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Patient , native of SA died after being given the wrong medication.
Son was English speaking informed the nurses that his mother had had a bad reaction to the drug in America.
The pharmacist ( native) of SA Dispensed the medicine dispite it been highlighted by the computer as an allergy. Pharmacist overrode the warning and dispensed.
The prescribing doctor(native) was informed of the allergy alert by the nurses( foreign). Refused to change the prescription for alternative medicine. Doctor told the nurses that if they don’t give the drug he will make them loose their job .
So the nurses escalated to manager who was threatened with job lose . The drug was given and the patient died after 4 minutes.
The case went to the Hospital management and the nurses (4)had to pay compensation for their actions to the family .

HNU 30 (2024)– Law and
Ethics in Healthcare
Summative Assignment Brief

Case study
Critically analyse the cultural, ethical, moral and legal principles of an aspect of care delivery within your area of practice.
You should choose a scenario – this could be something discussed as part of the module, something you have read about, or an area of your clinical practice. It is important to remember that confidentiality must be maintained. Do not name hospitals/trusts etc
This is a 3000-word piece of work worth 100% of the total marks for this module which assesses all the Module Learning Outcomes:

1. Demonstrate an awareness to link practice with current legal principles of care delivery and impact of non-adherence
2. Establish and interpret the guidelines protecting the public within the context of fitness to practice
3. Critically debate the role of the healthcare professional in relation to the decision-making processes from a legal and ethical perspective
4. Demonstrate the ability to substantiate via critical debate the challenges of major ethical decision frameworks within the context of professional practice
5. An understanding of the current ethical principles to healthcare practice and demonstrate knowledge and an understanding of healthcare legislation that impacts on healthcare
6. An understanding and knowledge of current legal and ethical principles and their impact upon healthcare practice
   The Submission deadline for this assignment is 13:00hrs on the Monday of Week 8 Submission is in CANVAS (Via Turnitin) as a word document.
   The first 2 pages must include the following information as specified in the module guide:
   Title Page:
   • Student Name
   • Student Number
   • Module Code/Title
   • Module Lead
   • Actual word count (this excludes the reference list)
   HNU 30 – Law and Ethics in Healthcare
   Summative Assignment Brief
   Second page:
   Declaration from you that the submitted assessment is your own work.
   An example of this is:
   I declare that this is my own original work and it has not been submitted for another assignment or published by anyone else.
   Signed: Dated:
   Please use the following formatting:
   • 1.5-line spacing
   • size 12; font: Arial, Calibri or New Times Roman
   • Left alignment of main text
   • No indentation of paragraphs or of the reference list
   • Reference list should be formatted with single line spaces.
   Your work should be set out in a standard essay format:
   The introduction should:
   • Introduce the assignment topic, include an overview of the use of law and ethics in healthcare.
   • Briefly explain what you will be discussing in the main body
   • State you will be using the academic and critiquing skills developed in the module
   • Give a statement that that confidentiality has been maintained and reference NMC (2018). Remember to keep all names fictitious – don't use any individual's name or give the place
   The main body of your work should:
   • Provide the reader with the scenario – give an overview of the case (scenario). Keep to the facts of what happened. No need to mention drugs / medication.
   • Use a new paragraph to discuss each different point/subject:
   Follow your work on from the first paragraph and continue to debate/discuss law and ethics to progress it. Make use of the module content and the ethical principles to debate the scenario – debate the law.
   HNU 30 – Law and Ethics in Healthcare
   Summative Assignment Brief
   • Progress your work logically and use the learning outcomes to help you do so in a focussed manner – Remember that – You are NOT the judge or the jury – your role is to keep objective and debate the case from a legal and ethical perspective. Keep to the facts.
   • Demonstrate your skills in searching, citing and critically analysing relevant literature
   • Use your writing to demonstrate your academic writing skills
   • Include critical analysis of the literature
   • Use in-text citations correctly and make sure your reference list is accurate.
   • Proofread your work for spelling and grammar. You are marked on these as well as on the structure and content of your essay.
   The conclusion should:
   • Provide an overview of what has been discussed in the main body
   • Draw your ideas/findings together
   • Not include any new facts/information/discussion
   • Be short and concise
   Reference List:
   • Does not count in your word count
   • A reference should be included for all in-text citations, a reference list should be included at the end in Harvard referencing style
   • Use single line spacing and begin on a new page
   • Use Cite them Rite and contact library for support
   Useful things to remember:
   • When completing your assignment please check your work against the marking criteria as these are what your work will be marked against.
   • Write in paragraphs with a standard essay structure: Introduction, main body of work, conclusion.
   • Use the complete word allowance. There is a 10% allowance either side of the 3000 words • Any literature you use should be carefully cited and referenced using the Harvard method.
   Use Cite them Right for support: Cite them right online – Home

Sub-competency 1.1: Promotes a safe, respectful, equitable and inclusive school culture and student-centered learning environment by acknowledge that all persons are equal before the law and have inalienable rights and by challenging and correcting own and institutional biases and barriers to student success. Sub-competency 1.2 Promotes a safe, respectful, equitable, and inclusive school culture and student-centered learning environment by acknowledging that all persons are equal before the law and have inalienable rights and by challenging and correcting own and institutional biases and barriers to student success. Introduction As you have discovered so far, schools may present barriers to the success of some students. Educational leaders need skills to identify those barriers and to lead learning environments that benefit all students. This assignment offers you the opportunity to practice those skills. Assignment Use the school Pines Collegiate Academy 6-12 For this assignment, look at a school through a school leader's lenses. Use the ideas you have read in the articles and watched in the videos to observe the selected school. 1) Analyze a school’s mission and vision. Do they address any of the values discussed in the instructional materials? How? In your response, include the words “immaterial intrinsic values” These three words should not be paraphrased or humanized. 2) Take pictures of signs and photos of students and administrators on the walls or website and read the captions of pictures. Do they show any institutional bias? Review students’ demographic data closely. Are all students proportionally represented in the gifted or advanced classes? Show data to support your statement. How are students of different groups represented in ESE? Show data to support your statement. 3) Now, review administrators’ and counselors’ demographic data closely. Are all students’ groups represented proportionally in the administrators and counselors? If not, what do you think could cause that? What types of students would feel safe and represented in this school, and which type of students would feel excluded?4) Considering your observations and data analysis, determine the consistencies and/or inconsistencies between what is stated in the mission and vision and reality. 5) Show the findings that address the questions and items 1-4 in a video, a photo collage, an electronic poster project or another technology tool. 6) In your project, also design a plan that includes strategies based on CRP to create an inclusive, welcoming, barrier-free learning environment that promotes the success of all students. In your project, include the words “immaterial intrinsic values” These three words should not be paraphrased or humanized. Throughout the project, cite ideas discussed in the Sub-Competency 1.1 readings and videos to support your project with theory. Include the sources you cite in the list of references. To write your list of references, you can use this resource Links to an external site.or go to the APA manual, 7th edition. Here is an outline of the project, Download outline of the project,with all the components of the project that you have to include.

Submission Front Sheet
Assignment Code: RQFBMU55JAN26LM/SD/YF
Programme: BTEC HND in Business (RQF)
Unit Title and Number: Unit 55: Planning Social Media Campaign
RQF Level: 5 Module Code: H/618/513

Introduction

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, blogs on countless themes, the ability to leave comments about news, online stores, file-sharing platforms, and wikis have become essential elements of daily life. They are also valuable tools in the way that businesses communicate with their existing and potential audiences. Social media has transformed the way that people and businesses communicate, by allowing engagement across multiple channels with greater personalisation and targeted dissemination.

While we are experiencing a time of transformation that generates interesting opportunities, we are also faced with new challenges for organisations and individuals. The rapid growth in social media raises questions about authorship, authenticity and privacy, to name but a few.

In this unit, students will explore this new cultural ecosystem, where we use new practices of communication and social interaction through social media. On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to analyse a market to plan and develop strategic communication campaigns through social media.

Learning Outcomes
By the end of this unit a student will be able to:
LO1 Examine the key concepts and features of social media for different business Activities

LO2 Discuss the uses of social media and their impact on market and audience

LO3 Plan a social media campaign for an organisation, based on client need, market and user research

LO4 Implement a social media campaign plan for an organisation to meet
business objectives.

To succeed in this unit, you are required to follow the scenario provided and complete all the required assessment criteria. Your submissions should demonstrate your understanding of how your research links coherently to these aspects of Planning Social Media Campaign. Any work submitted should include evidence of your research with references (Harvard Referencing).

Assignment Title: Planning Social Media Campaign

Submission Format
The submission is in the form of a Social Media Campaign report that is appropriate and suitable in the business world. The recommended length of this submission is 4500- 5000 words, although you will not be penalised for exceeding 5000 words. The report must be submitted using a WORD processed document. PDF and other types of files are not accepted.
Where appropriate, learning theory and additional research must be used, and referenced according to the Harvard Referencing system. The work must include a bibliography for all referenced work using the Harvard referencing system.

Unit Learning Outcomes
LO1 Examine the key concepts and features of social media for different business activities.
LO2 Discuss the uses of social media and their impact on market and audience.
LO3 Plan a social media campaign for an organisation based on client need, market, and user research.
LO4 Implement a social media campaign plan for an organisation to meet business objectives

Assignment Brief and Guidance
Scenario:
In the ever-changing world of retail one thing is consistent: consumers love a bargain. And feeling like they’ve secured a good deal is more important than ever as countries around the globe face recessions, an ongoing cost-of-living crisis and persistent rising inflation.
Shein and Temu, two giants offering rapid ecommerce at astonishingly low prices, much to the annoyance of other online retailers, and each other.
Competitors in the UK have been feeling the impact especially. As Craig Smith, UK and Ireland country manager at ecommerce technology platform Scayle, says: “The likes of eBay and Amazon have both seen a decline in users in the UK since Shein and Temu gained popularity.” Kantar research, which captures Google search data across the world, shows that Shein had nearly 62 million average monthly searches in the year to January 2024, while Temu had 19 million.
eBay key statistics in 2022 shows that eBay generated $9.7 billion revenue in 2022, down 9.3% on the previous year. Gross merchandising volume on eBay was $73.9 billion, down 15% on 2021 while 2022 figures shows that 138 million people are active on eBay, most of which are based in the US. As of 2023, the number of users have reduced from 138m in 2022 to 129m.

Activity:
As a Junior marketing Manager working for eBay UK, you have been tasked with the responsibility of critically analysing how social media is used by organisations to develop and promote business aims, together with their relationship between businesses and consumers. Your analysis will need to cover the key concepts of social media, the social media environment and the business activities that can be influenced by social media.
In addition, you will need to include a critical comparative analysis of varied social media platforms, to identify their areas of greatest influence, strengths and including, but not limited to their use for different communication objectives and their impact on brand awareness and consumer engagement.

Next, you need to create a dynamic and unique social media campaign for eBay UK or your own selected organisation that influences users, is strategically- focused and which has measurable outcomes.
In doing this, you should
a. Conduct market and user research to consider different social media technology platforms and tools for use in the social media campaign.
b. Plan and design content and a content calendar for the social media campaign
c. Justify design choices and the selection of technology platforms and tools to be used for the social media campaign.
d. Develop an implementation plan for your campaign that includes content creation designed to trigger strong audience emotions and add value to users, and details of how the audience engagement will be monitored, via in-built analytics for evaluating performance and success, using the technology platforms you selected above (you should provide details of the implementation)
e. Deliver the campaign across the technology platforms you selected above and compare audience engagement using the in-built analytics listed (you should provide evidence of the analytics)
f. Evaluate the performance and success of the social media campaign in meeting business objectives and make justified improvements.

Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria
Pass Merit Distinction
LO1 Examine the key concepts and features of social media in different business practices LO1 and LO2
D1 Critically analyse how social media is used by organisations to develop and promote business aims.
P1 Explore the key concepts of social media and the social media environment.

P2 Discuss the business activities that can be influenced by social media. M1 Analyse the use of social media in the relationship between businesses and consumers.
LO2 Discuss the uses of social media and their impact on market and audience
P3 Explore the use of social media platforms for different communication objectives.

P4 Debate the impact of different social media platforms on brand awareness and consumer engagement. M2 Compare different social media platforms to identify their areas of greatest influence.
LO3 Plan a social media campaign for an organisation, based on client need, market and user research D2 Create a dynamic and unique social media campaign that influences users, is strategically focused and which has measurable outcomes.
P5 Conduct market and user research to consider different social media options in response to a given brief.

P6 Plan content and a content calendar for a social media campaign to address client needs and meet customer expectations. M3 Justify design choices and the selection of technology platforms and tools for use in a social media campaign.
LO4 Implement a social media campaign for an organisation to meet business objectives. D3 Evaluate performance and success of a social media campaign in meeting business objectives to make justified improvements.
P7 Implement a social media campaign, including content creation, and monitoring of audience engagement.

P8 Deliver a social media campaign that captures audience engagement through in-built analytics, across a range of social media platforms. M4 Implement a social media campaign designed to trigger strong audience emotions and add value to users.

M5 Compare audience engagement across a range of social media platforms, using in-built analytics to analyse the success of a campaign.

Achievement of a Pass grade
A student must have satisfied all the Pass criteria for the learning outcomes, showing coverage of the unit content and therefore attainment at Level 4 or 5 of the national framework.

Achievement of a Merit grade
A student must have satisfied all the Merit criteria (as well as the Pass criteria) through high performance in each learning outcome.

Achievement of a Distinction grade
A student must have satisfied all the Distinction criteria (as well as the Pass and Merit criteria), and these define outstanding performance across the unit as a whole.
ALL GRADES ARE PROVISIONAL UNTIL INTERNALLY VERIFIED AND UNTIL EXTERNALLY CERTIFIED BY EDEXCEL.
THIS MEANS THAT A GRADE CAN BE CHANGED AT ANY POINT UNTIL EDEXCEL CERTIFIES IT

As per Pearson policy, you are only allowed two submissions per module. One for final submission and another one for referral. Failure to achieve a grade pass after a second submission will result in you having to repeat the module in the next term.

Any re-submission or late submission (unless authorised due to mitigating circumstances) will be capped at a PASS grade only.

Specification of Assessment

• Present your work in one report style which should include a cover page, table of contents, introduction, conclusion, reference list, foot or end notes and appendices, if any.
• Include the reference code of this assignment on your assignment submission front page.
• Sign the Learner’s Statement of authenticity in the cover page. Failure to do so will result in the submission being declined.
• Ensure the following information is in the footer on every page:
o Your name
o The production date of your submission
o The code number of your assignment brief
o The page number (Each page must be numbered at the bottom right-hand side)
• Spell-check the document and make sure there are no grammatical errors as it may result in the submission being declined.
• Complete all the tasks in a Holistic manner as set in the brief and without separating the assessment criteria to avoid a potential referral.
• Create your own titles and sub-headings to structure the work without copying the assessment criteria verbatim.
• Produce clear specific reasoning and arguments in support of your answers.
• Submit your work in a single WORD document of not more than 5000 words for all learning Outcomes. This word limit is only for guidelines and is not applied to grading. PDF and other types of files are not accepted.
• You must include a bibliography at the end to show where your information was sourced. Failure to do so may result in the submission being declined
• Your sources must be identified using the Harvard referencing system. The words used in your bibliography will not be included in your word count.
• You must use Arial, size 12, 1.5 line spacing and black to format the text.
To access any feedback (formative/summative) you will have to access Moodle and open your assignment. You will have to click on the blue comment box in the righthand side and the feedback will appear within the text. You might have to click on the blue bubbles to see the feedback.

If an extension is necessary for a valid reason, requests must be made in writing using a course work extension request form to the head of department. Please note that the lecturers do not have the authority to extend the coursework deadlines and therefore do not ask them to award a coursework extension.

The completed form must be accompanied by evidence such as a medical certificate in the event of you being sick.

Any act of plagiarism and collusion will be seriously dealt with according to the regulations and MRC Malpractice policy

‘Plagiarism occurs when a student misrepresents any work submitted as his/her own work, the work of any other person or of any institution. Examples of forms of plagiarism include:
• the verbatim (word for word) copying of another’s work without appropriate and correctly presented acknowledgement.
• the close paraphrasing of another’s work by simply changing a few words or altering the order of presentation, without appropriate and correctly presented acknowledgement.
• unacknowledged quotation of phrases from another’s work;
• The deliberate and detailed presentation of another’s concept as one’s own.’

All types of work submitted by students are covered by this definition, including, written work, diagrams, designs, engineering drawings and pictures.

‘Collusion occurs when, unless with official approval (e.g., in the case of group projects), two or more students consciously collaborate in the preparation and production of work which is ultimately submitted by each in an identical, or substantially similar, form and/or is represented by each to be the product of his or her individual efforts.

