Page 1 of 3
Assessment 2: Critical Reading (AMU1326)
Guidelines and FAQs
A. Assessment Details
Purpose: This assessment requires you to write a report based on your critical reading of an
assigned chapter or journal article, using set questions to guide your reading of the assigned
material. This activity is aimed at helping students develop the skills required to critically analyse
a journal article or book chapter, important skills for the unit and for your course. This
assessment will help you achieve Learning Outcomes 1, 2 and 3.
Due: Friday 27 August, 23:55 (Malaysia time) (Week 5)
Value: 25%
Word count: 700 words (up to 10% extra allowed)
Instructions: The assessment will open on Monday 16 August when the choice of readings for
this assessment will be made known. The assessment deadline is Friday 27 August. You will
choose one reading from the assigned readings (chapters or journal articles) and a reading
template on which you can type your answer directly. This will constitute your critical reading
report to be submitted by the due date. Alternatively, you can copy the headings/sections into a
separate document and complete your report if you do not like typing into boxes. A guided
critical reading template (with questions and prompts) will also be provided. The assigned
material will be drawn from Topics 1 to 4. Week 3 tutorials will discuss this assessment task.
Submission Guidelines: Type your responses on the template, using 11 or 12 point font and 1.5
spacing. You may submit as a Word document or as a pdf document. Your submission will be
automatically put through Turnitin when you submit.
B. Additional Guidelines: Using the Moodle Book
1. Read the Moodle Book on Critical Reading designed to build your critical reading skills
as preparation for Assessment 2. The Book is available on the Assessments Page of the
Moodle site for this unit in the section for Assessment 2. It was also made available in the
Week 2 Post-Class Activities section.
2. The Moodle Book contains the following chapters that can help you prepare for
Assessment 2.
a. Overview of critical reading. This part outlines the general principles and purpose
of the critical reading activity.
b. Guided Critical Reading Template (with prompts and guides). This part outlines
(i) the skills involved in the critical reading activity that are also transferable to
post-university careers; and (ii) information on what you would need to include
under the different parts of the critical reading template.
c. Critical reading sample answer. This will help you see what is required of you for
Assessment 2.
3. The Moodle Book may be downloaded and printed for your convenience. Look for the
“Print” option on the right-hand side Administration block once you are in the Moodle
Book.
Page 2 of 3
C. Assessment 2 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q. What is the format of the critical reading report that I have to submit for Assessment 2?
Answer. The blank critical reading template contains the format for your report. You only
need to use the blank template (which is a Word document) and complete your responses in
the different sections. The blank template is available in the Assessment 2 section of Moodle.
The guided template provided in the Moodle Book contains guidelines on how you should
complete the various sections of the blank template. You should also look at the Marking
Rubric provided separately to note how you will be assessed. Following the template, your
submitted report must contain the following 6 sections:
(i) Scope of article;
(ii) Argument;
(iii) Argument in Focus;
(iv) Literature and sources;
(v) Conclusion;
(vi) Reflection on your learning
Q. Do I need to use the critical reading template for Assessment 2? Am I allowed to submit my report
without using the template as I do not like to type within the boxes provided?
Answer. As far as possible, try and use the blank critical reading template provided for this
assessment. However, it is alright to submit your report without using the template or the
section boxes (eg as a Word document or converted to pdf) but make sure you use the 6
headings from the template (as listed above) to structure your report if you choose not to use
the blank template.
Q. How do I convert a Word document to pdf?
Answer. The easiest way is to print your completed template (in Word) as a pdf document by
selecting “print to pdf” in the Printer dialogue box when you print your word document.
Q. Do I need to strictly follow the suggested word counts for the different sections (indicated on the
guided template)?
Answer. The word counts are a guide to how much content you should provide for the
various sections as part of critical reading. You are free to juggle the word counts so long as
you write a total of at least 700 words (and not more than 770 words). However, look at the
marking rubric (provided separately on Moodle) to gauge the worth of different sections so
that you have an idea of the extent of content required for each section. If you do not stray
too far from the suggested section word counts, and you keep within the 700-770 limit for
the report, you should be alright.
Q. Why does the marking rubric not follow exactly the 6 sections of the template?
Answer. The marking rubric combines related sections of the template for evaluation purposes.
Three interlinked sections of the template (Argument, Argument in Focus and Conclusion) have
been combined into one criterion titled “Argument and Conclusion” in the marking rubric.
Page 3 of 3
The rubric also has a section on “Clarity, cohesion and own voice”. This criterion assesses your
written expression, whether you are able to write clearly and coherently, and using formal
writing (not short forms bullet points etc), whether the word limits are adhered to, and
importantly, whether you use your own voice in writing.
Q. What does “Use your own voice in writing” mean?
Answer. It means write using your own words, as far as possible, or better still fully in your own
words. In an assessment such as critical reading, which requires you to understand the text as a
whole and then write up its aims, arguments, literature review/sources, conclusion, and your
own reflection, it will not be possible to copy chunks from the text and then try to change a few
words here and there and use that as your answer. For one thing, this can be regarded as poor
writing practice or worse as plagiarism. For another, your responses should come from
understanding the entire article as a whole; taking portions from the article and changing words
here and there will not produce effective answers. The purpose of the task is to show your ability
to critically read the article, not reproduce portions of it. It is to give you time to digest the article
that the assigned articles will be released on 16 August (and not 23 August as originally
scheduled) to give you an extra week before you need to submit your critical reading report.
Q. What will Turnitin measure and is there a maximum allowed similarity index?
Answer. Turnitin is set to measure how similar your work is with already produced texts and
sources online and in the Turnitin depository (which contains student works as well). While it is
fine to discuss the task with other students, you should take care not to duplicate similar writeups in your individual reports. A higher Turnitin similarity index means there are more
passages/sentences/phrases that are identical or similar to existing texts, indicating intentional
or unintentional reproduction of these texts as well as collusion with other students.
However, there is no specific similarity percentage that is allowed or acceptable. It all depends on
whether the material detected as similar has been correctly cited and referenced (in the case of
essays and other tasks). For this particular assessment, you are not expected to produce citations
and references since you are not writing an essay but a critical reading report. If you wish to refer
to one of the sources cited in the assigned reading, look at the sample response to see how this
can be done. The whole aim of this exercise is to get you to produce critical reading notes or
summaries of an assigned reading; you should be using your own words as far as possible. If you
have understood the material, you should be able to do this.
Q. Can I discuss this task with someone else from this unit?
Answer. You may discuss this assessment task with your unit mates. But the report that you
submit must be wholly written by you. You and your discussion partner(s) should be careful that
you are not inadvertently submitting work done collectively as your individual reports. Collusion
occurs when more than one student works on the same task that is then submitted separately as
their individual work. Collusion is regarded as academic misconduct. So, discuss the task if you
wish, but working on your own to write your report is the best way to avoid being called up for
collusion.