Study Skills

Coursework

Coursework aims

Coursework refers to one or more pieces of original written work done by the student and is an excellent opportunity to show the examiner your enthusiasm and interest in the subject.

Choosing a coursework topic

Each examining board has its own approach to coursework. Some allow a completely free choice of assignment while others ask you to select from a fixed menu of topics. Make sure you have read any regulations and advice issued by your board.

Make sure you involve your teacher when you choose and plan your assignment. Here are some points to think about yourself:

• Choose a topic which interests you and which allows you to demonstrate what you know, understand and can do.
• Make a list of questions raised by the topic. Then select one key question about your topic.
• Turn your question into a hypotheses, i.e. a statement that can be proved or disproved by your assignment. For example, the question 'Why are some workers paid more than others?' can be turned into various hypotheses for testing:
  1. Wages depend on qualifications
  2. Wages are related to trade unions
  3. Women earn less than men

Collecting information

Collect information about your topic which you can use to prove or disprove your hypothesis. There are methods you can use:

• Using primary sources involves doing your own interviews, surveys and questionnaires
• Using secondary sources involves looking at books, newspapers, magazines, government statistics and maps

Analysing information

Analysis involves looking through the information you have collected and deciding its significance to your topic. You should use writing, graphs, diagrams and tables to present a well-thought-out argument.

Draw conclusions based on the information you have collected. In particular, your analysis should show whether the information collected supports your hypothesis or not.

Presenting coursework

The final report should state what you set out to do, how you did it and what conclusions you have made. Your teacher will advise you on how to present each item of coursework. You might think about the following:

• A front cover
• A contents page listing the title of each section
• Remember that the acknowledgements section should state the amount of help you have received from teachers, parents, and others in writing the assignment
• The introduction explains the aim and purpose of the assignment
• The section on methodology states the method you have used to write this item of coursework
• The section on sources gives a list of the books, articles, etc you have used in writing your assignment
• There is nothing to prevent you using tapes or video recordings as part or all of your finished assignment

Good practice

The examiner will be trying to give you marks for good practice. You should try to:

• Be original and include primary data
• Include carefully selected photographs and diagrams from magazines and newspapers
• Make sure your material is relevant
• Present material in a logical manner
• Apply simple economic concepts such as scarcity and opportunity cost
• Distinguish between well-thought-out arguments and mere statements of opinion
• Highlight key points
• Put material you are quoting in inverted commas, and give the source of your quote
• Offer solutions to particular economic problems
• Explain how far your answer supports your hypothesis

Bad practice

The examiner will not be able to give you any marks for:

• Untidy and disorganised material
• Waffle and needless repetition of points
• Vague and confused conclusions
• Statements of opinion
• Copying out large passages from books, magazines, etc.
• Scrapbook collections of irrelevant pictures from magazines and newspapers
• Unlabelled diagrams
• Exceeding the number of words allowed for each assignment

These page is based on original material written by Richard Young of Wood Green School Witney.