what is an example of coursework

How to Write a Coursework

Coursework projects do not resemble essays, research papers, or dissertations. They are the combination of all three. Students spend less time writing coursework than on making a term paper, but this type of work requires more time and efforts than an ordinary essay - it is made of several essays. Thanks to our guide, each student can discover how to write coursework. If you are running out of time or lack experience to complete the specific coursework, we recommend using our coursework writing services to hire professional academic writers.

What is Coursework and Why Does It Matter?

Coursework definition: General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) coursework is a typical academic assignment, given in the course of study to evaluate the student’s knowledge, skills, and identify the final grade. Many students face this type of writing in the US colleges. One of the examples is a coursework UTD (The University of Texas at Dallas) - the requirements of this institution are strict, and many students fail to submit their papers and pass the corresponding courses.

Such type of assignment helps to have the ‘detective’ hat on: a student observes, examines, and evaluates the chosen topic using credible, up-to-date, and relevant sources. Working under controlled conditions is important. Participating in every school class will help to prepare good coursework by the end of the term. Take a look at the examples of what students of various profiles may face:

• English Composition - English coursework is an extended essay in most cases. A student has a right to pick the topic. The tutors provide their students with the list of recommended titles to choose from, sources to observe & analyze, and a format (e.g., a comparison between different relevant articles)
• Sciences - coursework for science is a complicated assignment. Such type of work appears in the form of a scientific paper to test what a writer investigates and reports independently.
• Geography - geography coursework is about collecting, reporting, and explaining information to reply to a certain geographical question or offer solutions to the problem. One idea is to explore the usage of a shopping mall or analyze the recent tornado. No matter whether you have to prepare a coursework Columbia or such paper for other educational institutions, keep in mind these differences!

Types of Coursework Explained

English Language coursework is the most common type of this assignment. At advanced GCE level, the student will be expected to write a couple of essays, totaling 3,000 words. Every assignment is 20 marks maximum.

An analytical essay : Evaluate, compare, & contrast 3 different sources of data interconnected by a common theme; written /spoken / multimedia content. Discuss different uses for targeting various audiences. Learn more on our blog.

Original essay with a supportive commentary : A student will have to come up with a single piece of media writing in the observed modes (written, spoken, or multimodal). Add a supporting piece with details about the aspects of English language. English Language & Literature coursework is a bit different. The basic requirements are the same, and the parts are:

An analytical study : Sharing an analysis of the chosen piece and its relation to the related content. It will show how well the writer understands the original piece. Tutors grade such works based on the:

• Use of the proper terminology and the coherence of the written words;
• Understanding & evaluation of the way a structure, form, and language create the written & spoken word;
• Opportunity to observe relationships between various pieces of writing.

Creative writing & commentary : Produce a creative piece that imitates the style of the assessed text. Share comments to backup your understanding. The goal is to show the knowledge, prove the competence, and use appropriate language skills in communicating with the target audience. You will also need a relevant coursework resume (review) in both cases. Keep on reading to learn how to write coursework of A level.

How to Write a Coursework: Guide for Students

Several factors may lead to the coursework being disqualified. It is a serious matter! The risk factors include:

• Plagiarism - it is the worst thing that could happen to any type of academic assignment. Lots of relevant information is available on the world wide web today, and the tutors are strict about the issue of plagiarism. Write everything in your own words! If you decide to insert the quotes from the sources, apply the suggested citation format and develop a list of references. Sign the declaration claiming it is your original project. If you're unsure about how to approach this, seeking professional help by choosing to write my coursework can be a wise decision.
• Word count - do not ignore the specific requirements concerning the length of the coursework. Specify if the footnotes, appendices, & references are included in the word count.
• Topics - go through the list of available themes. If there is an examination planned on the specific topic, try to pick another idea for the coursework.
• Tutor’s assistance - do not ignore the help of your instructor, ask them to provide guidance on what to write. Ask the questions to learn more details, but keep in mind they can go through the 1st draft once and just offer some general recommendations.

