Posted: May 15th, 2022

Climate transformation & Environmental Pollution

Climate transformation & Environmental Pollution

AES Coursework Assessment Brief (International Year 1)

What

Coursework 1R:

The coursework for Academic English Skills is comprised of three parts:

In Part 1, you will:

• select an essay title related to your subject of study.
• be given 2 relevant sources to start your reading for the essay.
• find six additional reliable sources related to your essay and include them in your reference list.
• write a short source evaluation for four of the sources you have found, outlining how you know they are appropriate for academic use, and how each source is relevant to your essay
• produce an outline of your essay, including key arguments you will include, and how these points will be supported by sources.

This coursework is the first stage of your AES coursework portfolio. You will be required to present and answer questions on your research in EX 3 (Presentation), and write a research-based essay of 1500 – 2000 words in CW 2. There is no word limit for CW 1R.

Why

CW 1R tests your ability to plan an extended research essay by:

• analysing an essay title and answering it with relevant points and ideas.
• finding useful, relevant, academic sources to support your ideas.
• linking these ideas together logically to form a strong argument.
• successfully integrating your own ideas with ideas from your sources.
• fully and accurately citing and referencing sources.

This assessment counts for 25% of your final mark for reading.

When

Stage 1) During the Christmas holiday: Complete the CW 1R planning document and show it to your tutor for approval. This ensures you have understood the requirements of the essay question correctly, and that your choice of sources is appropriate before you go any further.

Stage 2) Term 2, Week 6/7: Go through the CW 1R Checklist and Feedback Sheet to make sure you have completed the assessment fully and correctly, and submit the draft of your source evaluation and essay plan.

Stage 3) Term 2, Week 8/9: Your tutor will provide feedback on your draft in a tutorial. Make notes of your tutor’s comments on the CW 1R Checklist and Feedback Sheet. Your tutor will advise you on whether your submission is acceptable as a piece of academic work, or if further work is needed.

Stage 4) Term 2, Week 9/10: Submit your final CW 1R.

How

Your work is submitted and marked both on paper and electronically. Your tutor will give you the marking criteria and samples of student submissions so that you can see how the assessment is marked.

Your work will automatically be checked by similarity software (Turnitin) to make sure you have submitted work in your own words. You may be able to submit your work ahead of the submission deadline in order to check the similarity score.

What if…

I don’t choose relevant or reliable sources?

• Your tutor will check your sources before you write your first draft. Make sure you have used the best source of information (if you find some interesting data reported in a newspaper, follow up on the original source, rather than just citing the newspaper, for example).
• Use the source you are given as a starting point; follow up on references mentioned in the text;, consult reading lists for your subject and ask in the library for help finding relevant material.

my similarity score on Turnitin is high?

First, check your similarity report. Any wording already on the template will be picked up as plagiarism, but your tutor will not count that. Check whether chunks of your own writing have been highlighted in the report; this indicates you have not paraphrased effectively. Poor paraphrasing is a form of plagiarism, and could result in your work being reported for academic misconduct. You should therefore revise your work and resubmit it before the assessment deadline.

This assessment requires you to identify and summarise key points from the text in your own words; you should not just use direct quotations from sources in this assessment. You can find further information on the Academic Misconduct process in your Student Handbook.

I submit the coursework late?

If you submit an assessment late, a penalty will be applied to your final mark. The penalties for late submission are outlined in your Student Handbook.

I don’t pass CW 1R?

You will submit a draft of CW 1R so that your tutor can provide you with feedback to improve your work before you submit it.

If you score below 40% on CW 1R, you will be required to resubmit at the end of the module. If your CW 1R needs improvement or development, you can resubmit a re-working of your original submission. If you are awarded zero due to Academic Misconduct (i.e. you have submitted work which is not your own), you will be given a new essay title to research and plan.

I don’t submit CW 1R?

You must submit CW 1R in order to demonstrate that you have met the module’s learning outcomes; you cannot ‘pass’ the module unless you have met the minimum standards for all learning outcomes. If you are unable to submit CW 1R by the deadline, you will need to apply for mitigating circumstances. Further information on mitigating circumstances can be found in your student handbook.

I miss part of CW 1R?

If you only submit part of CW 1R (you complete the source evaluation but the essay outline is very brief, incomplete or missing, for example) your work will be penalised according to the marking criteria. In this example, you would be awarded zero for Use of Sources.

