AES Coursework Assessment Brief (International Foundation Year.docx

AES Coursework Assessment Brief (International Foundation
Year)
What
Coursework 1:
The coursework for Academic English Skills is comprised of
three parts:
In Part 1, you will:
- select an essay title related to your subject of study.
- be given two sources to start your reading for the essay.
- find six additional reliable sources related to your essay and
include them in your reference list.
- write a short source evaluation for four of your sources,
outlining how you know they are appropriate for
academic use, and how the source is relevant to your essay
- produce an outline of your essay, including key arguments you
will include, and how these points will be
supported by sources.
This coursework is the first stage of your AES coursework
portfolio. You will be required to present and answer
questions on your research in CW 2, and write a research-based
essay of 1000 – 1500 words in CW 3. There is no
word limit for CW 1.
Why
CW 1 tests your ability to plan an extended research essay by:
- analysing an essay title and answering it with relevant points
and ideas.
- finding useful, relevant, academic sources to support your
ideas.
- linking these ideas together logically to form a strong
argument.

- successfully integrating your own ideas with ideas from your
sources.
- fully and accurately citing and referencing sources.
This assessment counts for 25% of your final mark for reading.
When
Stage 1) [WEEK 8-10] Complete the CW 1 planning document
and show it to your tutor for approval. This ensures
you have understood the requirements of the essay question
correctly, and that your choice of sources is
appropriate before you go any further.
Stage 2) [WEEK 14] Go through the CW 1 Checklist and
Feedback Sheet to make sure you have completed the
assessment fully and correctly, and submit the draft of your
source evaluation and essay plan.
Stage 3) [WEEK 2 S2] Your tutor will provide feedback on your
draft in a tutorial. Make notes of your tutor’s
comments on the CW 1 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 4) [WEEK 4 S2] Submit your CW 1.
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…
I don’t choose relevant or
reliable sources?

- Your tutor will check your sources before you write your first
draft. Make sure
you have used the best source of information (if you find some
interesting data
reported in a newspaper, follow up on the original source, rather
than just citing
the newspaper, for example).
- Use the sources you are given as a starting point; follow up on
references
mentioned in the texts, consult reading lists for your subject and
ask in the
library for help finding relevant material.
my similarity score on Turnitin
is high?
First, check your similarity report. Any wording on the template
will be picked up
as plagiarism, so your tutor will not count that. Check whether
chunks of your
writing have been highlighted in the report; 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. This
assessment requires you to identify and summarise key points
from the text in
your own words; you should not just use direct quotations from
sources in this
assessment.

You can find further information on the Academic Misconduct
process in your
Student Handbook.
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 pass CW 1? You should submit a draft of CW 1 so that
your tutor can provide you with
feedback to improve your work before you submit it.
If you score below 40% on CW 1, you will be required to
resubmit at the end of
the module. If your CW 1 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 plan.
I don’t submit CW 1? You must submit CW 1 in order to
demonstrate that you have met module
Learning Outcome 8; you cannot ‘pass’ the module unless you
have met the
minimum standards for all learning outcomes. If you are unable
to submit CW 1
by the deadline, you will need to apply for mitigating
circumstances. Further
information on mitigating circumstances can be found in your
student
handbook.
I miss part of CW 1? If you only submit part of CW 1 (you
complete the source evaluation but the

essay outline is very brief, incomplete or missing, for example)
your work will be
penalised according to the marking criteria. In this example,
you would be
awarded zero for Use of Sources.
I don’t include the sources in
my source evaluation in my
essay outline?
In your source evaluation, you should explain how you are
going to use the
arguments and information in your essay. You should therefore
make sure you
include these sources in your essay outline.
Can I…
choose the same title as
someone else in my class?
Yes. You can choose the same title as other students, but you
must not work
together, as this is collusion, a form of academic misconduct.
The work you
submit must be your own.
use sources that I am reading
for my subject?
Yes. You should not submit the same assessment for two
modules, as this is
academic misconduct, but you are able to use material you are
reading in your
subject module in the AES Coursework.
not use the sources I am

given?
Yes. You do not have to use the sources you are given; they are
just there so you
have a starting point on the topic. If you find better sources of
information for
the purposes of your essay, use those.
Related documents:
Overview presentation of CW 1
Samples of marked student submissions
CW 1 Checklist and Feedback Sheet
CW 1 Submission Template
How to complete the CW 1 Planning document
You need to complete the planning document to show your tutor
like this:

