Guidance for Academic and Professional Development Assessment for

Assessment B (the document might be updated depending on

questions received)

Assessment B is due on the 18th of March by 2pm (UK time) via blackboard and has two
parts. This assessment counts for 75% of the module mark. You also have 2 extra days if
you need additional time, so you can submit up until the 20 th of March at 1.59 pm. There
is no need to apply. Please note that we can’t answer any questions after the 18th of
March. Both parts A and B need to be included in the same Word document and
submitted via Blackboard as a single file.

Part A: 70% of the Assessment Mark

This a collection of two 750-word written assignments, informed by the academic skills
development portion of the module and designed to help you practice 2 distinct writing
styles/assignments. You will be expected to submit the following:

1)A short literature review on graduate employability, critically evaluating relevant

contemporary issues.

Here, you have flexibility in terms of the topic area; for example, you can look at the
importance of employability for graduates and examine different factors, e.g. your own
development, the role of Universities and external influences, e.g. the role of employers.
Equally, you can select a more specific focus eg. the role of soft skills for accounting
graduates or the importance of soft skills for Chinese graduates. Remember that this is a
literature review; therefore, the emphasis is on presenting and analysing the arguments
drawn from the studies around this field. Your conclusion should summarise what you found
out about the research on the topic.

2) A critical self-reflection, drawing on your experience and learning from the mock
presentation during week 4 and considering the implications for your own employability in
terms of strengths, weaknesses, and career readiness. If you did not take part in the mock,
please reflect on our experience of having joined the top-up programme, considering how
it impacts your future employability and career readiness.

Here, consider firstly your experience during the allocation of the group and also during the
preparation and actual mock presentation. What went well and less well? Why? What was
your role and assigned job? How did you approach it? Did you face any issues and so on.
Following, focus on the skills that you might have used or feel were necessary to develop
based on your learning and future career aspirations. Here, you should consider, based on
the analysis of your own strengths and weaknesses, how career-ready you are and what
steps you should undertake in order to improve your skills to enable you to be successful
when applying for jobs. If you wish to link this with a specific industry/sector and match your
skills with the required ones from this, you can. You will need to support and inform your
arguments with academic literature, not including any will severely impact your grade and
ability to get a pass mark in this Task. Be careful to strike a good balance between explaining
what happened and providing clear and specific examples, as that is essential to show why
something was your strength/weakness but also using sources to explain/interpret/support
it. Avoid just describing what happened or just describing the theory.

About using sources and referencing

Generally, there is flexibility in terms of how you will approach each as long as you keep to
the broader topic, style of writing, academic conventions (using academic literature) and
word count. You need to use references, at least 6-7 for each and potentially more (for the
literature review, you can easily have 15+ sources, for example). It is essential to use Harvard
referencing and provide a full reference list in the end of each Task. In-text citations are
included in the word count. You can use some websites, provided they are from reputable
sources, but the majority of your references should be academic. Try using different
keywords and combinations, starting generally e.g graduate employability, the skills for
graduate employability and then soft skills as that will allow you to understand more about
the topic and help you decide what to include and not to include. The in-text citations are
part of the word count, not the reference list in the end.

Where can I find examples and further information?

During Lecture 3, we went through in some detail on how to write a literature review and a
self-reflection. Lecture 4 also provided a lot of detail on what to cover in each item along
with further tips and guidance e.g example, extracts and structures (as discussed, the
structures are only for guidance and by no means limiting; you can adopt them as you see fit
according to your own direction/focus in each as long as you keep to the broader topic and
writing style required.

You should also revise the first 3 weeks of academic skills you covered (pre-recorded
material) as this will help you e.g in terms of critical writing. Also, in the Assessment B
folder, you will find some initial references to get you started on the topic – you are
welcome to use them or not; in any case, you will have to find more on your own.

Both mini-assignments carry equal marks, so please focus on all of them equally and don't
spend too much on one at the expense of the other two. The word count is 1,500 without
plus or minus 10%. Each of them also needs to be 750 words.

Part B: 30% of the Assessment Mark

Part B (1500 words being notional) focuses on your employability and is designed to help
you develop the skills needed to identify future opportunities in terms of employment, study
etc., and to enable you to apply for a graduate job. Your submission for Part B will comprise
of four items:

● The relevant job advert or course description: Here, you need to find either a
graduate role or master's you want to apply for and include a copy. This can be a
screenshot, or you can cut and paste it. This is not included in the word count. The
job can be an internship or something other area than what you are studying, e.g.
education, if that is what you are interested in pursuing after graduation. Use the
websites we showed you during the module to find relevant jobs. It would be good if
you chose a role/job that you can apply for rather than something you aspire to, eg a
more senior role, as it would be difficult to tailor your CV and cover letter.
 ● A CV and cover letter to accompany, tailored to suit the specific job advert you have
selected (or the PG course you wish to apply for). You should follow the guidelines
discussed during the sessions. The CV should be up to 2 pages long and combine
your skills and experience well, demonstrating your abilities and key strengths. The
cover letter must be 1 page long and should fully address all the requirements of the
role with your best examples. This should also include areas you lack experience,
demonstrating how you will improve. It is essential to use S.T.A.R in order to make
your examples stronger both in the CV and cover letter. There are a lot of resources
and examples to help you with both, again covered in lecture 4 but also in the
Assessment B folder. Please anonymise your CV & Cover Letter, and don't include
any personal information in your submission.

