ENG1503/Assignment 02/S1/2023

Tutorial Letter 001/1/2023

Academic Language and Literacy in English

ENG1503

Semester 1

Department of English Studies

IMPORTANT INFORMATION
This tutorial letter contains important
information about the ENG1503
Assignment 02 for Semester 1

Note: This is a fully online module. This document is, therefore, only available on myUnisa.

BARCODE
 1. INTRODUCTION

Dear student

Welcome to UNISA and to the ENG1503 module. We hope that you are going to find this
ENG1503 module informative and enjoyable. The purpose of this module is to develop your
ability for critical reading and critical writing which are essential academic skills, improve your
academic English competence (academic discourse and literacy) and develop your abilities to
read and write academic genres (for disciplines and various contexts), such as argumentative
and essay writing, research-based essays, research articles, lectures, using appropriate
conventions, such as citation, and research skills. Please refer to the specific outcomes (SO)
and assessment criteria (AC) in your module form (Addendum B in your TL101) to understand
more of what we will be teaching you and assessing you on.

To ensure your success in this module, you should work with all your learning material
continuously, read the announcements that we post regularly, engage with your eTutors,
download and read all additional resources, attend Teams meetings with us and participate
with your lecturers on the ENG1503 site.

2. PURPOSE OF TUTORIAL LETTER

The purpose of this tutorial letter is to provide you with details of assignments and their due
dates for Semester 1. Please keep this tutorial letter safe and check it regularly so that you
do not miss assignment submission dates. Please read your myLife emails regularly as
we will post information if there may be changes in due dates. It is your responsibility
to keep up to date with all announcements.

N.B. Please note that we will be hosting live streams and posting feedforward tutorial
letters before each assessment. You are strongly encouraged to engage with our
classes and resources before you submit your assessments.

2
 ENG1503/001/2023

ASSIGNMENT: 2 - Research-based essay

Unique number: 645537

Compulsory: Yes

Due Date: 13 April 2023

Instructions

In this question, you are expected to write an essay of 500 words in length. Your essay should
demonstrate the writing conventions you have learned in the module about essay structure and
layout. This includes forming a thesis statement, clarity of message, taking a clear position and
stance, using the appropriate words for the type of essay; cohesion and logical organisation of
information, proper paragraphing, correct sentence structure and referencing.

To successfully answer this question, find FIVE (5) academically valid sources and include a
reference list. At least one source must be from a printed book or journal. Website sources are
allowed as a main source only if they are authored articles from journals or books from
nationally/internationally recognised institutions (this means you may not use websites such as
Wikipedia). Articles from newspapers, magazines or civic organisations may not be used as a
reliable source of scientific information. Website articles written by unidentified individuals or
authors may not be used.

Choose ONE of the following topics:

Question 1

Text A

A study by Pence (2021) states that the use of technology affects students’ learning in many
ways. Technology use in education has grown throughout the years. Currently, higher
education institutions are going through a surge of technology use since the normal way of
teaching and learning has changed drastically due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, we
need to take into considerations the positive and negative effects that comes with technology
use in education, especially with students’ learning.

Adapted from: https://scholarworks.calstate.edu/downloads/pg15bm24g Accessed on 2022,

May 19.

Instruction: Using research, discuss TWO (2) positive and TWO (2) negative effects of how
technology use in education affects students’ learning. Your response should include a minimum
of FIVE (5) credible sources.

(50 marks)

3
 OR

Question 2

Text B

According to Wyatt and Ochoa (2017:179), “first year [university] students are faced with a
rollercoaster of emotional changes that are directly correlated to the stress caused by
transitioning into [university] life”. With that said, mental health plays an important role on how
students perform academically.

Adapted from: Wyatt, T.J. & Ochoa, Y. 2017. Mental Health and Academic Performance of
First-Year College Students. International Journal of Higher Education, 6 (3): 178 – 187.

Instruction: From the above statement (Text B), do you think mental health plays a role on how
students perform in their academic studies? Include THREE (3) arguments to support your
answer. Your response should include a minimum of FIVE (5) credible sources.