All submissions for assessment must be submitted on Moodle to generate a Turnitin Report on similarity to detect potential plagiarism and collusion.
The maximum Turnitin score admissible is 15% but a submission can be classified as plagiarism and/or collusion with a lower score depending on the size of the submission and size of the text highlighted.
Assignments with plagiarism/ad or collusion will be automatically referred for reworking and resubmission. Please check the MRC Assessment policy as well as MRC Malpractice policy for details of the potential penalties as a procedure.
Including pictures of text (apart from the cover page or table of content) or pictures of any other type of information (diagram for example) without a citation and a Harvard Reference could be deemed to be an attempt of malpractice and could trigger an automatic referral as well as a malpractice procedure.
Any student might be called to seat through a viva with the lecturer to confirm any parts of the submission through an interview which will then form part of the summative assessment.

AI tools have proliferated and become more common and as a result, their usage for research has increased which prompted change of government policies in this matter.
Overall, it remains too easy for students to misunderstand how they can use Generative Artificial Intelligence tools and unintentionally breach academic integrity guidelines.

Research of information and the writing of academic work must always be performed by the student, and while it is acceptable to use an AI tool to start a research process, it is not allowed to use it to write a submission in your place.
The important part is to understand that the best way to produce a work is to research it through traditional methods (books articles, websites, journals).
Yet, AI tools could be used to help with the research but only as a starting point. Having found information, thanks to an AI tool, about a topic you are writing about, you should then research it using these traditional methods and include the references and citations based on these resources in your work.
Once you have the correct information, you need to write the assignment yourself, using an AI tool to do this for you is never allowed. The usage of paraphrasing tools might be appropriate to find alternative to some words and short sentences, but not or a whole paragraph/page/ work.

The same way Mont Rose College is using a similarity detection system, an AI detection tool is embedded in our systems and every submission you make will go through both of them.
Submissions for assessment that consist of large substantially unmodified output from Artificial Intelligence software may be considered as a very poor academic practice as it does not represent the student’s own work.
To this effect, the limit on AI detection has been set at 40%. If a submission is over that allowance, the submission could be rejected and awarded a Referral and/or the student called to seat through a viva with the lecturer to confirm any parts of the submission through an interview which will then form part of the summative assessment.

In cases where an individual persistently exhibits poor academic practice through inappropriate use of Artificial Intelligence tools, such as a lack of evidencing their use of the tools, they may be referred to the academic misconduct procedures and the range of the potential penalties. 

Textbooks
ATHERTON, J. (2019) Social Media Strategy: A Practical Guide to Social Media Marketing and Customer Engagement. London: Kogan Page.

BARTNIK, M. (2019) The 8 Pillars of Social Media Marketing: Learn How to Transform Your Online Marketing Strategy For Maximum Growth with Minimum Investment. Independently published.

McGRUER, D. (2019) Dynamic Digital Marketing: Master the world of online and social media marketing to grow your business. John Wiley and Sons.

WRIGHT, C. (2020) Social Media Marketing 2020: How to Crush it with Instagram Marketing – Proven Strategies to Build Your Brand, Reach Millions of Customers, and Grow Your Business Without Wasting Time and Money. Independently published.

Websites
www.i-socialmarketing.org International Social Marketing
Association Professional association (General reference)

www.socialmediaassoc.com Social Media Association
Professional association (General reference)

www.socialmediaclub.org Social Media Club
Professional association (General reference)

www.womma.org WOMMA – Word of Mouth and Social
Media Marketing Professional association (General reference)

Submission Front Sheet
Assignment Code: RQFBMU55JAN26LM/SD/YF
Programme: BTEC HND in Business (RQF)
Unit Title and Number: Unit 55: Planning Social Media Campaign
RQF Level: 5 Module Code: H/618/513

Introduction

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, blogs on countless themes, the ability to leave comments about news, online stores, file-sharing platforms, and wikis have become essential elements of daily life. They are also valuable tools in the way that businesses communicate with their existing and potential audiences. Social media has transformed the way that people and businesses communicate, by allowing engagement across multiple channels with greater personalisation and targeted dissemination.

While we are experiencing a time of transformation that generates interesting opportunities, we are also faced with new challenges for organisations and individuals. The rapid growth in social media raises questions about authorship, authenticity and privacy, to name but a few.

In this unit, students will explore this new cultural ecosystem, where we use new practices of communication and social interaction through social media. On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to analyse a market to plan and develop strategic communication campaigns through social media.

Learning Outcomes
By the end of this unit a student will be able to:
LO1 Examine the key concepts and features of social media for different business Activities

LO2 Discuss the uses of social media and their impact on market and audience

LO3 Plan a social media campaign for an organisation, based on client need, market and user research

LO4 Implement a social media campaign plan for an organisation to meet
business objectives.

To succeed in this unit, you are required to follow the scenario provided and complete all the required assessment criteria. Your submissions should demonstrate your understanding of how your research links coherently to these aspects of Planning Social Media Campaign. Any work submitted should include evidence of your research with references (Harvard Referencing).

Assignment Title: Planning Social Media Campaign

Submission Format
The submission is in the form of a Social Media Campaign report that is appropriate and suitable in the business world. The recommended length of this submission is 4500- 5000 words, although you will not be penalised for exceeding 5000 words. The report must be submitted using a WORD processed document. PDF and other types of files are not accepted.
Where appropriate, learning theory and additional research must be used, and referenced according to the Harvard Referencing system. The work must include a bibliography for all referenced work using the Harvard referencing system.

Unit Learning Outcomes
LO1 Examine the key concepts and features of social media for different business activities.
LO2 Discuss the uses of social media and their impact on market and audience.
LO3 Plan a social media campaign for an organisation based on client need, market, and user research.
LO4 Implement a social media campaign plan for an organisation to meet business objectives

Assignment Brief and Guidance
Scenario:
In the ever-changing world of retail one thing is consistent: consumers love a bargain. And feeling like they’ve secured a good deal is more important than ever as countries around the globe face recessions, an ongoing cost-of-living crisis and persistent rising inflation.
Shein and Temu, two giants offering rapid ecommerce at astonishingly low prices, much to the annoyance of other online retailers, and each other.
Competitors in the UK have been feeling the impact especially. As Craig Smith, UK and Ireland country manager at ecommerce technology platform Scayle, says: “The likes of eBay and Amazon have both seen a decline in users in the UK since Shein and Temu gained popularity.” Kantar research, which captures Google search data across the world, shows that Shein had nearly 62 million average monthly searches in the year to January 2024, while Temu had 19 million.
eBay key statistics in 2022 shows that eBay generated $9.7 billion revenue in 2022, down 9.3% on the previous year. Gross merchandising volume on eBay was $73.9 billion, down 15% on 2021 while 2022 figures shows that 138 million people are active on eBay, most of which are based in the US. As of 2023, the number of users have reduced from 138m in 2022 to 129m.

Activity:
As a Junior marketing Manager working for eBay UK, you have been tasked with the responsibility of critically analysing how social media is used by organisations to develop and promote business aims, together with their relationship between businesses and consumers. Your analysis will need to cover the key concepts of social media, the social media environment and the business activities that can be influenced by social media.
In addition, you will need to include a critical comparative analysis of varied social media platforms, to identify their areas of greatest influence, strengths and including, but not limited to their use for different communication objectives and their impact on brand awareness and consumer engagement.

Next, you need to create a dynamic and unique social media campaign for eBay UK or your own selected organisation that influences users, is strategically- focused and which has measurable outcomes.
In doing this, you should
a. Conduct market and user research to consider different social media technology platforms and tools for use in the social media campaign.
b. Plan and design content and a content calendar for the social media campaign
c. Justify design choices and the selection of technology platforms and tools to be used for the social media campaign.
d. Develop an implementation plan for your campaign that includes content creation designed to trigger strong audience emotions and add value to users, and details of how the audience engagement will be monitored, via in-built analytics for evaluating performance and success, using the technology platforms you selected above (you should provide details of the implementation)
e. Deliver the campaign across the technology platforms you selected above and compare audience engagement using the in-built analytics listed (you should provide evidence of the analytics)
f. Evaluate the performance and success of the social media campaign in meeting business objectives and make justified improvements.

Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria
Pass Merit Distinction
LO1 Examine the key concepts and features of social media in different business practices LO1 and LO2
D1 Critically analyse how social media is used by organisations to develop and promote business aims.
P1 Explore the key concepts of social media and the social media environment.

P2 Discuss the business activities that can be influenced by social media. M1 Analyse the use of social media in the relationship between businesses and consumers.
LO2 Discuss the uses of social media and their impact on market and audience
P3 Explore the use of social media platforms for different communication objectives.

P4 Debate the impact of different social media platforms on brand awareness and consumer engagement. M2 Compare different social media platforms to identify their areas of greatest influence.
LO3 Plan a social media campaign for an organisation, based on client need, market and user research D2 Create a dynamic and unique social media campaign that influences users, is strategically focused and which has measurable outcomes.
P5 Conduct market and user research to consider different social media options in response to a given brief.

P6 Plan content and a content calendar for a social media campaign to address client needs and meet customer expectations. M3 Justify design choices and the selection of technology platforms and tools for use in a social media campaign.
LO4 Implement a social media campaign for an organisation to meet business objectives. D3 Evaluate performance and success of a social media campaign in meeting business objectives to make justified improvements.
P7 Implement a social media campaign, including content creation, and monitoring of audience engagement.

P8 Deliver a social media campaign that captures audience engagement through in-built analytics, across a range of social media platforms. M4 Implement a social media campaign designed to trigger strong audience emotions and add value to users.

M5 Compare audience engagement across a range of social media platforms, using in-built analytics to analyse the success of a campaign.

Achievement of a Pass grade
A student must have satisfied all the Pass criteria for the learning outcomes, showing coverage of the unit content and therefore attainment at Level 4 or 5 of the national framework.

Achievement of a Merit grade
A student must have satisfied all the Merit criteria (as well as the Pass criteria) through high performance in each learning outcome.

Achievement of a Distinction grade
A student must have satisfied all the Distinction criteria (as well as the Pass and Merit criteria), and these define outstanding performance across the unit as a whole.
ALL GRADES ARE PROVISIONAL UNTIL INTERNALLY VERIFIED AND UNTIL EXTERNALLY CERTIFIED BY EDEXCEL.
THIS MEANS THAT A GRADE CAN BE CHANGED AT ANY POINT UNTIL EDEXCEL CERTIFIES IT

As per Pearson policy, you are only allowed two submissions per module. One for final submission and another one for referral. Failure to achieve a grade pass after a second submission will result in you having to repeat the module in the next term.

Any re-submission or late submission (unless authorised due to mitigating circumstances) will be capped at a PASS grade only.

Specification of Assessment

• Present your work in one report style which should include a cover page, table of contents, introduction, conclusion, reference list, foot or end notes and appendices, if any.
• Include the reference code of this assignment on your assignment submission front page.
• Sign the Learner’s Statement of authenticity in the cover page. Failure to do so will result in the submission being declined.
• Ensure the following information is in the footer on every page:
o Your name
o The production date of your submission
o The code number of your assignment brief
o The page number (Each page must be numbered at the bottom right-hand side)
• Spell-check the document and make sure there are no grammatical errors as it may result in the submission being declined.
• Complete all the tasks in a Holistic manner as set in the brief and without separating the assessment criteria to avoid a potential referral.
• Create your own titles and sub-headings to structure the work without copying the assessment criteria verbatim.
• Produce clear specific reasoning and arguments in support of your answers.
• Submit your work in a single WORD document of not more than 5000 words for all learning Outcomes. This word limit is only for guidelines and is not applied to grading. PDF and other types of files are not accepted.
• You must include a bibliography at the end to show where your information was sourced. Failure to do so may result in the submission being declined
• Your sources must be identified using the Harvard referencing system. The words used in your bibliography will not be included in your word count.
• You must use Arial, size 12, 1.5 line spacing and black to format the text.
To access any feedback (formative/summative) you will have to access Moodle and open your assignment. You will have to click on the blue comment box in the righthand side and the feedback will appear within the text. You might have to click on the blue bubbles to see the feedback.

If an extension is necessary for a valid reason, requests must be made in writing using a course work extension request form to the head of department. Please note that the lecturers do not have the authority to extend the coursework deadlines and therefore do not ask them to award a coursework extension.

The completed form must be accompanied by evidence such as a medical certificate in the event of you being sick.

Any act of plagiarism and collusion will be seriously dealt with according to the regulations and MRC Malpractice policy

‘Plagiarism occurs when a student misrepresents any work submitted as his/her own work, the work of any other person or of any institution. Examples of forms of plagiarism include:
• the verbatim (word for word) copying of another’s work without appropriate and correctly presented acknowledgement.
• the close paraphrasing of another’s work by simply changing a few words or altering the order of presentation, without appropriate and correctly presented acknowledgement.
• unacknowledged quotation of phrases from another’s work;
• The deliberate and detailed presentation of another’s concept as one’s own.’

All types of work submitted by students are covered by this definition, including, written work, diagrams, designs, engineering drawings and pictures.

‘Collusion occurs when, unless with official approval (e.g., in the case of group projects), two or more students consciously collaborate in the preparation and production of work which is ultimately submitted by each in an identical, or substantially similar, form and/or is represented by each to be the product of his or her individual efforts.

All submissions for assessment must be submitted on Moodle to generate a Turnitin Report on similarity to detect potential plagiarism and collusion.
The maximum Turnitin score admissible is 15% but a submission can be classified as plagiarism and/or collusion with a lower score depending on the size of the submission and size of the text highlighted.
Assignments with plagiarism/ad or collusion will be automatically referred for reworking and resubmission. Please check the MRC Assessment policy as well as MRC Malpractice policy for details of the potential penalties as a procedure.
Including pictures of text (apart from the cover page or table of content) or pictures of any other type of information (diagram for example) without a citation and a Harvard Reference could be deemed to be an attempt of malpractice and could trigger an automatic referral as well as a malpractice procedure.
Any student might be called to seat through a viva with the lecturer to confirm any parts of the submission through an interview which will then form part of the summative assessment.

AI tools have proliferated and become more common and as a result, their usage for research has increased which prompted change of government policies in this matter.
Overall, it remains too easy for students to misunderstand how they can use Generative Artificial Intelligence tools and unintentionally breach academic integrity guidelines.

Research of information and the writing of academic work must always be performed by the student, and while it is acceptable to use an AI tool to start a research process, it is not allowed to use it to write a submission in your place.
The important part is to understand that the best way to produce a work is to research it through traditional methods (books articles, websites, journals).
Yet, AI tools could be used to help with the research but only as a starting point. Having found information, thanks to an AI tool, about a topic you are writing about, you should then research it using these traditional methods and include the references and citations based on these resources in your work.
Once you have the correct information, you need to write the assignment yourself, using an AI tool to do this for you is never allowed. The usage of paraphrasing tools might be appropriate to find alternative to some words and short sentences, but not or a whole paragraph/page/ work.

The same way Mont Rose College is using a similarity detection system, an AI detection tool is embedded in our systems and every submission you make will go through both of them.
Submissions for assessment that consist of large substantially unmodified output from Artificial Intelligence software may be considered as a very poor academic practice as it does not represent the student’s own work.
To this effect, the limit on AI detection has been set at 40%. If a submission is over that allowance, the submission could be rejected and awarded a Referral and/or the student called to seat through a viva with the lecturer to confirm any parts of the submission through an interview which will then form part of the summative assessment.

In cases where an individual persistently exhibits poor academic practice through inappropriate use of Artificial Intelligence tools, such as a lack of evidencing their use of the tools, they may be referred to the academic misconduct procedures and the range of the potential penalties. 

Textbooks
ATHERTON, J. (2019) Social Media Strategy: A Practical Guide to Social Media Marketing and Customer Engagement. London: Kogan Page.

BARTNIK, M. (2019) The 8 Pillars of Social Media Marketing: Learn How to Transform Your Online Marketing Strategy For Maximum Growth with Minimum Investment. Independently published.

McGRUER, D. (2019) Dynamic Digital Marketing: Master the world of online and social media marketing to grow your business. John Wiley and Sons.

WRIGHT, C. (2020) Social Media Marketing 2020: How to Crush it with Instagram Marketing – Proven Strategies to Build Your Brand, Reach Millions of Customers, and Grow Your Business Without Wasting Time and Money. Independently published.

Websites
www.i-socialmarketing.org International Social Marketing
Association Professional association (General reference)

www.socialmediaassoc.com Social Media Association
Professional association (General reference)

www.socialmediaclub.org Social Media Club
Professional association (General reference)

www.womma.org WOMMA – Word of Mouth and Social
Media Marketing Professional association (General reference)

Submission Front Sheet
Assignment Code: RQFBMU55JAN26LM/SD/YF
Programme: BTEC HND in Business (RQF)
Unit Title and Number: Unit 55: Planning Social Media Campaign
RQF Level: 5 Module Code: H/618/513

Introduction

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, blogs on countless themes, the ability to leave comments about news, online stores, file-sharing platforms, and wikis have become essential elements of daily life. They are also valuable tools in the way that businesses communicate with their existing and potential audiences. Social media has transformed the way that people and businesses communicate, by allowing engagement across multiple channels with greater personalisation and targeted dissemination.

