Unit Outline

In this unit, you will develop the academic writing and research skills essential for university study across a wide variety of discipline areas. You will learn to write clearly and formally, engage critically with academic sources, and structure both research reports and essays effectively. The unit covers key aspects of academic style, paragraph structure, referencing, and argumentation. Through scaffolded assessments—including a short writing task, a research report, and an academic essay—you will build confidence in producing well-structured, evidence-based writing. Peer review and self-editing strategies will help you refine your work. By the end of this unit, you will be prepared to meet the various writing demands of university study.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

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


1	Write in an academic style.
2	Locate and use academic sources for writing at university.
3	Communicate according to the conventions of academic formats.
4	Demonstrate analytical thinking skills in relation to academic writing.

Alterations as a result of student feedback

To be determined

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Short Writing Task	Week 3	15 %	LO1, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 2:	Research Report	Week 7	35 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 3:	Peer Review	Week 10	10 %	LO4
Assessment Task 4:	Academic Essay	Week 12	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Short Writing Task

Task Description:

For this assessment, you should imagine yourself as a member of a non-profit organisation who has been nominated to make a written submission to council. Your organisation is passionate about this topic, and you want to provide an objective and informed perspective to council. Your submission should be two short paragraphs written in an academic style.

Task Length:

200 words

Due Date:

Week 3

Weight:

15 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Use academic language in written communication.	LO1
2	Organise ideas in paragraphs with topic sentences.	LO3
3	Apply grammar and spelling conventions in formal writing.	LO1
4	Explain a perspective on a current issue using analysis.	LO4

Assessment Task 2: Research Report

Task Description:

For this assessment, you are asked to produce a 1000-word research report that demonstrates your ability to present research findings using a clear and logical structure according to academic conventions.

Task Length:

1000 words

Due Date:

Week 7

Weight:

35 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Use academic language in reporting research.	LO1
2	Integrate evidence into research findings.	LO2
3	Cite sources using a referencing style.	LO2
4	Organise ideas according to academic report conventions.	LO3
5	Explain key perspectives on an issue.	LO4

Assessment Task 3: Peer Review

Task Description:

For this assessment, you will provide constructive advice on a fellow student’s academic essay draft, demonstrating your understanding of the key principles of essay writing in an academic context. To participate in this, you will first develop and submit a draft of your own essay for review. Your draft should be in the form of an academic essay, organised in paragraphs and supported by peer-reviewed evidence. Your draft should include a clear argument signalled by a thesis statement. In exchange, you will receive the draft work of another student so that you can complete the task.
• Draft submission – Week 10
• Provide peer feedback – Week 11

Task Length:

short responses to guided questions

Due Date:

Week 10

Weight:

10 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Provide recommendations for improvement and revision based on principles of essay writing.	LO4

Assessment Task 4: Academic Essay

Task Description:

For the previous peer review assessment, you developed a draft of an academic essay. This assessment asks you to revise and finalise your essay. You are encouraged to take on board feedback from your peer reviewer where you feel it is constructive and appropriate. However, decisions made around your finalised essay should reflect your critical thinking and understanding of essay writing.

Task Length:

1000 words

Due Date:

Week 12

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Use academic language in essay writing.	LO1
2	Integrate evidence to support an argument.	LO2
3	Cite sources using a referencing style.	LO2
4	Organise ideas according to academic essay conventions.	LO3
5	Formulate an argument supported by reasoning.	LO4

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.

Academic progress review

The results for this unit may be included in a review of your academic progress. For information about progress reviews and what they mean for all students, see Academic Progress Review in the Student Portal.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Academic integrity

Academic integrity is about acting responsibly, honestly, ethically, and collegially when using, producing, and communicating information with other students and staff members.

In written work, you must correctly reference the work of others to maintain academic integrity. To find out the referencing style for this unit, see the assessment information in the MyLO site, or contact your teaching staff. For more detail about Academic Integrity, see Important Guidelines & Support.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.