AES Coursework 3 Extended Essay: Assessment Brief (IFY)
What
Coursework 3 Extended Essay:
This is the final piece of your coursework portfolio for Academic English Skills. In CW1, you found information from academic sources and produced an outline of your essay. In CW2, you presented your research. In CW3, you will write your research–based extended essay in 1500 words.
Word Limits
Make sure that you adhere to the word limits; any words over 1650 words will not be marked.
Essays under 1500 words will be marked, but unable to achieve the highest marks.
You should include:
– a cover sheet including your essay title, class code, candidate number and word count (excluding your reference list).
– a student declaration form to acknowledge that the work you are submitting is your own and that you have adhered to academic regulations.
– a minimum of eight sources in your essay. You can use sources from your CW1 and CW2, but you may want to change some of these, based on feedback you received from these assessments. You may include the source you were given to start your research in your eight sources.
– a reference list of the sources you have included in your essay. Do not include sources you have read, but not cited in your work.
Why
Writing clearly and appropriately for an academic context is arguably the most important skill you will need at University. CW3 tests your ability to write a research-based extended 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
Stage 1) [Semester 2 – Week 6] Go through the CW 3 Checklist and Feedback Sheet to make sure you have completed the assessment fully and correctly, and submit the first draft of your CW3 extended essay (Deadline – 23:59 (UK time) on Sunday of S2 – Week 6).
Stage 2) [Semester 2 – Week 9] 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) [Semester 2 – Week 10] Submit your final CW3 extended essay (Deadline – 23:59 (UK time) on Sunday of S2 – Week 10).
How
Your work is submitted and marked electronically. Your tutor will give you the marking criteria 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. You can upload 3 times without a delay, but if you upload a 4th time, you will need to wait 24 hours.
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 CW3 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.
Related documents:
CW3 Model
CW3 Template
CW 3 Submission Checklist and Feedback Sheet