College of Business and Law

ACADEMIC YEAR 2022/23

Coursework Assessment Brief

Module Code: UMAD5Y-30-3

Module Title: Accounting in Context
Submission Deadline: 24 March 2023
Assessment Component: B
Assessment Weighting: 63% per cent of total module mark
Marking and feedback deadline (20 working days after the late submission period): 1 May
2022
NB: All times are 24-hour clock, current local time (at time of submission) in the UK

Assessment Instructions

This assessment covers the following Learning Outcomes as per the module specification: MO1,
MO2, MO3, MO4, MO7, MO9. A copy can be found here.

The assessment is composed of two requirements:

- Critical evaluation of information sources (90% of the mark)

- Reflective report (10% of the mark)

Requirement 1 – Critical evaluation of information sources

You are required to submit a 4,500 word critical evaluation of information and its various
sources on your chosen topic.

You should frame your project and report within the following scenario:

You are a research assistant reporting to a finance director/partner in a large organisation. Your
responsibility is to carry out special projects required by the finance director. The finance
director wants to know more about the issues related to an article she has read. You have been
asked to provide a report to brief the finance director on these issues. She has particularly asked
you to focus on:

 Other information sources on these issues that might inform the decision of the
organisation.
 The nature of these information sources; their relevance and reliability to the decision to
be made.

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You are not expected to make any recommendations on what the organisation should/should
not do. You are required to provide relevant and reliable information to enable the finance
director to make a decision on the issue(s).

Marking criteria

Your critical evaluation of information sources will be marked according to the following
criteria:

 clarity of project question/issue;

 a comprehensive identification and clear demonstration of familiarity with relevant
information sources;
 critical evaluation of the information sources; focusing on the relevance and the reliability of
the information provided for the decision to be made;
 quality and depth of analysis;
 logical flow within the report;
 persuasiveness of conclusions as to the nature of the information sources; their availability,
relevance and reliability;
 presentation: structure and balance and use of English. Presentation is important as it
indicates the skill and care that you have invested into your work and a logical presentation
implies an ordered and logical approach to the subject. You should follow the requirements
below in terms of the structure of your report;
 correct use of Harvard referencing; and word count showing that the 4,500 words have not
been exceeded. The word count needs to be clearly and correctly stated. Incorrectly stating
the word count constitutes an assessment offence and may result in further action. You are
not allowed to exceed the word limit under any circumstances. If you exceed the word limit
we will stop reading once 4,500 words have been reached and nothing further will be taken
into account in the allocation of marks so you will be penalised for a failure to be concise and
for failing to conclude your work appropriately.

Marks are not individually allocated to each of these criteria. However, all of these criteria are
taken into account when coming to an overall grade.

Here is the feedback form that we use when we mark your project:

Marking Scheme for the Critical Report

Mark out of 100 Weighting Weighted mark

Critical Review
90%

Reflective Report
10%

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Total

Area Grade Awarded: A to

E
Clarity of the project theme, a clear scenario of importance to a
Financial Director.

A comprehensive identification and clear demonstration of

familiarity with relevant information sources with a suitable
breadth of information included.

Quality and depth of the synthesis of the theories and issues from *
the information sources presented.

Critical evaluation of the relevance of various information sources

to the chosen scenario.

Critical evaluation of the reliability of various information sources.

Logical flow with the report.

Persuasiveness of conclusions.

Presentation of work in accordance with module requirements

and professional expectations.

Correct Harvard style referencing

Strengths of this report:

Weaknesses of this report:

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The structure of your report

Title page Title of the project, number and name of student, module name,
course title, word count, name of supervisor and date.

Executive A 150 word précis of the whole of your project clearly identifying
summary the topic, your main arguments, how the report might inform the
development of policy within the company and what issues require
further review and consideration. This is NOT included in the 4,500
word count

Contents Showing headings and their pages

pages

Declaration You need to state that ‘this project is the work of (insert your name)
and has not been submitted for any other qualification or as part of
any other module assignment’.

Glossary and If necessary

list of
abbreviations

Main text Subdivided into relevant headings. Your word count starts here
(you can write a maximum of 4,500 words) including all headings,
tables, citations, quotes, lists etc.
Appendices (not part of word count) - these should not be necessary and you
should include any tables or figures within the main text.

References (not part of word count) - in the correct style: use Harvard and refer
to advice on the library website
http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/students/studysupport/studyskills/referen
cing/uweharvard.aspx

One list in alphabetical order is required, not separate lists for

websites etc. You are not required to provide a separate
bibliography of sources you have read but not cited.