I don’t include the sources in my source evaluation in my essay outline?

In your source evaluation, you should explain how you are going to use the arguments and information in your essay. You should therefore make sure you include these sources in your essay outline.

Can I…

choose the same title as other people in my class?

Yes. You can choose the same title as other students, but you must not work together, as this is collusion, a form of academic misconduct. The work you submit must be your own.

use sources that I am reading for my subject?

Yes. You should not submit the same assessment for two modules, as this is academic misconduct, but you are able to use material you are reading in your subject module in the AES Coursework.

not use the sources I am given?

Yes. You do not have to use the sources you are given; they are just there so you have a starting point on the topic. If you find better sources of information for the purposes of your essay, use those.

Related documents:

Overview presentation of CW 1R

Samples of marked student submissions

CW 1R Checklist and Feedback Sheet

CW 1R Submission Template

How to complete the CW 1R Planning document

You need to complete the planning document to show your tutor like this:

Essay title or question:

Title:

Individual lifestyle habits have been identified as a factor in workplace productivity. Define healthy lifestyle habits and discuss the reasons why some individuals do not have a healthy lifestyle. Consider the extent to which it should be the responsibility of employers to encourage their workers to have healthy lifestyle habits.

Analyse the title of your essay – this shows you have understood the question correctly.

Topic

Healthy lifestyle habits

Focus

Reasons for poor lifestyle habits

Effect on workplace productivity

Employers’ responsibility

Instruction

Define, discuss, consider

Restriction

None

You can write in note form, but make sure it is clear what the key points / arguments you are going to cover are.

· What is a healthy lifestyle? > balanced diet / healthy weight / healthy lifestyle – exercise

· What are the main causes of an unhealthy lifestyle? What kinds of sickness are common? > Poor diet / lack of physical activity > being overweight

smoking/ drinking > heart / blood pressure issues

stress? > mental health issues

· Are any health issues related to work/ their employer? > stress? Number of hours worked? Has there been an increase in health issues if working hours have increased??

· How do lifestyle habits affect workplace productivity? > time off for sickness = less productive

· What have some employers done? > sports teams? Healthy food? Time off?

· How would the employer benefit? > Healthier = more productive. Are healthy staff happier?

· KEY ISSUE: Should the employer be responsible? > If not them, who else? The government? The individual? To what extent for each?

You don’t need to decide what your position is yet; this will be informed by your reading, but if your title asks for a position, you should show that you plan to include it.

Issues to be considered:

List at least six sources you plan to use. Do not include the sources you were given in your list of six. Make sure you have formatted the references correctly, and that they are ordered alphabetically. Make sure the sources you include are appropriate for academic use.

List of sources:

Asay, G.R.B., Roy, K., Lang, J.E., Payne, R.L., & Howard, D.H. (2016). Absenteeism and Employer Costs

Associated With Chronic Diseases and Health Risk Factors in the US Workforce. Preventing Chronic Disease 13, 21 -35

Reference journal articles like this.

Galvin, R. (2002). Disturbing notions of Chronic Illness and Individual Responsibility: Towards a

Genealogy of Morals. Health: An Interdisciplinary Journal for the Social Study of Health, Illness and Medicine 6(2), 107-137

Harvard School of Public Health (2017). Environmental Barriers to Activity. Retrieved from https://www.appessaywriters.com/write-my-paper/hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/obesity-causes/physical-activity

environment/

NHS (2018). 5 healthy habits that could add more than a decade to your life. NHS Choices.

Retrieved from https://www.nhs.uk/news/lifestyle-and-exercise/5-healthy-habits-could-add-more-decade-your-life/

Reference websites like this.

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2012). Workplace health: Local government

Briefing. Retrieved from https://www.nice.org.uk/advice/lgb2/chapter/costs-and-savings

Shockey, K., Smith, C., & Knudsen, E.A. (2017). The Impact of Work-Life Balance on Employee

Retention. In H. W. Goldstein, E.D. Pulakos, J.Passmore, & C. Semedo (Eds.), The Wiley Blackwell

Handbook of the Psychology of Recruitment, Selection and Employee Retention. London:

John Wiley Publishers

University of Cambridge (2014). Price gap between more and less healthy food grows. University of

Cambridge Research News. Retrieved from https://www.appessaywriters.com/write-my-paper/cam.ac.uk/research/news/price-

gap-between-more-and-less-healthy-foods-grows

Wilkinson R. & Marmot M. (2003). Social determinants of health: the solid facts (2nd ed.).

Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe.

Reference books like this.

How to complete the CW 1R document

Academic English Skills Coursework 1R: Source Evaluation and Essay Outline

Name:

A. Student

Class:

AES

Date:

Mark:

Essay title or question:

Title:

Individual lifestyle habits have been identified as a factor in workplace productivity. Define healthy lifestyle habits and discuss the reasons why some individuals do not have a healthy lifestyle. Consider the extent to which it should be the responsibility of employers to encourage their workers to have healthy lifestyle habits.

Part 1: Source Evaluation [Explanation of why you have selected the sources for use.]

Complete the table below for FOUR of the sources included in your Part 3 list. You should not use the sources you were given in this section.

EVALUATION 1

Full reference: The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (N.D.). Work Life Balance. Retrieved from https://www.appessaywriters.com/write-my-paper/oecdbetterlifeindex.org/topics/work-life-balance/

How do you know this source is suitable for academic use? Refer to the authority, reliability of evidence or data, objectivity, currency and use of expected academic conventions.

Authority: No author given. However, OECD is an intergovernmental organisation and, therefore, has authority.

Reliability: There are no citations to external sources within the article, which lowers its credibility somewhat. However, the OECD is considered to be a reliable source of comparable statistics and data.

Objectivity/Subjectivity: All of the evidence is factual/statistical and there is no personal language/opinion.

Currency: No publishing date is given, but statistics are up-to-date. Therefore, the text is current.

Academic conventions: There is no referencing, but the report uses clear, impersonal language. Therefore, it can be considered to be an acceptable academic source.

How is the source relevant to your title? What are the useful points / arguments made in the text?

This source provides recognised reasons why poor work-life balance is detrimental to physical and mental health. This information can help to support the point made in paragraph 2 that it could be considered impossible for people to be solely responsible for their own health. By showing the difficulties of maintaining a healthy work-life balance today and noting that government policies can help to alleviate these issues, this source suggests that government schemes and also those implemented in the work place, can help in solving this issue so it is not all the individual’s responsibility.

Summarise the key points of the text in your own words so it is clear they you have read and understood the source. You can use bullet points to list the useful points.

Useful points made in the text are:

Long working hours may have a negative impact on health and increase stress levels.

People are too tired when they get home after work- reduces leisure time and the benefits which are associated with relaxation.

Government policies can help to support work-life balance e.g. UK child care subsidies.

EVALUATION 2

Full reference: Harvard School of Public Health (2017). Environmental Barriers to Activity. Retrieved from https://www.appessaywriters.com/write-my-paper/hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/obesity-causes/physical-activity environment/

How do you know this source is suitable for academic use? Refer to the authority, reliability of evidence or data, objectivity, currency and use of expected academic conventions.

Authority: No author given, but Harvard is number 6 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2018 and, therefore, has authority.

Reliability: This source is reliable as it is published research from a reputable academic institution. The sources on the reference list are academic.

Objectivity/Subjectivity: For the most part, the language is formal although there are some contractions, personal pronouns (‘we’) and question forms. However, all of the content is based on research and is fully referenced. Therefore, the text is objective.

Currency: The article was published in 2017 and most of the sources on the reference list are from within the last ten years. Therefore, the text is current.

Academic conventions: The article follows academic conventions. A full reference list is provided which corresponds with the in-text referencing. There is an introduction which states the purpose of the text and the structure is logical. The language style is mostly formal apart from a few contractions, personal pronouns (‘we’) and question forms.

How is the source relevant to your title? What are the useful points / arguments made in the text?

This source provides information which can be used to provide evidence towards the argument that there are a number of environmental reasons contributing towards an unhealthy lifestyle and the obesity epidemic- it is not merely down to individual preference and dietary choices. Findings from research show that a variety of environmental factors, such as parental activity levels or the socio-economic background can be influential: poor areas have fewer facilities and cost may play a role when facilities are available. In addition, people living in areas where security is an issue also report decreased amounts of activity.