Essay title or question:
Title:
Individual lifestyle habits have been identified as a factor in
workplace productivity. Define healthy lifestyle habits
and discuss the reasons why some individuals do not have a
healthy lifestyle. Discuss the extent to which it should
be the responsibility of employers to encourage their workers to
have healthy lifestyle habits.
Approach verbs Ideas to be explored
Define Healthy lifestyle habits
Discuss The reasons for some people not having a healthy
lifestyle
Discuss the extent to which Whether it is employers’
responsibility to encourage a healthy lifestyle among
their staff.
Issues to be considered:
• What is a healthy lifestyle? > balanced diet / healthy weight /
healthy lifestyle – exercise
• What are the main causes of an unhealthy lifestyle? What
kinds of sickness are common? > Poor diet /

lack of physical activity > being overweight
smoking/ drinking > heart / blood pressure issues
stress? > mental health issues
• Are any health issues related to work/ their employer? >
stress? Number of hours worked? Has there
been an increase in health issues if working hours have
increased??
• How do lifestyle habits affect workplace productivity? > time
off for sickness = less productive
• What have some employers done? > sports teams? Healthy
food? Time off?
• How would the employer benefit? > Healthier = more
productive. Are healthy staff happier?
• KEY ISSUE: Should the employer be responsible? > If not
them, who else? The government? The
individual? To what extent for each?
You can write in note form, but make sure
it is clear what the key points / arguments
you are going to cover are.
You don’t need to decide what your
position is yet; this will be informed by
your reading, but if your title asks for a
position, you should show that you plan
to include it.
Add the key question words from your title and what they refer
to – this shows you have understood the question correctly.

List of sources:
Asay, G.R.B., Roy, K., Lang, J.E., Payne, R.L., Howard, D.H.
(2016) ‘Absenteeism and Employer Costs
Associated With Chronic Diseases and Health Risk
Factors in the US Workforce’ Preventing
Chronic Disease Vol.13 pp.21 -35
Galvin, R. (2002) ‘Disturbing notions of Chronic Illness and
Individual Responsibility: Towards a
Genealogy of Morals’ Health: An Interdisciplinary Journal for
the Social Study of Health, Illness
and Medicine. Vol.6, Issue 2, pp.107-137
Harvard School of Public Health (2017) ‘Environmental
Barriers to Activity’. [Online] Available at:
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/obesity-
causes/physical-activity
environment/ [Last Accessed 2.06.18]
NHS (2018) ‘5 healthy habits that could add more than a decade
to your life’ NHS Choices [Online]
Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/news/lifestyle-and-
exercise/5-healthy-habits-could-add-more-

decade-your-life/ [Last Accessed 2.07.18]
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2012)
‘Workplace health’ Local government
briefing [Online] Available at:
https://www.nice.org.uk/advice/lgb2/chapter/costs-and-savings
[Last Accessed 25.01.18]
Shockey, K., Smith, C., Knudsen, E.A. (2017) ‘The Impact of
Work-Life Balance on Employee
Retention’ The Wiley Blackwell Handbook of the
Psychology of Recruitment, Selection and
Employee Retention. H. W. Goldstein, E.D. Pulakos,
J.Passmore, C. Semedo (Eds.) John Wiley
Publishers: London
University of Cambridge (2014) ‘Price gap between more and
less healthy food grows’ University of
Cambridge Research News [Online] Available at:
http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/price-
gap-between-more-and-less-healthy-foods-grows [Last
Accessed 3.07.18]
Wilkinson R. & Marmot M. (2003) Social determinants of
health: the solid facts. 2nd Edition.
Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe.

