City and Guilds 7303
Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector
Guidelines for writing assignment tasks at Level 4
General guidance about Level 4 writing for the C&G 7303
Writing at level 4 is not just about adding a few quotes by someone else. It is about researching
topics and using recognised sources to supplement what you are saying. For example, the
following has been copied from one candidate’s work for the Theory 7 task:
Initial assessment is conducted at the beginning of the course to establish if a learner
has any previous knowledge or experience. ‘At the stage of initial assessment we are
making a judgment about whether a learner can or can’t perform a task; does or does
not know some body of factual knowledge’. (Wallace 2007:166)
These two sentences, one in the candidate’s words and one in Wallace’s words are saying
basically the same thing. The writing could have been improved by combining them together
without a direct quote and expanding with personal reflection:
Wallace (2007) agrees that there should be an initial assessment stage to judge the
previous knowledge, experience and skills of each learner. To be effective this should
either be before or at the start of the course, depending on the subject area. In my
subject area, it is best to do the initial assessment ……… (you could then include details
of how and when it is done and why)
NOTE: In both examples the author’s name is shown as last name only (no initials or
first name). The year of the publication is in brackets after the name and, where a direct
quote has been included, the page number is added after the publication date).
Read this example taken from a candidate’s Level 4 Theory 4 submission:
Another way to make ground rules would be to allow the students themselves to establish them.
These could be based on good and bad previous experiences of teamwork and could work well as
they are much more likely to own rules to which they have contributed. Also, being more aware of
their own weaknesses will help them to make specific rules relevant to their group. For instance, a
particularly lively and vocal group may decide on a rule allowing individuals to speak for so long
without interruption.
It discusses the importance of negotiated ground rules and includes some analytical content. However, it is
not Level 4 writing as there is no reference to support the comments.
Look at the revised example below:
Minton (2003:194) states that the teacher’s first job should be agreeing with the class ‘goals, roles,
rules of behaviour and responsibilities’ and this agreement could be achieved by encouraging the
students themselves to establish ground rules. Petty (1998:86) agrees that it is ‘sometimes worth
negotiating rules and regimes with students’ . These negotiated rules could be based on good and
bad previous experiences of teamwork and should work well as learners are much more likely to
own rules which they have contributed to. Also, being more aware of their own weaknesses will
help learners make specific rules relevant to their group. For instance, a particularly lively and
vocal group may decide on a rule allowing individuals to speak for a set time without interruption.
The author’s own ideas are now substantiated by reference to recognised sources.
Some general points to consider:
Try to avoid using bullet points especially when they are simply a list copied from a book. It is acceptable
to use them in a limited capacity if the majority of the assignment is in grammatically correct sentences
and you have expanded each point with personal analytical comment.
Websites can be useful for research but should be used with caution. For example, Wikipedia contains
many well-referenced articles but also includes dubious material with little supporting evidence. You should
only quote from Wikipedia, or similar sites, if you have satisfied yourself that the article is reputable, wellresearched and suitably referenced.
Do not make generalised unsubstantiated statements e.g. “All learners like doing practical tasks”. A
better example could be: “Most learners appear to prefer practical tasks. Petty (1998:170) concludes
that supervised practice develops skills, encourages learners to work harder and makes learning
more enjoyable”.
As long as your references are clearly identified within the text, it is acceptable (for this qualification) to
include combined reference (the material you have quoted or referred to within your assignment) and
bibliography (the reference material you have reviewed) sections under the heading of Bibliography.
Specific guidance notes for the written tasks:
You may use the following outline structures if you find them helpful, although you
should feel free to do the assignments in any way that matches the requirements
detailed in the assessment criteria if you prefer.
Theory 1
Paragraph 1: Introduce your written piece of work by describing the different stages of the
teaching cycle. You may be able to include a reference here.