● A detailed development plan showing what you will do to acquire any skills or
professional accreditation that might be required and you feel should be
strengthened.

Below is the template provided in the Assessment B folder, which you need to use. This
should relate to the job advert and should provide clear and specific thoughts on how
you can realistically develop the necessary skills/experience/knowledge that you need in
order to be successful in the role. It would be important to complete this with the cover
letter in mind as you might need to provide examples of steps you are or will undertake
against any requirements you can't evidence very well (remember that in the cover
letter, you must fully address all the expectation included in the job advert). Please note
that for part B, the word count of 1,500 is notional, which means that if you go over or
under, that is fine provided you keep within the page limits and the CV, cover letter and
PDP are appropriately developed and fully linked to the job advert/course description.

PDP template

Learning and How and where Timescales Who will Further

Development you will get it. arrange it? comments
Need Be specific!

Provide a specific E.g. Course, E.g. End of April, E.g. You, parents, E.g. Resource
description of the Workshop, To be completed a mentor, etc. requirements,
desired Conference, Self- in the next 6 Additional
development (e.g. development months, Over next notes
skills, knowledge, (research, reading, 1-2 years.
experience,) etc.), Coaching,
Mentoring, Job
Shadowing, Project
work, etc.
 Learning and How and where Timescales Who will Further
Development you will get it. arrange it? comments
Need Be specific!

Provide a specific E.g. Course, E.g. End of April, E.g. You, parents, E.g. Resource
description of the Workshop, To be completed a mentor, etc. requirements,
desired Conference, Self- in the next 6 Additional
development (e.g. development months, Over next notes
skills, knowledge, (research, reading, 1-2 years.
experience,) etc.), Coaching,
Mentoring, Job
Shadowing, Project
work, etc.

For the CV and cover letter, you can use singe spacing if it helps with keeping the 2 & 1 page
limit.

What help is out there, what if I have any questions?

I am already doing numerous drop-ins on daily basis and going over students’ plans and
giving advice. This will continue throughout the coming weeks, so please check my office
hours and feel free to come by my office. In addition, we will be using the workshops and
lectures during week 6 (w/c 4 th of March) and week 7 (w/c 11 th of March ) to provide you
with additional support. Please check my weekly e-mail about the plan for the week and
available days, times and location.

Please note that tutors cannot read drafts or check your work. They can look at a plan and
advise about structure, academic writing, referencing etc. so please bring your work and
come prepared to ask questions. Similarly, please don't e-mail drafts or request for tutors to
check your work but instead use the numerous opportunities to seek help in-class. You can,
of course, contact your tutors by e-mail with specific questions or points you are unsure
about. I am happy to discuss this with students as many times as possible. Please do not ask
your friends, as they will not know either and will end up confusing you/giving the wrong
information, resulting in bad results. Always check with the module team when you are in
doubt.

You can also contact me at any point via e-mail or MS Teams.

How do I upload the assignment?

Please see full guidelines here
https://info.uwe.ac.uk/online/blackboard/students/guides/assignments/view-submit.asp

Can I check my assignment for plagiarism?

Please see here https://info.uwe.ac.uk/online/blackboard/students/guides/assignments/

check.asp

How to reference in Harvard format?

Please see here

https://www.uwe.ac.uk/study/study-support/study-skills/referencing/uwe-bristol-harvard

Can I use subheadings?

Yes, if you want. It is not a requirement but might help you keep track of your structure and
flow.

Where to put the references for Part A?

You can include the reference list in the end of each of each mini assignment as that would
make it easier to follow. Nevertheless, if you include the references in the end of Part A, that
is fine too.

Can I screenshot the job advert?

Yes

Can I use a PDF format of my CV?

Normally no, but contact me to find a solution as this is included in the word count.

My cover letter & CV will not fit if I use 1.5 spacing, what can I do?

You can use single spacing for the CV and Cover Letter only if you wish. It is important that
the former is up to 2-pages and the latter 1-page long. Also, in your cover letter don’t
include the address of the company etc., but go straight into the letter. Font size for the
entire document is 12

What personal information should I anonymise, why and how?

We need you to ensure that your name in particular is not included, so you can either delete
it, put **** (asterisks) and so on. Similarly, also anonymise any information such as
telephone number, contact e-mail etc. This is very important to ensure the anonymity of
your submissions.

Do Parts A and B need to be the same, or do they need to relate to the group
presentation?

Not necessarily. You can look at a different topic in the LR, SR and Part B or try to link them.
The same goes for the mock presentation. It is entirely up to you. Provided you follow the
requirements we have explained in terms of academic sources, structure, critical evaluation,
etc., it is fine.

Can we use the same topic as the example assignment on blackboard?

For the LR, yes, but it is essential to use completely different sources and relevant
arguments. The self-reflection is on a slightly different topic, but the writing style and use of
sources still apply.

Where can I find the resources?

In the Assessment B folder but also here:

https://www.uwe.ac.uk/study/career-development/careers-toolkit-resources (for CV and

cover letter examples)

CV basics https://uwe.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=0f827ae7-c805-
42af-9d2c-ac3200d7f0c1

Workbook on reflective writing

https://academicskills.uwe.ac.uk/general/workbooks/reflective-writing/1511/introduction

Workbook on literature reviews

https://academicskills.uwe.ac.uk/general/workbooks/literature-reviews/45666/welcome-to-
the-literature-review-workbook