While we are experiencing a time of transformation that generates interesting opportunities, we are also faced with new challenges for organisations and individuals. The rapid growth in social media raises questions about authorship, authenticity and privacy, to name but a few.

In this unit, students will explore this new cultural ecosystem, where we use new practices of communication and social interaction through social media. On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to analyse a market to plan and develop strategic communication campaigns through social media.

Learning Outcomes
By the end of this unit a student will be able to:
LO1 Examine the key concepts and features of social media for different business Activities

LO2 Discuss the uses of social media and their impact on market and audience

LO3 Plan a social media campaign for an organisation, based on client need, market and user research

LO4 Implement a social media campaign plan for an organisation to meet
business objectives.

To succeed in this unit, you are required to follow the scenario provided and complete all the required assessment criteria. Your submissions should demonstrate your understanding of how your research links coherently to these aspects of Planning Social Media Campaign. Any work submitted should include evidence of your research with references (Harvard Referencing).

Assignment Title: Planning Social Media Campaign

Submission Format
The submission is in the form of a Social Media Campaign report that is appropriate and suitable in the business world. The recommended length of this submission is 4500- 5000 words, although you will not be penalised for exceeding 5000 words. The report must be submitted using a WORD processed document. PDF and other types of files are not accepted.
Where appropriate, learning theory and additional research must be used, and referenced according to the Harvard Referencing system. The work must include a bibliography for all referenced work using the Harvard referencing system.

Unit Learning Outcomes
LO1 Examine the key concepts and features of social media for different business activities.
LO2 Discuss the uses of social media and their impact on market and audience.
LO3 Plan a social media campaign for an organisation based on client need, market, and user research.
LO4 Implement a social media campaign plan for an organisation to meet business objectives

Assignment Brief and Guidance
Scenario:
In the ever-changing world of retail one thing is consistent: consumers love a bargain. And feeling like they’ve secured a good deal is more important than ever as countries around the globe face recessions, an ongoing cost-of-living crisis and persistent rising inflation.
Shein and Temu, two giants offering rapid ecommerce at astonishingly low prices, much to the annoyance of other online retailers, and each other.
Competitors in the UK have been feeling the impact especially. As Craig Smith, UK and Ireland country manager at ecommerce technology platform Scayle, says: “The likes of eBay and Amazon have both seen a decline in users in the UK since Shein and Temu gained popularity.” Kantar research, which captures Google search data across the world, shows that Shein had nearly 62 million average monthly searches in the year to January 2024, while Temu had 19 million.
eBay key statistics in 2022 shows that eBay generated $9.7 billion revenue in 2022, down 9.3% on the previous year. Gross merchandising volume on eBay was $73.9 billion, down 15% on 2021 while 2022 figures shows that 138 million people are active on eBay, most of which are based in the US. As of 2023, the number of users have reduced from 138m in 2022 to 129m.

Activity:
As a Junior marketing Manager working for eBay UK, you have been tasked with the responsibility of critically analysing how social media is used by organisations to develop and promote business aims, together with their relationship between businesses and consumers. Your analysis will need to cover the key concepts of social media, the social media environment and the business activities that can be influenced by social media.
In addition, you will need to include a critical comparative analysis of varied social media platforms, to identify their areas of greatest influence, strengths and including, but not limited to their use for different communication objectives and their impact on brand awareness and consumer engagement.

Next, you need to create a dynamic and unique social media campaign for eBay UK or your own selected organisation that influences users, is strategically- focused and which has measurable outcomes.
In doing this, you should
a. Conduct market and user research to consider different social media technology platforms and tools for use in the social media campaign.
b. Plan and design content and a content calendar for the social media campaign
c. Justify design choices and the selection of technology platforms and tools to be used for the social media campaign.
d. Develop an implementation plan for your campaign that includes content creation designed to trigger strong audience emotions and add value to users, and details of how the audience engagement will be monitored, via in-built analytics for evaluating performance and success, using the technology platforms you selected above (you should provide details of the implementation)
e. Deliver the campaign across the technology platforms you selected above and compare audience engagement using the in-built analytics listed (you should provide evidence of the analytics)
f. Evaluate the performance and success of the social media campaign in meeting business objectives and make justified improvements.

Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria
Pass Merit Distinction
LO1 Examine the key concepts and features of social media in different business practices LO1 and LO2
D1 Critically analyse how social media is used by organisations to develop and promote business aims.
P1 Explore the key concepts of social media and the social media environment.

P2 Discuss the business activities that can be influenced by social media. M1 Analyse the use of social media in the relationship between businesses and consumers.
LO2 Discuss the uses of social media and their impact on market and audience
P3 Explore the use of social media platforms for different communication objectives.

P4 Debate the impact of different social media platforms on brand awareness and consumer engagement. M2 Compare different social media platforms to identify their areas of greatest influence.
LO3 Plan a social media campaign for an organisation, based on client need, market and user research D2 Create a dynamic and unique social media campaign that influences users, is strategically focused and which has measurable outcomes.
P5 Conduct market and user research to consider different social media options in response to a given brief.

P6 Plan content and a content calendar for a social media campaign to address client needs and meet customer expectations. M3 Justify design choices and the selection of technology platforms and tools for use in a social media campaign.
LO4 Implement a social media campaign for an organisation to meet business objectives. D3 Evaluate performance and success of a social media campaign in meeting business objectives to make justified improvements.
P7 Implement a social media campaign, including content creation, and monitoring of audience engagement.

P8 Deliver a social media campaign that captures audience engagement through in-built analytics, across a range of social media platforms. M4 Implement a social media campaign designed to trigger strong audience emotions and add value to users.

M5 Compare audience engagement across a range of social media platforms, using in-built analytics to analyse the success of a campaign.

Achievement of a Pass grade
A student must have satisfied all the Pass criteria for the learning outcomes, showing coverage of the unit content and therefore attainment at Level 4 or 5 of the national framework.

Achievement of a Merit grade
A student must have satisfied all the Merit criteria (as well as the Pass criteria) through high performance in each learning outcome.

Achievement of a Distinction grade
A student must have satisfied all the Distinction criteria (as well as the Pass and Merit criteria), and these define outstanding performance across the unit as a whole.
ALL GRADES ARE PROVISIONAL UNTIL INTERNALLY VERIFIED AND UNTIL EXTERNALLY CERTIFIED BY EDEXCEL.
THIS MEANS THAT A GRADE CAN BE CHANGED AT ANY POINT UNTIL EDEXCEL CERTIFIES IT

As per Pearson policy, you are only allowed two submissions per module. One for final submission and another one for referral. Failure to achieve a grade pass after a second submission will result in you having to repeat the module in the next term.

Any re-submission or late submission (unless authorised due to mitigating circumstances) will be capped at a PASS grade only.

Specification of Assessment

• Present your work in one report style which should include a cover page, table of contents, introduction, conclusion, reference list, foot or end notes and appendices, if any.
• Include the reference code of this assignment on your assignment submission front page.
• Sign the Learner’s Statement of authenticity in the cover page. Failure to do so will result in the submission being declined.
• Ensure the following information is in the footer on every page:
o Your name
o The production date of your submission
o The code number of your assignment brief
o The page number (Each page must be numbered at the bottom right-hand side)
• Spell-check the document and make sure there are no grammatical errors as it may result in the submission being declined.
• Complete all the tasks in a Holistic manner as set in the brief and without separating the assessment criteria to avoid a potential referral.
• Create your own titles and sub-headings to structure the work without copying the assessment criteria verbatim.
• Produce clear specific reasoning and arguments in support of your answers.
• Submit your work in a single WORD document of not more than 5000 words for all learning Outcomes. This word limit is only for guidelines and is not applied to grading. PDF and other types of files are not accepted.
• You must include a bibliography at the end to show where your information was sourced. Failure to do so may result in the submission being declined
• Your sources must be identified using the Harvard referencing system. The words used in your bibliography will not be included in your word count.
• You must use Arial, size 12, 1.5 line spacing and black to format the text.
To access any feedback (formative/summative) you will have to access Moodle and open your assignment. You will have to click on the blue comment box in the righthand side and the feedback will appear within the text. You might have to click on the blue bubbles to see the feedback.

If an extension is necessary for a valid reason, requests must be made in writing using a course work extension request form to the head of department. Please note that the lecturers do not have the authority to extend the coursework deadlines and therefore do not ask them to award a coursework extension.

The completed form must be accompanied by evidence such as a medical certificate in the event of you being sick.

Any act of plagiarism and collusion will be seriously dealt with according to the regulations and MRC Malpractice policy

‘Plagiarism occurs when a student misrepresents any work submitted as his/her own work, the work of any other person or of any institution. Examples of forms of plagiarism include:
• the verbatim (word for word) copying of another’s work without appropriate and correctly presented acknowledgement.
• the close paraphrasing of another’s work by simply changing a few words or altering the order of presentation, without appropriate and correctly presented acknowledgement.
• unacknowledged quotation of phrases from another’s work;
• The deliberate and detailed presentation of another’s concept as one’s own.’

All types of work submitted by students are covered by this definition, including, written work, diagrams, designs, engineering drawings and pictures.

‘Collusion occurs when, unless with official approval (e.g., in the case of group projects), two or more students consciously collaborate in the preparation and production of work which is ultimately submitted by each in an identical, or substantially similar, form and/or is represented by each to be the product of his or her individual efforts.

All submissions for assessment must be submitted on Moodle to generate a Turnitin Report on similarity to detect potential plagiarism and collusion.
The maximum Turnitin score admissible is 15% but a submission can be classified as plagiarism and/or collusion with a lower score depending on the size of the submission and size of the text highlighted.
Assignments with plagiarism/ad or collusion will be automatically referred for reworking and resubmission. Please check the MRC Assessment policy as well as MRC Malpractice policy for details of the potential penalties as a procedure.
Including pictures of text (apart from the cover page or table of content) or pictures of any other type of information (diagram for example) without a citation and a Harvard Reference could be deemed to be an attempt of malpractice and could trigger an automatic referral as well as a malpractice procedure.
Any student might be called to seat through a viva with the lecturer to confirm any parts of the submission through an interview which will then form part of the summative assessment.

AI tools have proliferated and become more common and as a result, their usage for research has increased which prompted change of government policies in this matter.
Overall, it remains too easy for students to misunderstand how they can use Generative Artificial Intelligence tools and unintentionally breach academic integrity guidelines.

Research of information and the writing of academic work must always be performed by the student, and while it is acceptable to use an AI tool to start a research process, it is not allowed to use it to write a submission in your place.
The important part is to understand that the best way to produce a work is to research it through traditional methods (books articles, websites, journals).
Yet, AI tools could be used to help with the research but only as a starting point. Having found information, thanks to an AI tool, about a topic you are writing about, you should then research it using these traditional methods and include the references and citations based on these resources in your work.
Once you have the correct information, you need to write the assignment yourself, using an AI tool to do this for you is never allowed. The usage of paraphrasing tools might be appropriate to find alternative to some words and short sentences, but not or a whole paragraph/page/ work.

The same way Mont Rose College is using a similarity detection system, an AI detection tool is embedded in our systems and every submission you make will go through both of them.
Submissions for assessment that consist of large substantially unmodified output from Artificial Intelligence software may be considered as a very poor academic practice as it does not represent the student’s own work.
To this effect, the limit on AI detection has been set at 40%. If a submission is over that allowance, the submission could be rejected and awarded a Referral and/or the student called to seat through a viva with the lecturer to confirm any parts of the submission through an interview which will then form part of the summative assessment.

In cases where an individual persistently exhibits poor academic practice through inappropriate use of Artificial Intelligence tools, such as a lack of evidencing their use of the tools, they may be referred to the academic misconduct procedures and the range of the potential penalties. 

Textbooks
ATHERTON, J. (2019) Social Media Strategy: A Practical Guide to Social Media Marketing and Customer Engagement. London: Kogan Page.

BARTNIK, M. (2019) The 8 Pillars of Social Media Marketing: Learn How to Transform Your Online Marketing Strategy For Maximum Growth with Minimum Investment. Independently published.

McGRUER, D. (2019) Dynamic Digital Marketing: Master the world of online and social media marketing to grow your business. John Wiley and Sons.

WRIGHT, C. (2020) Social Media Marketing 2020: How to Crush it with Instagram Marketing – Proven Strategies to Build Your Brand, Reach Millions of Customers, and Grow Your Business Without Wasting Time and Money. Independently published.

Websites
www.i-socialmarketing.org International Social Marketing
Association Professional association (General reference)

www.socialmediaassoc.com Social Media Association
Professional association (General reference)

www.socialmediaclub.org Social Media Club
Professional association (General reference)

www.womma.org WOMMA – Word of Mouth and Social
Media Marketing Professional association (General reference)

CMI Unit 301 Principles of Management and Leadership

Assessment Booklet: Principles of Management and Leadership

Each task in this assessment booklet has been developed to enable you to evidence achievement of the learning outcomes and assessment criteria for CMI 301: Principles of Management and Leadership. Each of the assessment criteria must gain a pass outcome for you to successfully achieve the unit.

Preparation for the assessment

• Before you begin the assessment booklet please read the CMI 301 unit specification thoroughly as only the content related to the achievement of the assessment criteria will be assessed.
• Research the topics being assessed.  Suggested reading/web resources are provided on the CMI 301 unit specification. Your tutor may signpost you to relevant resources. Additionally, you may access excellent online resources at ManagementDirect https://members.md.cmi.org.uk. Please note that if you have a customised site the link will differ, please contact your Centre for clarification.  
• If you are enrolled on the Trailblazer Apprenticeship programme you are encouraged to review the Apprenticeship Standard for Team Leader/Supervisor

Completing the assessment booklet

• The assessment booklet contains a series of tasks which are clearly referenced to the relevant assessment criteria and indicative content.
• Refer to the Assessment Guidance table at the end of the assessment booklet which outlines the requirements for a Pass or Refer.
• Evidence must be provided in the main body of the assignment booklet. Additional work based evidence such as plans or documentation (which has been referred to within the main text) should be included at the end of the booklet marked ‘Work Based Evidence’.  Appendices are not a requirement of this assessment brief.  If appendices are included these will not be marked or moderated by the CMI.
• Work based evidence must be accompanied by a supporting statement in the learner evidence box, to explain the link to the assessment criteria.  Work based evidence (where required by the task) must not exceed SIX (6) pages.  Files embedded in the booklet must not exceed 10MB.
• The assessment booklet must be completed in a professional manner (e.g. applying business conventions for writing formal reports) and by using Microsoft Word, Rich Text Format or another compatible software programme. 
• The assessment booklet must be saved as a word document (.doc or .docx) and not in a PDF format.
• An appropriate referencing system (such as Harvard Referencing) must be used to ensure the original source(s) of quotations or models can be verified.
• Finally, you must sign the Learner Authenticity statement (an electronic signature is accepted).

Learner Support

For information regarding policies and procedures for assessment (e.g. special assessment arrangements, learner support, appeals, complaints, certification, confidentiality, plagiarism) you should contact your tutor or Centre manager and refer to the CMI Level 3 in Principles in Management and Leadership Syllabus.

»	GUIDELINE WORD COUNT

The written word, however generated and recorded, is still expected to form the majority of assessable work produced by Learners at Level 3. The amount and volume of work for this unit should be broadly comparable to a word count of 2000-2500 words within a margin of +/-10%.  The excessive use of word count is not grounds for referral, however the CMI reserve the right to return work to the Centre for editing and resubmission by the Learner. 

The following are excluded from inclusion in word count if used and not required by the assessment brief an introduction to a job role, organisation or department, index or contents pages, headings and sub headings, diagrams, charts and graphs, reference list or bibliography, reflective statement drawn from undertaking the assignment and how this has impacted the learners work.

Please see the CMI Assessment Guidance Policy for further guidance.

»	AIM OF THE ASSESSMENT BOOKLET

Being equipped with the knowledge, skills and behaviours to manage and lead effectively is essential if an individual and their organisation are to succeed. This assessment booklet has been designed for managers to evidence their knowledge and understanding of how organisations operate, the application of management and leadership approaches, and how these can be applied in the work role.

TASK 1: Governance of organisations

The ability to understand how organisations operate begins with an understanding of how they are governed.

»

TASK 1

Organisations are governed in different ways. Complete the table below giving THREE (3) examples of different types of organisations (e.g. Public Sector, Public Limited Companies (PLCs), third sector or voluntary/not for profit, sole traders etc) and explain how each one is governed.

