Take Home Exam for Final Assignment 2020-2021/first

EL117: Academic Writing

Cut-Off Date : 22nd January, 2021 Cut off Time : 10:05

Total Marks : 50 Duration :

Contents:

Warnings and Declaration…………………………………………………………….……………………………………………… 1

Question1 ...……………………….…………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………..…. 2
Question2 …...……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………….
…..…. 3
Question3 ………….………...
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 4

Plagiarism Warning:
As per AOU rules and regulations, all students are required to submit their own THE-Final work and avoid plagia -
rism. The AOU has implemented sophisticated techniques for plagiarism detection. You will be penalized for any
act of plagiarism as per the AOU's rules and regulations.

Declaration of No Plagiarism by Student (to be signed and submitted by student with THE-Final work):
I hereby declare that this submitted THE-Final work is a result of my own efforts and I have not plagia -
rized any other person's work.

Name of Student : Ali Ahmad Alkhamis

Signature : 200069

Date : 21-1-2021

EL117 2020-2021/First

Page 1 of 18
ThereInstructions
are THREE sections
: in this exam paper:
You are required to answer ALL the sections.
In section 1, apply the learned skills for writing focus.
In section 2, answer some editing questions to edit spelling, words, punctuation, mechanics, grammar and sentences.
In section 3, fill in the given graphic organizer.
In section 4, write a standard essay on the same topic: start with an introduction, develop well-written body paragraphs,
and end with a conclusion. After you finish writing your essay, edit and proofread it paying attention to grammar,
punctuation, and spelling.
Cross out any notes you make which you do not want to be considered.

Outline the essay by filling in a graphic organizer (flow chart) below.

Mark allocated Earned Marker's Initials &

Question Number
(per question) Mark Signature

Section I: Writing Focus 15

Section II: Editing 5

Section III: Outlining the Main Ideas 5

Section IV: Essay Writing 25

Total in Figures 50

Tutor’s remarks on language and content:

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

EL117 2020-2021/First

Page 2 of 18
EL117 2020-2021/First

Page 3 of 18
 Section 1 Writing Focus 20 POINTS

Read the essay below and answer the questions that follow:

To Go or Not to Go to College

Finishing high school then college and getting a decent job are a typical path for almost
everyone. We have been programed from birth to follow the pathway laid out for us by our
predecessors. However, the world is constantly changing. College is no longer the necessary
step between your adolescent years and your future. There are some points that you should
consider before you jump onto the college bandwagon.

First, it is absurdly expensive. The cost of college has skyrocketed in recent years. At-
tending a decently-ranked university can easily cost upwards of $100,000. What is even scarier:
according to the Wall Street Journal, college graduates who take out loans leave with, on aver-
age, $27,000 in student debt. Most importantly, this is a debt that they cannot default on.

Second, you mistakenly think it will prepare you for career success. School teaches obe-
dience and discipline. If you think about it, the most successful students are the ones who do
their homework, and do it on time. Nevertheless, employers are looking for something that
schools do not teach. They value people who are self-directed, can set goals, take initiative, and
succeed at work not just in school.

Moreover, getting a degree does not guarantee getting a job. The New York Times calls
recent college graduates “Generation Limbo.” More than 44% of college graduates under the
age of 25 are either unemployed or underemployed, which means they are forced to take jobs
that do not require a degree. Thus, if you have student debt, how are you going to pay it back if
you are making little to no money? You need to realize that everyone else is doing it. Almost
15,000,000 students enroll as undergraduates each year. Going to college no longer distin-
guishes you from the crowd. Instead, a college education has become ubiquitous. Therefore, it
will be hard to stand out.

EL117 2020-2021/First

Page 4 of 18
 Interestingly, you have not seriously explored any other options. In fact, it is what you
“should” be doing, but not what you want to do. You have been told your entire life that college
is the logical next step, but you do not actually have a reason as to why you are going. College
does not excite you nearly as much as does going out into the real world. Attending a 4-year in -
stitution is far from the only path to take after high school, despite what your college counsellor
(or parents, peers, and teachers) might tell you. In reality, you have a spectrum of options, from
taking a gap year to entirely designing your own education.

Despite the way they are portrayed, normal people can and do succeed without going to
college. Their stories are just not as widely publicized as are those of Bill Gates or Mark Zucker -
berg. A tried-and-true route can be through getting an unpaid internship in a field you are inter -
ested in. Learn as much as you can, then leverage your experience and new network of profes-
sional contacts to get a paid internship. At that time, use that experience to get a full-time job.
Remember, it is not a choice between attending college or working at McDonald’s.