Paragraphs 2,3,4,5 and 6: For each stage of the teaching cycle describe your role and your
responsibilities towards your learners and discuss why these are relevant/important. Also, for
each stage, include at least one boundary, which may impact on your role. These combined
paragraphs should contain at least two references, which relate to or back up what you are
saying.
Paragraph 7: Conclude your work by summing up what you have said in the previous
paragraphs.
References and bibliography: Use a combined reference list and bibliography to detail all the
books, journals, websites etc that are mentioned in your written work.
Theory 2
Paragraph 1: Introduce your written work by explaining what legislative requirements and codes of
practice are and why these are important for teachers/trainers. You may want to include a reference.
Paragraph 2 onwards: Discuss some of the legislative requirements that impact on your teaching role.
You may find it easier to discuss these under specific groupings such as ‘keeping the learner safe’,
‘promoting professionalism’ etc.
Make sure you mention generic requirements, which are relevant to all teacher/trainers: e.g. equality,
health and safety, data protection, copyright etc. If you refer to any legislation by name, make sure you
have the title and date of the Act correct.
If you need to be aware of any legislative requirements or codes of practice, specific to your teaching
specialism, e.g. Every Child Matters (for under 19s), professional Codes of Practice etc. these should
also be included.
For each of the legislative requirements/codes of practice you should discuss the main impact on your
teaching and why they are important.
Include at least 2 references, which are relevant to the point you are making or which back up your own
point of view.
Final Paragraph: Conclude your work by summing up what you have said in the paragraphs above.
References and bibliography: Use a combined reference list and bibliography to detail all the books,
journals, websites etc that are mentioned in your written work.
Theory 3
Paragraph 1: Introduce your work by defining what the terms inclusion, equality and diversity mean in
terms of teaching adults. Include a reference.
Paragraph 2 onwards (possibly 3 paragraphs): Discuss the different strategies you could use to
promote inclusion in your sessions and explain the ways that these strategies ensure equality of
opportunity and respect the diverse mix of learners. You should mention differentiation strategies
somewhere in these paragraphs and demonstrate that you understand how to differentiate within your
subject area. Include at least two references in these paragraphs.
Next paragraph (possibly paragraph 5): Write about how you would support the potential needs of
learners if these were outside of your expertise or professional responsibility. Be aware that learner needs
may be more than those linked to their learning ability – learners may have emotional or social needs. You
should also review when it is appropriate to refer to internal or external support.
Final paragraph: Include a summary paragraph to review what you have written.
References and bibliography: Use a combined reference list and bibliography to detail all the books,
journals, websites etc that are mentioned in your written work.
Theory 4
Paragraph 1: Write an introductory paragraph explaining what ground rules are and why they are
important for teachers of adults. You should be able to include a reference relating to the relevance of
ground rules.
Paragraph 2 onwards (possibly 3 paragraphs): Discuss the different ways (strategies  negotiated,
teacher led, learner led - and methods  the activities used) of establishing ground rules and when/why
these are relevant. It would be a good idea to compare the strategies and include advantages and
disadvantages of these.
Describe and justify a method that you think would be appropriate for your own learner group taking into
account the subject specialism and possible learner ability level. Include at least one reference in these
paragraphs
Final paragraph: Sum up what you have written in a concluding paragraph
References and bibliography: Use a combined reference list and bibliography to detail all the books,
journals, websites etc that are mentioned in your written work.
Theory 5
Paragraph 1: Write an introductory paragraph briefly explaining what functional skills are and why they
are considered to be important. You should include at least one quote or reference – possibly from one
of these websites: http://www.qcda.gov.uk/ or http://www.excellencegateway.org.uk/
Paragraphs 2 – 4: Discuss the functional skills that your learners will need for your subject area and
review different ways that you could embed functional skills into your sessions. Use a paragraph to
discuss each functional skill (although it may not be easy to embed all the skills within some subjects).
If you need ideas, it would be a good idea to have a look at some of the material at this website link:
http://www.excellencegateway.org.uk/page.aspx?o=functionalskills#development .