(Refer to AC1.1 Outline the governance of different types of organisation and the Indicative Content for this AC)

COMPLETE THE TABLE:

	Organisation type	Explanation
1.	Public Limited Companies (PLCs) Alinma Bank	Alinma bank, is consider as a Public Limited Company organization because Its listed on the Saudi Stock exchange so the public can buy and sell its shares. Alinma bank’s shareholders choose the board of directors to govern the organization. Also, they have the opportunity to vote and take some decision on important issues in the annual meetings. Alinma bank is also regulated by Saudi Central Bank and Capital Market Authority.
2.	Public Sector Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Aramco)	Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Aramco), the state-owned oil firm in Saudi Arabia. Aramco is governed by a selected board of directors who have chosen from the government to ensures that its activities align with national priorities.
3.	third sector or voluntary/not for profit Saudi Food Bank	Saudi Food Bank, is governed by a selected board of directors and experts in food security. Their responsibility is to ensure that its operations effectively address hunger and food waste in the country through volunteer engagement.

TASK 2: How organisations operate

The strategy, culture, mission, vision and values of an organisation will impact on how it operates. 

To complete tasks 2a, b and c you are encouraged to use examples based on an organisation you know well or have researched.

»

TASK 2a

Explain the factors which influence an organisation’s culture.

(Refer to AC1.2 Explain the factors which influence an organisation’s culture and the Indicative Content for this AC)

INSERT YOUR ANSWER HERE:

 

There are many factors that influence an organization culture such as physical work environment, open communication and change management. First factor is the physical work environment. For example, at the Social Development Bank we prioritize our employees` physical work environment and that is why we have initiated a project to restructure all the offices, providing high-quality chairs and desks, along with soundproof walls to minimize noise distractions. Second factor is open communication. An organization`s communication habits or tools have a big impact on its culture since they determine how openly employees share information. For example, the Saudi Food and Drug Authority send a weekly news internally to their employees including structural or procedural changes. Third factor is change management. At the Social Development Bank, the Employee Experience Department are responsible for implementing change management plans for any organizational changes. For example, when we introduced a new structure for the Information Technology department, the Employee Experience team prepared a change management plan to ensure a smooth transition between the IT departments.

 

»

TASK 2b

Explain the purpose of organisational mission, vision and value statements.

(Refer to AC1.3 Explain the purpose of organisational mission, vision and value statements and the Indicative Content for this AC)

INSERT YOUR ANSWER HERE:

 

»

TASK 2c

Outline the purpose of organisational strategies.

(Refer to AC1.4 Outline the purpose of organisational strategies and the Indicative Content for this AC)

INSERT YOUR ANSWER HERE:

 

Organizational strategies are important and necessary for any company for many reasons. It helps employees to understand their company goals and how to reach these goals. The organizational strategies provide a clear path for decision making and problem solving.  For example, one of the Social Development Bank strategies is to enable social protection so employees who is under the department of saving knows when they initiated saving programs that will help the whole organization and their strategy. However, each employee should be aware of which strategy is related to their objectives or the company should cascade these strategies into objectives for each department.

TASK 3: The role of the manager

Within organisations it is important to recognise that different titles are given to managers’ roles such as team leader, supervisor or first line manager. 

To complete tasks 3a, b and c you need to base your answer on the role of a manager who has responsibility for managing a group of staff in an organisation or occupational area you know well or have researched.

»

TASK 3a

For a chosen organisation or occupational area, summarise the role of the manager.

(Refer to AC2.1 Summarise the role of the manager and the Indicative Content for this AC)

INSERT YOUR ANSWER HERE:

At the Social Development Bank, the manager role in the Information technology sector is responsible for budgeting and setting timelines for IT project completion. Also, they coordinate between different departments to align technology projects with business goals. For example, at Social development bank the IT manager is always ensuring that his team works effectively and always set timelines for them to make sure they are on the right track. Also, manager is responsible to foster a positive environment for employees and motivate them to work harder by supporting them.

»

TASK 3b

Explain, using examples, the role of the manager in communicating organisational strategy to the individuals and teams they manage.

(Refer to AC2.2 Explain the role of the manager in communicating organisational strategy to individuals and teams and the Indicative Content for this AC)

INSERT YOUR ANSWER HERE:

 

The role of the manager in communicating organizational strategy to the individuals and teams they manage is to translate the organization’s strategy into clear goals and practical actions for them. Also, they should connect the strategy to their daily work so that’s give them the feeling of making differences to the organization. For example, one of the strategies at Social Development Bank is enabling social protection so the manager of saving department should explain how encouraging saving support the strategy by initiating saving programs. Finally, by communicating organizational strategy to individuals and teams from their managers they keep them inspired, motivated, encouraging them to work harder.

»

TASK 3c

Explain, using examples, the levels of accountability and authority a manager has within a chosen organisation or occupational area.

(Refer to AC2.3 Explain levels of accountability and authority in the management role and the Indicative Content for this AC)

INSERT YOUR ANSWER HERE:

 

At Social Development Bank, our organizational structure is hierarchy so the accountability and authority flow through every level. The CEO has the power to establish strategy and is responsible for the Bank`s vision. Executive directors oversee the success of projects, while Vice Presidents set departmental goals for each department under his sector. Directors are in charge of specific tasks, while general managers cascading these objectives into KPIs and operational strategies. Employees do tasks and their yearly goals, while Section Heads are responsible for team delivery and daily performance.

»

TASK 3d

Outline THREE (3) legal and THREE (3) organisational frameworks which a team leader/supervisor/first line manager would need to apply in the management role.

(Refer to AC2.4 Outline the legal and organisational frameworks which apply to the management role and the Indicative Content for this AC)

INSERT YOUR ANSWER HERE:

 

	Legal Frameworks	Organisational Frameworks
1.	Health and Safety at Work Act 1974: It is a legal framework in the UK that ensure their employees having health and safety in the work place.	Performance Management System: It is an organizational framework that asses and improve employee performance
2.	Labor Law (Royal Decree No. M/51): It is a legal framework in KSA that ensure fairness and mandates all organizations to provide a safe workplace for their employees.	Communication protocols: It is an organizational framework that contain and dictate how information is shared within an organization.
3.	Regulations on the Use of Hazardous Materials: It is a legal framework that govern using disposal of hazardous substances in the workplace and how storage them to protect employees from accidents and health risks.	Training and development programs: It is an organizational framework that ensure all employees having a training and individual plan they need to do their jobs well

TASK 4: Application of management and leadership approaches

To be an effective leader, you need to understand the various approaches to leadership so that you are able to use the right approach in different situations or circumstances.

»

TASK 4a

In your own words, explain the differences between management and leadership.

(Refer to AC3.1 Explain the differences between management and leadership and the Indicative Content for this AC)

INSERT YOUR ANSWER HERE:

Management and leadership are closely related to each other, but they are not the same. The differences between them are what they focus on and their approach to lead. Management always focuses on process and structure, so they are always making sure that tasks are done correctly and on time. Leadership focuses on vision and inspiration, so they always motivating their employees and guiding them toward achieving goals. The approach of managers is to plan and control, they make sure that employees are following the rules. While leaders’ approach is to influence employees and motivate them so they can give their best and build trust between each other’s.

»

TASK 4b

The ability to apply management and leadership approaches to a variety of work based situations is an essential management skill.

Complete the table below by summarising THREE (3) management and leadership approaches.  For each approach, explain how it can be applied and adapted to respond to different work based situations (e.g. business as usual, crisis and emergency, one to one, large group/team).

(Refer to AC3.2 Summarise recognised management and leadership approaches; AC3.3 Explain how management and leadership approaches can be applied and adapted in different work based situations and the Indicative Content for these ACs)

COMPLETE THE TABLE:

 

	Summary of management and leadership approach	Explain how the approach can be applied and adapted to this work-based situation
1.	Transformational Leadership approach is where leaders or managers focuses on encouraging and motivating their team members to achieve their best and full potential for effecting change.	Business as Usual: encourage team members to be creative and innovative. Crisis and Emergency: use motivational words to keep the team members motivated.  One-on-One: Meet with each employee individually to give personalized feedback to support them on their career grow. Large Group/Team: share inspirational goals to the team members and empower them to achieve it.
2.	Democratic Leadership approach is encouraging team members to work collaboratively and involve them in decision-making.	Business as Usual: Involve team members in decision-making to encourage them to share their points of view. Crisis and Emergency: having a clear direction as a manager but still take the feedback from the team members. One-on-One: Encourage open communication and honest feedback to have a healthy environment. Large Group/Team: Conducting a group meeting to talk together openly and making sure everyone is heard.
3.	Autocratic Leadership approach is where the leader control the whole department and centralized decision making in him/her with limiting the team members to give input.	Business as Usual: Create and implement clear departmental goals and expect the team members to achieve. Crisis and Emergency: Make decision and ask the team members to start actions immediately. One-on-One: Focusing on yearly objectives and evaluate each employee based on it and give clear a feedback. Large Group/Team: Conduct a group meeting to explain roles and responsibilities for each employee with a strong directive roadmap.

TASK 5: Knowledge, skills and behaviours of an effective manager

The ability to understand and apply knowledge, skills and behaviours to be effective in a management role leads to success. 

»

TASK 5a

Explain THREE (3) knowledge and THREE (3) skills you believe are required to be an effective manager.

(Refer to AC4.1 Explain the knowledge and skills required to be an effective manager and the Indicative Content for this AC)

COMPLETE THE TABLES:

	List the ‘Knowledge’ required	Provide an Explanation
1.	People knowledge	Managers should be aware about different personalities of people and how to deal with these differences. For example, the managers should know how to motivate each team member such as appreciation or day off…etc.
2.	Legal and policy knowledge	Managers should know about the company polices such as attendance and leave policy. For example, if new employee joined the company, the manager should explain the attendance policy to him/her to avoid any legal problems.
3.	Financial knowledge	Managers should be aware about the yearly budget for their projects because they should set their plan depends on the current budget they have. For example, project manager who’s aware about the current budget can stop any overspending and avoid some certain problems.

 

	List the ‘Skill’ required	Provide an Explanation
1.	Communication skill	As a manager, communication skills are very important because they need to interact with their team members and discuss ideas together clearly. For example, if there’s a new project, they should know how to explain it to the team members in simple steps and make sure all of them understand to have to right result.
2.	Decision making skill	In my opinion, managers should have a decision-making skill because they need to make decisions in some certain projects and tasks as a project manager. For example. If the manager has four team members and there’s an urgent project and it should be finished in three days, so he should make the decision to assign the fit one from the four employees to lead this project.
3.	Problem solving skill	In our daily work some challenges often appear, so having a manager with strong problem solving is important to handle it. For example, if the ERP system goes down and the bank needs to finish certain task through the ERP, but they cannot without it the system, the IT manager should provide a backup plan to help employees finish the task on time.

 

»

TASK 5b

During the development of the new Trailblazer Apprenticeship standard, employers identified four behaviours (taking responsibility, being inclusive and agile and acting professionally) required to be an effective manager. In your own words, summarise each of the management behaviours listed in the table below.

(Refer to AC4.2 Summarise the behaviours required to be an effective manager and the Indicative Content for this AC)

COMPLETE THE TABLE:

 

	Behaviour	Summary
1.	Taking responsibility	In my opinion, taking responsibility means that the manager show accountability from mistakes and learn from them. Also, when the manager taking responsibility, it means that he supports his team members and empower them and ensure commitments are delivered. Taking responsibility behavior always builds trust.
2.	Inclusivity	In my opinion, being inclusive creates healthy environment where everyone feels valued. A manager with inclusive behavior always listens to others and encourage people fairly so the team members feel respect, and they can give more.
3.	Agility	A manager with agility behavior is flexible and easy to adapt quickly to any changes. An agile manager leads the team members through uncertainty with confidence. Also, agility make the manager lead with challenges smoothly and with confident.
4.	Professionalism	Being a professional manager that means communicate with others with respect and clearly. Also, deal in all situations with respect and honest so professionalism behavior leads to a healthy environment and culture of trust. Acting professionally make the manager manage situations like conflicts fairly and follow policies.

 

»

TASK 5c

Using well-chosen examples, explain the impact a manager’s knowledge, skills and behaviours can have on teams, colleagues and customers.

(Refer to AC4.3 Explain the impact of knowledge, skills and behaviours on the team, colleagues and customers and the Indicative Content for this AC)

COMPLETE THE TABLE:

	Group	Impact of manager’s knowledge, skills and behaviours
1.	Teams	The impact of manager’s knowledge, skills and behavior on teams can lead to more effective and motivated workforce. For example, HR manager with a good knowledge and understanding of Human Resource can create a supportive workplace and healthy culture that fosters employee engagement, enhances talent development, and drives organizational success. As well as effective communication skills between the managers and their team members such as discussing policy changes and address concerns, helps the team members to feel engaged and included in the decision-making process. Additionally, by showing some behaviour such as empathy in one-on-one meetings, the manager creates a supportive environment where their team members feel comfortable to share their ideas.
2.	Colleagues	Colleagues are significantly impacted by a manager`s knowledge, skills, and behavior in a variety of ways. First of all, a manager that is well understanding in their field inspires confidence in their colleagues. For example, they can put insightful advice that can help colleagues reach wise conclusions. Second, when a manager is actively listening and provide constructive criticism will enable their colleagues feel heard and comfortable to talk with them anytime. Thirdly, by being approachable and understanding, they encourage colleagues to express issues or ideas, which raises confidence and promotes an atmosphere of open discussion.
3.	Customers	Manager`s knowledge, skills and behavior are significantly affecting customers in several ways. First, a manager with a knowledge of customer experience and how to deal with customers may increase their satisfaction and trust by offering correct information and solutions. Second, managers with skills such as effective communication can interact with customers more successfully. They can quickly deal and react with them efficiently. Third, when a manager shows empathy and listens to the customer needs it creates an environment where customers feel loyalty.

»	REFERENCING AND BIBLIOGRAPHY

Use the box below to cite any external sources used in your assessment:

»	ASSESSMENT GUIDANCE

 

Refer

Pass

The submission is incomplete Tasks are incomplete Not all assessment criteria have been met No examples are used or the examples given do not match the requirements of the assessment criteria Evidence is Unclear Technically incorrect or inaccurate Biased Unprofessional language Poorly structured and presented Ideas are under developed Lacks sufficient detail to show understanding of the topic The application of concepts, models and theories to the management and leadership role or workplace is unclear Evidence is not directly attributable to the learner External sources of information are not acknowledged Work based evidence or artefacts (e.g. planning documents or presentation slides) do not meet the requirements of the assessment criteria and is not current (within 5 years) All tasks have been completed All assessment criteria have been met Examples given are well chosen and match the requirements of the assessment criteria Evidence is Well written and presented Contains a breadth of examples Accurate Current (e.g. use of up to date legislation) Authentic Inclusive Coherent Credible Technically correct Evidence shows an understanding of different perspectives Concepts, models and approaches and have been applied correctly in context of the management and leadership role or workplace Evidence used from external sources has been correctly referenced Evidence is directly attributable to the learner Work based evidence or artefacts (e.g. planning documents or presentation slides) match the requirements of the assessment criteria and is current (within 5 years)

Sample Answer of Unit 301

Task 1: Governance of organisations (AC1.1)

AC1.1 Outline the governance of different types of organisation

Organisation type	How it is governed (plain-English outline)
Public Limited Company (PLC)	A PLC has shareholders who own the company, a Board of Directors elected by those shareholders, and board committees (e.g. Audit & Risk, Remuneration) that oversee key controls. The Companies Act 2006, UK Corporate Governance Code (for listed firms), and exchange listing rules set expectations like board independence and transparent reporting. Executive directors run the day-to-day business; non-executive directors provide challenge and oversight; external auditors check the accounts.
Public Sector Body (e.g., local authority service)	Ultimately answerable to the public through elected councillors or ministers. Strategy and budget are set by the council/cabinet. Accounting Officer duties require regularity, propriety and value-for-money. There are statutory scrutiny arrangements, internal audit, and external inspection (e.g., NAO at central level; sector regulators in health, education or care). Decision-making follows constitutionally defined schemes of delegation and public-law principles.
Charity / Not-for-Profit	A registered charity is led by trustees who must act in the charity’s best interests, comply with Charity Commission guidance, and ensure assets are used solely for the charitable purpose. Day-to-day management is delegated to staff led by a Chief Executive. Strong governance includes safeguarding, conflicts-of-interest registers, ethical fundraising controls, and transparent annual reporting to beneficiaries and regulators.