List at least six sources you plan to use. Do not
include the two sources you were given in your list
of six. Make sure you have formatted the references
correctly, and that they are ordered alphabetically.
Make sure the sources you include are appropriate
for academic use.
Reference journal articles like this.
Reference books like this.
Reference websites like this.
How to complete the CW 1 document
Academic English Skills Coursework 1: Source Evaluation and
Essay Outline
Name:
A. Student
Class:
AES

Date:
Mark:
Essay title or question:
Title:
Part 1: Source Evaluation [Explanation of why you have
selected the sources for use.]
Complete the table below for FOUR of the sources included in
your Part 3 list. You should not use sources you
were given in this section.
EVALUATION 1
Reference: The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development (N.D.) ‘Work Life Balance’ [Online]
Available at: http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/topics/work-
life-balance/ [Last Accessed 25.06.18]
How do you know this source is suitable for academic use?
Refer to the currency, authority, purpose, reliability
of evidence or data, objectivity, use of expected academic
conventions.

Although no author is credited with writing this, it is a reliable
source as the OECD is considered to be a reputable
organisation – it is an intergovernmental organisation which
works internationally to advise on policies to improve
the economic and social well-being of people around the world.
The report discusses work-life balance in different countries
and statistics are updated so it is very current.
There are no citations to external sources within the article
which lowers its credibility somewhat- however the
OECD is generally considered to be a reliable source of
comparable statistics and data.
How is the source relevant to your title? What are the useful
points / arguments made in the text?
This source provides recognised reasons why poor work-life
balance is detrimental to physical and mental health.
This information can help to support the point made in
paragraph 2 that it could be considered impossible for
people to be solely responsible for their own health. By showing
the difficulties of maintaining a healthy work-life
balance today and noting that government policies can help to
alleviate these issues, this source suggests that
government schemes and also those implemented in the work
place, can help in solving this issue so it is not all
the individual’s responsibility.
Useful points made in the text are:
Long working hours may have a negative impact on health and
increase stress levels.
People are too tired when they get home after work- reduces
leisure time and the benefits which are associated
with relaxation.
Government policies can help to support work-life balance e.g.

UK child care subsidies.
Summarise the key points of the text in your own words so it is
clear they you have read and understood the source. You can
use
bullet points to list the useful points.
http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/topics/work-life-balance/
EVALUATION 2
Reference: Harvard School of Public Health (2017)
‘Environmental Barriers to Activity’. [Online] Available at:
causes/physical-activity environment/ [Last
Accessed 2.06.18]
conventions.
This source is reliable as it is published research from a
reputable academic institution.
The article contains references to numerous other data and
research, which adds weight to its academic
credibility. Synthesising from various studies, the article
provides an overview of current research on
environmental determinants / impacts on healthy lifestyles.
This source provides information which can be used to provide

evidence towards the argument that there are a
number of environmental reasons contributing towards an
unhealthy lifestyle and the obesity epidemic- it is not
merely down to individual preference and dietary choices.
Findings from research show that a variety of
environmental factors, such as parental activity levels or the
socio-economic background can be influential: poor
areas have fewer facilities and cost may play a role when
facilities are available. In addition, people living in areas
where security is an issue also report decreased amounts of
activity.
Physical exercise: Environmental factors which may determine /
influence an individual’s activity levels
Influences can be:
- family
- work
- initiatives at school/ traveling to school/ using facilities
afterwards
- neighbourhoods
- government policies
- use of space/ town planning/ access to infrastructure

causes/physical-activity%20environment/
EVALUATION 3
Reference: University of Cambridge (2014) ‘Price gap between
more and less healthy food grows’ University of
Cambridge Research News [Online] Available at:
http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/price-gap-between-more-
and-less-healthy-foods-grows [Last Accessed 3.07.18]
conventions.
This source is the University of Cambridge Research site, which
publishes overviews of the research being
conducted by the University. The researchers involved in this
study are from the Centre for Diet and Activity
Research at the University; data was collated over a ten year
period from the Office of National Statistics, a
reliable source of data, and referenced it against the National
Diet and Nutrition Survey. The study has been
published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS One.
The findings of the study directly link the increasing price of
healthy food with ‘a deterioration in the health of the
population’. This is useful to support the point that not
everyone has access to the balanced and varied diet

