Academic Essay
‘Developing good note-taking and paraphrasing strategies, to effectively summarise academic resources, is important for students to learn.’
Based on academic literature, discuss whether you agree (or not) with the above statement.
Hints on writing this essay:
- Brainstorm ideas from your textbook and readings; acknowledge them; organise them in an order or sequence that you choose; know why you chose this order; consider how each idea could be related to student learning (this is the focus of the question).
- Introduction: 10%. The broad introduction will aim to focus the reader and to paint a general picture of the topic; the specific introduction will tell the reader WHAT (content) will be covered in this essay and HOW (the process) it will be delivered (e.g. discussed; explained; analysed etc.).
- Body: 80%. The body could be divided into four (4) key points, having 300 words each which could include interpretations of how ideas presented in your academic sources might be related to student learning and why these ideas are important. Note: this breakdown of words is only an example. You decide according to your plan, ideas writing style, etc.
- Conclusion: 10%. Remind the reader of the depth travelled in the body by revisiting and recapping the main points.
- Reference list. Present your reference list in accordance with the APA referencing style. All resources and authors referred to in-text must appear in your references list.
- Cite a minimum of five (5) academically reputable references, including one taken from your Bretag, et al. (2009) textbook.
Rationale
This assessment addresses the following subject learning objectives.
LO1 – Be able to locate, paraphrase, summarise and comprehend simple to complex English texts
LO2 – Be able to develop an effective academic argument based on information gained from a range of sources;
LO3 – Be able to write in a range of academic formats, following English writing mechanics and appropriate academic referencing styles;
Marking criteria
Marking criteria
| Criteria | LO | |||||
| Quality and quantity of sources (5%) | 1 |
You use at least 8 sources. All 8 references meet all elements of the CRAP test. |
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Argument development (50%) |
2 |
You include at least four key points relevant to the question. You synthesize multiple references to support each point. Your arguments are logical You include a critical evaluation of the research for at least two of your key points. |
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Essay format (15%) |
3 |
Your essay has an introduction, body and conclusion and includes all components of an introduction and conclusion . Introduction and conclusion reflect the body of the essay1 Each of your body paragraphs is structured and sequence of paragraphs is logical. |
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English writing mechanics (15%) |
3 |
You use formal academic language throughout the essay and your sentences are simple yet expressive. Your essay has no typographical or grammatical errors . |
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Referencing (15%) |
3 |
Your reference list and in-text references are accurate as per APA6 standard and include all components. |
| No marks awarded but a maximum of 8 marks each may be deducted for errors in the following: |
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| Word count (1500 +/- 10%) |
| Presentation guidelines |
| Text match exceeding 20% |
