Sociology of Interpersonal Abuse

Assessment guide for Term 2

CONTENT: OBVIOUSLY, THIS ASSESSMENT GUIDE IS ABOUT THE ASSESSMENT FOR TERM 2 OF THIS MODULE; BE AWARE THAT IT CONTAINS SOME EXAMPLES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE (IN THIS BLUE COLOUR, SO YOU CAN SEE THEM EASILY), AND A RANGE OF SUGGESTED REPORT QUESTIONS, SOME OF WHICH MAY NOT FEEL RIGHT FOR SOME PEOPLE (ALSO MARKED IN BLUE.)

PLEASE ENSURE YOU READ THIS DOCUMENT IN FULL BEFORE COMMENCING YOUR REPORTS FOR TERM 2; GO BACK AND REVIEW YOUR FEEDBACK FOR TERM 1, TOO – EVEN IF YOU GOT A HIGH MARK, YOU CAN STILL IMPROVE.

*DO BE AWARE THAT TERM 1 WAS AN ESSAY AND TERM 2 IS A REPORT – ALBEIT A ‘LIGHT TOUCH’ STYLE OF REPORT APPROPRIATE TO THE FOCUS OF THIS MODULE – AND THAT AS SUCH THERE WILL BE SOME DIFFERENCES IN EXPECTATIONS THIS TERM, IN TERMS OF CONTENT AND STYLE. MORE DETAILS ARE GIVEN BELOW, BUT ESSENTIALLY THEY CAN BE ENCAPSULATED AS:

  1. FRAME YOUR WORK AS AN INVESTIGATION OF A TOPIC AREA.
  2. STYLE – USE HEADINGS AND SUBHEADINGS IN YOUR WORK (DIAGRAMS, TABLES, ILLUSTRATIONS AND FIGURES IF APPROPRIATE).
  3. CONTENT – MAKE PRACTICAL RECOMMENDATIONS BASED ON YOUR WORK.

2,000 words (+/- 10%, so no more than 2,200 words; please put the word count at the end of your report; the word count does not include the reference list – no bibliography [i.e. list of works read but not referenced] is required).

See NOW news items for the deadline date – please put it in your diary.

Submit to the NOW drop-box only (no paper submissions). You can resubmit any time you like up until the deadline – I will read only the final submission before the deadline.

If you need extra time via an NEC, please submit an NEC online or contact your NEC co-ordinator if you need some advice first

PROMPT Feedback will be available via NOW (3-week turnaround)

The module is internally moderated (i.e. a sample is read by another member of staff); and a sample is sent to the External Examiner for Sociology.

Learning outcomes: In the assessments for this module you are expected to:

Knowledge and understanding:

1/Engage knowledgeably in debates relevant to the analysis of the dynamics of interpersonal abuse in contemporary society – using appropriate perspectives, concepts and theories.

2/Engage knowledgeably in debates relevant to disrupting the taken-for-granted nature of interpersonal abuse.

3/Critically evaluate how social and cultural forces, contexts and processes impact upon oppression and resistance in a range of settings.

4/Critically review, consolidate and extend coherent bodies of knowledge relating to the complex issue of interpersonal abuse.

Skills, qualities and attributes:

1/Evaluate critically and synthesise information and evidence from diverse sources – both academic and activist – using IT tools.

2/Apply diagnostic, analytical and creative skills and judgement, in order to make and present reasoned arguments about highly sensitive issues.

3/Communicate effectively in writing.

4/Accept responsibility in determining and achieving contributions to understanding of interpersonal abuse.

Based on these learning outcomes the assessment criteria for Term 2/3, against which your work will be assessed, are as follows:

1/Read widely in a selected field of domestic violence and use this reading in your work

2/Write a critical analysis of a selected aspect of domestic violence

3/ Write a contextual analysis of your selected aspect of domestic violence

4/Challenge the taken-for-granted nature of domestic violence – including writing a recommendations section

5/Write effectively – including using headings and subheadings effectively (diagrams, figures, illustrations and tables as appropriate)

6/Demonstrate recognition of the sensitivity of domestic violence.

How might you demonstrate your abilities in each of these regards?

