联系我们： 手动添加方式: 微信>添加朋友>企业微信联系人>13262280223 或者 QQ: 1483266981SOES6016 Assessment 1, 2022-23: Short Essay

Set date: 12pm, 20th October, 2022
Due date: 2pm, 17th November, 2022
Please upload the completed file to the Blackboard site under Assessments (lefthand menu), via Turnitin.
Type of assessment
Mid-semester assessment (20% of module mark).
A short essay to test knowledge, to practise scientific writing, and to have practise with the style of question for the final assessment.
The assignment is open book, i.e., you can use any resources you like.
The assessment will be marked and feedback given within 4 weeks of submission.
Title of essay
“Evidence for plate tectonics”
Expected content
Use the material from Lectures 2-5 and from any background reading you have done to describe multiple lines of evidence to support the plate tectonic theory. This may include evidence that was used to build the theory itself as well as evidence today that supports the theory. Please mention the type of data/method and how it helps to provide evidence for the theory.
You may include up to 4 figures and these should be taken directly from the lectures or any published literature i.e., do not spend any time making figures (please indicate the source).
Please provide references for any information you have used outside the lecture materials (cited in the text and a short reference list). But note, I do not expect a long reference list here as most of the material is available in the lecture materials.
The structure and headings of the essay are up to you, but I do recommend sections and headings to help separate your material.
Length and formatting
1000 words maximum excluding reference list and figure captions.
Please make your file 1.5 spacing and ideally 12 point font (but no penalties here!).
The file should be a pdf or word document.
Expected time spent (workload) – important, please read!
To provide some guidance I would expect you to take no more than 6-8 hours preparing for and writing the essay. Although I have suggested incorporating some outside reading to strengthen the essay, a good essay can be generated from the lecture materials alone and I would expect you to focus your essay on the lecture materials. The primary aim is to practise answering a question of this type and to give you some time to absorb and understand the material from part of the course. I don’t want you to be overwhelmed and overloaded by this piece of work, therefore I hope this guidance helps to keep the workload on this piece low.
SOES 6016 Assessment – Marking Criteria
How to get a good mark:
-Plan essay before you start to get a good structure
-Select what to include and what to leave out
-Keep to the topic of the question
-Logical structure, using suitable headings/sections
-Use of clear examples, as relevant
-Try to synthesise ideas and information
-Try to write succinctly (short fact-rich answers are often better than long ones!)
-Inclusion of some relevant figures that support the text, and refer to them in the text
-Inclusion of some references (primary literature)
-Use spell checker, grammar checker
-Be consistent with style, terminology
Marking criteria:
Each essay will be marked according to these components:
Scientific content (50%): Is the scientific content presented relevant and correct Are there any scientific errors or areas of confusion in the report
Coherence of essay (30%): Is there a logical progression within the essay and between the sections Is the writing clear and understandable
Figures (10%): Are figures used Are they relevant for the assessment Are the figures referred to in the text
References (10%): Were references included Were they cited in the text and listed at the end of the essay with appropriate formatting
Generic Guidelines:
Below are generic guidelines for the assessment of SOES6016 and are offered as advice to both students and staff. The eventual essay mark will be a reflection of the above marking criteria and these guidelines.
Criteria >80%
A+ 70-80%
A 60-69%
B 50-59%
C <50% Fail Scientific content /50 Excellently presented. Information and analysis are scientifically correct and relevant. The essay is a synthesis of available data and ideas with some detail and quantitative information. Relevant use of examples and methods. Very good throughout, only minor errors. Attempts made to synthesise ideas and present quantitative information and include details. Some use of examples and methods. Good throughout but with minor errors. Some deviation from the topic. Some quantitative data and detail presented. Some mention of examples and/or methods mentioned. A few major errors in information and analysis and areas of confusion. Significant deviation from the topic. No real examples or methods mentioned. Many significant errors and misunderstandings. Some sections not relevant to overall question. Coherence of essay/30 Well written. Excellent logical progression within and between sections. Well written. Very good logical progression within and between sections. Quite well written, some areas unclear. Mostly logical layout. Unclear writing and structure difficult to follow. Poorly written and difficult to follow, unclear. Clarity of Figures /10 Appropriate figures included relevant to key ideas, improving the essay, and cited in the text. Figures used and are well selected. Some figures used, may not all be so relevant. Few or no figures used, not always relevant. No figures included or poor choices. References /10 Excellent, good use of some relevant literature to support findings. Formatted correctly and cited. Very good use of relevant literature. Formatted correctly and cited. Some referencing used but may not all be so relevant. Formatting and citation partially correct. Very limited referencing and incorrect formatting or no reference list. No references and/or missing reference list, incorrect formatting. Total