identified as key to a healthy lifestyle.
The researchers’ conclusions are also useful in supporting the
point that the government intervention may be
needed to ensure that everyone is able to sustain a healthy
lifestyle.
The researchers suggest that the following should be addressed
- agricultural policy
- food production
- retail pricing strategies
EVALUATION 4
Reference: Asay, G.R.B., Roy, K., Lang, J.E., Payne, R.L.,
Howard, D.H. (2016) ‘Absenteeism and Employer Costs
Associated With Chronic Diseases and Health Risk Factors in
the US Workforce’ Preventing Chronic Disease Vol.13
pp.21 -35
conventions.
This is an academic study which has been peer-reviewed and is
published by the Centres for Disease Control
Prevention, an American governmental organisation which is
accountable and reputable. The study is current,
relevant and the information is fully referenced to academic
articles. It is written as a guide for the general public,
so it is not written in an academic manner. However, the CDC is
a reputable organisation, working on behalf of the
US government, so it is reliable enough for use.

This study focuses on the impact of chronic diseases and
unhealthy behaviours on work productivity, by looking at
3 risk factors: smoking, physical inactivity and obesity.
Annual absenteeism increases with the risk factors- and costs
over $2 billion a year.
This source provides evidence for the argument that obese/
unhealthy workers take more sick days, which costs
the companies and society money. The information supports the
idea that companies would benefit from getting
involved and assuming some of the responsibility in tackling
lifestyle issues since by reducing poor productivity
and absenteeism, they would gain financially.
Marker’s Comments:
Source Selection: This list contains useful and reliable sources
of information: academic journals, government
information websites and books, indicating a significant amount
of research has been done. (Distinction)
Source Evaluation: All sources are clearly identified as being
reliable considering a range of factors - currency,
authorship, purpose, academic conventions and objectivity.
(Distinction)

Understanding of Sources: The relevance of all sources to the
topic is clearly and fully explained in the student’s
own words, and the indication of how the source will be used to
support points in the essay is explicit. The student
is able to effectively identify and summarise key points of the
articles. (Distinction)
Part 2: Essay Outline

Provide a clear plan of your essay, including the key points you
will include, and the sources you will use to
support your points. You can use the sources you were given, as
well as your own sources.
Title:
Plan for overall structure
Introduction
P1. define healthy lifestyle habits (discuss key ways to maintain
a healthy lifestyle)
P2. discuss reasons why an unhealthy lifestyle have become
more common: work is a key factor
P3. Counter argument and rebuttal 1: government / society
approaches to ill-heath – why they are wrong
P4. Argument 2: the ethical case of employers encouraging
healthy lifestyles among their employees
P5. Argument 3: the business case for employers taking some
responsibility for employee health
Conclusion
Introductory paragraph structure
Background - increasing pace of modern lifestyles
- rising rates of obesity and related health issues
- health is a key factor in ability to work well and productively

Outline This essay will outline the key causes of an unhealthy
lifestyle and its effects on productivity
and the economy at large
Thesis statement I will conclude that employers should take
some responsibility for the health of their
workers.
Paragraph 1 Topic sentence
There are five key elements to include in a healthy lifestyle.
Supporting points Evidence / example/ data Citation
- The five healthy habits are: not
smoking, maintaining a healthy
weight, undertaking moderate
exercise, eating a varied diet high in
fruit and vegetables and low in
saturated fat and sugar, limiting
alcohol intake
Study in US with 123,000 participants over 30 years
published in the medical journal Circulation found
that people who adopted all five healthy habits were
74% less likely to die during the period of the study
than those who adopted none. Women with healthy
lifestyle lived 14 years longer, and men lived 12 years
longer than those with unhealthy lifestyle habits.