1/Read widely in a selected field of domestic violence and use this reading in your work – Make sure each point you make is fully supported (so, have a citation after it; one citation at the end of a long paragraph is not enough; each point needs supporting), and with relevant literature (avoid random internet items, the Daily Mail [unless you are writing a critique of the Daily Mail], Wikipedia, obscure journals from the US in the 1970s [unless the report is about the US in the 1970s]). Avoid overuse of the same book/article throughout. Read widely – start with the reading guide and the online reading list and then explore other materials (perhaps items from a key reading’s reference list or by reading work by a particular author). Choose key quotes from your material, or paraphrase key points (the latter will help if you’re overshooting the word count). Polish and edit your work to make space for a range of arguments (the ‘but I didn’t have space to talk about x’ argument doesn’t work; you can polish and edit down your work and cover what you need to cover. If you’re finding you can’t do what you need to do in the words allowed, maybe your question needs some refinement; I’m happy to talk with you about this). The more you read the more material you have to explore and consider. This is a final year module which might lead you to considering postgraduate work in any of the fields it covers, so it is an ideal opportunity to try for the best grade possible. If you want my suggestion, I’d say at least 30 separate items would be a good start. If you didn’t get the mark you hoped for in term 1, part of an answer is likely to be reading much more for term 2. I have suggested to people who want to do better, that they look at what they read for a piece they didn’t get the mark they hoped for on, and then double that reading for their next assignment. I can’t stress enough how important it is to read widely and relevantly, particularly when you are working towards your final degree classification.

2/Write a critical analysis of a selected aspect of domestic violence – Descriptive work – that says who said what and takes good quotes from it rarely gets more than a 2.2. You need to be analytical. Maybe start by looking at something you really disagree with or really agree with. Read round that issue more widely, find out what others think, see if you agree/disagree with them, and see if their work can help you develop a different argument. Developing your own opinion, supported by literature, is a way to a good mark. Sometimes people think they need to have an opinion and then find other people who think the same – you might find people who think the same, certainly, but that takes the fun out of researching in your field and thinking through the arguments you’re finding. It will also be quite tedious to do, something of a hit or miss activity. Instead, see the development of the argument as something that evolves as you read more. If you’re looking for first class marks, you need to be offering not just great reading and analysis, but something a bit different – an approach, an argument, a choice of authors for instance – that leads you to be offering something extra. Look through published work and identify what it is that the authors did that feels different – how did they explain what they did so that it really conveyed how important it was for their work to be published? Sometimes people want to write reports about areas on which not much has been published and this can form part of your argument for writing in this area, but it isn’t a reason for not including much literature – so, if, for instance, you want to write about how police officers may be abusive towards their partners, but there is not much literature about that specific area, your job is to really interrogate the nature of being in the police service, to really read round material on that topic, so you can contextualize what you do know about abusive police officers with material explaining what it is like to be in the police.

3/ Write a contextual analysis of your selected aspect of domestic violence – Nothing happens in a vacuum. For example, if you are writing about domestic violence in connection with sexuality, be clear throughout your report that there is a context for how gay men, for instance, feel they can respond when they encounter domestic violence and that context is homophobic society, how homophobic society is structured to make many gay men fear the repercussions of being ‘outed’ and how this plays into the hands of an abuser who wants their partner to keep quiet. Never give the impression that domestic violence is separate from the rest of society – it is caused by it, it happens in it, and it is responded to (or more often not responded to) in that context. Responding to this learning outcome may take you beyond material on domestic violence (here, for instance, you’d be writing about sexuality and homophobia), so make sure you make sound links between further material and the main purpose of your report (which is to be writing about domestic violence). Keep the question in mind at all times. Put it on a post-it note above your desk if that might help.

4/Challenge the taken-for-granted nature of domestic violence – including writing a ‘recommendations’ section. The current situation (seen through reports such as the HMIC report on how the police respond to domestic violence) is how it is now; and there certainly is cause for a lot of pessimism, but working in this field is about saying that it can be different, it doesn’t need to be like that. #MeToo draws upon domestic violence, as sexual violence can be part of domestic violence. Studying domestic violence in a module is one way of being political. You had at least one other choice of module, but you chose this. Take the opportunity to talk about how things might be different, and make that explicit in your work. You might want to talk about the efforts of a particular organization or person to make a difference, or how developments in relation to coercive control have been helpful. Really embed the idea that you’re angry about how things are and that change is possible, into the report.

*A report is not the same as an essay: you are required to add a recommendations section at the end (you might want to say how your work might influence the work of an organization like Women’s Aid, the government, domestic violence perpetrators, those encountering domestic violence…). This section is envisaged at around 200 words (it may be more or less, there is no set word count for this section of your work but it should not detract from the main focus of the work – which is your own choice of question – and you are not required to provide a word count for this section).