Physical exercise: Environmental factors which may determine / influence an individual’s activity levels

Influences can be:

• family
• work
• initiatives at school/ traveling to school/ using facilities afterwards
• neighbourhoods
• government policies
• use of space/ town planning/ access to infrastructure

EVALUATION 3

Full reference: University of Cambridge (2014). Price gap between more and less healthy food grows. University of Cambridge Research News. Retrieved from https://www.appessaywriters.com/write-my-paper/cam.ac.uk/research/news/price-gap-between-more-and-less-healthy-foods-grows

How do you know this source is suitable for academic use? Refer to the authority, reliability of evidence or data, objectivity, currency and use of expected academic conventions.

Authority: This source is the University of Cambridge Research site, which publishes overviews of the research being conducted by the University. The researchers involved in this study are from the Centre for Diet and Activity Research at the University, so they have experience in this field.

Reliability: The study described in the article was published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS One.

Objectivity/Subjectivity: The data was collated over a ten year period from the Office of National Statistics, a reliable source of data, and referenced against the National Diet and Nutrition Survey.

Currency: The study was published in 2014, and includes references which are nearly all from within the last ten years, so the source has good currency.

Academic conventions: Although the description of the article on the Cambridge website is in a news format, the study itself follows academic conventions in terms of structure, citation and referencing.

How is the source relevant to your title? What are the useful points / arguments made in the text?

The findings of the study directly link the increasing price of healthy food with ‘a deterioration in the health of the population’. This is useful to support the point that not everyone has access to the balanced and varied diet identified as key to a healthy lifestyle.

The researchers’ conclusions are also useful in supporting the point that the government intervention may be needed to ensure that everyone is able to sustain a healthy lifestyle.

The researchers suggest that the following should be addressed

• agricultural policy
• food production
• retail pricing strategies

EVALUATION 4

Full reference: Asay, G.R.B., Roy, K., Lang, J.E., Payne, R.L., Howard, D.H. (2016). Absenteeism and Employer Costs Associated With Chronic Diseases and Health Risk Factors in the US Workforce. Preventing Chronic Disease 13, 21 -35

How do you know this source is suitable for academic use? Refer to the authority, reliability of evidence or data, objectivity, currency and use of expected academic conventions.

Authority: The authors all have relevant PhD/MPH qualifications and therefore have authority.

Reliability: This is an academic study which has been peer-reviewed and is published by the Centres for Disease Control Prevention, an American governmental organisation which is accountable and reputable.

Objectivity/Subjectivity: The text is objective as all of the information is fully referenced to academic articles.

Currency: The study was published in 2016. Therefore, it is current.

Academic conventions: The text is written as a guide for the general public, so it is not written in an academic manner. However, the language/style is formal and the structure is clear.

How is the source relevant to your title? What are the useful points / arguments made in the text?

This study focuses on the impact of chronic diseases and unhealthy behaviours on work productivity, by looking at 3 risk factors: smoking, physical inactivity and obesity.

Annual absenteeism increases with the risk factors- and costs over $2 billion a year.

This source provides evidence for the argument that obese/ unhealthy workers take more sick days, which costs the companies and society money. The information supports the idea that companies would benefit from getting involved and assuming some of the responsibility in tackling lifestyle issues since by reducing poor productivity and absenteeism, they would gain financially.

Marker’s Comments:

Source Selection: This list contains useful and reliable sources of information: academic journals, government information websites and books, indicating a significant amount of research has been done. (Distinction)

Source Evaluation: All sources are clearly identified as being reliable considering a range of factors – currency, authorship, purpose, academic conventions and objectivity. (Distinction)

Marker’s Comments:

Understanding of Sources: The relevance of all sources to the topic is clearly and fully explained in the student’s own words, and the indication of how the source will be used to support points in the essay is explicit. The student is able to effectively identify and summarise key points of the articles. (Distinction)

Part 2: Essay Outline

Provide a clear plan of your essay, including the key points you will include, and the sources you will use to support your points. You can use the sources you were given, as well as your own sources.

Title:

Individual lifestyle habits have been identified as a factor in workplace productivity. Define healthy lifestyle habits and discuss the reasons why some individuals do not have a healthy lifestyle. Consider the extent to which it should be the responsibility of employers to encourage their workers to have healthy lifestyle habits.

State the purpose of each paragraph – make sure it is clear how it will add / develop your overall argument.