NHS (2018)
Concluding / linking sentence
If individuals follow the points, they will maintain and improve
their health and thus lead a happier and longer life.
You don’t need to write out your introduction in full, but
indicate how you will put the topic
into context, the structure of your essay, and your position.
Make sure your topic sentence is clear, and
introduces the content of the paragraph.
Bullet point the key points you plan to make, and include a
reference
to support every point. Check all your references are in your list
in
part 3.
State the purpose of each paragraph – make sure it is clear
how it will add / develop your overall argument.
Add more paragraphs to the template if you need them.
However, with an estimated 137.3 million working days lost due
to sickness in the UK in 2016 (Office for National
Statistics, 2017), it seems maintaining a healthy lifestyle is not
possible for all.

Support Evidence / example/ data Citation
- Environmental factors which
affect health and are out of the
control of the individual:
- financial limitations / poverty
restricts access to sport and also
fresh food
Wilkinson & Marmot (2003)
- comparative cost of fruit and veg
to processed food - Camb Uni study
between 2002 – 2012 showed
healthy foods were consistently
more expensive than unhealthy
food options, and the disparity in
price has widened over the 10 year
period.
University of Cambridge (2014)
- family / commitments such as
working extra jobs
- lack of security of local area may
limit a person’s ability to be outside
- Lack of time leads people to eat
fast / convenient food, rather than
good from fresh.

Harvard School of Public Health
(2017)
- Key factors which affect health as:
- Lack of time to exercise and plan
healthy meals, (poor work-life
balance) which leads to tiredness /
lack of energy
- Stress
- Stress has a significant effect on
both mental and physical health.
Davidson, Mostofsky & Whang
(2010, cited in American
Psychological Association) – found a
direct link between reduced stress
and instance of heart disease.
- Stress may lead to negative habits,
such as increased alcohol
consumption and smoking, as well
as lack of sleep, which causes
additional mental and physical
problems.
American Psychological Association
(2018); OECD (ND)
Despite the evidence that work commitments and resulting

stress can cause health issues, many companies, and
indeed governments, have argued that health is solely the
responsibility of the individual.
- government / society’s approach
of ‘victim blaming’ - making people
who are unwell / incapacitated feel
guilty / responsible for their
condition
- example: negative portrayal of
people unable to work in the media
as ‘scroungers’ or ‘benefits cheats’
Galvin (2002) (government
approaches)
- placing additional pressure on
employees to get back to work or
not report physical or mental illness
is dangerous to the individual.
- during Dec 2011 and Feb 2014,
2,380 people died after government
work capability assessment found
they were fit for work
Department for Work and Pensions
(2015)
It is clear that the individual cannot be held solely responsible
for his or her physical and mental health.

You may not need a linking sentence if the topic sentence of the
following paragraph refers back:
Try to include more than one citation in a
paragraph, as this makes it clear that you
are synthesising sources, rather than just
relying on one source of information.
Development of an outline: The outline is incredibly detailed
and is clear to follow. This is a fully developed essay
plan, including clear indication of how the sources will be
synthesised and incorporated into the essay.
(Distinction)
Use of sources: The outline clearly indicates how sources will
be used to support points. The student has included
counter-arguments as well as supporting his/her points, taking a
reasoned and balanced approach to the essay. All
sources cited as support which are included in the reference list.
(Distinction)
If it is not the sole responsibility of the individual, then the
question of who should assume responsibility arises.

Employers should actively encourage healthy lifestyles among
their workforce.
- causes of ill-health (stress / lack of
time / work-life balance) is often
due to work demands
- long working hours have a
negative effect on health and stress
levels
The Organisation for Economic Co-
operation and Development (N.D.)
- Worker ill-health leads to reduced
work output
- ‘Presenteeism’
- Research conducted in America
shows that workplace health
programmes reduce ‘presenteeism’,
i.e. reduced
productivity when at work
Stevens (2013)
- benefits of a healthy workforce:
increased productivity
- ‘healthy people are happier than
unhealthy people, and work harder
as a consequence’