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Task 2: How organisations operate

AC1.2 Explain the factors which influence an organisation’s culture

1. Leadership tone and role-modelling
   People copy what leaders do more than what they say. Leaders who are visible, fair and consistent create trust; favouritism and mixed messages breed cynicism.
2. Structures and incentives
   Flat structures and team-based bonuses encourage collaboration; siloed reporting lines and individual KPIs can push people to hoard information.
3. Policies and everyday practices
   Flexible working, simple expenses rules, and psychologically safe meetings nudge a supportive culture; rigid micro-approvals often drive a “cover-your-back” mindset.
4. Hiring and onboarding
   Who gets hired (skills and values), how they’re welcomed, and who gets promoted signal what “good” looks like.
5. Communication climate
   Regular, two-way updates (huddles, AMAs, pulse surveys) promote inclusion; top-down memos only, especially in crises, create distance.
6. History and symbols
   Stories of “how we won that customer” or “how we handled that recall” become myths that either reinforce learning or entrench bad habits.
7. External context
   Tight markets, regulatory pressure or supply shocks can push a culture towards cost-control, compliance and prudence; growth markets can encourage experimentation.

Example — Riverside Fresh: weekly cross-shop stand-ups and “no-blame” root-cause reviews after delivery errors have steadily shifted culture from finger-pointing to improvement.

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AC1.3 Explain the purpose of organisational mission, vision and value statements

• Mission (why we exist): anchors decisions and prevents drift. It guides trade-offs — e.g., Riverside Fresh’s mission “to make fresh, reliable groceries affordable locally” prioritises availability and price fairness over exotic ranges.
• Vision (what future we want): gives a north star for strategy — helpful for investment choices (e.g., a 3-year plan to reach 95% on-time home deliveries).
• Values (how we behave on the way): practical rules for daily conduct (e.g., “own it”, “be transparent”, “serve the customer”). Values make performance reviews less subjective and help resolve dilemmas (speed vs accuracy, cost vs quality)

QSP7PCM Professional Cost Management

QSP7PCM Assignment 2 

Module name	Professional Cost Management
Module code	QSP7PCM
Module start month and year	September 2025
Module pass mark	50
Assignment	2
Assignment due time and date	10.00 a.m. (UK time), Wednesday 4 February 2026
Word count	3,000 (or equivalent)
Assignment weighting	60%
Module learning outcomes assessed	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5 (see ‘Assessment’ page in ‘Module orientation’ for details)

Submission Details

For this assignment, you are required to submit online via Turnitin:

• a take off and briefing note as one PDF file.

Further information to support you with this assignment:

• is available within the study materials for this module on the VLE and in the relevant ‘Assessment preparation’ week.
• will be provided in the Assignment briefing webinar (see ‘Webinar schedule’) and

Assignment forum (in the relevant ‘Assessment preparation week’). Use these opportunities to ask any questions you may have about the assessment.

Quick links to guidance

• Generative AI student guidance ( UCEM)
• Word count and overwriting
• Academic integrity (avoiding academic misconduct)
• The UCEM Guide to Referencing and Citation .

Scenario for Task 1 Only 

You are an assistant quantity surveyor working for a large quantity surveying practice called PHR Associates. You are working with your manager on the preparation of tender documents for a project to construct a new private boarding school for a client who is new to the construction industry. As part of the project the school is also building two houses to accommodate staff that will be working at the school.

You are currently working on the substructure for one of the houses on the project. The drawings include plans, sections and details, with some specification details, further specification is provided below.

As part of the traditional procurement route, you have been asked to take-off quantities for selected substructure items for House A to progress the preparation of tender documents.

The PDF drawings listed below are available on the VLE.

Task 1

Your director has asked you to take off quantities for selected items of construction works for House A. A take-off template including a query sheet is available on the VLE. You should use this template to complete your take-off. You should ensure that you have completed all the tabs of the template.

Using a Standard Method of Measurement (SMM) and following the traditional method of measurement, take-off quantities for the following substructure items as shown on the drawings:

• D0752 GF Plan
• D0753 FF Plan
• D0759 Cross Section
• D0760 Section GF details
• D0761 Section FF details D0763 Section roof details.

List of items to be measured:

• Topsoil excavation
• Topsoil retention
• Reduced level excavation
• Disposal of excavated material
• External trench excavation
• Concrete in trench foundation
• Disposal of excavated material
• Brickwork to outer layer of cavity wall below DPC (up to DPC level) Brickwork to inner layer of cavity wall below DPC (up to DPC level).

Your submission should include:

1. A taking off list
2. Marked up drawings
3. A query and answer sheet
4. Measurement in the traditional format.

Specification

600mm wide x 1500mm deep C20 mass concrete foundation footing. Taken down to 2.2m below structural floor level.

Walls below ground 100mm semi engineering brick outer leaf. 100mm standard dense concrete block inner leaf bedded in 1:3 cement mortar.

Notes

Assume the construction of the walls below ground is the same all the way around the building.

A bill of quantities is not required.

Scenario for Task 2 Only

You are lead Quantity Surveyor on a mixed-use development project procured under the traditional procurement route with a JCT Standard Building Contract. You are working with a junior apprentice to support you with your role and you are required to provide them with training by explaining the processes that you are undertaking. The project is at RIBA Stage 5 Manufacturing and Construction in the post contract stage of the project.

You worked on the precontract stage of the project developing cost plans, advising on the procurement strategy and selecting the valuation mechanism. Some key decisions made during the Pre contract stage were:

• Allocation of the budget to the various elements to produce a detailed cost plan.
• Selection of the traditional procurement route with single stage tendering by selective competition.
• Selection of the JCT Standard Building Contract.
• Production of a Bill of Quantities which was filled in by the contractor’s organisation as part of the tendering process. Selecting the valuation mechanism as monthly valuations for timebased payments as opposed to stage payments.
• The use of BIM on the project as the project team are located in multiple locations and a key objective for the client is to make the project as sustainable as possible. They are hoping to achieve BREEAM excellent for the building.

The contractor has submitted their latest valuation which includes noticeable increases in claimed works and associated costs compared to the previous valuations. Upon reviewing progress on site and digital project records including schedule linked outputs from the BIM model, you find that several elements have been overstated.

Privately, the contractor reveals they are experiencing financial difficulty, and they have overestimated the amount to be paid. They ask you to overlook this and agree the valuation.

The junior apprentice is aware of the situation and has asked you to explain how the issue would be managed and what the appropriate reporting channels are.

Task 2

You are required to produce a briefing note for the junior apprentice that:

1. Outlines the process for producing interim valuations and critically discusses how interim valuations contribute to effective financial management in a construction project. With reference to the scenario, explain how decisions made during the precontract stage influence post contract valuation accuracy, cashflow and stakeholder confidence. As part of your discussion include critical commentary on how digital tools such as BIM may support this process from client and contractor perspective.
2. Critically discusses how the quantity surveyor should manage the issue with regards to the overvaluation. You should make reference to the five rules contained in the RICS Rules of Conduct 2021 as part of your discussion.

The conclusions and recommendations sections of your briefing note should discuss the advice your will provide to the client.

Reference list and Bibliography

You should include a reference list with a minimum of six separate relevant and appropriate sources that you have written about and cited within your work.

A bibliography of uncited sources is not required.

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Marking Guidance for this Assignment

This guidance is designed to help you to do as well as possible in your assessment by explaining how the person marking your work will be judging it.

Your work will be assessed in relation to the requirements set out in the assessment criteria marking guide shown below and the grading guidance section below.

It is recommended that you read both of these sections before starting your assessment to learn what will help you to achieve the highest marks. Before submitting your assessment you should review it to check you have produced what is required to achieve the highest marks.

When you receive your feedback from your tutor you should be able to see where you gained marks and, where relevant, recommendations about how to improve your performance going forward.

Grading Guidance

This grading guidance section explains in more detail what a submission for this assignment should include in order to achieve a mark at the threshold, good and excellent standards.

Threshold – Threshold submissions should provide:

Task 1

1. Adequate presentation of dimensions consistently with sufficient booking of dimensions, use of timesing, use of decimal places, use of underlining and correct squaring of calculations.
2. Adequate presentation of waste calculations and annotation of dimensions that is sufficient to be understood.
3. Adequate interpretation of the drawings and specifications to sufficiently identify the measured items.
4. Adequate use of the Q&A sheet to progress the measurement of the identified items.
5. Completeness of measure with some items missed.
6. Adequate use of description information on dimension sheets following SMM requirements, to distinguish between items measured in the take-off.

Task 2

• Demonstrate adequate critical appraisal on the process for producing interim valuations and how interim valuations contribute to effective financial management in a construction project. Demonstrate adequate understanding of how decisions made during the precontract stage influence post contract valuation accuracy, cashflow and stakeholder confidence.
• Demonstrate adequate critical appraisal how digital tools such as BIM may support this process from client and contractor perspective.
• Demonstrate adequate awareness of ethics as it relates to the ethical dilemma in the
• Limited discussion on the 5 RICS Rules of Conduct 2021 rules.

Good – Good submissions should provide the following in addition to the ‘threshold’ requirements

Task 1

3. Presentation of dimensions consistently with the correct booking of dimensions, use of timesing, use of decimal places, use of underlining and correct squaring of calculations with few errors. 2. Clear presentation of waste calculations and annotation of dimensions which reflects the requirement to measure for different items.
4. Competent use of the Q&A sheet to ask relevant questions to progress the measurement of the identified items.
5. Competent interpretation of the drawing and specifications to distinguish the measurement requirements for most items.
6. Completeness of measure with only 1 or 2 items missed.
7. Consistent and correct use of description information on dimension sheets following SMM requirements.

Task 2

• Demonstrate competent critical appraisal on the process for producing interim valuations and how interim valuations contribute to effective financial management in a construction project. Students could consider cashflow and valuation timing as part of the discussion.
• Demonstrate competent understanding of how decisions made during the precontract stage influence post contract valuation accuracy, cashflow and stakeholder confidence.
• Demonstrate competent critical appraisal how digital tools such as BIM may support this process from client and contractor perspective.
• Demonstrate competent awareness of ethics as it relates to the ethical dilemma in the scenario. Good discussion on the 5 RICS Rules of Conduct 2021.

Excellent – Excellent submissions should provide the following in addition to the ‘Good’ requirements

Task 1

1. Clear, accurate and excellent presentation of dimensions and waste calculations with no errors in dimensions or waste calculations.
2. Completeness of measure with no items missed, but slight computational errors.
3. Excellent use of the Q and A sheet to progress the measurement of the identified items.
4. Drawings clearly and neatly marked up to indicate the items to be measured.
5. Measured items accurately and completely described according to the SMM.
6. Ability to interpret the drawings and understand the specification for all items that need to be measured.

Task 2

• Demonstrate excellent critical appraisal on the process for producing interim valuations and how interim valuations contribute to effective financial management in a construction project. Demonstrate excellent understanding of how decisions made during the precontract stage influence post contract valuation accuracy, cashflow and stakeholder confidence.
• Demonstrate excellent critical appraisal how digital tools such as BIM may support this process from client and contractor perspective.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of professional ethics to the PCM/QS, client, project, and stakeholders, in relation to the scenario. Excellent discussion on the 5 RICS Rules of Conduct 2021 enhanced by assumptions.

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QSP7PCM ASSESSMENT CRITERIA MARKING GUIDE

Criteria 1 and 2 relate to the measurement in Task 1 and criteria 3, 4, 5 and 6 relate to the briefing note in Task 2.

LEVEL_7_QSP7PCM
_Ass_2_2021_SEP
1. PRESENTATION OF MEASUREMENT AND CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY	10	0–1 Inadequate	2–3 Limited	4 Below threshold	5 Threshold	6 Good	7 Excellent	8–10 Outstanding
Provision of Q&A sheet, take off list (SMM), Marked up drawings, Bill of Quantities, where relevant		Presentation format is inappropriate and communication is obstructed	Presentation format is ineffective and communication is hindered.	Presentation format is confused and communication is only partially effective	Presentation format is satisfactory and communication is sufficient to meet the learning outcomes	Presentation format is effective and communication is sound.	Presentation format is sophisticated and communication is articulate.	Presentation format is innovative and communication is insightful.
Understanding of construction technology, materials and related specification content structure.		Inadequate understanding of construction technology, materials and related specification content structure.	Limited understanding of construction technology, materials and related specification content structure.	Insufficient understanding of construction technology, materials and related specification content structure.	Sufficient understanding of construction technology, materials and related specification content structure to meet the learning outcomes.	Good understanding of construction technology, materials and related specification content structure.	Excellent understanding of construction technology, materials and related specification content structure.	Outstanding understanding of construction technology, materials and related specification content structure.
Clarification of assumptions and linkage between elements of the submission		Inadequate clarification of assumptions and approach made.	Limited clarification of assumptions and approach made.	Insufficient clarification of assumptions and approach made.	Sufficient clarification of assumptions and approach made to meet the learning outcomes.	Good clarification of assumptions and approach made.	Excellent clarification of assumptions and approach made.	Outstanding clarification of assumptions and approach made.
		Minimal cross referencing of information to support the measure.	Ineffective cross referencing of information to support the measure.	Inaccurate and inconsistent cross referencing of information to support the measure.	Satisfactory cross referencing of information to support the measure.	Clear and competent cross referencing of information to support the measure.	Complete and accurate cross referencing of information to support the measure.	Comprehensive and thorough cross referencing of information to support the measure.
2. ACCURACY OF DESCRIPTION AND MEASUREMENT	20	0–3 Inadequate	4–7 Limited	8–9 Below threshold	10–11 Threshold	12–13 Good	14–15 Excellent	16–20 Outstanding
All items have been measured properly in accordance with the SMM		Measurement of items is inaccurate, minimal and do not comply with SMM requirements.	Measurement of items is unsatisfactory and ineffective and has limited compliance with SMM requirements.	Measurement of items is inconsistent and inaccurate and only partially complies with SMM requirements.	Measurement of items is sufficiently clear and accurate, and sufficiently complies with SMM requirements to meet the learning outcomes.	Measurement of items is competent and clear. Compliance with SMM requirements is mostly correct with minor omissions or errors.	Measurement of items is complete and accurate.  Compliance with SMM requirements is correct with minimal omissions or errors.	Measurement of items is comprehensive and thorough. Full compliance with SMM requirements.
Adequacy, clarity and completeness of descriptions in accordance with the chosen and approved SMM		Descriptions are inaccurate, minimal and do not comply with SMM requirements.	Descriptions are unsatisfactory and ineffective and have limited compliance with SMM requirements.	Descriptions are inconsistent and inaccurate and only partially comply with SMM requirements.	Descriptions are sufficiently clear and accurate, and there is sufficient compliance with SMM requirements to meet the learning outcomes.	Descriptions are competent and clear. Compliance with SMM requirements is mostly correct with minor omissions or errors.	Descriptions are complete and accurate. Compliance with SMM requirements is correct with minimal omissions or errors.	Descriptions are comprehensive and thorough. Full compliance with SMM requirements.
3. COMMUNICATION	10	0–1	2–3	4	5	6	7	8–10

