoritative • Table of contents
negatives • Politicians • Concise • Executive summary
• Make recommendations • Public • Easy to follow

Review of an article • Evaluate or critique the • Peers • Analytical • No headings

data, research methods • Interested people in your • Evaluative • Brief summary
and results profession • Present tense • Comment on quality of
• Active voice work
Task Purpose Audience Tone Structure

Literature Review • Identify key ideas across • Researchers • Formal • Intro, body, conclusion
literature • Academics • Objective without headings
• Understand current thinking • Fellow professionals • Tentative opinions based • Explanation of similarities
• Find a 'gap' for research on text and differences plus critical
comment

Annotated • Identify key articles on a topic • Researchers • Formal • Title of work listed
bibliography • Evaluate usefulness of articles • Academics • Objective alphabetically by author
in relation to topic • Fellow professionals • Indented 1-2 paragraph
• Inform others summary and critique in
relation to topic

Reflective Journal • Identify your understanding • Yourself • Conversational • Refers to text, lectures
• Reflect on your thinking • Thinking aloud and practical situations
• Understand how and what • Can use "I" • Links between formal
you have learned • Not necessarily formal, learning and personal
but still clear meaning

Project Report • To report on work done or a • Often for an outside • Factual • Title page
plan for work to be done organization, such as an • Past tense (for work • Acknowledgements
NGO or government completed) • Executive summary or
• Future tense for proposed abstract
work • Table of contents
• Present tense to describe • Intro and body (no
current situation heading)
• Conclusion /
recommendations
• References or bibliography
• Glossary
• Appendices
 Assignment Writing
• Writing Process
– Preparation

– Drafting

– Reviewing
 Student Obligations
• Students are expected to attend classes. For all courses, the co-ordinator
may stipulate minimum attendance as a requirement for passing the course.

• Students are expected to inform their lecturer before the due date if they
are unable to submit their assessment.

• Students are expected to submit assignments on the due date, and will be
penalized for late submissions without prior arrangement and the
submission of appropriate documentation. Students are expected to
familiarize themselves with the relevant policies and procedures for late
submission of assessment. Please refer to The School of Social Work and
Human Services Assessment Policies for further details.

• Students are required to be familiar with the Institute’s policies on Student

Integrity and Misconduct.
 Student Obligations
• Students are expected to prepare for and participate in tutorials and
workshops. Competence in verbal communications is seen as a key skill of
the curriculum and is a core skill of practice.

• When undertaking group work, students are expected to treat their student
colleagues and any facilitators with the same courtesy they would expect in
return. For example, students must advise if they pull out of the group or
course, change groups, change the focus of their part of the paper, or make
any decisions which might impact upon the group product or process.

• Students are expected to contribute fairly to the group work process.

Capacity to work effectively within a group is a key skill required in practice
in all arenas.

• Students are expected to be courteous at all times to all School staff and
student colleagues.