Choosing a Topic for Your Project

Dedicate enough time to this extra important question. Select the field of your interest if it is possible to relate it to the course. That is the golden rule of choosing a coursework topic - keep in mind the rest of the hints:

• Analyze the offered list of topics or develop yours
• Pick a topic from the area of your expertise related to the studied subject
• Select the topic you are interested in
• Choose the topic you’ve started to observe in the past
• Check how much relevant, up-to-date information is available on the Internet about each of the topics
• Pick what you can measure, change, & control (they call it a ‘fair test’)
• Use the ideas of previous researchers and students
• Do not choose a topic with a vast scope - you risk struggling to research it correctly

10 Good Coursework Topics

• Non-traditional Forms of Poetry with TC Tolbert
• Documentary Foundations: Usage of Oral Histories with Beth Alvarado
• Traditional Forms of Poetry
• Hermit Crabs: Type of Fiction
• Writing the Autobiographical Poem
• Creative Non-Fiction on the Examples of New Journalists
• Authors without Borders
• Writing the Sticky Stuff
• Socially Engaged Literary Arts
• Common Vocabulary

Research & Data Collection

Research is an integral part of coursework. Have you written research papers before? If yes, you will find it easier to select proper primary & secondary sources and gather the necessary information (evidence to support the main point - thesis). Depending on the required paper format, cite & reference the following sources:

• Books & e-Books

Base the project on a specific hypothesis. The research must start with minimum one hypothesis. The research stage for some topics may consist of visiting websites to collect information. Leave another time for collecting the data as it is the heart of the research. Three methods of data collection are known:

• Direct personal investigation : The one an author does individually (using literature and findings from previous studies);
• Interview/Questionnaire : The researcher should gather the data from the respondents asking questions regarding required data;
• Discussion with community leaders : Community leaders are approached to fetch information for the necessary data.

In case a student works on a scientific experiment, they should pay attention to planning the analysis with the help of rigorous scientific methods (keeping in mind the Health & Safety precautions you take). Review background information and theories. Take notes to express what you expect to occur to compare & contrast it to what happened in real life. In the write-up stage, one has to evaluate and present the findings.

Writing a Coursework Outline

The writing process follows the research. Do not start it without preparing an action plan and scheduling the work - a paper pin for English coursework is based on an extended essay . An outline will look different for the science coursework projects. The goal of creating a plan is to prevent a writer from being disorganized and waffling.

Let us explain coursework outline on the specific example - a project on the global pursuit of lower costs and the role of human rights.

Start with the brief introduction explaining why it might be a topic of interest for many people. Mention those vast corporations like Wal-Mart abuse human rights by choosing and using child labor in the factories.

Provide an overview of the problem . Define human rights and costs. Pick the definitions from the official dictionaries and cite them properly when inserting in the text. Try to explain the terms in your own words.

Develop a body of the coursework , start with the case for & against ethical business practices. Using evidence and examples, list the arguments supporting ethical business practices and another side of the coin. Include a business case for ethical practices after the opening body paragraph.

Move to discussing ethical responsibilities ; explain why business organizations should care about the ethical aspects of their activities. After three sections of the body, one can conclude the paper. It can be a good idea to share a fact or statistics stressing the importance of research problem in the essay conclusion. End up with the reference list that may look this way:

• Klein N (2000) No Logo (Flamingo, London)
• Marcousé I, Gillespie A, Martin B, Surridge M and Wall N (2003) Business Studies 2e (Hodder Arnold, Oxon)
• Royal Dutch Shell (2006) 4th Quarter Financial Report at (site example)

Additional Elements

Supporting materials and pictures are a must! The sciences & geography projects require tables, charts, graphs, and other types of images to illustrate the complicated topic. Not only should you add the pictures - it is essential to interpret and reference each of them. A separate part of the coursework where the student list and explains every visual element is Appendix , and it is an optional part. The presence of appendix increases the chances to earn an A+.

How to Write an Introduction for Coursework?

Most of the students underestimate the role of introduction & conclusion when it comes to writing an essay. An eye-catchy introduction is a key to success. The primary purposes of a coursework introduction are:

• To grab the reader’s attention
• To introduce the topic
• To explain the research importance
• To come up with a compelling thesis statement

The opening paragraph shows the depth of the writer’s acquaintance with the topic. Look at the expert tips below. They will help to learn how to write a coursework introduction to make the tutor want to read your entire paper.

What Is an Introduction?