			Inadequate	Limited	Below threshold	Threshold	Good	Excellent	Outstanding
Relevance to task • The relevance of the information provided to the context of the task • The way the needs of the intended audience have been addressed.			Irrelevant and addresses neither the task nor the needs of the intended audience.	Largely irrelevant and does not effectively address the task or the needs of the intended audience.	Partially relevant and attempts to address the task and the needs of the intended audience with significant irrelevance or omissions.	Sufficiently relevant to the task and the needs of the intended audience to meet the learning outcomes.	Mostly relevant to the task and the needs of the intended audience, with some minor irrelevance or omissions.	Highly relevant to the task and precisely focussed on the requirements of the intended audience.	Completely relevant to the task and fully focussed on the requirements of the intended audience.
Structure and presentation • Organisation and presentation of ideas			A lack of structure beyond a loosely connected list of points.	Largely unstructured and does not have a clear logical flow.	Inconsistent structure and logical flow.	Adequate structure and logical flow.	Reasonable structure and logical flow.	Advanced structure and logical flow.	Proficient structure and logical flow.
• Format appropriate to the intended audience and/or industry protocols • How structure and presentation enable communication.			Presentation format is inappropriate and communication is obstructed.	Presentation format is ineffective and communication is hindered.	Presentation format is confused and communication is only partially effective.	Presentation format is satisfactory and communication is sufficient to meet the learning outcomes.	Presentation format is appropriate and communication is clear.	Presentation format is sophisticated and communication is articulate.	Presentation format is innovative and communication is insightful.
Grammar • Selection of words, sentence construction, spelling and punctuation.			Use of grammar is deficient and meaning is obstructed.	Significant grammatical errors and meaning lacks clarity.	Several grammatical errors and meaning conveyed insufficiently clearly.	Notwithstanding some minor errors and oversights, grammar and clarity of meaning are sufficient to meet the learning outcomes.	Grammar usage is fair and conveys meaning clearly.	Grammar usage is advanced and conveys meaning precisely.	Grammar usage is exceptional and conveys meaning eloquently.
4. KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING		20	0–3 Inadequate	4–7 Limited	8–9 Below threshold	10–11 Threshold	12–13 Good	14–15 Excellent	16–20 Outstanding
Systematic knowledge and understanding of the key aspects of the field of study			Inadequate systematic knowledge and understanding of the field of study.	Limited systematic knowledge and understanding of the field of study.	Insufficient systematic knowledge and understanding of the field of study.	Sufficient systematic knowledge and understanding of the field of study to meet the learning outcomes.	Good systematic knowledge and understanding of the field of study to meet the learning outcomes.	Excellent systematic knowledge and understanding of the field of study to meet the learning outcomes.	Outstanding systematic knowledge and understanding of the field of study to meet the learning outcomes.
Critical analysis Analysis of source materials			Analysis of the source materials is superficial, deficient or minimal.	Analysis of the source materials is shallow ineffective or incomplete.	Analysis of the source materials is insubstantial, inaccurate or inconsistent.	Analysis of the source materials is adequate and of sufficient depth to meet the learning outcomes.	Analysis of the source materials is substantial clear and competent.	Analysis is effectively applied to the demands of the task.	Analysis is perceptively applied to the demands of the task.
• Application of analysis to the demands of the task.			Analysis is not applied to the demands of the task.	Analysis is applied unsatisfactorily to the demands of the task.	Analysis is partially applied to the demands of the task.	Analysis is satisfactorily applied to the demands of the task.	Analysis is reasonably applied to the demands of the task.	Proposed solutions are consistent and effective.	Proposed solutions are advanced and sophisticated.
• Development of solutions			Proposed solutions are incoherent and deficient.	Proposed solutions are unsatisfactory and ineffective.	Proposed solutions are confused and inaccurate.	Proposed solutions are satisfactory and sufficient to meet the learning outcomes.	Proposed solutions are clear and reasonable.	Proposed solutions are advanced and sophisticated.	Proposed solutions are ambitious and exceptional.
5	. USE AND APPLICATION OF SOURCE MATERIAL	20	0–3 Inadequate	4–7 Limited	8–9 Below threshold	10–11 Threshold	12–13 Good	14–15 Excellent	16–20 Outstanding
Application of UCEM Harvard referencing style			A minimal number of sources have been referenced. The referencing system is applied incoherently.	Referencing is unsatisfactory due to significant omissions, inaccuracies or inconsistencies in the application of the referencing system.	Referencing is insufficient due to several omissions, inaccuracies or inconsistencies in the application of the referencing system.	Referencing is sufficiently complete, accurate and consistent in the application of the referencing system to meet the learning outcomes.	Referencing is competent with mostly complete, accurate and consistent application of the referencing system.	Referencing is comprehensive with complete, accurate and consistent application of the referencing system with minimal errors.	Referencing is comprehensive and applied faultlessly.
Source Materials Selection of course materials			Minimal and incoherent selection of course materials.	Ineffective selection of course materials with significant omissions.	Inconsistent and inaccurate selection of course materials.	Adequate selection of course materials.	Competent selection of course materials.	Sophisticated selection of course materials.	Innovative selection of course materials.
Independent research			Independent research is minimal and has not been informed by scholarship at the forefront of the academic discipline.	Independent research is incomplete and unsatisfactory. It has not been informed by any notable scholarship at the forefront of the academic discipline.	Independent research is basic and has partially been informed by appropriate scholarship at the forefront of the academic discipline.	Independent research is sufficient and has been at least partially informed by appropriate scholarship at the forefront of the academic discipline, sufficient to meet the learning outcomes.	Independent research is competent and has been informed by a reasonable amount of appropriate scholarship at the forefront of the academic discipline.	Independent research is advanced and has been informed by a comprehensive range of authoritative scholarship at the forefront of the academic discipline.	Independent research is proficient and has been informed by the full range of authoritative scholarship at the forefront of the academic discipline.
Use of industry practice and personal experience.			Industry practice and personal experience omitted or irrelevant.	Limited and incomplete reference to industry practice and personal experience.	Simple reference to industry practice and personal experience.	Satisfactory reference to industry practice and personal experience.	Clear reference to industry practice and personal experience.	Perceptive reference to industry practice and personal experience.	Insightful reference to industry practice and personal experience.
Originality in the application of knowledge			Originality in the application of knowledge is inadequate and incoherent. The assessed work is not informed or improved by the source materials.	Originality in the application of knowledge is ineffective and unsatisfactory. The assessed work is informed and improved in a limited manner by the source materials.	Originality in the application of knowledge is inconsistent and partial. The assessed work is informed and improved in a basic manner by the source materials.	Originality in the application of knowledge satisfactory and adequate. The assessed work is informed and improved in an adequate manner by the source materials, sufficient to meet the learning outcomes.	Originality in the application of knowledge is competent and clear. The assessed work is informed and improved in a reasonable manner by the source materials.	Originality in the application of knowledge is perceptive and accurate. The assessed work is informed and improved in a comprehensive manner by the source materials.	Originality in the application of knowledge is innovative and insightful. The assessed work is informed and improved in an exceptional manner by the source materials.

6. INSIGHT, INTERPRETATION AND EVALUATION	20	0–3 Inadequate	4–7 Limited	8–9 Below threshold	10–11 Threshold	12–13 Good	14–15 Excellent	16–20 Outstanding
Systematic and creative approaches to complex issues		Inadequate selfdirection and originality in tackling and solving problems and in implementing tasks at a professional level.	Ineffective selfdirection and originality in tackling and solving problems and in implementing tasks at a professional level.	Insufficient selfdirection and originality in tackling and solving problems and in implementing tasks at a professional level.	Sufficient selfdirection and originality in tackling and solving problems and in implementing tasks at a professional level to meet the learning outcomes.	Competent selfdirection and originality in tackling and solving problems and in implementing tasks at a professional level.	Successful selfdirection and originality in tackling and solving problems and in implementing tasks at a professional level.	Exceptional self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems and in implementing tasks at a professional level.
Critical evaluation of current research and advanced scholarship in the discipline		Any evaluation of current research and advanced scholarship in the discipline is unsubstantiated and unstructured.	Evaluation of current research and advanced scholarship in the discipline is unsatisfactory in its reasoning.	Evaluation of current research and advanced scholarship in the discipline is simple in its reasoning.	Evaluation of current research and advanced scholarship in the discipline is adequate in its reasoning.	Evaluation of current research and advanced scholarship in the discipline is competent in its reasoning.	Evaluation of current research and advanced scholarship in the discipline is sophisticated in its reasoning.	Evaluation of current research and advanced scholarship in the discipline is ambitious and convincing in its reasoning.
Judgements in the absence of incomplete data		Judgments in the absence of incomplete data and/or conclusions are deficient.	Judgments in the absence of incomplete data and/or conclusions are inaccurate.	Judgments in the absence of incomplete data and/or conclusions are confused.	Judgments in the absence of incomplete data and/or conclusions are satisfactory and sufficient to meet the learning outcomes

QSP7PCM Professional Cost Management

QSP7PCM Assignment 2 

Module name	Professional Cost Management
Module code	QSP7PCM
Module start month and year	September 2025
Module pass mark	50
Assignment	2
Assignment due time and date	10.00 a.m. (UK time), Wednesday 4 February 2026
Word count	3,000 (or equivalent)
Assignment weighting	60%
Module learning outcomes assessed	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5 (see ‘Assessment’ page in ‘Module orientation’ for details)

Submission Details

For this assignment, you are required to submit online via Turnitin:

• a take off and briefing note as one PDF file.

Further information to support you with this assignment:

• is available within the study materials for this module on the VLE and in the relevant ‘Assessment preparation’ week.
• will be provided in the Assignment briefing webinar (see ‘Webinar schedule’) and

Assignment forum (in the relevant ‘Assessment preparation week’). Use these opportunities to ask any questions you may have about the assessment.

Quick links to guidance

• Generative AI student guidance ( UCEM)
• Word count and overwriting
• Academic integrity (avoiding academic misconduct)
• The UCEM Guide to Referencing and Citation .

Scenario for Task 1 Only 

You are an assistant quantity surveyor working for a large quantity surveying practice called PHR Associates. You are working with your manager on the preparation of tender documents for a project to construct a new private boarding school for a client who is new to the construction industry. As part of the project the school is also building two houses to accommodate staff that will be working at the school.

You are currently working on the substructure for one of the houses on the project. The drawings include plans, sections and details, with some specification details, further specification is provided below.

As part of the traditional procurement route, you have been asked to take-off quantities for selected substructure items for House A to progress the preparation of tender documents.

The PDF drawings listed below are available on the VLE.

Task 1

Your director has asked you to take off quantities for selected items of construction works for House A. A take-off template including a query sheet is available on the VLE. You should use this template to complete your take-off. You should ensure that you have completed all the tabs of the template.

Using a Standard Method of Measurement (SMM) and following the traditional method of measurement, take-off quantities for the following substructure items as shown on the drawings:

• D0752 GF Plan
• D0753 FF Plan
• D0759 Cross Section
• D0760 Section GF details
• D0761 Section FF details D0763 Section roof details.

List of items to be measured:

• Topsoil excavation
• Topsoil retention
• Reduced level excavation
• Disposal of excavated material
• External trench excavation
• Concrete in trench foundation
• Disposal of excavated material
• Brickwork to outer layer of cavity wall below DPC (up to DPC level) Brickwork to inner layer of cavity wall below DPC (up to DPC level).

Your submission should include:

1. A taking off list
2. Marked up drawings
3. A query and answer sheet
4. Measurement in the traditional format.

Specification

600mm wide x 1500mm deep C20 mass concrete foundation footing. Taken down to 2.2m below structural floor level.

Walls below ground 100mm semi engineering brick outer leaf. 100mm standard dense concrete block inner leaf bedded in 1:3 cement mortar.

Notes

Assume the construction of the walls below ground is the same all the way around the building.

A bill of quantities is not required.

Scenario for Task 2 Only

You are lead Quantity Surveyor on a mixed-use development project procured under the traditional procurement route with a JCT Standard Building Contract. You are working with a junior apprentice to support you with your role and you are required to provide them with training by explaining the processes that you are undertaking. The project is at RIBA Stage 5 Manufacturing and Construction in the post contract stage of the project.

You worked on the precontract stage of the project developing cost plans, advising on the procurement strategy and selecting the valuation mechanism. Some key decisions made during the Pre contract stage were:

• Allocation of the budget to the various elements to produce a detailed cost plan.
• Selection of the traditional procurement route with single stage tendering by selective competition.
• Selection of the JCT Standard Building Contract.
• Production of a Bill of Quantities which was filled in by the contractor’s organisation as part of the tendering process. Selecting the valuation mechanism as monthly valuations for timebased payments as opposed to stage payments.
• The use of BIM on the project as the project team are located in multiple locations and a key objective for the client is to make the project as sustainable as possible. They are hoping to achieve BREEAM excellent for the building.

The contractor has submitted their latest valuation which includes noticeable increases in claimed works and associated costs compared to the previous valuations. Upon reviewing progress on site and digital project records including schedule linked outputs from the BIM model, you find that several elements have been overstated.

Privately, the contractor reveals they are experiencing financial difficulty, and they have overestimated the amount to be paid. They ask you to overlook this and agree the valuation.

The junior apprentice is aware of the situation and has asked you to explain how the issue would be managed and what the appropriate reporting channels are.

Task 2

You are required to produce a briefing note for the junior apprentice that:

1. Outlines the process for producing interim valuations and critically discusses how interim valuations contribute to effective financial management in a construction project. With reference to the scenario, explain how decisions made during the precontract stage influence post contract valuation accuracy, cashflow and stakeholder confidence. As part of your discussion include critical commentary on how digital tools such as BIM may support this process from client and contractor perspective.
2. Critically discusses how the quantity surveyor should manage the issue with regards to the overvaluation. You should make reference to the five rules contained in the RICS Rules of Conduct 2021 as part of your discussion.

The conclusions and recommendations sections of your briefing note should discuss the advice your will provide to the client.

Reference list and Bibliography

You should include a reference list with a minimum of six separate relevant and appropriate sources that you have written about and cited within your work.

A bibliography of uncited sources is not required.

Marking Guidance for this Assignment

This guidance is designed to help you to do as well as possible in your assessment by explaining how the person marking your work will be judging it.

Your work will be assessed in relation to the requirements set out in the assessment criteria marking guide shown below and the grading guidance section below.

It is recommended that you read both of these sections before starting your assessment to learn what will help you to achieve the highest marks. Before submitting your assessment you should review it to check you have produced what is required to achieve the highest marks.

When you receive your feedback from your tutor you should be able to see where you gained marks and, where relevant, recommendations about how to improve your performance going forward.

Grading Guidance

This grading guidance section explains in more detail what a submission for this assignment should include in order to achieve a mark at the threshold, good and excellent standards.

Threshold – Threshold submissions should provide:

Task 1

1. Adequate presentation of dimensions consistently with sufficient booking of dimensions, use of timesing, use of decimal places, use of underlining and correct squaring of calculations.
2. Adequate presentation of waste calculations and annotation of dimensions that is sufficient to be understood.
3. Adequate interpretation of the drawings and specifications to sufficiently identify the measured items.
4. Adequate use of the Q&A sheet to progress the measurement of the identified items.
5. Completeness of measure with some items missed.
6. Adequate use of description information on dimension sheets following SMM requirements, to distinguish between items measured in the take-off.

Task 2

• Demonstrate adequate critical appraisal on the process for producing interim valuations and how interim valuations contribute to effective financial management in a construction project. Demonstrate adequate understanding of how decisions made during the precontract stage influence post contract valuation accuracy, cashflow and stakeholder confidence.
• Demonstrate adequate critical appraisal how digital tools such as BIM may support this process from client and contractor perspective.
• Demonstrate adequate awareness of ethics as it relates to the ethical dilemma in the
• Limited discussion on the 5 RICS Rules of Conduct 2021 rules.

Good – Good submissions should provide the following in addition to the ‘threshold’ requirements

Task 1

3. Presentation of dimensions consistently with the correct booking of dimensions, use of timesing, use of decimal places, use of underlining and correct squaring of calculations with few errors. 2. Clear presentation of waste calculations and annotation of dimensions which reflects the requirement to measure for different items.
4. Competent use of the Q&A sheet to ask relevant questions to progress the measurement of the identified items.
5. Competent interpretation of the drawing and specifications to distinguish the measurement requirements for most items.
6. Completeness of measure with only 1 or 2 items missed.
7. Consistent and correct use of description information on dimension sheets following SMM requirements.

Task 2

• Demonstrate competent critical appraisal on the process for producing interim valuations and how interim valuations contribute to effective financial management in a construction project. Students could consider cashflow and valuation timing as part of the discussion.
• Demonstrate competent understanding of how decisions made during the precontract stage influence post contract valuation accuracy, cashflow and stakeholder confidence.
• Demonstrate competent critical appraisal how digital tools such as BIM may support this process from client and contractor perspective.
• Demonstrate competent awareness of ethics as it relates to the ethical dilemma in the scenario. Good discussion on the 5 RICS Rules of Conduct 2021.

Excellent – Excellent submissions should provide the following in addition to the ‘Good’ requirements

Task 1

1. Clear, accurate and excellent presentation of dimensions and waste calculations with no errors in dimensions or waste calculations.
2. Completeness of measure with no items missed, but slight computational errors.
3. Excellent use of the Q and A sheet to progress the measurement of the identified items.
4. Drawings clearly and neatly marked up to indicate the items to be measured.
5. Measured items accurately and completely described according to the SMM.
6. Ability to interpret the drawings and understand the specification for all items that need to be measured.

Task 2

• Demonstrate excellent critical appraisal on the process for producing interim valuations and how interim valuations contribute to effective financial management in a construction project. Demonstrate excellent understanding of how decisions made during the precontract stage influence post contract valuation accuracy, cashflow and stakeholder confidence.
• Demonstrate excellent critical appraisal how digital tools such as BIM may support this process from client and contractor perspective.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of professional ethics to the PCM/QS, client, project, and stakeholders, in relation to the scenario. Excellent discussion on the 5 RICS Rules of Conduct 2021 enhanced by assumptions.

QSP7PCM ASSESSMENT CRITERIA MARKING GUIDE

Criteria 1 and 2 relate to the measurement in Task 1 and criteria 3, 4, 5 and 6 relate to the briefing note in Task 2.

