Your progress will be assessed by completing an assignment at the end of each module. We strongly recommend that you do not look at the assignment until you've worked through all of the topics in a module. This will ensure that you focus on everything you need to know for the exam. If you focus only on what you need to know to do well in the assignment, you will miss important elements in each module that you need to know and understand.

The assignments have been designed to help you prepare for your final examination – many of the questions are based on past exam papers. They will also help you develop the all-important exam technique which will help you to understand just what the examiner is looking for. We do not expect you to complete your assignments without referring to your notes or coursebook. However, we encourage you to rely less on these as you progress through the course. By your final assignment you should be able to work without reference to any additional notes.

The assignments allow you to think critically about what you have learned and will enable your tutor to see how well you are progressing. You should read the assignment questions carefully and answer them to the best of your ability, providing relevant examples where necessary. If you don’t do well in your first assignment - don’t worry, your tutor is there to provide advice.

Your tutor will mark your assignments and provide you with detailed feedback. Once you have had your marked assignment returned, you will be able to access the mark scheme on Canvas. Your tutor may also send you a specimen answer (an example of an A-grade piece of work) as part of your assignment feedback. You should reflect carefully on your tutor’s feedback and apply it in your future assignments. For this reason, you should not submit more than one assignment at the same time, as you are likely to need the tutor’s feedback on the first one to do well in the second one.

You may be wondering, “What does an assignment need to be like for me to get a high grade?”. That’s a good question. It’s a question you should ask yourself often as you study the course - but for your first assignment we understand that it can be a daunting prospect. Here is a link to an excellent example of an answer to an English Literature Assignment. Please note the comments from the tutor.

Example English Literature Assignment

All assignments are submitted via Canvas – you should consult the Canvas Guide for more information.