The introduction of GCSE coursework is the opening paragraph that aims to interpret the central questions and purposes of the entire paper. It should have several elements to be effective. Those are:

• A hook sentence
• Background information
• Problem significance
• Solid thesis statement

Advice from our Experienced Writer

How to write an introduction to coursework? The quality of this part predetermines paper’s success. Look at some common mistakes writers do while working on the coursework introduction - try to prevent them!

Ignoring the prompt. Many students tend to neglect the tutor’s instructions. It is critical to read the prompt several times, highlight the main points, research question, rules, and grading rubric details.

Missing a plan. The prompt does not always say to develop a coursework outline. Without a plan for every separate section, it is impossible to write a flawless piece step-by-step. No matter whether you have to write a term paper, research paper, dissertation, or C3 coursework, get ready with the detailed plan. Once you understand how to write an introduction, it will be easier to develop the rest of the paper.

For those who need a helping hand in ensuring their work meets all the standards and deadlines, don't hesitate to buy coursework from trusted professionals.

Related Articles

How to Write Coursework: Step by Step with Examples

Coursework Writing Guide – The realm of academia is filled with synonymous words that are not really synonymous in technicality. Terminologies and distinct meanings attached to them form the world of academics. Assessments situations for university students, such as an assignment, term paper, response paper, reflective essay, coursework, dissertation, and exam, are those few words that get tossed in their direction time and again. However, the nature of these assessments might be similar, but never the same. 

In this article, we will understand “How to write Coursework.” A few points discussed in the article are the following:

• Difference between coursework and assignment 
• Types of coursework 
• How to write coursework
• Tips and Mistakes to avoid

Let us dive into its details. We aim to cite necessary examples whenever and wherever possible to be more helpful.   

Difference between Coursework and Assignment 

Different types of coursework in social sciences , dissertation .

A dissertation is a project that is often a requirement to get any degree (undergraduate, postgraduate, and/or Ph.D.). A dissertation typically permits students to present their results to answer a question of their choosing. The project aims to put students’ independent research skills to the test. Students work under a supervisor, but their role is limited. They only provide basic guidance and mentorship, but the dissertation is mostly independent research done by the student from the first to the last submission.  

Also Read: How to write Dissertation

Term Papers 

Term Papers consist of an introduction, body, conclusion, and a bibliography. The aim is to present a key idea or a question and then use the following paragraphs to support your argument. There is a word limit set mostly ranging between 3000 to 5000 words. The terminology “term paper” signifies that this assessment is due at the conclusion of the semester or year. It is similar to a review of what you’ve learned. You offer your results in a formal presentation accompanied by extensive research. 

Research Paper 

A research paper is a structured piece of in-depth research. It constitutes an abstract, introduction, discussion and debates, results, conclusion, and a reference list. It is a highly formal work that requires strict instructions and proper citations and formatting styles. It can be as long as a term paper or longer, depending on the depth of one’s research and writing ability. This writing can also contribute to the larger debates in any discipline by adding to the existing literature or highlighting a research gap. 

Also Read: How to write Research Proposal

How to Write Coursework 

As mentioned above, various types of coursework can be allotted throughout the course of a degree. For our better understanding, let us take the example of writing a dissertation and how to go on about it. Although the same steps are applied for all sorts of coursework, they need refinement according to the requirements. 

Step 1: Do your research 

Find a topic that you are interested in. This interest can be vague and broad, just something that excites you. Doing a dissertation is a long-term commitment. Therefore, it is best to choose a topic that will remain exciting and promising even after a long time period. Thus, do your preliminary research based on an area of your interest. 

For example, let us assume that the area of interest is Food . 

Step 2: Narrow it down 

After preliminary research, you acquire some knowledge about your area of interest. The more you read, the more well-versed you become with it. Choosing a narrower topic for a dissertation is important because of limited resources (such as time, word limit, finances). Narrowing down allows you to perform more quality research because you focus on specifics rather than digressing everywhere. 

For example, you have now narrowed your area and think that the Globalization of Food can be an interesting topic to study. 

Step 3: Finalize your topic

Finalizing your topic means narrowing it further down to a specific research question or hypothesis. The final topic should be an exact version of your area of interest. This final topic will be the one you will work towards for your whole dissertation. A less ambitious topic can be seen as an excuse to work less. In contrast, an over-ambitious topic can mean failure to ever complete your dissertation. Therefore, ensure that the topic you end up with is within reach of your academic level and resources.

