1.12 Types of assessment

As an EES student your achievement of learning objectives within modules will be measured via a variety of different assessment types. On some programmes assessment by exam will predominate, while on others you’ll be asked to complete a range of alternative assignments, some of which may involve group work. Increasingly we are diversifying the way we assess our students, and you may find that you have the opportunity to demonstrate your achievement in non-conventional formats.

Let’s take a look at some of the commonly used assessment types across our modules:

Essays

Some of our students arrive with lots of experience of writing essays, while others have almost none. Even if you are familiar with the format, you might have questions about what we expect in an essay. You might be particularly worried about how to tackle referencing and how to integrate the critical approach that attracts high grades.

Through your modules you’ll be directed towards guides and workshops to help you to understand how to approach essay writing with confidence. All of the same guidance that you probably received at school or college still applies - the essential features of a good essay are structure, argument, logic and a strong conclusion. What might be different is how you find information sources as you do your research, and then how you use them as evidence to back up your ideas and analysis. To get good marks, you’ll need to go beyond description of a problem or issue; we’re looking for you to answer a question by analysing and evaluating different approaches, by comparing alternative viewpoints, and then reaching your own conclusions.

As in other types of assignment, in an essay you’ll need to acknowledge these sources via proper referencing. Through your modules, you will be taught the appropriate way to reference in your discipline. Further help is provided by our ASK Academic Skills Advisors, a team of teachers and advisors who support student learning.

Reports

Reports can take many different formats depending on the requirements of the assignment, but they usually require some independent research on a topic or case study. The report will be written in sections (rather than the continuous prose of an essay), and often contain data presented as tables or graphics to back up your analysis and conclusions.

Presentations

Some of the EES modules require you to prepare and deliver presentations, either individually or as part of a small group. Many students feel nervous about presenting to an audience for the first time, but with practice this becomes one of the most important ways for you to develop the confidence in public speaking that many of your future employers will be looking for.

Exams

Some of you will be very familiar with exams, while many of you may not have done an exam for a few years. We offer many opportunities to work on exam technique, and if you experience exam-related anxiety our wellbeing teams can provide all sorts of ways to help with this, so don’t be afraid to seek support.

Other assessments

Sometimes a module will lend itself to a more unique approach to assessment, with less conventional formats via which you can demonstrate your achievement of the module’s intended learning objectives. For these, you are more likely to see much more emphasis on the development of skills rather than the learning of ‘content’, and this can also allow those of you who especially dislike the pressure of traditional exams to choose optional modules where the assessment mode better suits your needs.

Any questions?

Now use the Forum below to ask any questions you might have about tackling different types of assessment – our current students will be able to give you insights into how all of these work in practice!