Stevens (2013)
- the importance of work-life
balance in staff retention
- study demonstrates that work-life
conflict is a primary reasons for
resignation (leading to additional
costs of recruitment and training),
and the significance of company
policies around work-family support
in staff retention.
Shockey et al. (2017)
If companies need further incentive to take responsibility for
the health and wellbeing of their staff, the financial
case is clear.
- Saving on sick days to companies
- Smokers take more sick days than
non-smokers
- Obese people take more sick days
than non-obese workers
Weng & Leonardi-Bee (2013); Asay
et al (2016)

- The yearly cost to the economy;
government should support
development of universal company
policies.
- Estimated £32 billion loss to GDP Office for National
Statistics (2017)
Conclusion
- Summarise: key reasons why individual is not able to ensure
health alone; key reason for ill-health is work-
related; benefits for companies – therefore clear case that
employers should take some responsibility to actively
encourage and support healthy lifestyles in its work force –
should be backed by government policy to ensure all
businesses conform.
Part 3: Sources
Write a reference list for at least SIX sources which you have
found yourself. You should include the two sources
you were given if you plan to use them in your essay.
Asay, G.R.B., Roy, K., Lang, J.E., Payne, R.L., Howard, D.H.
(2016) ‘Absenteeism and Employer Costs Associated With
Chronic Diseases and Health Risk Factors in the US
Workforce’. Preventing Chronic Disease Vol.13 pp.21 -35
Department for Work and Pensions (2015) ‘Mortality Statistics:
ESA, IB and SDA claimants’ Official Statistics [Online]
Available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mortality-statistics-
esa-ib-and-sda-claimants [Last
Accessed 3.07.18]
Galvin, R. (2002) ‘Disturbing notions of Chronic Illness and
Individual Responsibility: Towards a Genealogy of Morals’
Health: An Interdisciplinary Journal for the Social Study of
Health, Illness and Medicine. Vol.6, Issue 2, pp.107-
137
Harvard School of Public Health (2017) ‘Environmental
Barriers to Activity’ [Online] Available at:
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-
source/obesity-causes/physical-activity environment/ [Last
Accessed 2.06.18]
NHS (2018) ‘5 healthy habits that could add more than a decade
to your life’ NHS Choices [Online] Available at:
https://www.nhs.uk/news/lifestyle-and-exercise/5-healthy-
habits-could-add-more-decade-your-life/ [Last
Accessed 2.07.18]
Office for National Statistics, (2017) ‘Sickness absence in the
labour market: 2016’ ONS [Online] Available at:
https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinw
ork/labourproductivity/articles/sicknessa
bsenceinthelabourmarket/2016 [Last Accessed 2.07.18]
Shockey, K., Smith, C., Knudsen, E.A. (2017) ‘The Impact of
Work-Life Balance on Employee Retention’ The Wiley
Blackwell Handbook of the Psychology of Recruitment,
Selection and Employee Retention. H. W. Goldstein,
E.D. Pulakos, J.Passmore, C. Semedo (Eds.) John Wiley
Publishers

Stevens, M. (2013) ‘Rising sick bill ‘costs UK business £29bn a
year’. [Online] Available at:
http://www.cipd.co.uk/pm/peoplemanagement/b/weblog/archive/
2013/07/15/rising-sickbill-costs-uk
business-163-29bn-a-year.aspx [Last Accessed 5.06.18]
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
(N.D.) ‘Work Life Balance’ [Online] Available at:
http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/topics/work-life-balance/
[Last Accessed 25.06.18]
University of Cambridge (2014) ‘Price gap between more and
less healthy food grows’ University of Cambridge
Research News [Online] Available at:
http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/price-gap-between-more-
and-
less-healthy-foods-grows [Last Accessed 3.07.18]
Wilkinson R. & Marmot M. (2003) Social determinants of
health: the solid facts. 2nd Edition. Copenhagen: WHO
Regional Office for Europe
Weng, S.F., Ali, S. and Leonardi-Bee, J. (2013) ‘Smoking and
absence from work: systematic review and meta-analysis
of occupational studies’. Addiction Vol. 108, Issue 2, pp. 307–
319
Markers Comments:
Make sure you include all the sources in your outline and
evaluation. List the sources
alphabetically and tab under the surname so that it is easy to
read. Remove any hyperlinks.
causes/physical-activity%20environment/