Style of Your project should be written in a professional business style. You

writing can choose whether to write in the ‘third’ person or not, but a
formal style should be maintained. Your report should be capable
of being understood by the finance director (an informed reader) at
first reading. Aim for an easy style with precision. All pages must be
numbered. Use Arial font in 12-point
4 single line spacing.
Requirement 2- Reflective report

An important part of your learning on this module arises from reflection on your lecture,
workshop, drop-in session and independent study activities. The reflective report is an
important part of your critical evaluation assignment; it represents 10% of the total coursework
score. To support this, you are required to keep a learning log during the course.

We suggest that you write in your log at least three times a fortnight, reflecting on:

 the lecture activities

 the workshop activities
 drop-in session activities
 independent group or individual study activities

Requirement

You are expected to submit:

 a 500 word reflective report, drawing on your entries in your learning log, on how your
learning has developed during the first section of the course, up to the date of submission
of the coursework. You must also submit a record of your meetings with your supervisor.

The assessment criteria for this reflective report are as follows. The reflective report must cover
both descriptive and subjective aspects:

Objective

 comprehensive and clear observations of events arising from the learning activities taking
place in lectures, workshops and independent study
 word count showing that the report does not exceed 500 words. You are not allowed to
exceed the word limit under any circumstances. If you exceed the word limit we will stop
reading once 500 words have been reached and nothing further will be taken into in the
allocation of marks so you will be penalised for a failure to be concise and for failing to
conclude your work appropriately.

Subjective

A good range of subjective description: indicating a depth and thoroughness of reflection, and
indicating a developing self-awareness of self and others, e.g. for self and interactions with
others

 what was learnt

 what was felt

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  the identification areas of difficulties and enjoyment
 the identification of strengths and weaknesses
 how strengths were/can be built on
 how weaknesses were/can be addressed
 how actions/behaviour changed
 how beliefs/views changed

You must submit the learning log itself. You will need to maintain an electronic version of this
which you can submit on Blackboard. If your learning log is incomplete, because you have
missed sessions or failed to keep it up, then this will affect your ability to meet the assessment
criteria. Here is the form that we use when we mark your learning log and reflective report:

Accounting in Context – Marking Scheme for Reflective Report based on the Learning Log

Student
number:
Mark:

Mark Total
marks

A comprehensive learning log with clear objective 30

descriptions

Complete original learning log (If your learning log is

incomplete, because you have missed sessions or failed
to keep it up then this will affect your ability to meet the
assessment criteria).

Containing objective descriptions: a comprehensive and

clear observations of events arising from the learning
activities taking place in:

 lectures
 workshops
 independent study

B This part is divided into two aspects:

1) A good range of subjective description:

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 indicating a depth and thoroughness of 30
reflection and indicating a developing self-
awareness of self and others

e.g. for self and interactions with others

 what was learnt

 what was felt
 the identification areas of difficulties and
enjoyment
 the identification of strengths and weaknesses

2) Reflection focusing on the identification of 40

future actions e.g.

how strengths were/can be built on

how weaknesses were/can be addressed

how actions/behaviour changed

how beliefs/views changed

Total mark 100

Handing in Your Work

 Please submit all the components of your coursework online through Blackboard.
 Please make sure your name, number and supervisor’s name are clearly written on each
component of your submission.
 You are required to submit:
 The coursework
 A reflective report
 Your learning log
 Record of your meetings with your supervisor.

Formative feedback and support during the module

Formative feedback provides opportunities to reflect on your ongoing work and preparation for
your assignment. Your supervisor will be your main soure of support and feedback.

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Formatting

Please use the following file format: Word. We cannot ensure that other formats are
compatible with markers’ software and cannot guarantee to mark incorrect formats.

All work should be word processed in 12-point font Arial and single spaced.

The first page of your coursework must include:

 Your student number
 The module name and number
 Your word count
 The coursework title

Word Limit

The maximum word limit for this coursework is 5,000 words (4,500 critical review and 500
reflective report).

 There is no +/- 10% on word count and anything after the maximum word count will not be
marked, in line with UWE Bristol’s Word Count Policy.
 In line with UWE policy, this word count includes everything in the main body of the text
(including headings, tables, citations, quotes, lists, etc.).
 The references, bibliography and footnotes (provided footnotes only include references) are
NOT included in this word count.

