FDY3004 Advancing Your Academic Skills Assessment Brief 2026 | Arden University

FDY3004 Assessment Brief

Learning Outcomes

After completing the module, you should be better able to:

1. Use appropriate language and structures when composing common academic texts
2. Write from academic sources with confidence, adhering to the values associated with academic integrity
3. Demonstrate the ability to interpret numerical data when presented within a subject-specific context
4. Graduate Attribute 4: ‘ Professionally knowledgeable in the subject area’. Describe key academic conventions that are associated with their subject area and discipline.

All learning outcomes must be met to pass the module

Assessment 

Important note about the grading for this module:

For this module, you will gain an additional 10 points on your total module grade by submitting a substantial paragraph from Task A to the Turnitin Portal on iLearn in Week 4 if you are a Blended Learning student, or Week 5 if you are a Distance Learning student.

Check iLearn for the exact submission deadline. You can find additional guidance for completing the draft below.

Assessment Task Instructions

This assessment requires you to practice the research, reading and writing you will do throughout your degree. In summary, you will need to:

• Read at least 3 sources of information provided to you on a given topic
• Write an academic response to a question on the given topic
• Refer to the 3 sources in your written response, adhering to standards of academic integrity (applying AU Harvard Referencing)

Aims of the Assessment

We are assessing your ability to read, understand and then respond to these sources in your own words, writing in the academic style you have learned in this module. It is crucial that you

a) use the sources we provide to you to learn about the topic and then answer the question, and
b) Write in your own words, paraphrasing and summarising the key ideas you have taken from the sources.

You can find the sources in the module iLearn site, under the ‘My Assessment’ tab.

Portfolio Task A: Essay (1500 words) (LOs 1, 2 and 3) 

Social Sciences Pathway:

Referring to the viewpoints expressed in the three sources in the given source pack, write a short essay answering this question:

• To what extent does sport unify people?

Leadership and Technology Pathway:

Referring to the viewpoints expressed in the three sources in the given source pack, write a short essay answering this question:

• To what extent is hybrid-working beneficial to employees?

In Task A, you must answer one of the two questions provided above. It is advised that you respond to the assignment question relating to your Foundation Year pathway. You must present your essay according to the structure and academic writing skills you have developed throughout the module. This includes:

• Providing an introduction, main body and conclusion
• Using appropriate sentence types
• Referring to, interpreting and evaluating numerical data to develop your argument as per LO3 in the assessment criteria(see pages 11-12)
• Paraphrasing and summarising information from sources
• Using linking words
• Using cautious language (or ‘hedging’)
• Referencing and citation in line with AU Harvard

You must also:

• Refer to the three mandatory sources in the relevant source pack provided on iLearn under the ‘My Assessment’ tab.
• Provide in-text citations and full references for all sources in the AU Harvard Referencing Style.

Gain an Additional 10 points on Your Final Module Grade for submitting a Draft:

To support you in this module assessment, you will submit a substantial paragraph from the draft of your essay (Task A) in Week 4 (Blended Learning) or Week 5 (Distance Learning). We offer this opportunity so that you can receive some early feedback on your essay writing, which will help you complete your portfolio.

Your draft should be a minimum of one substantial paragraph so that your lecturer can see some of your work and give you useful feedback. Remember, it is a draft  – what you write does not have to be perfect. Just make a start and write some initial thoughts.

After submitting your draft, you will receive written and verbal feedback on the following points:

• Your understanding so far of the arguments presented in the sources
• Your ability to paraphrase and summarise sources
• How clear your writing is

Use the feedback on your draft to develop and improve your essay in preparation for submitting your portfolio in Week 10.

Please note that your draft will be checked by Turnitin for the use of AI and for plagiarism. Please ensure that you follow the university guidelines for the use of AI and academic integrity. As this is a writing task that assesses your academic writing ability, you must write in your own words.

Please note that the opportunity to gain an additional 10 points on your final module grade only applies to first attempts only, not for work submitted as a resit.

Portfolio Task B: Commentary (500 words) (LOs 1 and 4)

In this task, you will comment on the development of your academic writing skills. To complete this task, follow these steps:

1) Choose one paragraph from your Task A essay that you believe best demonstrates the development of your writing skills.

2) Copy and paste the paragraph so that it is the first paragraph of your Task B response. This does not contribute to the word count of your submission.

Then, use your example paragraph to comment on the development of two writing skills listed below:

• Using appropriate sentence types
• Presenting and interpreting numerical data
• Paraphrasing and summarising information from sources
• Using linking words
• Using cautious language

Important information

• You can use the personal pronoun ‘I’ in your commentary.
• Make the commentary personal to you. How haveyour writing skills developed throughout the module and in writing your essay?
• Refer to the assessment criteria on pages 11 and 12 of the brief.
• You do not need to provide further academic sources in your commentary.

3) Provide a full reference list at the end of your assignment in alphabetical order by surname.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. When is the deadline for the assignment?