5/Write effectively – including using headings and subheadings effectively (diagrams, figures, illustrations and tables as appropriate)

This piece of work – unlike term 1’s essay – is a report.

*A report is not the same as an essay: it is a requirement that you break up your work with headings and subheadings (which can be descriptive and straightforward or more creative and intriguing, or a mixture of both, it is up to you to see what will work for you in this piece of work). If it works for your piece of work, you may choose to use diagrams, tables, illustrations and figures, but there is no requirement that you use diagrams, tables, illustrations and figures if it does not fit with what you are doing.

Give yourself plenty of time to polish and edit your work to make it the best standard you can. Look back at feedback you’ve had before and act on it. Ask for advice – I will look at an introduction for you.

Having mentioned the introduction, I will say very clearly here again that pieces of work that come without an introduction never achieve the marks their writers hoped for. If you fell into the ‘no introduction’ trap last time, take the opportunity to improve matters this time.

Please be aware that an introduction is NOT just a few random points about your topic, tacked on when you’ve finished. Here’s an example of how this looks (I’m making it sound worse than it is, but this is the gist of what’s usually offered by people who do introductions like this, getting them wrong):

“There’s a lot of domestic violence about, it’s existed for a long time, I define domestic violence like this (usually with an online dictionary), and this paper hopes to analyse domestic violence and come to a conclusion about why it happens”.

Please be fully aware that that’s WRONG.

An introduction is a substantial first paragraph that is very explicit about what’s going to be in the report and why, and what the argument is going to be. It explains why the report is in the order it is in – it creates a logical flow of the report right from the start. It works as a signpost for the reader, explaining what is coming next. If you don’t provide it, then markers don’t know what the report is for. You need to be making this clear to achieve to your best standard.

If you write your introduction and feel you haven’t demonstrated a logical flow through your report, there’s something wrong. It might be that a particular paragraph is in the wrong place and once you’ve moved it and made the new order clear in the introduction everything will be better. Don’t write your introduction once, before starting, or add it at the end and then hope for the best. The introduction needs continual revision throughout the writing period, as does the rest of the report, because your ideas will develop as you are writing and you need to reflect that in your signposting.

6/Demonstrate recognition of the sensitivity of domestic violence – Reports that come up with arguments that ‘it’s worse for [insert a ‘group’ here, such as men/women/transgender/gay men/lesbians etc]’ (how can we ever know who it is ‘worst’ for? What does it mean for other ‘groups’ (and why are people in ‘groups’ anyway) if we make that argument?), that ‘some people bring it on themselves’ (they don’t, domestic violence is caused by perpetrators making a choice to be violent to a person) or which use terminology that is insensitive, such as relentlessly and for no specified reason always using the term ‘victims’ when ‘survivors’ makes more sense in the argument you’re making, or ‘victim-survivors’ seems more appropriate, will not fulfil this requirement. You may think you won’t do this, but sometimes people do get very passionate about an area, and they want to show how unfair it is that some people don’t get the resources they might have, and they fall into a comparison that ends up stating something like ‘these people don’t get help because these people are getting it’ (usually, with relation to domestic violence something about men and refuge spaces that implies that refuge spaces are in unlimited supply for women). You will know by the time you’re engaging fully in the module that no-one gets what they need in this area; that comparisons are actually futile; what matters is to explore the different dynamics for different people, not to compare different people and find one ‘group’ higher in a hierarchy than another. Hierarchies don’t work in this field. Overall, think carefully about the implications of your writing. At dissertation level, people often claim that because they’re doing theoretical work, ‘ethics aren’t involved’, but actually ethics are involved everywhere. Work in a field like this is activism, even if you’re not going out and immediately campaigning on a topic. You’re writing about real people, and real experiences that happen every day, that can have immense impacts, and you need to be thinking about this all the time you are writing, asking yourself, how sensitive am I being? Am I writing about this as if it is a less emotive topic? What can I do differently? Sometimes this can be as simple as checking your use of ‘them’ of ‘these men’ (‘mothering’ language) – it’s much more appropriate to simply say ‘men’ or ‘men who have experienced…’ (for example).

Writing your report to meet the assessment criteria

For this term, you again choose your own question to investigate, in line with your own developing interests in this field, and possibly your career intentions. Here are some titles people used last year and some other suggestions. They are not meant to constrain you. (As the style of the assessment is now a report rather than an essay, framing your question in terms of ‘investigating’ a topic is appropriate [although it does not mean carrying out research with research participants]).

