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THE BRIEF
Task
- Overview: Provide a max 1500-word answer to the following essay question:
The measurement of an individual’s intelligence is essential. Critically evaluate the preceding statement.
Aim: To test understanding of theoretical issues in intelligence. The assessment will test your ability to provide a clear, coherent and logical answer to a complex question and test your ability to provide relevant supporting evidence in a selective manner.
Task: Provide a 1500-word answer to the question. Ensure the answer contains introductory and concluding paragraphs. Ensure that the point of each paragraph in the main section (i.e. not the introductory and concluding paragraphs) is clear and leads clearly on to the next; structure is very important for readability. Leave ‘signposts’ for the reader denoting the argument you are developing e.g. this piece of evidence supports the argument I am developing here, specifically that…. The best arguments are those that have empirical evidence to back them up; however, in rare cases logically reasoned arguments are acceptable even if there is no supporting empirical evidence. Select evidence on the basis of relevance and quality, noting that some pieces of evidence might only be weakly relevant to your argument or might be strongly relevant but of poor quality. It is also a good idea to assess the quality of the evidence you present i.e. why is this piece of evidence so compelling whereas others are not. A reference section should be included at the end of the document. The reference section is not included in the word count and should be formatted according to APA guidelines.
Reading:
It is recommended that most preparatory reading is of primary sources (original journal articles), although secondary sources (text books) can be a useful starting place to get a general overview of an area (they might, however, be dated and therefore not contain up-to-date information).
Learning Outcomes Assessed
This individual assignment contributes to the assessment of the following Intended Learning Outcomes:
- Demonstrate knowledge and critical understanding of the key issues in personality, intelligence and social psychology.
- Be able to compare and contrast different psychological approaches and perspectives in these areas of psychology.
- Be able to critically evaluate methodological strengths and weaknesses of relevant research.
- Communicate knowledge of these topics effectively.
Marking Scheme
- Essays will be marked on their logic and coherency, their structure, the use of relevant empirical evidence and the level of critical evaluation.
To achieve a First-Class Mark: A first-class answer will show very good in-depth knowledge of theories and research, and will present a cogent argument based on extensive independent research and critical analysis. A first-class answer will show a very good ability to critically evaluate concepts and theories in the field, synthesise ideas from different sources. The writing and structure of the argument should be of a very high standard.
To achieve a Second-Class Mark: A second-class answer will show good in-depth knowledge of theories and research, and will present a cogent argument based on independent research and critical analysis. A second-class answer will show a good ability to critically evaluate concepts and theories in the field and to synthesise ideas from different sources. The writing and structure of the argument should be of a high standard.
To achieve a Pass (at Third Class level): A pass answer will show some understanding of theories, and develop an argument based on independent research and some appropriate evaluation of research and concepts in the field. A pass answer will show some level of critical analysis and synthesis of ideas from various sources. The writing and structure of the argument should be clear and adequate for the postgraduate level.
The University Generic Assessment Criteria for level 6 is presented below on pages 3 and 4.
If the word limit is exceeded, 10 marks will be deducted from the initial mark given.
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