Referencing: The references are accurate throughout.
(Distinction)
How CW 1 is marked
Source Selection and Evaluation
1. What type of sources have you chosen?
2. How have you identified the source as being
reliable?
Additional notes Understanding of Sources
1. How is the source relevant to your title?
2. Have you identified useful points in the
text?
Additional notes
1. All sources are reliable and appropriate for
academic purposes.
2. Clear and sound evaluation of the reliability of
all sources provided.

8 – 10 Distinction
All sources included in reference list should be a logical and
useful source of information. There should be no unnecessary
additions in order to make up the minimum number
(including a dictionary reference, for example).
A ‘clear and sound evaluation’ will consider at least three
aspects, for example: currency, authority (author/ source of
information), purpose, accuracy (the evidence provided, use
of academic conventions)
1. Relevance of the texts to the research
topic and title is explicit and clear.
2. Demonstrates thorough understanding
of the relevant material and issues.
The relevance of the sources to the title is clear / there is an
explanation of which aspect of the title the source is useful for
(in
brief – further detail should be included in the outline).
There should be a brief summary of key arguments/ position of
the
author. For full marks, students should relate the source to other
arguments in order to show reading and connections between
sources relevant to the topic have been made.
1. Reliable sources selected overall; one or two of
the sources may be of lower quality.
2. Sound evaluation of the reliability of sources.
Reasoning and detail may be clearer for some
sources than others.
6 – 7 Merit
On a list of 6 references, 1 lower quality source or incomplete
/ inaccurate evaluation would receive a mark of 7, 2 would

be awarded 6 marks.
1. Relevance of the texts to the research
topic and title is clear.
2. Demonstrates good understanding of
the relevant material and issues.
6 – 7 Merit
The relevance of the sources to the title is clear, but it may be
brief.
The summary / note of key points should indicate that reading
has
been done (ie. points included should be beyond what could be
written based on general knowledge / without any reading
required).
1. Acceptable sources / material selected, though
may be lower quality in some areas.
2. Evaluation of the reliability of the sources
present, but provides minimal detail which is
weak, faulty or repetitive in some areas.
4 – 5 Pass
3 of the sources are appropriate, 3 are questionable.
Student has attempted to evaluate sources, but either
evaluation is incorrect (saying a source is current when it
isn’t) or the student has identified a source as being of lower
quality, but is still proposing to use it.
1. Texts are relevant to the research topic
and title, though link may be less clear in
places.
2. Demonstrates general knowledge of
some areas but may lack detail.

4 – 5 Pass
Some sources may seem relevant to the topic, but not
necessarily
the title.
The summary should indicate that some reading has been done –
general points / positions of texts are stated, and some useful
points
identified.
1. Predominantly poor and/or inappropriate
material selected with selection appearing to be
random.
2. Weak / faulty evaluation of the reliability of the
sources.
2 – 3 Below pass
More than 50% of the sources on the list are not appropriate
for academic use, eg. newspapers, blogs (for subjects other
than Media), sources are out of date, are published by a
corporation rather than an academic institution, etc.
The evaluation may be incorrect, or only very brief – only
stating that the source is current, for example, but
overlooking that the authorship is not reliable.
1. Texts are only generally linked to the
topic; the relevance to the title is unclear.
2. Demonstrates little or confused
understanding of content; student has
lifted parts of the text.
2 – 3 Below pass
Connection to the title is unclear; relevance to the topic is
general,
but possibly a stretch.
The summary indicates either that reading has not been done

(only
very general or minimal comments made), or that the source has
not been understood – this may be indicated by students simply
lifting parts of the text, or by seemingly irrelevant points being
noted.
1. Poor and/or inappropriate literature/material
selected; required number of sources not
included.
2. No attempt to evaluate the reliability of
sources.
0 – 1 Fail
1. Texts are unconnected – no obvious
focus for the reading.
2. Demonstrates no discernible knowledge
or understanding.
0 – 1 Fail
No clear relevance to the topic or the title.
Summary of key points is either missing, plagiarised or
irrelevant.
Use of Sources
1. How well developed and relevant to the
question is your essay outline?
2. How will you use the sources in your work?
Additional Notes Referencing Additional Notes
1. All aspects of the outline are clearly and fully
developed in answer to the question.

