Many GCSE and A-level subjects are assessed in part by an Non Examined Assessment (NEA) – traditionally known as ‘coursework’ in addition to exams, meaning that the mark you receive for an NEA contributes to your overall grade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many students prefer coursework, because it\u2019s a chance to showcase your academic abilities away from the high-pressured environment of the exam room, making it ideal for those who don\u2019t perform to the best of their abilities in exams. However, the time you have available for the NEA, in contrast with the time constraints of the exam room, can lull some students into a false sense of security. The NEA is arguably just as challenging as exams, just in different ways \u2013 and, given the fact that you have more time, much higher standards are expected of you in coursework than in exams. Careful planning and research<\/a> are needed for a successful NEA, as well as strong data-gathering and essay-writing skills. Here, we look at how to produce an excellent NEA, from planning to proofreading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Though the amount of marks allotted to an NEA has generally been decreased, it remains an important component of many subjects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n GCSE and A-level NEA’s typically takes the form of an extended essay or project. Its objectives vary from one subject to another, but there\u2019s usually an emphasis on the student conducting independent research into a topic of their own choice. Thus coursework often takes the form of some sort of investigation; it may, therefore, help to have your \u2018detective\u2019 hat on as you explore, investigate and analyse your topic. You can usually work on your NEA at home, though it\u2019s sometimes completed under controlled conditions through sessions at school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To give you a better idea of how coursework varies from one subject to another, here are some examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re known to have plagiarised work, it could affect your chances of getting into university.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before you start work on your coursework, it\u2019s essential that you have a thorough understanding of the rules. Failing to conform to the rules \u2013 inadvertently or not \u2013 may result in your coursework (or possibly even your entire qualification) being disqualified, so it\u2019s a serious matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Take your time over choosing your topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ideally, choose something you\u2019re genuinely interested in, as your enthusiasm will come across and you\u2019ll find it more enjoyable to write. If there\u2019s something you\u2019ve been working on for the course so far that you\u2019ve particularly enjoyed, you may be able to focus more on this as part of your coursework. For science coursework, you\u2019ll need to choose something to investigate that you can measure, change and control; it should be what\u2019s called a \u2018fair test\u2019, meaning that you have to acknowledge all the controls you use in the experiment and why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Try not to pick a topic for which the scope is too vast, as you\u2019ll struggle to research it properly and you\u2019re unlikely to do it justice, and it\u2019ll be hard to keep within the word limit. Ask your teachers for some guidance on choosing your topic if you\u2019re not sure what to write about; they might even tell you a bit about what previous students have done to give you some inspiration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Get the important timings worked out in an advance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Never leave your NEA until the last minute, even if this is your normal approach to essays and it usually works for you. Make sure you understand when the deadlines<\/a> are, including time for submitting a first draft for comments from your teacher. Then schedule blocks of time for working on it, allowing plenty of time before the deadline to cater for any unexpected delays. Allow ample time for making corrections based on teacher feedback on your first draft, and keep some time aside before the deadline for final editing and proofreading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because actual deadlines are few and far between, you\u2019ll need to take responsibility for the writing process and impose some deadlines on yourself to ensure it\u2019s finished in time. Write down your deadlines on a calendar, with the coursework broken into stages and dates assigned to each, by which time each task should be complete. You can base your stages on the next few points in this article \u2013 research and data gathering, a structure plan for the piece of work, writing up, and so on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Research is a vital part of coursework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As coursework is primarily a research exercise, the research phase is crucial, so don\u2019t be tempted to skimp on it and go straight to writing up. Use as many different resources as you can to gather data: books, journals, newspapers, television, radio, the internet and anything else you think might be relevant. For science and Geography coursework, you\u2019ll need to base your work on a hypothesis, so the research stage should start by coming up with at least one hypothesis, otherwise your research will lack direction. The research phase for some subjects may involve site visits for gathering data, so allow plenty of time for this, particularly if you need your parents to drive you somewhere to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If it\u2019s a scientific experiment you\u2019re conducting for your coursework, you\u2019ll need to pay careful attention to planning the experiment using rigorous scientific methods (also noting what Health and Safety