Writing a Response Paper on a Global Issue - Instructions and Deadlines

On completion of this unit, you should be able to:

1. demonstrate knowledge of formal, academic conventions in undertaking research

2. Use knowledge and understanding of academic language and style to produce coherent and cohesive written work and presentations

What am I required to do in this assignment?

During the semester, you must submit two pieces of written work. Each submission will include a summary and an essay which responds in each case to a source text that you have read. The source text must be an opinion text on a current ‘global issue’. For each submission, follow these instructions:

Read a short opinion text about a global issue and prepare a response which includes three sections (and use the underlined sub-headings below in your submission to separate each section of your submission so that we can see clearly where each section begins and ends).

Section 1: The source text

Cut and paste a copy of the complete source text which you read and summarized (you will not gain any marks for this, but we will not be able to mark your summary unless we can see the source text).

Submission Deadline Marks and Feedback

20 working days after deadline (L4, 5 and 7)

15 working days after deadline (L6)

10 working days after deadline (block delivery) 

Unit learning outcomes On completion of this unit, you should be able to:

1. demonstrate knowledge of formal, academic conventions in undertaking research

2. Use knowledge and understanding of academic language and style to produce coherent and cohesive written work and presentations

Section 2: The Summary

Write a summary of the source text you have read, including all the main points made in the text 

Section 3: The Essay

Write an essay in which you respond to the global issue and the text you have read by stating your own point of view. Using your own words, state whether or not you agree with the writer and why, building a clear and coherent argument for your point of view. In doing this, you may wish to reference other sources you have read in order to back up your argument. Your completed assignment should consist of about 500 words, covering the summary and the essay. The source text does not contribute to the word limit.

You will submit two pieces of work, following the above instructions, using a different source text for both submissions. The deadlines are:

What do I need to do to pass? (Threshold Expectations from UIF) In order to pass this assessment you will need to:

· Identify appropriate resources and assess their reliability

· Paraphrase the key messages from sources

· Use appropriate language and style

· Demonstrate the ability to identify more than one side of an argument

· Summarize main points of information

How do I produce high quality work that merits a good grade?

Semester 1 assessments are not marked according to the University of Bedfordshire 0-100% scale. Therefore, you will need to achieve the threshold expectations in the previous section in order to pass this assessment.

How does this assignment relate to what we are doing in scheduled sessions?

This assignment requires you to put the following academic skills which have been introduced and developed in class and practiced by you both inside and outside of class time, into operation: Reading for gist and in order to identify key arguments and information Summarizing

Planning and preparing an essay

Writing a coherent and cohesive essay in an academic style

How will my assignment be marked?

Your assignment will be marked according to the threshold expectations and the criteria on the following page. You can use them to evaluate your own work and consider your grade before you submit.