Most people learn more outside of the classroom than inside of it. For some people,
learning via textbook is tedious. They prefer learning by doing work, exploring, creating, or oth-
erwise doing things in the real world. Others have no problem learning out of a textbook. In-
stead, it is the one-pace-fits-all atmosphere of school that bothers them. A classroom setting is
optimal only for a small number of people. It may suit you or not. Therefore, try to figure out
how you learn best.

Most importantly, there is an incredibly increasing amount of resources available for

free. Almost any knowledge you could possibly hope to gain these days can be found on the in -
ternet. If not, you can get in touch with someone who has this knowledge or knows how to get
it by using the Internet. “You wasted $150,000 on an education you could a got for a dollar 50
cents in late charges at the public library”, said Will Hunting.

To sum up, the previous points help in recognizing that college is not the only place
where you can get more affordable and meaningful education. You can pay lots of money for

EL117 2020-2021/First

Page 5 of 18
the curriculum and social experience that college provides, and have it delivered on a silver
platter, or you can do it yourself, creating an educational experience that you actually want to
have for a fraction of the cost. The choice is yours, so weight up the effects of such a decision.

1. What is the subject/topic of this essay? (1 point)

Points to consider before going to college

2. What is the writer’s main purpose? Choose the correct answer from a, b, or c. (1 point)
a. To inform and persuade
b. To compare and contrast
c. To describe a process

3. Write the opening sentence of this essay that hooked the reader. (1 point)

“We have been programed from birth to follow the pathway laid out for us by our pre-
decessors.”

4. Which type of background is provided in the introductory paragraph? Choose the cor-
rect answer from a, b, or c. (1 point)
a. General to specific
b. Anecdote
c. Historical

5. What is the thesis statement of this essay? (1 point)

“There are some points that you should consider before you jump onto the college bandwagon.”

6. What is the controlling idea of this thesis statement? (1 point)

College is no longer the necessary step between your adolescent years and your future

EL117 2020-2021/First

Page 6 of 18
 7. Write the main idea of each body paragraph in your own words. (7 points)

Body para- Write the main idea of each body paragraph in a sentence using your
graph own words (1 point each)
No.

College is costly and expensive

1

Successful careers doesn’t need college , you learn everything you need in high-
2 school

obtaining a college degree does not mean it is easier to find a job

3

Instead of spending four years in college you are able to explore more things in
4 life

college is not necessary to gain experience for a career, there are other means to
5 gain job experience for future jobs or business

Life lessons such as working, exploring, creating, or doing things in the real
6 world can aid in learning more than the classroom.

There are other sources to get knowledge from instead of wasting your money
7 on education

8. Which statement in the concluding paragraph is a rewarding/restatement of the the-

sis? (1 point)

EL117 2020-2021/First

Page 7 of 18
To sum up, the previous points help in recognizing that college is not the only place where you can get
more affordable and meaningful education.

9. What is the writer’s final/memorable comment? (1 point)

You can pay lots of money for the curriculum and social experience that college provides, and have it de-
livered on a silver platter, or you can do it yourself, creating an educational experience that you actually
want to have for a fraction of the cost.

EL117 2020-2021/First

Page 8 of 18
 Section 2 Editing 5 POINTS

Read the following questions and choose the best answer from (a, b or c). (1 point each)

1. Which one of the following is the run-on sentence?

a. I politely got rid of the people at the door and went back to finish lunch.
b. I thought I would relax over my coffee, I had to break up a fight between my two young
sons about which television channel to watch.
c. As a last bit of frustration, my daughter came downstairs and asked me to drive her over
to a friend's house before I went back to work.
2. Which of the following sentences is the most grammatically correct?
a. Early in life, Thomas Edison suffered with deafness he taught his wife-to-be Morse code
while he was courting her.
b. Early in life, Thomas Edison suffered with deafness, so he taught his wife-to-be Morse
code while he was courting her.
c. Early in life, Thomas Edison suffered with deafness and he taught his wife-to-be Morse
code while he was courting her.

3. Which of the following sentences is grammatically correct?

a. They have relatives in Albania. Which is in southern Europe.

b. They have relatives. In Albania which is in southern Europe.
c. They have relatives in Albania, which is in southern Europe.

4. Which of the following sentences avoids unclear pronoun references?

a. They think that the ancient Egyptian secret of making mummies will never be discovered.
b. The archaeologists think that the ancient Egyptian secret of making mummies will never
be discovered.
c. The archaeologists think that it will never be discovered.
5. Which of the following sentences avoids unclear pronoun references?

a. The historians say in the history books that Attila the Hun did not destroy Rome in A.D.
452, which may have resulted from a lack of food and military supplies.
b. They say in the history books that he did not destroy Rome in A.D. 452, which may have
resulted from a lack of food and military supplies.
c. The historians say in the history books that Attila the Hun did not destroy it in A.D. 452,
which may have resulted from a lack of food and military supplies.