 

  1. ‘Why doesn’t she just leave?’ An investigation of people’s responses to women who encounter DV.
  2. ‘It’s worse for…’: Why do people consistently believe that there is a hierarchy of DV victims? An investigation of inappropriate hierarchies.
  3. Is DV by men the product of society’s definitions of masculinity? An investigation of masculinity and violence.
  4. If DV is about patriarchy, how can we account for LGBT experiences? An investigation going beyond patriarchy.
  5. How are LGBT victims of DV silenced? An investigation.
  6. Why do we hear so little of disabled people’s DV experiences? An investigation.
  7. How is ‘race’ implicated in DV experiences? An investigation.
  8. ‘Rubbish work’: An investigation of the failure of police responses to DV.
  9. An analysis of a book, film, TV or radio programme, (perhaps one not normally seen as being ‘about’ DV, or one that is). Investigating what popular culture is saying about DV.
  10. Surviving domestic violence in contemporary UK society: a tall order? An investigation of society’s lack of empathy.
  11. An investigation of how the diagnosis of BPD (or PTSD) oppresses survivors of DV.
  12. DV, the military and PTSD: an investigation.
  13. An investigation of prevention work in schools.
  14. Can perpetrators change? An investigation of perpetrator programmes
  15. An investigation of the work of Women’s Aid (or another organisation).

You may choose to focus on a topic we have covered in class. There is also a separate module topic and reading guide which includes even more areas that you may find interesting to explore for your reports.

There are three ways I would propose you can write your report.

To fulfil the style of this term’s piece of work – a report rather than an essay – all ways of writing require you to save around 200 words at the end (it may be more or less, there is no set word count for this section of your work but it should not detract from the main focus of the work – which is your own choice of question – and you are not required to provide a word count for this section) to explicitly make some recommendations based on what you have written (the recommendations might be directed at an organization like Women’s Aid, or the government, or domestic violence perpetrators, or those encountering domestic violence…).  (To make this doubly clear, this piece of text is replicated with all the options below.)

1 – The first is 2,000 words (+/- 10%), structured as a response to a particular question, as you often do for modules. To fulfil the style of this term’s piece of work – a report rather than an essay – save around 200 words at the end (it may be more or less, there is no set word count for this section of your work, but it should not detract from the main focus of the work – which is your own choice of question –  and you are not required to provide a word count for it) to explicitly make some recommendations based on what you have written (the recommendations might be directed at an organization like Women’s Aid, or the government, or domestic violence perpetrators, or those encountering domestic violence…). (A report is more practical in nature than essays tend to be, hence the need for this end point.)

2- The second is as a more creative piece – in this instance you can split the report in half, or arrange it in a way that suits what you want to do. The first half (or however you arrange it) would be a creative piece, without references (maybe a piece of flash fiction, or a poem, or the dialogue for a play or TV programme) or a piece written specifically for a particular publication (like the Guardian or Independent), with some references, but not as many as for an essay. The second half of the piece (or however you have arranged it) would then be a justification for what you have written more creatively/journalistically, with academic references. An example – if you write a dialogue for a play which offers a scenario in which all children see domestic violence as always wrong, your justification section would explain current teaching in school and current views children have. If you chose this approach for term 1, reflect on how it worked for you – sometimes it is exactly how people write best, sometimes it doesn’t quite work for you. Think carefully about the approach you’re taking. To fulfil the style of this term’s piece of work – a report rather than an essay – save around 200 words at the end (it may be more or less, there is no set word count for this section of your work, but it should not detract from the main focus of the work – which is your own choice of question – and you are not required to provide a word count for it) to explicitly make some recommendations based on what you have written (the recommendations might be directed at an organization like Women’s Aid, or the government, or domestic violence perpetrators, or those encountering domestic violence…). (A report is more practical in nature than essays tend to be, hence the need for this end point.)

3 – The third is an extended book review. It might be of 1 or more books on the subject, with an argument that takes in the assessment criteria. The book or books would need to be focused on a specific area. As with term 1, there need to be other references in this piece. You might imagine a conversation as your review. To fulfil the style of this term’s piece of work – a report rather than an essay – save around 200 words at the end (it may be more or less, there is no set word count for this section of your work, and you are not required to provide a word count for it) to explicitly make some recommendations based on what you have written (the recommendations might be directed at an organization like Women’s Aid, or the government, or domestic violence perpetrators, or those encountering domestic violence…). (A report is more practical in nature than essays tend to be, hence the need for this end point.)

If you have an idea for an alternative way of approaching the report, please contact me. I will be pleased to discuss your ideas with you.