Please check the ‘My Assessment’ tab of your module on iLearn for the assignment deadline.

2. What do I include on the first page of my assignment?

Include a cover page. Download the cover page template on iLearn under the‘My Assessment’ tab. Complete it and add it to the first page of your assignment.

3. Do I include my name?

No, do not include your name. Include your STU number on the cover page.

4. Do I need to answer every task in the assignment brief?

Yes, you must attempt every task.

5. How do I submit my formative draft assignment?

Submit your assignment as a Microsoft Word document to the FORMATIVE submission portal on iLearn under the ‘My Assessment’ tab of the relevant module.

6. How do I submit my formative draft assignment?

Submit your assignment as a Microsoft Word document to the FINAL submission portal on iLearn under the ‘My Assessment’ tab of the relevant module.

7. What file format should my assignment be in?

Upload your assignment as a Word document (.docx).

8. Do I include the word count on the cover page?

Yes, provide the exact word count of your final submission.

9. What exactly is included in the word count?

The word count includes all text in the main body of the submission. This includes titles, headings, subheadings and in-text citations.

10. What exactly is not included in the word count?

The cover page and reference list are not included in the word count. The example paragraph of your work used in Task B is also not included.

11. How is my work assessed? 

A lecturer will assess your work using the Assessment Criteria on pages 10-11. Read these criteria carefully to understand how your work is assessed.

12. Can I apply for an extension? 

Yes, you can apply for a 7-day extension. If you need longer, you will need to apply for extenuating circumstances. Access extension forms under‘E’ of the  A-Z key information on iLearn.

13. Can I resubmit my assessment if I fail?

Yes, you will need to resubmit your assignment if you fail. Read Lesson 10 on your module’s iLearn page for further information.

14. What happens if I commit academic misconduct?

If your assignment is referred for academic misconduct, you may be invited to attend an interview with an Academic Integrity Officer to discuss the allegation. For further information on the consequences of academic misconduct, refer to Arden’s  Academic Integrity and Misconduct Policy.

Assignment Checklist

Use the checklist below to help you complete your assignment and prepare to submit your work.

Assessment Criteria: FDY3004 Advancing Your Academic Skills

General Guidance

Your assignment should include an Arden University cover page, which can bedownloaded under the ‘My Assessment’ tab of the module on iLearn.

You must address all the elements of the tasks in the assignment brief. Tutors willuse the assessment criteria(pages 11-12) to assess your work. It is advised that yourefer to these criteria while completing your assignment to understand how you areassessed and to achieve the best possible grade.

Do not include your name in your submission. Arden University operates anonymousmarking, meaning that markers should not be aware of the identity of the student.However, do not forget to include your STU number in your cover page.

The maximum word count of this assignment is 2000 words. Students are required toindicate the exact word count on the title page of the assessment. The full wordcount policy can be found in Student Policies here:  Arden University | RegulatoryFramework.

The word count includes everything in the main body of the assessment (including intext citations). The word count excludes numerical data in tables, figures, diagrams,footnotes, reference list and appendices. All other printed words are included in theword count. Note that exceeding the word count by over 10% will result in a 10-percent grade deduction.

Final Portfolio Submission 

Assessments submitted late will not be accepted.

Please submit your portfolio asa Word document.

You must ensure that the submitted assessment is all your own work and that allsources used are correctly attributed. Penalties apply to assessment which showevidence of unfair practice. See the Student Handbook which is available on the A-Zkey information on iLearn).

Assessment Support

We strongly encourage you to engage with our assessment support options as youwork through your assessment task(s):

View the week 10 iLearn lesson ‘General Assessment Advice and Guidance’(for information about resits, extensions and extenuating circumstances)

Book a tutorial with a Foundation Year lecturer

Academic Skills Team – book an appointment with a tutor  here

Academic Skills Team – book a workshop • Academic Skills Team – view resources

English Language support – English Language Hub

Formative Feedback

You can submit a full/partial draft of your work for feedback. As explained on page 6,submitting a draft by week 4 to the correct formative assessment portal willcontribute 10 points towards your final grade.

Submit a copy of your draft using the Turnitin formative draft link by the givendeadline. You can find the deadline for your draft on iLearn. You can submit yourdraft on iLearn under the ‘My Assessment’ tab.

Formative tasks give you the opportunity to check your understanding of keyconcepts and help you prepare for the final portfolio submission.

Your lecturer will provide verbal or written feedback to help you improve your assessment.

Submission Guidance 

Assignments submitted late will not be accepted and will be marked as a 0% fail.

If submitting multiple files, you must name each document as the question/part youare answering along with your student number, i.e. Task A STUXXXX. If you wish tooverwrite your submission or one of your submissions, you must ensure that your newsubmission hasexactly the same file name as the previous one for the system tooverwrite it.

The submitted assignment must be your own work and that all sources used arecorrectly attributed. Penalties apply to assignments which show evidence of academicunfair practice. See the Student Handbook which is available on the A-Z keyinformation on iLearn.

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