Third year unit Law: LAW669: Consumer Protection Law — essay
Developed by Lynden Griggs and Moira Cordiner
The unit was first revised to improve alignment throughout. The design of the task was not altered as it allows students to choose an area of interest, and it has
proved to be suitably challenging one.
Synopsis of the task and its context
Students individually write an essay of 3-4000 words (exclusive of footnotes) and weighted 45% of assessment. For the essay, they choose, e.g. a current
consumer recommendation, an issue, policy proposal, legislative amendment, case law perspective etc. Students then apply their knowledge to evaluate the
legal arguments for and against the recommendation by considering the advantages and disadvantages for the client. A comprehensive overview of the
primary and secondary sources relevant to the recommendation is required, with referencing in line with the conventions of legal writing. Graded examples of
previous essays (of different topics) are provided for students to match to the criteria sheet below.
Learning outcomes from the revised unit
Task specific criteria
On completion of this unit you should be able to:
To complete this task, you should:
1. Apply knowledge of the:
 purposes of consumer protection law to the identification of current policy issues
 legislative and case law principles of consumer protection law to problem-based
scenarios
1. Apply knowledge of the:
 purposes of consumer protection law to the identification of current policy
issues specific to the topic
2. Evaluate legal arguments and justify your position with reference to research
2. Justify your position
 research sources
 evaluate legal arguments arising from the selected recommendation (in a
consumer policy report) and
 justify your position (about the recommendation) with reference to research
3. Communicate in the form of legal essays.
3. Communicate in the form of a legal essay.
 structure (introduction and scope, body, conclusion)
 English conventions (grammar, paragraphing, spelling)
 use designated referencing convention
1
Third year unit LAW669: Consumer Protection Law
Criteria and weighting
1. Apply knowledge of the:
 purposes of consumer
protection law to the
identification of current
policy issues specific to
the topic
2. Justify your position
 research sources
 evaluate legal arguments
arising from the selected
recommendation (in a
consumer policy report)
and
 justify your position
(about the
recommendation) with
reference to research
High Distinction (HD)
Assessment Task 2 – essay
Distinction (DN)
Credit (CR)
Weighting 45%
Pass (PP)
In your essay you:
In your essay you:
In your essay you:
 applied specific /precise
knowledge of the purposes
of consumer protection law,
by:
 applied comprehensive
knowledge of the purposes
of consumer protection law,
by:
 applied a basic knowledge of purposes of consumer protection
law by:
 identifying and
comprehensively
specifying all major and
minor current legal policy
issues relevant to the
topic
 identifying all major and
minor current legal policy
issues relevant to the
topic
 identifying all the major and minor current legal policy issues
relevant to the topic
 recognising the provisional
nature of knowledge by
acknowledging the
evolving social context and
possible consequences for
current law.
 recognising the provisional
nature of knowledge by
acknowledging the
evolving social context that
informs the current law.
 researched relevant sources
from the given synopsis, and
independently located
extensive sources relevant to
the topic (including primary,
secondary, empirical and/or
policy reviews) and outside
the mainstream research
literature
 researched relevant sources
from the given synopsis and
independently located some
additional sources (such as
primary and/or secondary
and/or empirical and/or
policy reviews)
 researched relevant sources
from the given synopsis and
some easily located
additional sources (such as
government websites,
interstate legislation,
textbook material)
 used relevant sources from
the given synopsis only,
rather than considering
addition sources
 paraphrased some sources
 convincingly justified your
position by:
 evaluating the strength of
arguments in these
sources by contrasting
them in detail
 convincingly justified, for the
most part, your position by:
 evaluating the strength of
arguments in these
sources by contrasting
them in some detail
 justified your position by:
 justified your position by:
 stated others’ positions OR
made broad generalisations
OR gave a personal opinion
 supporting your position
with reference to the
selected arguments and
the contemporary context
 supporting your position
with reference to the
selected arguments
In your essay you:
Fail (NN)
 evaluating the strength of
arguments in these
sources by contrasting
them
 correctly stating the law
related to the topic
 supporting your position
with reference to the
selected arguments
relating to the given
synopsis
 supporting your position
with reference to
established arguments
You:
 applied a partially developed
knowledge of purposes of
consumer protection law by:
 identifying an obvious
major current legal policy
issue relevant to the topic
OR
 mentioning irrelevant
issues
2
Third year unit LAW669: Consumer Protection Law
Criteria and weighting
3. Communicate in the form
of legal essays.
 Structure (introduction
and scope, body,
conclusion)
 English conventions
(grammar, paragraphing,
spelling)
 Use designated
referencing convention
High Distinction (HD)
Assessment Task 2 – essay
Distinction (DN)
Credit (CR)
Weighting 45%
Pass (PP)
Fail (NN)
In your essay you:
In your essay you:
In your essay you:
In your essay you:
You:
 communicated in a manner
equivalent to a peerreviewed publication, by:
 communicated by:
 communicated by:
 communicated by:
 partially communicated by:
 strictly adhering to the
structure of a legal essay
 strictly adhering to the
structure of a legal essay
 adhering to English conventions to clearly and concisely
express ideas, and logically sequence them
 using referencing to
explore and provide
additional or analogous
ideas for the reader, while
strictly adhering to the
designated referencing
convention
 generally adhering to the structure of a legal essay
 using some parts of the
structure of a legal essay
(such as introduction or
scoping of essay, body of
essay or conclusion ) OR
 adhering to English
conventions to clearly
express ideas and logically
sequence most of them
 mostly following English
conventions to express
ideas and sequence some
of them
 outlining your ideas, the
meaning of which was
affected by lapses in the
English conventions of
spelling, grammar and
paragraphing OR
 following the designated
referencing system with
some minor errors
 citing some sources using
own system of referencing
 strictly adhering to the designated referencing convention
Comments:
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