This document provides the marking criteria and instructions for an assignment on accounting for leases. It outlines six assessment criteria related to structure, referencing, sources, focus on the question, examples, and conclusions. Students are asked to write an essay discussing whether a proposed new standard on leases will lead to more meaningful financial statements by enabling airplanes to appear on airlines' balance sheets. Guidelines are provided on length, assumed knowledge, formatting, and referencing. Useful sources are also listed to help students complete the assignment.

1. Marking criteria for 50022 Corporate Financial Accounting Assignment
Assessment Criteria Grid / Sample Feedback Sheet
STUDENT NAME Surname / Family name
…………………………………
Christian name(s) / First
name(s) …………………………………
STUDENT NUMBER
………………………………….
Assessment criteria Tutor Marks
comments available
1. Structure and clarity of the essay
(incl. essay structure, fluent writing style,
grammar and spelling)
/15
2. Accurate referencing – careful and accurate use
of the Harvard system
/8
3. Use of a wide range appropriate of sources
/6
4. Clear focus on the essay question and detailed
understanding and analysis of the topic.
/55
5. Use of interesting real-life examples
/6
6. Clear conclusion, well argued.
/10
TOTAL /100

2. Coursework Coversheet for 50022
YOU MUST COMPLETE THIS COVERSHEET AND ATTACH IT TO THE FRONT OF YOUR
ASSIGNMENT.
Student No. Student Name
Module No. 50022 Module Title Corporate Financial Accounting
Seminar tutor’s name
Extract from the Student Conduct Regulations:
2.2.1 Students shall comply at all times with the provisions of the Regulations for Candidates
taking Assessments. In particular they shall not commit impersonation, collusion, plagiarism,
falsification, duplication, submit the work of others as their own, or otherwise cheat in any
assessment.
Explanation of terms used in the Student Conduct Regulations:
Impersonation means taking an assessment on behalf of another student, or allowing another
person to take an assessment on your behalf.
Collusion means producing assessed work by working with another person who you have not been
authorised to work with by the Module Leader. This includes, but is not limited to, allowing another
student to copy your work.
Falsification means presenting invented data, for example claiming that you have conducted
interviews or sent out questionnaires when you have not, or altering or making up your results.
Plagiarism means submitting the work of someone else as if it were your own. When you include
someone else’s ideas in your assignment, you must provide a reference in the text. If you copy
someone else’s words (a quotation), you must show clearly in the text how much was copied by
using speech marks. It is not enough just to list your references at the end of your assignment.
Guidance on the correct use of references can be found on , and also in a handout in the Library.
Duplication means submitting work for assessment which has been assessed before, either in this
University or elsewhere, without acknowledging the extent of the previous submission.
If you do not understand what any of these terms mean, you should ask your Module Leader to
clarify them for you. The full regulations may be read in the Library, or accessed on-line at
http://www.brookes.ac.uk/regulations/sturegs.html
STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY
Except for those parts in which it is explicitly stated to the contrary, this work is my own work. It has
not been submitted for assessment for credit previously at this or any other academic or
professional institution.
Student signature ………………………………………………………Date…………………..
CHECKLIST
Please check the following statements are true and initial each box.
I have included a full reference list using the Harvard style of referencing
I have provided Harvard style references for all the ideas, empirical evidence and other
materials I have used in the main body of this piece of work
I have used quotation marks and referenced all passages (including page numbers) taken
word for word from my source material
I can make available evidence of the originality of my work, including notes, photocopies,
drafts, primary data and computer files
I completed this work without any unauthorised help

3. 50022 Corporate Financial Accounting INDIVIDUAL Assignment
Hand in date and instructions
A hard copy of the assignment must be submitted by Monday 28th March 2011,
(week 9) to the drop box under the stairs in the Simon Williams Undergraduate
Building or the external drop box, if the building is shut.
Plus an electronic copy must be submitted via the Brookes Virtual site for the
module by the same date. All assignments will be run through Turnitin software to
scrutinise their contents.
The deadline for the coursework must be adhered to. The regulations re late
submission of work are available on the Brookes website:
http://www.brookes.ac.uk/services/asd/registry/sas/mit%20circs.html
A coursework coversheet must be fully completed and attached to your assignment.
Note the requirement to include a note of your tutors name.
ACCOUNTING FOR LEASES
Sir David Tweedie, outgoing Chairman of the IASB, has often joked that it has been his
ambition to travel on an airplane that was on the airline’s balance sheet! The IASB is
planning to publish a new standard on leasing in 2011 which looks like it will enable him to
achieve his ambition.
REQUIRED
You are required to write an essay to discuss the following statement:
"Why has accounting for leases been so controversial and will the proposed standard
lead to companies’ financial statements giving a more meaningful picture of their
financial position?”
(Note that the focus of your essay should be on accounting for leases from the
perspective of lessees.)
As a guide to some content that might be expected in your essay:
Why has accounting for leases been problematic? / what is meant by the substance of
transactions? / what was the IAS 17 approach?/ what does the ED propose?/ Do you
consider that the new standard offers a more coherent approach to accounting for leases?
The above should not restrict you from taking other approaches and discussing other
relevant issues.
NOTES
1. Your essay should occupy no more than 5 sides of A4 paper using double spaced
text and a font size of 12. The bibliography does not have to count towards your
word count.
2. In writing your essay, assume that the reader has ready access to a full set of past
and present standards. There is therefore no need to repeat significant amounts
of detail from the standards.
Continued…

5. 3. Your assignment must be presented in the following format:
The assignment must be word-processed in font size 12 and double-spaced.
All pages must be numbered.
You must include a bibliography and reference all your sources using the
Business School approved Harvard system of referencing.
(See the Guide to citing and referencing for Business School students
available on the Brookes Virtual site for the module.)
The assignment must have the coursework coversheet attached.
The assignment should be stapled together and not submitted in a plastic
wallet.
4. Quotations
No more than 10% of your essay should comprise acknowledged quotations from
other sources.
5. Authenticating your coursework:
You must be able to demonstrate that the course work you submit for assessment
is your own. You must therefore keep (whether electronically or on paper)
working documents that you used or created while preparing the assignment.
These should be kept until after the module results have been published on PIP.
6. 35% Rule
Accounting field rules mean that you have to achieve at least 35% for this essay,
as well as 40% overall, in order to pass the module.
Useful sources to get you started:
The iasplus website, including
http://www.ifrs.org/Current+Projects/IASB+Projects/Leases/ed10/Ed.htm
The IASB website
As well as the course texts, Chapter 15 from :
Alexander, David, Britton, Anne, and Jorissen, Ann (2007), International Financial Reporting and
Analysis, 3rd edition, London: Thomson Learning
Tweedie,D (2008) Interview in Financial Director,. Financial Director. Retrieved on 27thFebruary
2009 from: http://www.financialdirector.co.uk/financial-director/features/2212781/interview-david-
tweedie
Beattie V. Goodacre A. and Thomson S. (2006) “International lease-accounting reform and
economic consequences: the views of U.K. users and preparers.” The International Journal of
Accounting, Vol 41, pp.75-103