precautions you are taking), as well as reading up on the background and theory so that you have an idea of what to expect from the outcome of your experiment. In the research stage, make notes about what you expect to happen, so that you can later compare your expectations with what actually did happen. The experiment itself also forms part of the research and data-gathering stage for your science coursework; in the write-up stage, which we come onto shortly, you analyse and write up the results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you\u2019ve completed your research, the process of writing up begins. Before you get down to the actual writing, however, it\u2019s advisable to write a plan for how you\u2019re going to structure it \u2013 essentially an essay plan for English coursework and other subjects for which the coursework is based on an extended essay. It\u2019ll look slightly different from an essay plan for science subjects and others that revolve around project work, but the principle is the same: plan out what order you\u2019re going to present your information in. For big projects, this is particularly important, because with a lot of information to convey, you risk being disorganised and waffling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Make sure your writing is top-notch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For any coursework, but particularly coursework based around an extended essay, you\u2019ll need to perfect your essay-writing abilities. For science coursework, writing up your project also involves data analysis, as you interpret the results of your experiment and work your notes into formal scientific language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Follow the links below to find lots more useful advice on writing great essays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you\u2019re writing up, it\u2019s important to find a place where you can work quietly, without distractions that could cause you to make careless errors. You wouldn\u2019t want noise or distractions when you were in an exam room, so treat your coursework with the same reverence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For some subjects, namely the sciences and Geography, it would be appropriate to include images, graphs, charts, tables and so on in your coursework. For example, for Geography coursework, your extra material could include annotated images and maps of the site you\u2019re talking about, plus tables, graphs and charts. An appendix could then detail your raw data; if, for example, your coursework focused on the results of a survey, you could put the raw survey responses in an appendix and provide summaries and analysis in the main body of the coursework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t leave the bibliography to the last minute; it\u2019s a vital part of your coursework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As we said earlier, it\u2019s important that you always use your own words in your coursework to avoid the possibility of falling foul of plagiarism rules. However, it\u2019s acceptable to quote from another source, as you would in any piece of academic writing, but you must make sure that you state where it is from and use quotation marks to show that it\u2019s a quote from somewhere else. The best way of citing another work is to use a footnote; word processors will allow you to insert one, and it just puts a little number at the end of the sentence and another in the footer of the document, into which you put the name of the author and work, and the page within that work that the quote can be found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the end of your piece of work, include a bibliography that includes a list of every external source you\u2019ve used in the creation of your coursework. Stick to a set formula when including books. A common format is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Author Surname, Initial. (Date) \u2013 Title of Book<\/em>, page number<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lewis, C.S. (1960) \u2013 Studies in Words<\/em>, p. 45<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you get to university, you\u2019ll be expected to include footnotes and bibliographies in all your essays, so it\u2019s a good habit to get into and coursework gives you good practice at it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can\u2019t proofread too many times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Having completed a first draft, received feedback from your teacher, and honed your work into a finished piece of coursework, have a final check through it before you send off your coursework for submission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once this stage is complete, you\u2019re ready to submit your coursework along with your declaration that it\u2019s entirely your own work. Get ready for a feeling of immense satisfaction when you finally send off your hard work!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Many GCSE and A-level subjects are assessed in part by an Non Examined Assessment (NEA) – traditionally known as ‘coursework’ in addition to exams, meaning that the mark you receive for an NEA contributes to your overall grade. Many students …<\/p>\n<\/a>What is the NEA?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>The rules<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Choose your topic wisely<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Plan how long it\u2019s going to take<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Conducting your research and gathering data<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Plan your structure<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Writing up your project<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Supporting materials and images<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Footnotes and bibliography<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>The final pre-submission check<\/h2>\n\n\n\n