LEVEL_7_QSP7PCM
_Ass_2_2021_SEP
1. PRESENTATION OF MEASUREMENT AND CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY	10	0–1 Inadequate	2–3 Limited	4 Below threshold	5 Threshold	6 Good	7 Excellent	8–10 Outstanding
Provision of Q&A sheet, take off list (SMM), Marked up drawings, Bill of Quantities, where relevant		Presentation format is inappropriate and communication is obstructed	Presentation format is ineffective and communication is hindered.	Presentation format is confused and communication is only partially effective	Presentation format is satisfactory and communication is sufficient to meet the learning outcomes	Presentation format is effective and communication is sound.	Presentation format is sophisticated and communication is articulate.	Presentation format is innovative and communication is insightful.
Understanding of construction technology, materials and related specification content structure.		Inadequate understanding of construction technology, materials and related specification content structure.	Limited understanding of construction technology, materials and related specification content structure.	Insufficient understanding of construction technology, materials and related specification content structure.	Sufficient understanding of construction technology, materials and related specification content structure to meet the learning outcomes.	Good understanding of construction technology, materials and related specification content structure.	Excellent understanding of construction technology, materials and related specification content structure.	Outstanding understanding of construction technology, materials and related specification content structure.
Clarification of assumptions and linkage between elements of the submission		Inadequate clarification of assumptions and approach made.	Limited clarification of assumptions and approach made.	Insufficient clarification of assumptions and approach made.	Sufficient clarification of assumptions and approach made to meet the learning outcomes.	Good clarification of assumptions and approach made.	Excellent clarification of assumptions and approach made.	Outstanding clarification of assumptions and approach made.
		Minimal cross referencing of information to support the measure.	Ineffective cross referencing of information to support the measure.	Inaccurate and inconsistent cross referencing of information to support the measure.	Satisfactory cross referencing of information to support the measure.	Clear and competent cross referencing of information to support the measure.	Complete and accurate cross referencing of information to support the measure.	Comprehensive and thorough cross referencing of information to support the measure.
2. ACCURACY OF DESCRIPTION AND MEASUREMENT	20	0–3 Inadequate	4–7 Limited	8–9 Below threshold	10–11 Threshold	12–13 Good	14–15 Excellent	16–20 Outstanding
All items have been measured properly in accordance with the SMM		Measurement of items is inaccurate, minimal and do not comply with SMM requirements.	Measurement of items is unsatisfactory and ineffective and has limited compliance with SMM requirements.	Measurement of items is inconsistent and inaccurate and only partially complies with SMM requirements.	Measurement of items is sufficiently clear and accurate, and sufficiently complies with SMM requirements to meet the learning outcomes.	Measurement of items is competent and clear. Compliance with SMM requirements is mostly correct with minor omissions or errors.	Measurement of items is complete and accurate.  Compliance with SMM requirements is correct with minimal omissions or errors.	Measurement of items is comprehensive and thorough. Full compliance with SMM requirements.
Adequacy, clarity and completeness of descriptions in accordance with the chosen and approved SMM		Descriptions are inaccurate, minimal and do not comply with SMM requirements.	Descriptions are unsatisfactory and ineffective and have limited compliance with SMM requirements.	Descriptions are inconsistent and inaccurate and only partially comply with SMM requirements.	Descriptions are sufficiently clear and accurate, and there is sufficient compliance with SMM requirements to meet the learning outcomes.	Descriptions are competent and clear. Compliance with SMM requirements is mostly correct with minor omissions or errors.	Descriptions are complete and accurate. Compliance with SMM requirements is correct with minimal omissions or errors.	Descriptions are comprehensive and thorough. Full compliance with SMM requirements.
3. COMMUNICATION	10	0–1	2–3	4	5	6	7	8–10

			Inadequate	Limited	Below threshold	Threshold	Good	Excellent	Outstanding
Relevance to task • The relevance of the information provided to the context of the task • The way the needs of the intended audience have been addressed.			Irrelevant and addresses neither the task nor the needs of the intended audience.	Largely irrelevant and does not effectively address the task or the needs of the intended audience.	Partially relevant and attempts to address the task and the needs of the intended audience with significant irrelevance or omissions.	Sufficiently relevant to the task and the needs of the intended audience to meet the learning outcomes.	Mostly relevant to the task and the needs of the intended audience, with some minor irrelevance or omissions.	Highly relevant to the task and precisely focussed on the requirements of the intended audience.	Completely relevant to the task and fully focussed on the requirements of the intended audience.
Structure and presentation • Organisation and presentation of ideas			A lack of structure beyond a loosely connected list of points.	Largely unstructured and does not have a clear logical flow.	Inconsistent structure and logical flow.	Adequate structure and logical flow.	Reasonable structure and logical flow.	Advanced structure and logical flow.	Proficient structure and logical flow.
• Format appropriate to the intended audience and/or industry protocols • How structure and presentation enable communication.			Presentation format is inappropriate and communication is obstructed.	Presentation format is ineffective and communication is hindered.	Presentation format is confused and communication is only partially effective.	Presentation format is satisfactory and communication is sufficient to meet the learning outcomes.	Presentation format is appropriate and communication is clear.	Presentation format is sophisticated and communication is articulate.	Presentation format is innovative and communication is insightful.
Grammar • Selection of words, sentence construction, spelling and punctuation.			Use of grammar is deficient and meaning is obstructed.	Significant grammatical errors and meaning lacks clarity.	Several grammatical errors and meaning conveyed insufficiently clearly.	Notwithstanding some minor errors and oversights, grammar and clarity of meaning are sufficient to meet the learning outcomes.	Grammar usage is fair and conveys meaning clearly.	Grammar usage is advanced and conveys meaning precisely.	Grammar usage is exceptional and conveys meaning eloquently.
4. KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING		20	0–3 Inadequate	4–7 Limited	8–9 Below threshold	10–11 Threshold	12–13 Good	14–15 Excellent	16–20 Outstanding
Systematic knowledge and understanding of the key aspects of the field of study			Inadequate systematic knowledge and understanding of the field of study.	Limited systematic knowledge and understanding of the field of study.	Insufficient systematic knowledge and understanding of the field of study.	Sufficient systematic knowledge and understanding of the field of study to meet the learning outcomes.	Good systematic knowledge and understanding of the field of study to meet the learning outcomes.	Excellent systematic knowledge and understanding of the field of study to meet the learning outcomes.	Outstanding systematic knowledge and understanding of the field of study to meet the learning outcomes.
Critical analysis Analysis of source materials			Analysis of the source materials is superficial, deficient or minimal.	Analysis of the source materials is shallow ineffective or incomplete.	Analysis of the source materials is insubstantial, inaccurate or inconsistent.	Analysis of the source materials is adequate and of sufficient depth to meet the learning outcomes.	Analysis of the source materials is substantial clear and competent.	Analysis is effectively applied to the demands of the task.	Analysis is perceptively applied to the demands of the task.
• Application of analysis to the demands of the task.			Analysis is not applied to the demands of the task.	Analysis is applied unsatisfactorily to the demands of the task.	Analysis is partially applied to the demands of the task.	Analysis is satisfactorily applied to the demands of the task.	Analysis is reasonably applied to the demands of the task.	Proposed solutions are consistent and effective.	Proposed solutions are advanced and sophisticated.
• Development of solutions			Proposed solutions are incoherent and deficient.	Proposed solutions are unsatisfactory and ineffective.	Proposed solutions are confused and inaccurate.	Proposed solutions are satisfactory and sufficient to meet the learning outcomes.	Proposed solutions are clear and reasonable.	Proposed solutions are advanced and sophisticated.	Proposed solutions are ambitious and exceptional.
5	. USE AND APPLICATION OF SOURCE MATERIAL	20	0–3 Inadequate	4–7 Limited	8–9 Below threshold	10–11 Threshold	12–13 Good	14–15 Excellent	16–20 Outstanding
Application of UCEM Harvard referencing style			A minimal number of sources have been referenced. The referencing system is applied incoherently.	Referencing is unsatisfactory due to significant omissions, inaccuracies or inconsistencies in the application of the referencing system.	Referencing is insufficient due to several omissions, inaccuracies or inconsistencies in the application of the referencing system.	Referencing is sufficiently complete, accurate and consistent in the application of the referencing system to meet the learning outcomes.	Referencing is competent with mostly complete, accurate and consistent application of the referencing system.	Referencing is comprehensive with complete, accurate and consistent application of the referencing system with minimal errors.	Referencing is comprehensive and applied faultlessly.
Source Materials Selection of course materials			Minimal and incoherent selection of course materials.	Ineffective selection of course materials with significant omissions.	Inconsistent and inaccurate selection of course materials.	Adequate selection of course materials.	Competent selection of course materials.	Sophisticated selection of course materials.	Innovative selection of course materials.
Independent research			Independent research is minimal and has not been informed by scholarship at the forefront of the academic discipline.	Independent research is incomplete and unsatisfactory. It has not been informed by any notable scholarship at the forefront of the academic discipline.	Independent research is basic and has partially been informed by appropriate scholarship at the forefront of the academic discipline.	Independent research is sufficient and has been at least partially informed by appropriate scholarship at the forefront of the academic discipline, sufficient to meet the learning outcomes.	Independent research is competent and has been informed by a reasonable amount of appropriate scholarship at the forefront of the academic discipline.	Independent research is advanced and has been informed by a comprehensive range of authoritative scholarship at the forefront of the academic discipline.	Independent research is proficient and has been informed by the full range of authoritative scholarship at the forefront of the academic discipline.
Use of industry practice and personal experience.			Industry practice and personal experience omitted or irrelevant.	Limited and incomplete reference to industry practice and personal experience.	Simple reference to industry practice and personal experience.	Satisfactory reference to industry practice and personal experience.	Clear reference to industry practice and personal experience.	Perceptive reference to industry practice and personal experience.	Insightful reference to industry practice and personal experience.
Originality in the application of knowledge			Originality in the application of knowledge is inadequate and incoherent. The assessed work is not informed or improved by the source materials.	Originality in the application of knowledge is ineffective and unsatisfactory. The assessed work is informed and improved in a limited manner by the source materials.	Originality in the application of knowledge is inconsistent and partial. The assessed work is informed and improved in a basic manner by the source materials.	Originality in the application of knowledge satisfactory and adequate. The assessed work is informed and improved in an adequate manner by the source materials, sufficient to meet the learning outcomes.	Originality in the application of knowledge is competent and clear. The assessed work is informed and improved in a reasonable manner by the source materials.	Originality in the application of knowledge is perceptive and accurate. The assessed work is informed and improved in a comprehensive manner by the source materials.	Originality in the application of knowledge is innovative and insightful. The assessed work is informed and improved in an exceptional manner by the source materials.

6. INSIGHT, INTERPRETATION AND EVALUATION	20	0–3 Inadequate	4–7 Limited	8–9 Below threshold	10–11 Threshold	12–13 Good	14–15 Excellent	16–20 Outstanding
Systematic and creative approaches to complex issues		Inadequate selfdirection and originality in tackling and solving problems and in implementing tasks at a professional level.	Ineffective selfdirection and originality in tackling and solving problems and in implementing tasks at a professional level.	Insufficient selfdirection and originality in tackling and solving problems and in implementing tasks at a professional level.	Sufficient selfdirection and originality in tackling and solving problems and in implementing tasks at a professional level to meet the learning outcomes.	Competent selfdirection and originality in tackling and solving problems and in implementing tasks at a professional level.	Successful selfdirection and originality in tackling and solving problems and in implementing tasks at a professional level.	Exceptional self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems and in implementing tasks at a professional level.
Critical evaluation of current research and advanced scholarship in the discipline		Any evaluation of current research and advanced scholarship in the discipline is unsubstantiated and unstructured.	Evaluation of current research and advanced scholarship in the discipline is unsatisfactory in its reasoning.	Evaluation of current research and advanced scholarship in the discipline is simple in its reasoning.	Evaluation of current research and advanced scholarship in the discipline is adequate in its reasoning.	Evaluation of current research and advanced scholarship in the discipline is competent in its reasoning.	Evaluation of current research and advanced scholarship in the discipline is sophisticated in its reasoning.	Evaluation of current research and advanced scholarship in the discipline is ambitious and convincing in its reasoning.
Judgements in the absence of incomplete data		Judgments in the absence of incomplete data and/or conclusions are deficient.	Judgments in the absence of incomplete data and/or conclusions are inaccurate.	Judgments in the absence of incomplete data and/or conclusions are confused.	Judgments in the absence of incomplete data and/or conclusions are satisfactory and sufficient to meet the learning outcomes

QSP7PCM Professional Cost Management

QSP7PCM Assignment 2 

Module name	Professional Cost Management
Module code	QSP7PCM
Module start month and year	September 2025
Module pass mark	50
Assignment	2
Assignment due time and date	10.00 a.m. (UK time), Wednesday 4 February 2026
Word count	3,000 (or equivalent)
Assignment weighting	60%
Module learning outcomes assessed	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5 (see ‘Assessment’ page in ‘Module orientation’ for details)

Submission Details

For this assignment, you are required to submit online via Turnitin:

• a take off and briefing note as one PDF file.

Further information to support you with this assignment:

• is available within the study materials for this module on the VLE and in the relevant ‘Assessment preparation’ week.
• will be provided in the Assignment briefing webinar (see ‘Webinar schedule’) and

Assignment forum (in the relevant ‘Assessment preparation week’). Use these opportunities to ask any questions you may have about the assessment.

Quick links to guidance

• Generative AI student guidance ( UCEM)
• Word count and overwriting
• Academic integrity (avoiding academic misconduct)
• The UCEM Guide to Referencing and Citation .

Scenario for Task 1 Only 

You are an assistant quantity surveyor working for a large quantity surveying practice called PHR Associates. You are working with your manager on the preparation of tender documents for a project to construct a new private boarding school for a client who is new to the construction industry. As part of the project the school is also building two houses to accommodate staff that will be working at the school.

You are currently working on the substructure for one of the houses on the project. The drawings include plans, sections and details, with some specification details, further specification is provided below.

As part of the traditional procurement route, you have been asked to take-off quantities for selected substructure items for House A to progress the preparation of tender documents.

The PDF drawings listed below are available on the VLE.

Task 1

Your director has asked you to take off quantities for selected items of construction works for House A. A take-off template including a query sheet is available on the VLE. You should use this template to complete your take-off. You should ensure that you have completed all the tabs of the template.

Using a Standard Method of Measurement (SMM) and following the traditional method of measurement, take-off quantities for the following substructure items as shown on the drawings:

• D0752 GF Plan
• D0753 FF Plan
• D0759 Cross Section
• D0760 Section GF details
• D0761 Section FF details D0763 Section roof details.

List of items to be measured:

• Topsoil excavation
• Topsoil retention
• Reduced level excavation
• Disposal of excavated material
• External trench excavation
• Concrete in trench foundation
• Disposal of excavated material
• Brickwork to outer layer of cavity wall below DPC (up to DPC level) Brickwork to inner layer of cavity wall below DPC (up to DPC level).

Your submission should include:

1. A taking off list
2. Marked up drawings
3. A query and answer sheet
4. Measurement in the traditional format.

Specification

600mm wide x 1500mm deep C20 mass concrete foundation footing. Taken down to 2.2m below structural floor level.

Walls below ground 100mm semi engineering brick outer leaf. 100mm standard dense concrete block inner leaf bedded in 1:3 cement mortar.

Notes

Assume the construction of the walls below ground is the same all the way around the building.

A bill of quantities is not required.

Scenario for Task 2 Only

You are lead Quantity Surveyor on a mixed-use development project procured under the traditional procurement route with a JCT Standard Building Contract. You are working with a junior apprentice to support you with your role and you are required to provide them with training by explaining the processes that you are undertaking. The project is at RIBA Stage 5 Manufacturing and Construction in the post contract stage of the project.

You worked on the precontract stage of the project developing cost plans, advising on the procurement strategy and selecting the valuation mechanism. Some key decisions made during the Pre contract stage were:

• Allocation of the budget to the various elements to produce a detailed cost plan.
• Selection of the traditional procurement route with single stage tendering by selective competition.
• Selection of the JCT Standard Building Contract.
• Production of a Bill of Quantities which was filled in by the contractor’s organisation as part of the tendering process. Selecting the valuation mechanism as monthly valuations for timebased payments as opposed to stage payments.
• The use of BIM on the project as the project team are located in multiple locations and a key objective for the client is to make the project as sustainable as possible. They are hoping to achieve BREEAM excellent for the building.

The contractor has submitted their latest valuation which includes noticeable increases in claimed works and associated costs compared to the previous valuations. Upon reviewing progress on site and digital project records including schedule linked outputs from the BIM model, you find that several elements have been overstated.

Privately, the contractor reveals they are experiencing financial difficulty, and they have overestimated the amount to be paid. They ask you to overlook this and agree the valuation.

The junior apprentice is aware of the situation and has asked you to explain how the issue would be managed and what the appropriate reporting channels are.

Task 2

You are required to produce a briefing note for the junior apprentice that:

1. Outlines the process for producing interim valuations and critically discusses how interim valuations contribute to effective financial management in a construction project. With reference to the scenario, explain how decisions made during the precontract stage influence post contract valuation accuracy, cashflow and stakeholder confidence. As part of your discussion include critical commentary on how digital tools such as BIM may support this process from client and contractor perspective.
2. Critically discusses how the quantity surveyor should manage the issue with regards to the overvaluation. You should make reference to the five rules contained in the RICS Rules of Conduct 2021 as part of your discussion.

The conclusions and recommendations sections of your briefing note should discuss the advice your will provide to the client.

Reference list and Bibliography

You should include a reference list with a minimum of six separate relevant and appropriate sources that you have written about and cited within your work.

