Academic Literacies 2

Tutorial Week 10
Assessment: Portfolio 50%
 Initiate and develop an academic writing and research
plan, including a detailed timeline for two writing
assignments
 Prepare an outline of each of these writing assignments,
identifying the organising principle of each and the
method of development and organisation
 Submit drafts of each of these two assignments for peer
review and tutor review. Drafts must comprise a
minimum of three pages. Grades will be rewarded for
participating in the peer-review session as both a writer
and a peer-reviewer. Week 7 and Week 9 in class
 Revise both of your writing assignments based on the
feedback given to you by your peers and your tutor.
Include this redraft of both in your portfolio.

Regional Writing Centre 2

Assessment: Portfolio
 Worksheets/reflections (30%)
The portfolio will also include
worksheets/reflective pieces of writing on
aspects of academic writing emerging from
classroom discussions. There are six
worksheets to be completed. Each
worksheet comprises 6%, 2% for
participation in the discussion in class and
4% for submitting the written
worksheet/reflection.
 Argument analysis (20%)

Regional Writing Centre 3

Worksheet: Credibility
 An argumentative article has been uploaded to Sulis for the
purposes of this exercise. What types of evidence are used
to support the argument? What are the strengths and
limitations of these types of evidence/research?
 How does the author establish credibility and demonstrate
their authority in their writing? Analyse the evidence used
in detail and give examples of how the author establishes
credibility.
 Reflecting on your experience of articles in your discipline,
what appear to be the most valued and least valued types
of evidence in your discourse community? Give examples.
 How will you establish your credibility as an author and
demonstrate your authority in your discourse? (You may
want to think about things such as tone, word choice,
arrangement of reasons/evidence, treatment of alternative
views.)
Regional Writing Centre 4
Worksheet: Selecting and framing
evidence
Examine how the author selects and frames evidence.
 How much space is given to supporting and contrary evidence?
 How much contextual and interpretative comments are added when
presenting data? Give examples.
 Where is the contrary evidence placed? Is it put it in subordinate
positions; for example, does the contrary evidence appear in the
main clause or in a subordinate clause?
 Does the author include lots of facts/statistics or is the focus on a
detailed case?
 What kind of influence does the way the data (supporting evidence)
is labelled and named have on the reader’s response to the data?
 What type of influence does the use of imagery have on the
reader’s response to the data?
 How are numbers and statistical data presented? (raw numbers or
percentages, median versus mean).
 What kind of attributive tags or signalling words does the author
use? What effects have these tags on the reader?
Regional Writing Centre 5
Worksheet: Selecting and framing
evidence
 What is the rhetorical effect of all of the
above choices?

Regional Writing Centre 6

Signalling
 Transitions and transitional devices
 Signposting

Regional Writing Centre 7