2. The value and use of all sources for the
research essay is clear in the outline.
The outline is clear and logical. The reader can follow the
argument
or discussion of the essay, main points are supported and
developed by relevant sub-points.
All of the sub-points are supported with reference to sources.
In-text citations and end of text
references consistently clear and
accurate.
4 marks
In-text citations and end of text references should be complete
and in
a consistent format. Minor typos, such as missing a full stop in
one
reference should not be penalised. Page references are not
required.
1. All aspects of the outline are clear and
relevant to the question, though some parts
may require further detail or development.
2. Clear indication of how sources will be used
in research essay in the outline; sources
appropriate to support points.
6 – 7 Merit
The outline is clear enough to be followed, but there may be

areas
which require further detail/ the development is not completely
logical / there may be too many points in a paragraph, or
insufficient development.
Sources to be used for support are included for the majority of
points – student may indicate that a source is required.
references generally clear and
accurate; may contain occasional
minor errors.
3 marks
Occasional minor errors refers to errors which are not
systematic – ie.
missing the year on some references, not putting journal titles
in italics
in some references.
1. Most aspects of the outline are clear and
relevant to the question, but further
development is required.
2. Indication of how sources will be used in the
essay is generally clear, but may lack detail or
relevance in places.
4 – 5 Pass
The skeleton of a complete plan is present, but detail is
missing.
Sources are indicated for most of the points included in the
outline,
but may appear reliant on one or two sources.
references included but with

omissions or errors.
2 marks
Some references could not be followed up easily – key
information is
missing (year of publication / URL), or some references are
missing
from the list but included in the outline.
1. The outline is only partly developed or does
not address the question at all.
2. Largely unclear how sources will be used to
support points in the research essay.
2 – 3 Below pass
Parts of the plan are missing or completely undeveloped.
Source support is missing from many of the points, or do not
seem
relevant.
Majority of citations / references
missing or very unclear.
1 mark
Multiple references are missing, or the format is completely
inconsistent / reader is unable to identify or follow up the
source.
1. The outline is largely unclear or missing.
2. Unclear how sources will be used in the
essay.
0 – 1 Fail
Outline cannot be followed at all, or is not included.

Source references are missing or are just included without any
indication of the points they are supporting.
No references included. 0
Referencing not attempted
Academic English Skills Coursework 1: Source Evaluation and
Essay Outline
Name:
A. Student
Class:
AES
Date:
Title:
Part 1: Source Evaluation [Explanation of why you have
selected the sources for use.]
Complete the table below for FOUR sources you have found
which are reliable and relevant for your essay. You should not
use sources you were given in this section.
EVALUATION 1
Reference:
Refer to the currency, authority, purpose, reliability of evidence
or data, objectivity, use of expected academic conventions.

EVALUATION 2
Reference:

EVALUATION 3
Reference:

EVALUATION 4
Reference:

Part 2: Essay Outline
Provide a clear plan of your essay, including the key points you
will include, and the sources you will use to support your
points. You can use the sources you were given, as well as your
own sources.
Title:
Plan for overall structure
Introduction
P1.
P2.
P3.
P4.

P5.
Conclusion
Introductory paragraph structure
Background
Outline
Thesis statement
Supporting points
Evidence / example/ data
Citation

Support
Citation

Support
Citation
Support
Citation

Part 3: Sources
Write a reference list for at least SIX sources which you have
found yourself. You should also include the two sources you
were given if you plan to use them in your essay.

AES Coursework Assessment Brief (International Foundation Year.docx

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