EL117 2020-2021/First

Page 9 of 18
6. Which of the following sentences is grammatically correct?

a. The company whose employees were honored is Apex Lamp.

b. The company which employees were honored is Apex Lamp.
c. The company who's employees were honored is Apex Lamp.

7. Which of the following sentences has incorrect subject-verb agreement?

a. The peninsula of Korea, which stretches into the sea some 600 miles, lies south of
Manchuria.
b. A nation that has been overrun by its larger and more powerful neighbors several times,
Korea was split into two separate nations after the war of the early 1950s.
c. Since that time, South Korea's economy, which follows the capitalistic model and enjoys
the opportunities that come with free enterprise systems, have been growing steadily.
8. Which of the following sentences is grammatically correct?

a. In the hotel cocktail lounge, guests could find a piano and a jazz singer decorated in
gold.
b. In the hotel cocktail lounge, guests could find decorated in gold a piano and a jazz
singer.
c. In the hotel cocktail lounge, guests could find a piano decorated in gold and a jazz
singer.
9. Which of the following sentences correctly uses commas?

a. As trade expanded across the Mediterranean world, Western Europeans were able to
enjoy spices and other exotic products.
b. As trade expanded, across the Mediterranean world Western Europeans were able to
enjoy spices and other exotic products.
c. As trade expanded across the Mediterranean world Western Europeans were able to
enjoy spices, and other exotic products.
10. Which of the following sentences is the LEAST parallel in structure and, therefore, the
least effective stylistically?

a. "Impressionism" is a term that applies primarily to an art movement of the late nine-
teenth century, but the music of some composers of the era is also considered impres-
sionist.
b. "Impressionism," a term that applies primarily to an art movement of the late nine-
teenth century, also applies to the music of some composers of the era.

EL117 2020-2021/First

Page 10 of 18
 c. The artistic movement known as "impressionism" can be applied to both art and music
in the late nineteenth century.

EL117 2020-2021/First

Page 11 of 18
 Section 3 Outlining 5 POINTS
a.

Outline the following topic by filling in the graphic organizer below.

Students internalize and synthesize information in different ways following different learning
styles. Write a compare and contrast essay highlighting the similarities and differences in the
way working students and non-working students learn. Discuss by giving detailed point-by-
point explanation and examples of the similarities and differences.

Outline your essay here

Introductory Paragraph: (1 point)

Hook/Attention-getter statement:

William G. Spady once said “All students can learn and succeed, but not on the same day in the
same way.

Thesis statement:

All students, whether they have jobs or not, have some similar methods and styles in terms of
learning. However, there are also major differences in learning while working or not working
and being dedicated entirely to learning and studying.

Body Paragraph (1): (1 point)

Topic sentence (First Main Point):

Students learn in different ways and methods, but this does not change the fact that those
methods, although different, stay the same whether students work or not, unless if one has
more life experience over the other.

Major supporting details:

• Same learning tools and education:

• Exams
• Assignments
• Books
• curriculum
• Lectures

EL117 2020-2021/First

Page 12 of 18
• Different outcomes in utilizing the tools
• More chance in a bigger study group for non-working students
• Less to no chance in a study group for working students.
• Working students may face more difficulties in observing and maintaining focus during lec-
tures, exams, assignments etc.

Body Paragraph (2): (1 point)

Topic sentence (Second Main point):

Experience is one the main keys to proper learning, students gain it to advance in their studies.

Major supporting details:

• Working and non-working students are able to gain experiences to adapt their learning style.
• Educators provide experience
• Assignments
• Books
• Symbiotic relationship
• Working students can gain experience from work then apply it in learning and studies
• Non working students gain experience from learning in studies to be initiated for future jobs
and work.
Body Paragraph (3): (1 point)

Topic sentence (Third Main Point):

When it comes to learning styles, timing is essential, since all types of students may face the
same learning hours whether they have jobs or not, even though working students could face
obstacles in managing said time.

Major supporting details:

• Time for working and non-working students are the same for studying hours, lectures and as-
signment hand-ins.
• Non-Working students:
• Can have more time to arrange and methodize their learning strategies
• Are able to take in information easily
• Less stress due to more focus on learning

EL117 2020-2021/First

Page 13 of 18
• Working students:
• More responsibility and stress from work may overload capability to learn faster and easier
• Class attendance may be less due to working schedule
• Prevents student to decrease learning chances

Concluding Paragraph: (1 point)

Reward/Restatement of the thesis:

A learning style is an effective tool when it comes to educations, however, how and when stu-
dents use them makes a big a difference. If students work while studying, they face positive and
negative outcomes, more negatives to learning than positives in relations to non-working stu-
dents.