A bibliography of uncited sources is not required.

Marking Guidance for this Assignment

This guidance is designed to help you to do as well as possible in your assessment by explaining how the person marking your work will be judging it.

Your work will be assessed in relation to the requirements set out in the assessment criteria marking guide shown below and the grading guidance section below.

It is recommended that you read both of these sections before starting your assessment to learn what will help you to achieve the highest marks. Before submitting your assessment you should review it to check you have produced what is required to achieve the highest marks.

When you receive your feedback from your tutor you should be able to see where you gained marks and, where relevant, recommendations about how to improve your performance going forward.

Grading Guidance

This grading guidance section explains in more detail what a submission for this assignment should include in order to achieve a mark at the threshold, good and excellent standards.

Threshold – Threshold submissions should provide:

Task 1

1. Adequate presentation of dimensions consistently with sufficient booking of dimensions, use of timesing, use of decimal places, use of underlining and correct squaring of calculations.
2. Adequate presentation of waste calculations and annotation of dimensions that is sufficient to be understood.
3. Adequate interpretation of the drawings and specifications to sufficiently identify the measured items.
4. Adequate use of the Q&A sheet to progress the measurement of the identified items.
5. Completeness of measure with some items missed.
6. Adequate use of description information on dimension sheets following SMM requirements, to distinguish between items measured in the take-off.

Task 2

• Demonstrate adequate critical appraisal on the process for producing interim valuations and how interim valuations contribute to effective financial management in a construction project. Demonstrate adequate understanding of how decisions made during the precontract stage influence post contract valuation accuracy, cashflow and stakeholder confidence.
• Demonstrate adequate critical appraisal how digital tools such as BIM may support this process from client and contractor perspective.
• Demonstrate adequate awareness of ethics as it relates to the ethical dilemma in the
• Limited discussion on the 5 RICS Rules of Conduct 2021 rules.

Good – Good submissions should provide the following in addition to the ‘threshold’ requirements

Task 1

3. Presentation of dimensions consistently with the correct booking of dimensions, use of timesing, use of decimal places, use of underlining and correct squaring of calculations with few errors. 2. Clear presentation of waste calculations and annotation of dimensions which reflects the requirement to measure for different items.
4. Competent use of the Q&A sheet to ask relevant questions to progress the measurement of the identified items.
5. Competent interpretation of the drawing and specifications to distinguish the measurement requirements for most items.
6. Completeness of measure with only 1 or 2 items missed.
7. Consistent and correct use of description information on dimension sheets following SMM requirements.

Task 2

• Demonstrate competent critical appraisal on the process for producing interim valuations and how interim valuations contribute to effective financial management in a construction project. Students could consider cashflow and valuation timing as part of the discussion.
• Demonstrate competent understanding of how decisions made during the precontract stage influence post contract valuation accuracy, cashflow and stakeholder confidence.
• Demonstrate competent critical appraisal how digital tools such as BIM may support this process from client and contractor perspective.
• Demonstrate competent awareness of ethics as it relates to the ethical dilemma in the scenario. Good discussion on the 5 RICS Rules of Conduct 2021.

Excellent – Excellent submissions should provide the following in addition to the ‘Good’ requirements

Task 1

1. Clear, accurate and excellent presentation of dimensions and waste calculations with no errors in dimensions or waste calculations.
2. Completeness of measure with no items missed, but slight computational errors.
3. Excellent use of the Q and A sheet to progress the measurement of the identified items.
4. Drawings clearly and neatly marked up to indicate the items to be measured.
5. Measured items accurately and completely described according to the SMM.
6. Ability to interpret the drawings and understand the specification for all items that need to be measured.

Task 2

• Demonstrate excellent critical appraisal on the process for producing interim valuations and how interim valuations contribute to effective financial management in a construction project. Demonstrate excellent understanding of how decisions made during the precontract stage influence post contract valuation accuracy, cashflow and stakeholder confidence.
• Demonstrate excellent critical appraisal how digital tools such as BIM may support this process from client and contractor perspective.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of professional ethics to the PCM/QS, client, project, and stakeholders, in relation to the scenario. Excellent discussion on the 5 RICS Rules of Conduct 2021 enhanced by assumptions.

QSP7PCM ASSESSMENT CRITERIA MARKING GUIDE

Criteria 1 and 2 relate to the measurement in Task 1 and criteria 3, 4, 5 and 6 relate to the briefing note in Task 2.

LEVEL_7_QSP7PCM
_Ass_2_2021_SEP
1. PRESENTATION OF MEASUREMENT AND CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY	10	0–1 Inadequate	2–3 Limited	4 Below threshold	5 Threshold	6 Good	7 Excellent	8–10 Outstanding
Provision of Q&A sheet, take off list (SMM), Marked up drawings, Bill of Quantities, where relevant		Presentation format is inappropriate and communication is obstructed	Presentation format is ineffective and communication is hindered.	Presentation format is confused and communication is only partially effective	Presentation format is satisfactory and communication is sufficient to meet the learning outcomes	Presentation format is effective and communication is sound.	Presentation format is sophisticated and communication is articulate.	Presentation format is innovative and communication is insightful.
Understanding of construction technology, materials and related specification content structure.		Inadequate understanding of construction technology, materials and related specification content structure.	Limited understanding of construction technology, materials and related specification content structure.	Insufficient understanding of construction technology, materials and related specification content structure.	Sufficient understanding of construction technology, materials and related specification content structure to meet the learning outcomes.	Good understanding of construction technology, materials and related specification content structure.	Excellent understanding of construction technology, materials and related specification content structure.	Outstanding understanding of construction technology, materials and related specification content structure.
Clarification of assumptions and linkage between elements of the submission		Inadequate clarification of assumptions and approach made.	Limited clarification of assumptions and approach made.	Insufficient clarification of assumptions and approach made.	Sufficient clarification of assumptions and approach made to meet the learning outcomes.	Good clarification of assumptions and approach made.	Excellent clarification of assumptions and approach made.	Outstanding clarification of assumptions and approach made.
		Minimal cross referencing of information to support the measure.	Ineffective cross referencing of information to support the measure.	Inaccurate and inconsistent cross referencing of information to support the measure.	Satisfactory cross referencing of information to support the measure.	Clear and competent cross referencing of information to support the measure.	Complete and accurate cross referencing of information to support the measure.	Comprehensive and thorough cross referencing of information to support the measure.
2. ACCURACY OF DESCRIPTION AND MEASUREMENT	20	0–3 Inadequate	4–7 Limited	8–9 Below threshold	10–11 Threshold	12–13 Good	14–15 Excellent	16–20 Outstanding
All items have been measured properly in accordance with the SMM		Measurement of items is inaccurate, minimal and do not comply with SMM requirements.	Measurement of items is unsatisfactory and ineffective and has limited compliance with SMM requirements.	Measurement of items is inconsistent and inaccurate and only partially complies with SMM requirements.	Measurement of items is sufficiently clear and accurate, and sufficiently complies with SMM requirements to meet the learning outcomes.	Measurement of items is competent and clear. Compliance with SMM requirements is mostly correct with minor omissions or errors.	Measurement of items is complete and accurate.  Compliance with SMM requirements is correct with minimal omissions or errors.	Measurement of items is comprehensive and thorough. Full compliance with SMM requirements.
Adequacy, clarity and completeness of descriptions in accordance with the chosen and approved SMM		Descriptions are inaccurate, minimal and do not comply with SMM requirements.	Descriptions are unsatisfactory and ineffective and have limited compliance with SMM requirements.	Descriptions are inconsistent and inaccurate and only partially comply with SMM requirements.	Descriptions are sufficiently clear and accurate, and there is sufficient compliance with SMM requirements to meet the learning outcomes.	Descriptions are competent and clear. Compliance with SMM requirements is mostly correct with minor omissions or errors.	Descriptions are complete and accurate. Compliance with SMM requirements is correct with minimal omissions or errors.	Descriptions are comprehensive and thorough. Full compliance with SMM requirements.
3. COMMUNICATION	10	0–1	2–3	4	5	6	7	8–10

			Inadequate	Limited	Below threshold	Threshold	Good	Excellent	Outstanding
Relevance to task • The relevance of the information provided to the context of the task • The way the needs of the intended audience have been addressed.			Irrelevant and addresses neither the task nor the needs of the intended audience.	Largely irrelevant and does not effectively address the task or the needs of the intended audience.	Partially relevant and attempts to address the task and the needs of the intended audience with significant irrelevance or omissions.	Sufficiently relevant to the task and the needs of the intended audience to meet the learning outcomes.	Mostly relevant to the task and the needs of the intended audience, with some minor irrelevance or omissions.	Highly relevant to the task and precisely focussed on the requirements of the intended audience.	Completely relevant to the task and fully focussed on the requirements of the intended audience.
Structure and presentation • Organisation and presentation of ideas			A lack of structure beyond a loosely connected list of points.	Largely unstructured and does not have a clear logical flow.	Inconsistent structure and logical flow.	Adequate structure and logical flow.	Reasonable structure and logical flow.	Advanced structure and logical flow.	Proficient structure and logical flow.
• Format appropriate to the intended audience and/or industry protocols • How structure and presentation enable communication.			Presentation format is inappropriate and communication is obstructed.	Presentation format is ineffective and communication is hindered.	Presentation format is confused and communication is only partially effective.	Presentation format is satisfactory and communication is sufficient to meet the learning outcomes.	Presentation format is appropriate and communication is clear.	Presentation format is sophisticated and communication is articulate.	Presentation format is innovative and communication is insightful.
Grammar • Selection of words, sentence construction, spelling and punctuation.			Use of grammar is deficient and meaning is obstructed.	Significant grammatical errors and meaning lacks clarity.	Several grammatical errors and meaning conveyed insufficiently clearly.	Notwithstanding some minor errors and oversights, grammar and clarity of meaning are sufficient to meet the learning outcomes.	Grammar usage is fair and conveys meaning clearly.	Grammar usage is advanced and conveys meaning precisely.	Grammar usage is exceptional and conveys meaning eloquently.
4. KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING		20	0–3 Inadequate	4–7 Limited	8–9 Below threshold	10–11 Threshold	12–13 Good	14–15 Excellent	16–20 Outstanding
Systematic knowledge and understanding of the key aspects of the field of study			Inadequate systematic knowledge and understanding of the field of study.	Limited systematic knowledge and understanding of the field of study.	Insufficient systematic knowledge and understanding of the field of study.	Sufficient systematic knowledge and understanding of the field of study to meet the learning outcomes.	Good systematic knowledge and understanding of the field of study to meet the learning outcomes.	Excellent systematic knowledge and understanding of the field of study to meet the learning outcomes.	Outstanding systematic knowledge and understanding of the field of study to meet the learning outcomes.
Critical analysis Analysis of source materials			Analysis of the source materials is superficial, deficient or minimal.	Analysis of the source materials is shallow ineffective or incomplete.	Analysis of the source materials is insubstantial, inaccurate or inconsistent.	Analysis of the source materials is adequate and of sufficient depth to meet the learning outcomes.	Analysis of the source materials is substantial clear and competent.	Analysis is effectively applied to the demands of the task.	Analysis is perceptively applied to the demands of the task.
• Application of analysis to the demands of the task.			Analysis is not applied to the demands of the task.	Analysis is applied unsatisfactorily to the demands of the task.	Analysis is partially applied to the demands of the task.	Analysis is satisfactorily applied to the demands of the task.	Analysis is reasonably applied to the demands of the task.	Proposed solutions are consistent and effective.	Proposed solutions are advanced and sophisticated.
• Development of solutions			Proposed solutions are incoherent and deficient.	Proposed solutions are unsatisfactory and ineffective.	Proposed solutions are confused and inaccurate.	Proposed solutions are satisfactory and sufficient to meet the learning outcomes.	Proposed solutions are clear and reasonable.	Proposed solutions are advanced and sophisticated.	Proposed solutions are ambitious and exceptional.
5	. USE AND APPLICATION OF SOURCE MATERIAL	20	0–3 Inadequate	4–7 Limited	8–9 Below threshold	10–11 Threshold	12–13 Good	14–15 Excellent	16–20 Outstanding
Application of UCEM Harvard referencing style			A minimal number of sources have been referenced. The referencing system is applied incoherently.	Referencing is unsatisfactory due to significant omissions, inaccuracies or inconsistencies in the application of the referencing system.	Referencing is insufficient due to several omissions, inaccuracies or inconsistencies in the application of the referencing system.	Referencing is sufficiently complete, accurate and consistent in the application of the referencing system to meet the learning outcomes.	Referencing is competent with mostly complete, accurate and consistent application of the referencing system.	Referencing is comprehensive with complete, accurate and consistent application of the referencing system with minimal errors.	Referencing is comprehensive and applied faultlessly.
Source Materials Selection of course materials			Minimal and incoherent selection of course materials.	Ineffective selection of course materials with significant omissions.	Inconsistent and inaccurate selection of course materials.	Adequate selection of course materials.	Competent selection of course materials.	Sophisticated selection of course materials.	Innovative selection of course materials.
Independent research			Independent research is minimal and has not been informed by scholarship at the forefront of the academic discipline.	Independent research is incomplete and unsatisfactory. It has not been informed by any notable scholarship at the forefront of the academic discipline.	Independent research is basic and has partially been informed by appropriate scholarship at the forefront of the academic discipline.	Independent research is sufficient and has been at least partially informed by appropriate scholarship at the forefront of the academic discipline, sufficient to meet the learning outcomes.	Independent research is competent and has been informed by a reasonable amount of appropriate scholarship at the forefront of the academic discipline.	Independent research is advanced and has been informed by a comprehensive range of authoritative scholarship at the forefront of the academic discipline.	Independent research is proficient and has been informed by the full range of authoritative scholarship at the forefront of the academic discipline.
Use of industry practice and personal experience.			Industry practice and personal experience omitted or irrelevant.	Limited and incomplete reference to industry practice and personal experience.	Simple reference to industry practice and personal experience.	Satisfactory reference to industry practice and personal experience.	Clear reference to industry practice and personal experience.	Perceptive reference to industry practice and personal experience.	Insightful reference to industry practice and personal experience.
Originality in the application of knowledge			Originality in the application of knowledge is inadequate and incoherent. The assessed work is not informed or improved by the source materials.	Originality in the application of knowledge is ineffective and unsatisfactory. The assessed work is informed and improved in a limited manner by the source materials.	Originality in the application of knowledge is inconsistent and partial. The assessed work is informed and improved in a basic manner by the source materials.	Originality in the application of knowledge satisfactory and adequate. The assessed work is informed and improved in an adequate manner by the source materials, sufficient to meet the learning outcomes.	Originality in the application of knowledge is competent and clear. The assessed work is informed and improved in a reasonable manner by the source materials.	Originality in the application of knowledge is perceptive and accurate. The assessed work is informed and improved in a comprehensive manner by the source materials.	Originality in the application of knowledge is innovative and insightful. The assessed work is informed and improved in an exceptional manner by the source materials.

6. INSIGHT, INTERPRETATION AND EVALUATION	20	0–3 Inadequate	4–7 Limited	8–9 Below threshold	10–11 Threshold	12–13 Good	14–15 Excellent	16–20 Outstanding
Systematic and creative approaches to complex issues		Inadequate selfdirection and originality in tackling and solving problems and in implementing tasks at a professional level.	Ineffective selfdirection and originality in tackling and solving problems and in implementing tasks at a professional level.	Insufficient selfdirection and originality in tackling and solving problems and in implementing tasks at a professional level.	Sufficient selfdirection and originality in tackling and solving problems and in implementing tasks at a professional level to meet the learning outcomes.	Competent selfdirection and originality in tackling and solving problems and in implementing tasks at a professional level.	Successful selfdirection and originality in tackling and solving problems and in implementing tasks at a professional level.	Exceptional self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems and in implementing tasks at a professional level.
Critical evaluation of current research and advanced scholarship in the discipline		Any evaluation of current research and advanced scholarship in the discipline is unsubstantiated and unstructured.	Evaluation of current research and advanced scholarship in the discipline is unsatisfactory in its reasoning.	Evaluation of current research and advanced scholarship in the discipline is simple in its reasoning.	Evaluation of current research and advanced scholarship in the discipline is adequate in its reasoning.	Evaluation of current research and advanced scholarship in the discipline is competent in its reasoning.	Evaluation of current research and advanced scholarship in the discipline is sophisticated in its reasoning.	Evaluation of current research and advanced scholarship in the discipline is ambitious and convincing in its reasoning.
Judgements in the absence of incomplete data		Judgments in the absence of incomplete data and/or conclusions are deficient.	Judgments in the absence of incomplete data and/or conclusions are inaccurate.	Judgments in the absence of incomplete data and/or conclusions are confused.	Judgments in the absence of incomplete data and/or conclusions are satisfactory and sufficient to meet the learning outcomes