Referencing and Assessment Offences

Please ensure you reference all sources used when developing your assessment, using the UWE
Harvard system. Failure to properly reference your work to original source material can be
grounds for the assessment offence of plagiarism and may result in failure of the assessment or
more serious implications. Further guidance on correct referencing is available on UWE’s Study
Skills referencing pages.

UWE’s Assessment Offences Policy outlines potential offences and it is your responsibility to
understand this policy and avoid potential offences. Details of what constitutes plagiarism and
how to avoid it can be found on UWE’s Study Skills pages about avoiding plagiarism.

Text-matching software (e.g. SafeAssign) is used to check every submission against other
submissions made at the same time, previous submissions to UWE and other universities, and
internet sources. We may also manually search for matches. When submitting your work, you
will be required to confirm that the work is your own.

It is an assessment offence to:

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 - copy work from any source, including your own previous assessments, and present it as
your own work for this assessment, or to provide your own work to others
- to work with others on the assessment in any way, or for anyone to make amends on
your work (including proofreaders, who may highlight issues but not edit the work)
- change individual words but keep, essentially, the same sentences and/or structures
from other sources: this will be detected by text-matching software. Please write in your
own words and style to convey your own learning.

The Module Leader is at liberty to seek a further academic opinion on your project if there is
suspicion of an assessment offence committed and you may be asked to attend a viva voce
examination.

Instructions for submission

You must submit your assignment before the stated deadline by electronic submission
through Blackboard. Notification that the electronic submission portal is open for your
assignment is displayed (usually two weeks before the submission date) in the Coursework tab
in myUWE, the Coursework tab in Blackboard and via an announcement in the Blackboard
course.

Please allow sufficient time to upload your assignment, as the system becomes busier and
slower as the deadline approaches. Only your final upload will be counted. Ensure all your
information is submitted at one attempt to avoid overwriting your intended submission. Always
check and retain your receipts.

For full guidance on online submission through Blackboard, see UWE’s Academic Advice pages
on Assignments.

Submissions of coursework by any other method (including a paper copy, on disk or by email)
are NOT permissible for this module unless specifically agreed in advance of the submission
date.

Before submitting your work, please ensure that:

 You have proof read your work thoroughly to ensure your work is presented
appropriately

 You have addressed all the required elements of the assessment

 You have referenced in accordance with the guidance provided

 You have addressed each of the marking criterion

 The submission is in the correct format

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This assessment has a three day grace period in which students can submit their work without
penalty. While students are expected to plan their work so that they are not impacted by minor
illness or delay, if you experiencedifficulties which affect your ability to submit your work at the
published deadline the University allows a three day grace period in which you can submit your
work without penalty for this type of assessment. Please note that the submission deadline at
the conclusion of the three day grace period is absolute and based on UWE server time,
therefore you are strongly advised to submit work well ahead of the deadline dates to avoid
your work not being accepted for marking. For full information please see; Assessment support
options - Academic information | UWE Bristol

Final feedback and marks release

Students will normally receive marks and feedback on their submission within 20 working days
of the end of the five days late submission period (not including public holidays or university
closure days). If you use the late submission or extension , this will be adjusted to reflect the
end of that late submission/extension period).

Any delay in returning students’ work will be communicated by the module leader via
Blackboard.

Feedback on this module is not limited to the written comments you will receive on individual
written assessment submissions.

Feedback and marks for this module will be available by the date specified at the top of this
document. For further guidance on feedback, please refer to the module handbook.

Further guidance and support

There are a number of sources of support to improve your study skills, including:
 The UWE Library Study Skills pages – for online support and bookable works
 Guidance on using UWE’s Library.

Specific study skills pages relating to this module include:

 How to plan and structure your writing
 Writing skills
 Further research skills / techniques
 Report writing
 Reflective writing
 How to write critically
 Literature reviews
 English language support

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For further guidance on UWE assessment regulations and terminology see UWE’s Academic
Advice pages.

Personal Circumstances

If you are experiencing difficulties in completing a piece of assessment on time due to

unexpected circumstances (for example illness, accident, bereavement), seek advice from a
Student Support Adviser at the earliest opportunity. Appointments can be made via an
Information Point or online via the Student Support Pages.

Student Support Advisers can advise as to whether you should submit an application for
‘Personal Circumstances (PCs)’, how to do so and what evidence is required to support the
application. Further details on PCs can be found on the Student Support Pages.

The module leader cannot grant personal circumstances or extensions.

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