Paragraph 5: Sum up what you have written in a concluding paragraph
References and bibliography: Use a combined reference list and bibliography to detail all the books,
journals, websites etc that are mentioned in your written work.
NOTE: Functional skills are not the same as Skills for Life and you are not expected to teach
functional skills as a separate subject. You should be looking for, or planning, activities and
resources where relevant functional skills can be embedded within your teaching.
Theory 6
Paragraph 1: Introduce the topic by discussing the range of records that you would be required
to keep in your teaching practice. There are several ways you could classify records – so choose
the one you think is most relevant to you.
Examples could be either:
institutional, teaching, learning or
related to the teaching cycle
Paragraph 2 onwards (possibly 3 paragraphs): Discuss the records kept within each of your
classifications and make evaluative statements about why these records are necessary. For
instance, it is not enough to say the class register is important because it records which students
have attended; you need to expand this to say why it might be necessary to know which
students have attended. Try to include at least two references in these paragraphs
Final paragraph: Conclude your writing by summing up what you have said which includes a
final justification for keeping records
References and bibliography: Use a combined reference list and bibliography to detail all the
books, journals, websites etc that are mentioned in your written work.
Theory 7
Paragraph 1: Describe broadly what assessment is and very briefly outline the different methods that
could be used (across all specialisms). Assessment methods are the activities/tasks used to check the
knowledge, skills and abilities of the learners. Include a reference in this paragraph.
Paragraph 2 - 4: For each type of assessment (including initial assessment) discuss some of the
methods you would use in your subject area and justify why these are appropriate and necessary. You
should also briefly compare and contrast assessment methods that would be appropriate for other subject
areas. Include at least 2 more references.
Paragraph 5: For each type of assessment, describe the records you need to keep and give reasons why
it is necessary to keep these records (include details of any organisational or awarding body
requirements).
Paragraph 6: Write a concluding paragraph to sum up your review of assessment and assessment
records
References and bibliography: Use a combined reference list and bibliography to detail all the books,
journals, websites etc that are mentioned in your written work.
Practical 4
Paragraph 1: Introduce your written work by stating that you are reviewing the effectiveness of your
microteach on ? (subject area). Also state that your evaluation is based on your personal reflection
and the views of the observer and your peers.
Paragraphs 2- 5: Discuss the effectiveness of the microteach – what went well, what could have
been improved, changes you would make next time. In these paragraphs you can reflect on all or
some of the following:
Clarity of objectives
Timings
Choice of teaching methods
Choice of resources
Choice of assessment method
Feedback strategies
Try to include at least one reference to support your evaluative comments.
Paragraph 6: For this part of the task you should evaluate how effective your session was in meeting
the needs of individual learners. This means how well you differentiated to take account of students’
preferred learning styles, any special needs etc. You could also include how you would or could
differentiate for any specific needs in another delivery session (for example if a later group included a
blind or deaf learner or someone with poor reading skills). You could include another reference about
ways learners’ needs can be supported.
Final paragraph: Summarise your conclusions about the effectiveness of the session and anything
you have learnt about your personal skills
References and bibliography: Use a combined reference list and bibliography to detail all the
books, journals, websites etc that are mentioned in your written work
Practical 5
Paragraph 1: Introduce your written work by explaining what feedback is and why it is important. Include a
reference.
Paragraphs 2-4: Write about different feedback methods and evaluate the effectiveness of each method.
You could include examples of where each method would be appropriate and discuss whether they are
methods you would use in your own subject area. Include at least one appropriate reference
Paragraph 5: Discuss the feedback methods you used in the delivery of your microteach and the feedback
methods used to evaluate the sessions afterwards. Were these effective? Why?
Paragraph 6: Conclude your writing by summing up your views about feedback
References and bibliography: Use a combined reference list and bibliography to detail all the books,
journals, websites etc that are mentioned in your written work