(50 marks)

4
 Level Range Content 20%
ENG1503/001/2023
1 0-4 Very little or no evidence of
• •
understanding and knowledge of the
topic.
• Very little understanding of the genre
conventions
• Fragmented/disjointed/ muddled ideas
• Writer stance and voice muddled
2 5-9 • Unsatisfactory handling of the topic
• Some irrelevant and repeated
information
• Mundane handling of the topic
• Flawed by generalizations and
inadequate supporting detail
• Writer stance and voice vague and
indeterminate
3 10-13 • Some understanding and knowledge of
the topic
• Reasonable development of idea
inadequate appraisal of positions on
the topic.
• A few lapses in content, claims not fully
supported
• Sometimes disjointed and loosely
4 14-17 • Sound understanding and knowledge
of the topic
• Convincing but not captivating
presentation of the topic
• A concerted effort at originality
• Relevant supporting details
• Evidence of a research based
argument but not well substantiated
• Writer stance and voice but with some
hesitation
5 18-20 • An excellent understanding and
knowledge of the topic.
• Well-conducted appraisal of positions
on the topic
• Insightful and original demonstrating a
clear stance and voice
• Highly selective supporting details
• Captivating introduction and highly
convincing
Language 20% Presentation and writing conventions 10% Overall
comme
nt
5
Poor command of vocabulary, sentence Cluttered presentation. Very
Total: [50 marks]
•
structure and punctuation • Illegible handwriting. Poor
• Very limited use of the appropriate grammar • Many grammatical and
and syntactic structures typographical errors, which impede
• Inappropriate use of expressions meaning.
• Poor knowledge of genre
conventions
(Marks: 0 – 2) Heavily plagiarised.
• Limited vocabulary and sentence variety • Inconsistently defined paragraphs Poor
• Inadequate use of appropriate syntactic • Progression of ideas hard to follow.
language features/structures • Essay introduction and conclusion
We will use a marking rubric in the next page to mark the essay:
• Poor punctuation and sentence construction not clearly defined.
• Obscured/confused meaning • A few gaps in knowledge of genre.
(Marks 3-4) Partial and mostly
plagiarised
• Occasional flawed sentences, punctuation, • Reasonably good presentation Satisfac
and spelling errors • A few poorly structured paragraphs tory -
• Word choice, vocabulary and diction is • Legible, but with some typing Good
appropriate for the genre errors.
• Sentence structures are correct but not as • Clearly defined introduction and
varied conclusion.
• Sentences are not so well linked and (Marks 5-6) Some/Partial plagiarism
coherent
• Very good command of grammatical • Well-structured essay, neat and Good-
structures legible very
• A wide range of vocabulary, linking devices • Clearly defined paragraphs good
and sentence structures • Clearly defined introduction and
• Demonstrates a mastery of the register of conclusion.
the genre • Structure is easy to follow and
• Sentence are linked, and coherent adheres to the structure of the
• Meaning clear, occasionally hindered by genre.
grammatical errors (Marks 7-8) Some plagiarism
• Punctuation and grammar are correct • Logical flow of ideas in the essay Excellen
• Word choice, vocabulary and diction is and within paragraphs. t-
highly appropriate for the genre • Very clear introduction and outstan
• Demonstrates a mastery of the register of conclusion ding
the genre • Structure is easy to follow and
• Sentence structure is correct and varied adheres to the structure of the
• Sentence are linked, coherent genre
• Meaning clear with very few or no grammar
errors
(Marks 9-10) Some/Partial plagiarism
 3.1
Examinations

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Unisa resolved that all examinations will be held online. Thus,
no venue-based examinations will be written in 2023. Please select the exam centre code
(36013) for 'Online Examination' when registering online. Please note the following important
information regarding examinations:

- The marks for the assignments and the examination are equally weighted according to
a 40/60 ration. Please refer to module specific tutorial letters for specific details.
- The semester 1 final examination will take place during May/June 2023.

3.2
Other information

- All your study material (tutorial letters, study guide and information on prescribed books)
can be accessed on myUnisa.
- If you are facing difficulty with registering for any of the modules, please email the
Department of English Studies at: englishstudieshelp@unisa.ac.za

4. CONTACT WITH THE UNIVERSITY

You can contact your lecturers using the details found on myUnisa. Never use your private
email accounts to reach your lecturers; always use your allocated MyLife email account.
Lecturers will not be responding to private emails used by students.

5. CONCLUSION

We will be uploading resources on myUnisa under Additional Resources, Announcements,

Podcasts and FAQs. Therefore, it is important to check your mylife email throughout the year
so that you do not miss out on any communication from us. In addition, join the online tutorial
groups and other online learning activities to gain more knowledge. Do not hesitate to contact
us via email if you are experiencing problems with this tutorial letter's content or with any
academic aspect of the module.
We wish you all the best in your studies

THE ENG1503 TEAM