Please note that because of ethical considerations, a route NOT open is to conduct ANY fieldwork, e.g. an interview. 

People have written about their own personal experiences; if you’re thinking about this, please do consider the potential personal impact of doing so, and make sure you feel ready to do so, and have sufficient support in place to do so. I am here to talk to anyone who wishes to think about this approach, if it feels right for you to come and talk to me. I have taken this approach in a number of my own writings.

Grade based assessment: these are the descriptors for year 3 work. They have been used to make the document below, which will be used to score your work.

General grading descriptors – Level 6 NQF (Level 3 NTU)

Class Scale General Characteristics
FIRST

(Excellent)

 Exceptional 1st Exceptional breadth and depth of knowledge and understanding of the area of study; evidence of extensive and appropriate selection and critical evaluation/synthesis/analysis and of reading/research beyond the prescribed range, in both breadth and depth, to advance work/direct arguments; exceptional demonstration of relevant skills; excellent communication; performance deemed to be beyond expectation. Work may achieve or be close to publishable or commercial standard.
High 1st Excellent knowledge and understanding of the area of study as the student is typically able to go beyond what has been taught (particularly for a mid/high 1st); evidence of extensive and appropriate selection and critical evaluation/synthesis/analysis of reading/research beyond the prescribed range, to advance work/direct arguments; excellent demonstration of relevant skills; excellent communication; performance deemed beyond expectation of the level.
Mid 1st
Low 1st
UPPER SECOND

(Very good)

 

 High 2.1 Very good knowledge and understanding of the area of study as the student is typically able to relate facts/concepts together with some ability to apply to known/taught contexts; evidence of appropriate selection and critical evaluation of reading/research, some beyond the prescribed range, may rely on set sources to advance work/direct arguments; demonstrates autonomy in approach to learning; very good demonstration of relevant skills; strong communication skills.
Mid 2.1
Low 2.1
LOWER SECOND

(Good)

 High 2.2 Good knowledge and understanding of the area of study balanced towards the descriptive rather than critical or analytical; evidence of appropriate selection and evaluation of reading/research, some may be beyond the prescribed range, but generally reliant on set sources to advance work/direct arguments; good demonstration of relevant skills, though may be limited in range; communication shows clarity but structure may not always be coherent.
Mid 2.2
Low 2.2
THIRD

(Sufficient)

 High 3rd Knowledge and understanding is sufficient to deal with terminology, basic facts and concepts but fails to make meaningful synthesis; some ability to select and evaluate reading/research however work may be more generally descriptive; general reliance on set sources to advance work; arguments may be weak or poorly constructed; adequate demonstration of relevant skills over a limited range; communication/presentation is generally competent but with some weaknesses.
Mid 3rd
Low 3rd
FAIL

(Insufficient)

 Marginal Fail Insufficient knowledge and understanding of the area of study; some ability to select and evaluate reading/research however work is more generally descriptive; fails to address some aspects of the brief; uses set sources to advance work; arguments may be weak/poor or weakly/poorly constructed; demonstration of relevant skills over a reduced range; communication shows limited clarity, poor presentation, structure may not be coherent.
Mid Fail Highly insufficient knowledge or understanding of the area of study; understanding is typically at the word level with facts being reproduced in a disjointed or decontextualized manner; fails to address the outcomes addressed by the brief; typically ignores important sources in development of work and data/evidence inappropriately used; weak technical and practical competence hampers ability to demonstrate/communicate achievement of outcomes.
Low Fail
ZERO Zero Work of no merit OR absent, work not submitted, penalty in some misconduct cases.

 

Grade based assessment for this module:

When you receive your report back, it will have annotations on the text and the form below, in which where you have scored on each of the assessment criteria will be highlighted.

1/Read widely in a selected field of domestic violence and use this reading in your work

Exceptional first – Exceptionally wide reading evidenced; points always fully supported with pertinent literature (academic and/or activist); exceptional skills in selecting material which develops arguments; work publishable or close to publishable in this regard;

First – Excellent reading evidenced; points always fully supported with pertinent literature (academic and/or activist); excellent skills in selecting material which develops arguments; work beyond the prescribed range in this regard;

2.1 – Very good reading evidenced; points usually fully supported with pertinent literature (academic and/or activist); very good skills in selecting material which develops arguments;

2.2 – Good reading evidenced; points usually supported with pertinent literature (academic and/or activist), with some areas where more literature was needed; usually good skills in selecting material which develops arguments;

3rd – Sufficient reading evidenced; points needed more support from pertinent literature (academic and/or activist); sufficient skills in selecting some material which develops arguments;

Marginal Fail – Insufficient reading evidenced; points not supported with pertinent literature (academic and/or activist) or, in some cases, any literature; insufficient skills in selecting material which develops arguments or in some cases, no literature used;

Fail – Highly insufficient reading evidenced; points not supported with pertinent literature (academic and/or activist) or, in some cases, any literature; highly insufficient skills in selecting material which develops arguments or in some cases, no literature used.

