As mentioned earlier, in Psychology, we generally use exams and coursework to assess your learning. We have included some examples of the coursework we commonly use in case you wanted to prepare yourself ahead of time. We have also included some tips for good writing and some information on exams.
Essays:
Some of you may have written essays in school and some of you may have no experience with essay writing. Don't worry! Throughout your degree, we will direct you to guides and workshops that will help you understand how to write a good essay.
What is most probably different about writing essays at University is the way you collect information for the arguments you make. You need to base your arguments on existing research and use them as evidence to back up your ideas. 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.
Practical Reports
A practical report is a type of coursework. As part of this, you research something for yourself- you collect data, you analyse data and then you draw conclusions on the basis of the data. A practical report is a type of coursework that explains to the reader the problem you were interested in (introduction), the data you collected and analysed (method & results) and the conclusions you drew (discussion).
Presentations:In some modules, you will be asked to present either individually or as part of a small group. Sometimes, this is a pre-recorded presentation.
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.
On most of our programmes, exams usually take place during two main periods:
- January 2025 (exams for 15-credit Term 1 modules)
- April – May 2025 (exams for 15-credit modules Term 2 and 30-credit modules that take place during Terms 1 and 2)
Referred and deferred exams take place around August.
Further information about exams can be found here.
If you require any specific exam provisions due to disability (including welfare issues and dyslexia, for example), you must arrange a meeting with the AccessAbility team (0300 555 0444 or log an enquiry via SID). There will be deadlines by which you should have this meeting, so please keep reading emails and other updates during the year.
If you are unable to take exams on certain dates due to religious observances, you need to let the AccessAbility team know in advance.
Writing Tips:
If you want any tips on writing please click on this link
Plagiarism/Academic Misconduct:
One of the things that a lot of our students worry about when they first arrive is referencing and avoiding plagiarism. The key message is that if you read all of the guidance we offer during the Academic Honesty and Plagiarism ELE courses, you are unlikely to get into trouble!
Most of the students who find themselves accused of academic misconduct are not intentionally cheating. Here are some of the main mistakes these students make:
- Not taking the time to understand how to reference sources properly
- Overly relying on sources to 'do the talking' for them
- Use sources to back up your ideas and analyses but use your own words in putting across arguments
- Not taking enough time to do research and write assignments
- Failing to understand the purpose of an assignment
Q&A - what if I fall ill or have extenuating circumstances and cannot complete my assignment?
If you feel illness or other adverse personal circumstances may affect your ability to undertake an assessment, you may be able to apply for mitigation. Mitigation requests must usually be supported by evidence (e.g. doctor’s note, hospital appointment letter, etc).
More information about mitigation can be found here.
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!
To post, simply click 'REPLY.'