Courseworks are popular with students because it gives them the opportunity to demonstrate their academic abilities without the pressure of exams. Students can feel reassured by the extra time that coursework gives them, as opposed to the exam room’s time constraints. The coursework can be as challenging as exams but in different ways. Coursework has higher expectations than exams due to the fact that you have more free time. Successful coursework requires careful planning and research. We will be discussing how to write great coursework from planning to proofreading. So, if you are thinking “How to do my coursework? Where to start?” and about to google more sources – search no more. We have a good guide here.
What it is?
It’s a project or extended essay on a narrow topic you learned during the course. While the goals of coursework can vary depending on what subject they are studying, there is a common theme that focuses on the student doing independent research into a topic of choice. Many coursework involves some type of investigation. This may allow you to use your ‘detective” hat while you research and analyze your topic. While you can complete your coursework online, some schools have strict guidelines that require it to be done at school.
These are the rules
You should have a solid understanding of the rules before starting to work on your coursework. Failure to adhere to the rules can result in your coursework being disqualified (or your entire qualification).
- No plagiarism.
- You can only get so much assistance from your teacher.
- Determine the word count.
- You should choose a good topic.
Make wise choices about your topic
You should choose something that you are passionate about. This will make it easier to write and show your enthusiasm. It may be possible to choose a topic that you are particularly passionate about and focus on it as part of your coursework. Science coursework requires you to choose something you can measure and change. You must also be able to control it.
Picking a topic with too much scope will make it difficult for you to research properly, you won’t be able to do justice to it, and it will be difficult to stay within the word limit. If you need help choosing a topic, talk to your teachers. They may be able to give you some insight into the writings of other students to help you choose.
How long it will take
Even if this is how you normally approach essays, it’s a good idea to not leave your coursework for the last minute. Be sure to understand the deadlines and when it is possible to submit your first draft for comments by your teacher. Next, schedule blocks of work to complete it. Be sure to allow plenty of time before the deadline to accommodate any unexpected delays. Make sure to allow enough time for corrections-based teacher feedback. You can also leave time for final editing and proofreading before the deadline.
You will need to be responsible for the writing process and set deadlines. Your deadlines should be written down on a calendar. Each stage should have a date and a time. Your stages can be based on the following points: data gathering, research, structure planning, writing up and so forth.
Gathering data and conducting research
Research is the most important part of coursework. Do not let it slip your mind and get on to the writing. To gather data, you should make use of as many sources as you can: newspapers, magazines, books, television, radio, and any other relevant resources. Your science and Geography coursework will require you to develop a hypothesis. You should have at least one hypothesis in the research stage. Otherwise, your research will be unfocused. Some subjects will require you to visit sites to collect data. If this is the case, allow ample time and make sure you have your parents driving you.
For coursework projects, you will need to be careful about planning your experiment using scientific methods. You should also take note of any Health and Safety precautions that you are taking. It is important to read the theory and background so you know what to expect. Make notes in the research stage of what you expect to happen so that you can later compare them with what actually happened. Part of the research and data gathering stage for science coursework is the experiment. The write-up stage, which will be covered shortly, analyzes and writes up the results.
Plan your structure
Once you’ve done your research, you can begin the writing process. Writing is the first step in the writing process. While it may look different from the essay plan for science subjects, or other projects, the idea is the same: you need to plan the order in which your information will be presented. This is crucial for big projects as you can be overwhelmed by the amount of information.
Your project should be written
Writing essays is a key part of any coursework. Writing science coursework requires data analysis. This involves interpreting the results of your experiment and translating your notes into formal scientific language.
Writing up is best done in a quiet environment. Your coursework should be treated with the same respect as your exam room.
Images and support materials
Some subjects, like Geography and sciences, may require images, graphs or charts to be included in the coursework. Your extra material for Geography could include maps, annotated images, tables, graphs, charts, and even maps. An appendix may contain your raw data. For example, if your coursework focused on the survey results, an appendix might be included. Then, the main body of your coursework could include summaries and analysis.
Bibliography and footnotes
We have already mentioned that it is essential to use your own words when writing coursework in order not to be accused of plagiarising. Although it’s okay to quote from another source as you would in academic writing, you should make sure to state where it came from and use quotation marks if it’s from elsewhere. You can use a footnote to reference another work. Word processors make it easy to do so.
A bibliography should be included at the end. This list should contain a list containing every source that was used in creating your coursework. Include books according to a standard format. Common formats include:
Initial, Author Surname. (Date) Title of book, page number
Here’s an example:
Lewis, C.S. (1960). – Studies In Words. P. 45
It’s expected that all essays will include footnotes and bibliographies when you graduate from university. Coursework gives you the opportunity to practice this skill.
Final pre-submission inspection
Once you have finished your first draft, received feedback and refined your work, go over it again before you send it off.
- Sense Check: Have a look through your entire piece of work, and verify that it all makes sense. Check that you don’t contradict yourself in any way, repeat yourself, or make it seem rambling. You can double-check the accuracy of any facts by looking up.
- Wordcount: Make sure that the finished work does not exceed the word count. Also, double-check whether the bibliography should count in the word count. If the word count is exceeded, you should revise your piece. You can remove any unnecessary information or reorder sentences to use fewer words.
- Proofread. Make sure you check your grammar and spelling, and make sure that there aren’t any typos. You don’t have to use the spellcheck. Use a fine toothcomb to manually go through it. Ask someone to help you if there are any mistakes.
- Formatting. Make sure you include page numbers and that your font and line spacing are consistent throughout. You should ensure that the font you use is clear and easy-to-read, such as Times New Roman (Arial) or Times New Roman (Times New Roman).
- Bibliography. Make sure that everything is included, that the format of all the sources is the same, and that each one has the correct information.
You can now submit your coursework and your declaration of ownership. When you finally submit your hard-earned work, expect immense satisfaction!