different assessment methods

Each subject applies different assessment methods. Assessments help you focus on the
specific concepts, theories and learning outcomes and clarify your learning.
Before you start each subject, ensure you are familiar with your assessment due dates as
listed within each Subject Outline. Scheduling these essential dates at the outset will help
you to effectively manage your time throughout the duration of your subject. Remember
that the due dates for most submissions are firm and any late submission will incur penalties
or may not be accepted.
We strongly recommended that you follow these 10 stepsin sequential order to successfully
meet the requirements of your writing assessments.
Step 1. Read, understand and address the assessment question/task
Read the assessment question, specific instructions and guidelines carefully. Ensure you
clearly understand what is being asked. Identify what you need to do, how to do it and if
you need any assistance to successfully finish the assessment. Your submission must
respond to the assessment question/task, so make a checklist of all the assessment
elements that you need to include.
Make sure you check the word count and do not exceed the specified word limit (typically a
word count plus 10% tolerance).
Consider your audience as you plan, draft and write your assessment. Do the assessment
instructions suggest that the assessment should be aimed at a particular manager of a
particular organisation? If no particular manager is mentioned in the instructions, assume
that the facilitator will be the audience. Once you have identified your target audience, their
requirements and knowledge, write your assessment with your target audience in mind.
Step 2. Do background reading and write down notes
Do some brief background reading around the topic, starting with your textbook, and make
notes on the main concepts and ideas that seem relevant. Is there any relevant history or
any important detail that will be particularly significant? Are there any important people
involved? Knowing such details will guide you on how to start and finish your assessment.
Step 3. Organise your assessment
Make a tentative, organised list of headings, sub-headings and important topics that you will
need to cover in your assessment. Inform yourself on how to format the table of contents
fields in Microsoft Word, or any other word processing application you may be using, and
on how to update the page numbers for your table of contents as your composition grows
and evolves. Fine tune your list of headings and sub-headings as you start to gather
information. Organisation is always the key to a well-written assessment. It not only gives
you direction as you write, but it also gives your paper a certain level of professionalism.©AIB Style Guide September 2020 version 19 7
Step 4. Gather and collate relevant information and note your sources for proper
referencing
Gather relevant information from articles and other credible sources (preferably from peerreviewed journal articles). Research can be very time consuming so be clear about what type
of information you are looking for. Also, use some of these efficient reading tips:
• Read abstracts and executive summaries first to get an overview of the information
that is covered. You will quickly decide if the source is relevant to your research needs,
or not.
• If you decide that the source is relevant, read the introduction and conclusion sections
first. Then read the first and last sentences of each paragraph. In this way, you can
locate the specific information that you need for your assessment without having to
read the entire source.
As you read and research, avoid highlighting large sections of the text. Instead, take notes
of the relevant information. Taking notes actually helps you to understand and remember
the information, but it does take time. To take efficient notes:
• do not copy full sentences or chunks from your sources
• note down keywords and phrases only and/or paraphrase into your own words
• use symbols and abbreviations to show the links and relationships between the ideas
that you are noting down.
ALWAYS write down the full reference details of your sources in your notes (you may forget
or lose them otherwise). The AIB Style Guide has guidelines of which details you need to
include when referencing within your written sentences (in-text referencing) and in your
reference list.
It is very important to collect all the reference details when you are reading. Collecting all
the necessary information for proper referencing as soon as you encounter the source will
save you precious time. The list will also come in handy if you want to double-check the
information. You want to avoid the situation where you need to waste time searching for
the source again.
Step 5. Organise your notes bearing in mind the marking criteria
Organise your notes and finalise the outline with its headings, sub-headings and topics.
Consult the assessment instructions/guidelines and the marking criteria for your assessment
(with the weightings for various criteria). Bear these in mind as you plan and write the
assessment. Comparing your outline with the assessment details will let you know if you
have covered everything that the assessment requires or if you have included something
that is irrelevant. It will give you a chance to finalise your outline before proceeding with the
actual writing.
Step 6. Start writing the assessment
Now, and only now, start writing the assessment in the appropriate format. Remember to
note the sources of information as you write because you must place appropriate in-text
citations in your written assessment when you use information from your reading sources.©AIB Style Guide September 2020 version 19 8
Studiosity can offer help with the drafting of your written assessments. Studiosity is a
professional 24/7 academic writing support service that AIB offers to all students. Studiosity
will review your DRAFT assessments and provide feedback and advice on the need for
consistent Referencing, structure and organisation of ideas, and spelling and grammar. You
have access to 20 Studiosity sessions each academic year, so use your allocation wisely. You
should not use the Studiosity Writing Feedback service more than once for each DRAFT
assessment. You can access Studiosity via the AIB Study Skills site.
Step 7. Re-read and re-write your assessment
Re-writing is essential. Make sure you add or delete appropriate words or paragraphs and
check the spelling and grammar. Prior to re-writing, read and re-read your draft. Check
whether the flow of thoughts is clear and maintains continuity. Check for any grammatical
errors, spelling mistakes and improper use of full stops, commas or question marks. Make
sure you read your assessment carefully to check for errors or omissions. Lastly, ensure that
you adhere to the required word count and add/delete words as necessary.
Step 8. Write the Executive Summary for reports
If you are writing a report, you should now write the Executive Summary. This is the
summary of the entire assessment. Include only salient points of your assessment. It is called
a summary because it is supposed to be brief and comprehensive.
Step 9. List the references
Add the alphabetical list of references by author surname.
Step 10. Submit the assessment
Schedule adequate time for drafting and editing of your written assessments. Schedule time
also to submit first drafts to Turnitin. If the Turnitin Originality Report highlights full
sentences and chunks of text in your draft, these will need to be revised for accurate
referencing and/or paraphrased before your final written submission deadline. Doing this
will help you produce a better-quality final submission and also adhere to AIB’s Academic
Integrity Policy.
Submit the assessment to AIB in PDF format. Remember to keep an eye on the word count.
The word count includes all text from the ‘Introduction’ section through to the beginning of
the ‘References’ (that is, do not include the title page, Executive Summary/Abstract, table
of contents, References or Appendices in the word count).©AIB Style Guide September 2020 version 19 9
2 SENTENCE STARTERS, TRANSITIONAL AND OTHER USEFUL WORDS
It can be challenging to start a sentence or find words to show the relationship between
your ideas. Below is a list of possible sentence starters to help you make that all-important
start. There are also lists of transitional and other linking words that you can use to show
the relationship between your sentences and paragraphs and make your writing flow.