Ten steps to gaining higher grades in university and college assignments, essays and exams
If you are about to take an exam, this will help you prepare for getting the best marks.
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Here are some common issues with assignments that, when corrected, will help you gain higher marks.
1. Poor referencing
Many assignments do not adhere to referencing. When an assignment asks for the Harvard Referencing Style to be used, for instance, then you should stick to it. If you do not know the style, check. Getting the referencing style right is one thing. However, deciding what to reference is another issue.
Referencing is there so that your reader can verify what you are saying and ensure that your interpretation is correct. This means a reference needs to be accurate AND specific. Referencing a book, for instance, is inadequate as it means you require your reader to go through the entire book…! Similarly, referencing a web source as the name of the company, rather than providing the actual URL, is equally inadequate as you would be expecting your reader to look at every page on the website to verify your information.
What you reference is also important. You always need to reference the following:
· whenever you mention an author or researcher or theorist by name;
· whenever you use facts or figures that are not generally accepted to be in the public domain;
· whenever you cite a research study or survey;
· whenever you use a quotation;
· whenever you have any doubt as to whether your reader will know the information.
As a rule, you can never have too many references, but you can always have too few.
If in doubt — reference.…!
2. Reliance on unreliable sources
When it comes to referencing, though, you need to be careful you are referencing reliable sources. Blog posts and other online information can generally be thought of as unreliable. That’s because for most of what is published online there is no editorial checking of facts, nor is there any kind of…