Plan for overall structure

Introduction

P1. define healthy lifestyle habits (discuss key ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle)

P2. discuss reasons why an unhealthy lifestyle have become more common: work is a key factor

P3. Argument 1: the ethical case of employers encouraging healthy lifestyles among their employees

P4. Argument 2: the business case for employers taking some responsibility for employee health

P5. Counter argument and refutation: government / society approaches to ill-heath – why they are wrong

Conclusion

Add more paragraphs to the template if you need them.

You don’t need to write out your introduction in full, but indicate how you will put the topic into context, the structure of your essay, and your position.

Introductory paragraph structure

Background

• increasing pace of modern lifestyles
• rising rates of obesity and related health issues
• health is a key factor in ability to work well and productively

Thesis statement

This essay will argue that employers should take some responsibility for the health of their workers.

Route map

It will outline the key causes of an unhealthy lifestyle, and its effects on productivity and the economy at large

Paragraph 1 Topic sentence

Make sure your topic sentence is clear, and introduces the content of the paragraph.

There are five key elements to include in a healthy lifestyle.

Supporting points

Evidence / example/ data

Citation

• The five healthy habits are: not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, undertaking moderate exercise, eating a varied diet high in fruit and vegetables and low in saturated fat and sugar, limiting alcohol intake

Study in US with 123,000 participants over 30 years published in the medical journal Circulation found that people who adopted all five healthy habits were 74% less likely to die during the period of the study than those who adopted none. Women with healthy lifestyle lived 14 years longer, and men lived 12 years longer than those with unhealthy lifestyle habits.

Bullet point the key points you plan to make, and include a reference to support every point. Check all your references are in your list in part 3.

NHS (2018)

Concluding / linking sentence

If individuals follow the points, they will maintain and improve their health and thus lead a happier and longer life.

Paragraph 2 Topic sentence

However, with an estimated 137.3 million working days lost due to sickness in the UK in 2016 (Office for National Statistics, 2017), it seems maintaining a healthy lifestyle is not possible for all.

Support

Evidence / example/ data

Citation

• Environmental factors which affect health and are out of the control of the individual:
• financial limitations / poverty restricts access to sport and also fresh food

Wilkinson & Marmot (2003)

• comparative cost of fruit and veg to processed food – Camb Uni study between 2002 – 2012 showed healthy foods were consistently more expensive than unhealthy food options, and the disparity in price has widened over the 10 year period.

University of Cambridge (2014)

Try to include more than one citation in a paragraph, as this makes it clear that you are synthesising sources, rather than just relying on one source of information.

• family / commitments such as working extra jobs
• lack of security of local area may limit a person’s ability to be outside
• Lack of time leads people to eat fast / convenient food, rather than good from fresh.

Harvard School of Public Health (2017)

• Key factors which affect health as:
• Lack of time to exercise and plan healthy meals, (poor work-life balance) which leads to tiredness / lack of energy
• Stress
• Stress has a significant effect on both mental and physical health. Davidson, Mostofsky & Whang (2010, cited in American Psychological Association) – found a direct link between reduced stress and instance of heart disease.
• Stress may lead to negative habits, such as increased alcohol consumption and smoking, as well as lack of sleep, which causes additional mental and physical problems.

American Psychological Association (2018); OECD (ND)

Concluding / linking sentence

You may not need a linking sentence if the topic sentence of the following paragraph refers back:

Paragraph 3 Topic sentence

If these issues cannot be resolved by the individual, then the question of who should assume responsibility arises. Employers should actively encourage healthy lifestyles among their workforce.

Support

Evidence / example/ data

Citation

• causes of ill-health (stress / lack of time / work-life balance) is often due to work demands
• long working hours have a negative effect on health and stress levels

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (N.D.)

• Worker ill-health leads to reduced work output
• ‘Presenteeism’
• Research conducted in America shows that workplace health programmes reduce ‘presenteeism’, i.e. reduced

productivity when at work

Stevens (2013)

• benefits of a healthy workforce: increased productivity
• ‘healthy people are happier than unhealthy people, and work harder as a consequence’

Stevens (2013)

• success of work-based health initiatives

Centre for Disease Control & Prevention (2013)

• the importance of work-life balance in staff retention
• study demonstrates that work-life conflict is a primary reason for resignation (leading to additional costs of recruitment and training), and the significance of company policies around work-family support in staff retention.

Shockey et al. (2017)

Paragraph 4 Topic sentence

I If companies need further incentive to take responsibility for the health and wellbeing of their

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