2/Write a critical analysis of a selected aspect of domestic violence

Exceptional first – Exceptional demonstration of critical engagement with the subject chosen; exceptional skills of evaluation/synthesis/analysis evidenced; work publishable or close to publishable in this regard;

First – Excellent demonstration of critical engagement with the subject chosen; excellent skills of evaluation/synthesis/analysis evidenced; work beyond the prescribed range in this regard;

2.1 – Very good demonstration of critical engagement with the subject chosen; very good skills of evaluation/synthesis/analysis evidenced;

2.2 – Good demonstration of critical engagement with the subject chosen; good skills of evaluation/synthesis/analysis evidenced, with some places where the argument needed to be taken further;

3rd – Sufficient demonstration of critical engagement with the subject chosen; sufficient skills of evaluation/synthesis/analysis evidenced, with a number of places where the argument needed to be taken further;

Marginal Fail – Insufficient demonstration of critical engagement with the subject chosen; insufficient skills of evaluation/synthesis/analysis evidenced, numerous places where an argument was needed;

Fail – Highly insufficient demonstration of critical engagement with the subject chosen; highly insufficient skills of evaluation/synthesis/analysis evidenced, very many places where an argument was needed;

3/ Write a contextual analysis of your selected aspect of domestic violence

Exceptional first – Exceptional recognition of the context for the selected aspect of domestic violence; work publishable or close to publishable in this regard;

First – Excellent recognition of the context for the selected aspect of domestic violence; work beyond the prescribed range in this regard;

2.1 – Very good recognition of the context for the selected aspect of domestic violence;

2.2 – Good recognition of the context for the selected aspect of domestic violence;

3rd – Sufficient recognition of the context for the selected aspect of domestic violence;

Marginal Fail – Insufficient recognition of the context for the selected aspect of domestic violence;

Fail – Highly insufficient recognition of the context for the selected aspect of domestic violence;

4/Challenge the taken-for-granted nature of domestic violence – including writing a recommendations section

 

Exceptional first – Exceptional analysis of how the status quo may be challenged; work publishable or close to publishable in this regard; 

First – Excellent analysis of how the status quo may be challenged; work beyond the prescribed range in this regard;

2.1 – Very good analysis of how the status quo may be challenged;

2.2 – Good analysis of how the status quo may be challenged, but which sometimes needed some more depth;

3rd – Sufficient analysis of how the status quo may be challenged, but which needed more depth;

Marginal Fail – Insufficient analysis of how the status quo may be challenged but which needed much more depth; or a status quo which was not challenged;

Fail – Highly insufficient analysis of how the status quo may be challenged but which needed very much more depth; or a status quo that was not challenged;

5/Write effectively – including using headings and subheadings effectively (diagrams, figures, illustrations and tables as appropriate)

Exceptional first – Exceptional writing; very clear; exceptionally edited; within the word count; work publishable or close to publishable in this regard;

First – Excellent writing; very clear; excellently edited; within the word count; work beyond the prescribed range in this regard;

2.1 – Very good writing; very clear; within the word count;

2.2 – Good writing; clear; sometimes needed some more editing and polishing; within the word count;

3rd – Sufficient writing; needed much more editing and polishing to improve clarity; within the word count;

Marginal Fail – Insufficient writing; unclear; or writing that is beyond the word count;

Fail – Highly insufficient writing; unclear; or writing that is also beyond the word count;

6/Demonstrate recognition of the sensitivity of domestic violence

Exceptional first – Exceptional sensitivity shown in the arguments and writing; work publishable or close to publishable in this regard;

First – Excellent sensitivity shown in the arguments and writing; work beyond the prescribed range in this regard; 

2.1 – Very good sensitivity shown in the arguments and the writing;

2.2 – Good sensitivity shown in the arguments and the writing; sometimes with a need for more;

3rd – Sufficient sensitivity shown in the arguments and the writing; a need for more attention in this regard;

Marginal Fail – Insufficient sensitivity shown in the arguments and the writing;

Fail – Highly insufficient sensitivity shown in the arguments and the writing;