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Students are required to complete three of four assignments during the year and two for the Introductory module..  What this means is that you should do four and will be credited with 50% of the total marks for your best three assignments.  In reality, students tend to do three, hoping to gain sufficient marks without doing the fourth assignment.

I cannot stress the importance of assignments and of making every effort to do them well.  Assignments get you 50% of all marks available so put a lot of work in and use the books.  Don't underestimate the effort required, and students doing multiple modules should remember that the submission dates for assignments will tend to be the same, which adds to the pressure you will be under.  So the best advice is to start them early and do them well.

Some simple recommendations to help you do well in assignments:

1. Answer the question you are asked!  It is amazing how many students fail to address the required topic in their answers.  Read the question carefully and make sure you understand it fully.  Then identify the units in the course text and textbooks that relate to the question.  Formulate your answer and finally commit it to paper.  If you are in any doubt, call me.
2. Don't copy.  It can be tempting to copy but I can tell you that is is very easy for a tutor to spot.  In addition, assignments are monitored by tutor monitors, so if I miss something, chances are the monitor or office will detect it.  Also, if you simply copy material, you will not commit it to memory or gain an understanding of the topic; this will let you down in exams.
3. Do all assignment questions and all parts of questions. It is really a pity to see students not completing assignments fully.  You are required to do all parts of assignments, so make sure you do them!  Check when you are finished to make sure you have answered everything.  Watch out for multi-part questions and questions with multiple statements or clauses - each part usually needs to be answered.
4. List all questions and parts of questions submitted on a front cover sheet.  This is more important when doing a lot of multi-part questions.  It is not a requirement, but is good practice because it helps you to identify gaps or errors in your assignment.
5. If you don't do a part question, state so clearly.  This will help me and I won't waste my time looking for the answer.  Although you should do everything, this advice is for the occasion when you don't.
6. All assignments must be submitted in full - no partial submissions.  Please - no drip feeding.  You are required to submit your assignment in full by the due date.
7. Staple all pages together with the TMA form. Make sure you complete the Tutor Marked Assignment form; this identifies your work clearly and provides space for me to make overall comments and record your mark.  Every year students go to great lengths putting fancy binding on their assignments.  Although this can help in later modules, or in other modules, it is not required for my level 1 assignments.  Save yourself the bother and simply put a big thick staple through everything - including the TMA form.  If I get fancy binders, the first thing I do is take them off and give them to my kids, so save yourself cost and effort!
8. All information you need for assignments will be in the course text and recommended reading.  This is generally true although students are expected to read outside the recommended reading and course text.  However, in level 1 you don't have to go mad at this.  In a few instances, questions are asked that are not covered directly in the text.  Where this happens, the tutor will usually identify the topic concerned and refer students to relevant material.  Once again, if you find yourself stuck, ask me.
9. Do not just regurgitate texts.  Simply repeating the text verbatim back to me does not demonstrate understanding of the material - all it does is prove that you can type (or that someone else can!).  So please try to make the material your own, paraphrase and interpret the text showing clearly that you understand the issues.
10. The form of questions will give an indication of the required format and structure of the answer.  Watch how the question is structured to get an idea of how you should structure your answer.  For example, if a question is divided into, say, six sub-parts, you will usually have to divide your answer accordingly.  If a question begins with a statement followed by a question or series of questions, this will usually determine how the answer will be structured.
11. The following points should be borne in mind for essay type answers:
• Type all essay-type questions on one side of white A4 paper
• Leave a wide margin on each side and on the bottom of each page for comments
• Use 12 point Times New Roman or Arial font - nothing smaller!!!
• Title paragraphs or sections
• Number sections or paragraphs if appropriate
• Submit well constructed essays with a beginning, middle and end
• Use reasoned arguments, well supported by reference to course text and publications
• Do not offer mere opinion or polemic
• Show evidence of reading outside the prescribed course material
• You must refer to and quote source material (author, date, page number)
• Keep related points together
• Don’t be afraid to give opinions or to disagree with points made in the text
• Be critical of what you read and come to your own conclusions, but be sure you can support them
• Do not introduce anything new in the conclusion, use it to summarise the main points in the essay
• Include a bibliography in all essay type questions
• Neatness and tidiness of assignments are important
• No waffle or padding, please
12. For maths questions, remember the following:
• Write your answers in pencil
• Show and submit all rough work
• Write clearly and legibly - I must be able to read what you write!
13. On each and every page you submit, put:
• Your name, ID number, subject and level, assignment number and page number
• In word-processed documents, these can go in the header or footer
• In written documents, write them in
• You don't lose marks for not doing this, but it identifies your work if it is separated somehow
14. The maximum extension is one week.  But only if you ask me personally and have my agreement - I do not grant extensions by e-mail or through the feedback form on this site.  The reason for this is because I might not be in a position to grant an extension due to work commitments, travel, etc.  So the only way to get an extension is to ask me in person.  If I will not have your assignment by the due date you must contact me before the due date.
15. Remember, an extension will delay your subsequent work.  While it is tempting to put things on the long finger, time you lose through not submitting assignments cannot really be made up.  If you are doing multiple assignments, the situation becomes even worse.  If you force yourself into submitting a fourth assignment, this will eat into valuable study and revision time near the exams.  Lesson: try to get your assignments in on time.
16. There is no extension on assignment 4.  Sorry - that's the rule!

Essay questions

1. Staple the assignment and TMA together - the majority did not do this!
2. Although it is dangerous to be prescriptive, for level 1 assignments, if you can't staple your papers together with an ordinary small stapler, you have probably done too much.
3. One copy only of your assignment is required.
4. No fancy binding - the kids are still getting the binders!
5. Attend tutorials - those who attended the tutorials did better in the assignment.
6. Use a PC - it is required for the Computing module.
7. I don't confirm that I have received assignments, except by e-mail.
8. Many students did not put adequate identifying information on their assignments - see above.
9. Write on one side of the paper only.
10. Start a new question on a new page.
11. Leave room for my comments on each page.
12. Don't use excessively wide spacing and margins at all, but especially to cover up lack of content and detail.
13. Please watch your grammar, syntax, punctuation and spelling.
14. Read back over your assignments - read them out loud - to check them.  If they do not sound right, they probably are not right.
15. Don't ramble all over the place in your answer - be precise and stick to the required points.
16. Answer the question you are asked and make sure you understand what is required of the question.
17. A very high number of people did not answer the question in 1 - to discuss the main elements of instruction.  Instead they spoke about self-motivation, timetables, groups, etc.
18. You must relate your answer to the course text and the question.  While your opinions and personal experience are an important part of your answers and will get you marks, you are also required to relate your answers to what is required in the question.
19. Make sure you have read the relevant material and don't just give answers "off the top of your head".
20. Many people provided irrelevant information not related to the question asked.  In some cases it was obvious that much effort had been put into the assignment but that it was in the wrong area.
21. Use headings to make your answer clearer and easier to follow.
22. Good clear layout can help the tutor to follow your work and to see easily that you are covering the required topics in your answer.
23. Use paragraphs and properly structured layout.
24. Use bullet points as appropriate.
25. Don't be flippant or excessively humorous in your answers.

1. Make sure your maths are clear and correct and keep it simple!
2. Be precise and specific in your maths answers and make your final answer obvious - do not make the tutor have to go and look for it.
3. Remember + and - roots of square root