Expectations of written assignments at university level..
750 word piece of extended writing on a physiological system ( Cellular respiration) Guidance on your Written Assignment The aim of this assignment is to introduce you to the expectations of written assignments at university level. This assignment consists of a 750 word piece of extended writing on a physiological system ( Cellular respiration) Introduction Let the reader know what you are going to discuss about and how you are going to do it. The marker should be able to read this and have a good idea what they will find in the main body with no surprises. Finally, keep it brief. About 100 words will be sufficient. Main Body/Discussion This is where you will pick up most of the marks. You will want to dedicate around 500 words to this section. You should start with: • What the system does, the structure of the system in question, and how this relates to its function – e.g. the respiratory system is responsible for breathing, gas exchange internally and externally, speech and phonation, and olfaction; and the alveoli are adapted to have a large surface area that increases their efficiency for gas exchange To explore your chosen system in further depth, you should also discuss one of the following three sub-topics: • What happens when this system goes wrong – how does the system change with disease? Does the structure alter? What happens to the function? What is the effect on the individual? • How this system adapts to exercise – how does the system change in response to exercise? Which type of exercise specifically (i.e. cardiovascular, muscular endurance, power etc.)? Does the structure alter? How does function improve? What is the effect on the individual? • What happens when we get older – how does the system change in response to ageing? What happens to the structure, and how does this influence function? What is the effect on the individual? Conclusion This section should succinctly summarise the key points you made in the main body of the essay. There should be no new information or references presented here. Commit around 100-150 words to this section. References Your reference list should be comprised of textbooks, journal articles, and, if necessary, reliable websites. Please do not use patient websites of questionable reliability – markers know what sources you are using when we look at the Turnitin report! House referencing style is Harvard You will lose marks for not referencing material in the standard Harvard format Use your references to support your arguments. Never write “I think…”for this sort of assignment. What is your evidence? Academic Writing Do not write in the first person (i.e. there should be no ‘I’, ‘we’, ‘the author’ etc.) unless you are specifically asked to. You should use academic language – i.e. not colloquialisms/ slang/ layman’s terms. You should also use the scientific names for structures/ processes (e.g. ‘hamstrings rather than ‘hammies’). Paragraphs in your major headings There are no hard and fast rules as to the size of a paragraph or their order in your writing. The main thing to remember is that a paragraph is a unit of thought rather than length. In other words, a paragraph should deal with one topic area or point and the length of it will be dependent on the amount of explanation and evidence required. A paragraph of one sentence would probably indicate a lack of explanation or evidence and example. A paragraph nearly a page long would suggest that more than one point or aspect of a point is being discussed and could therefore be divided into more than one paragraph