Memorable/Final comment:

Working or not, students who adapt their learning styles in certain ways can overcome any ob-
stacles they face. Dr. Sues once wrote “You have brains in your head. You feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself in any direction you chose”.

EL117 2020-2021/First

Page 14 of 18
 Section 4 Essay Writing 25 POINTS

Write a five-paragraph essay (450-500 words) on the topic you have outlined in the previous
section. (25 points)

Write your essay here

William G. Spady once said “All students can learn and succeed, but not on the same day in
the same way”. All students, whether they have jobs or not, have some similar methods and
styles in terms of learning. However, there are also major differences in learning while working
or not working and being dedicated entirely to learning and studying.

Students learn in different ways and methods, but this does not change the fact that those
methods, although different, stay the same whether students work or not, unless if one has
more life experience over the other. They both have the same learning tools, as both of them
attend the same exams, assignment and lectures. However the differences between working
and non-working students when it comes to learning methods are that the latter can have more
chances to get into study groups. They also have higher chances to be create student relation-
ships to increase their learning curves. On the other hand, working students may have less to
no chance to get into student groups due to their jobs and responsibilities. Due to the working
student’s extra responsibilities they could have difficulties in observing and maintain focus dur-
ing lectures, exams, assignments etc. The non-working students have less responsibilities and
less stress than the others, and that will give them better chance to learn and stay focus during
the lectures, assignments and exams.

Experience is one the main keys to proper learning, to which students gain in order to advance
in their studies. Throughout the course, opportunities such as assignments, educators, or books
are provided to both type of students, this leads them to gain more experience. Having said
that, there seems to be a symbiotic relationship between learning and working, in which work-
ing students can gain specific experience received from work that can then aid them to imple-
mented the way they learn in their education. An example of that can be if a working student
has a job where he can write reports, involved in engineering, or even works in sales, if the job
matches what the student is studying, he/she can adapt and implement those experiences to
their learning style. In contrast to that, non-working students increase this experience from
what they are learning to get them prepared to take on the working world after they graduate.

When it comes to learning styles, timing is essential, since all types of students may face the
same learning hours whether they have jobs or not, even though working students could face

EL117 2020-2021/First

Page 15 of 18
obstacles in managing said time. Both kind of students are in the same time bubble when it
comes to study hours, lectures, or even assignment time and dates for assignments. Due to
them being fully dedicated to their studies, non-working students may find more time to ar-
range and methodize their learning strategies, leading to an easier intake of information. Work-
ing students however, have a much tighter schedule when it comes to timing. This may affect
them by decreasing their chances to apply much more affective learning methods in their edu-
cational lives.

A learning style is an effective tool when it comes to educations, however, when and how stu-
dents use them makes a big a difference. If students work while studying, they face positive and
negative outcomes, more negatives to learning than positives in relations to non-working stu-
dents. Working or not, students who adapt their learning styles in certain ways can overcome
any obstacles they face. Dr. Sues once wrote “You have brains in your head. You have feet in
your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose”.

End of questions

EL117 2020-2021/First

Page 16 of 18
 Marking Rubric

The introductory paragraph should: 3 points

● capture the reader’s attention
● provide background knowledge
● include a clear thesis statement stating what the body paragraphs de-
scribe (controlling idea and predictors)
● have coherence, cohesion and unity
● use appropriate grammar and mechanics

Each body paragraph: 9 points

● describes one aspect of the topic
● begins with a topic sentence that develops one main idea
● has some major and minor supporting sentences that give more infor-
mation about the topic sentence by explaining it with supporting de-
tails (facts, examples, experience/anecdote, and/or description)
has a concluding sentence to close the paragraph
All paragraphs should have coherence, cohesion and unity as follows: 4 points
● use of proper order,
● use of cohesive devices,
● use of relevant sentences,
● use of reference words, and
● repetition of keywords.
All paragraphs have been edited for grammar as follows: 4 points
● it demonstrates control of basic grammar (e.g. tenses, verb forms,
noun forms, prepositions, articles, etc.)
● it shows sophistication of sentence structure with complex and com-
pound sentences.
All paragraphs have been edited for mechanics: 2 points
● it demonstrates good control over use of capital letters, periods, com-
mas, semicolons and spelling
● it does not have fragments, comma splices, and/or run-on sentences
The concluding paragraph should:
● restate the thesis
● summarizes the main points 3 points
● uses concluding statements to signal the end of the essay (final com-
ment)
● have coherence, cohesion and unity

EL117 2020-2021/First

Page 17 of 18
 ● use appropriate grammar and mechanics

EL117 2020-2021/First

Page 18 of 18