For example, you finalize your topic as “A Study of Globalized Food Trends in XYZ University” . 

Step 4: Write an abstract and get it checked 

Now that you have finalized your topic, the next step is to write a brief abstract of around 1000 words, telling the supervisor your topic. In this short abstract, it is your job to convince the supervisor that your topic is worth studying. Let them know what inspired you to pick this topic, how it is relevant to your discipline, and how you plan to complete this project. Once your supervisor approves your dissertation topic, you can dive into the rigorous work. 

For example, in your abstract, you can cover the following points:

• Why did you choose globalized food and its trends as your area of interest? 
• How does it contribute to the larger discussions around the sociology of food?
• How do you plan to complete this research (methodology)? 
• What are your research aims and questions? 
• A timeline telling how you anticipate dividing your time. 

Step 5: Read existing literature 

You now know your topic, so you must start reading about it. Explore different scholarly works that are related to your topic. Reading the existing literature will place your dissertation topic in the continuum of some ongoing debate. It will either guide you to find a research gap within the theme, or it might provide you with a newer lens to look at the same things said and done before. When it comes to reading, no fixed number of texts can suffice. Therefore, it is upon the student to decide how much and how long they want to read and research to compile existing literature. 

Also Read: Literature Review

Step 6: Decide your methodology 

It is your dissertation, and you will determine how to collect the data for your research. There are multiple ways to collect data, which can be broadly categorized into two types: primary data and secondary data. You can choose which method suits your study the most. You can even mix different methods if you think that’s the best. The sort of methodology you allocate will also affect the data you finally collect. Once you are clear with your methodology, start collecting data. 

For example, for the purpose of your research, you can use a mixed-method approach where you use Survey Questionnaires and Interviews to get the most representative data. The survey will allow you to collect a large response rate, whereas by interviewing university students, you can gather more specific and subjective answers. 

Step 7: Start writing 

At this point, you have all that you need. You have done your literature research, and you have collected your data. It is now time to analyze your findings by connecting them with the literature you’ve read. You can start writing your dissertation now. It should include various chapters; the most important and compulsory chapters are Introduction and Conclusion. When you write, make sure that your writing corresponds to your research question/hypothesis and that your data back up your claims. 

For example, you can divide your dissertation into various chapters like:

• Introduction 
• Methodology
• Globalization as a sociological concept 
• Globalization of Food in University space 
• Your findings 
• Conclusion/ Result  

Step 8: Edit it 

Writing is a lengthy task, but it doesn’t end with the first draft. Make sure to revisit your work after giving yourself a short break. When you reread your dissertation, read it from a reader’s perspective and make changes wherever necessary. Look out for grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, sentence formation, and readability. 

You can even use online tools for editing, such as 

• ProWritingAid

Step 9: Cite and Reference 

Before submitting the final draft of your dissertation, you must check for proper citations and references in your document. Without proper citation, your work will count as plagiarism . In the world of academics, plagiarism is one of the biggest crimes. Therefore, to avoid any uncomfortable situation, in the end, make sure that your entire written piece is correctly cited and referenced. 

Suppose you are working on Google Docs or Word. In that case, the application makes your work easier because they help you curate your citations. 

How to add citations in Google Doc: Tools → Citation

How to add citations in Word Document: References → Insert Citations 

But for those who want to cite manually, this is the basic format to follow:

• Author’s Name with Surname mentioned first, then initials 
• Article’s Title in single or double quotes
• Journal Title in Italics 
• Volume, issue number 
• Year of Publication

Example: Syrkin, A. 1984. “Notes on the Buddha’s Threats in the Dīgha Nikāya”, Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, vol. 7(1), pp.147-58.

Tips and Mistakes to avoid 

Follow these TIPS for the optimum result: 

• Start as soon as possible. The more you delay the work, the more it will pile up for later. Coursework is not an activity to be done at the last moment. 
• Time management. Make a schedule for yourself. Allot personal deadlines and checkpoints. Without proper time management, managing coursework is not at all easy. 
• Research and then research some more. The entire coursework’s reliability is based on its authenticity. In-depth focus research produces the best result. 
• Peer review. If you get the opportunity, find a study buddy. Share your progress and your research with someone else to get the reader’s point of view. This peer review will make your edits easier. 
• Follow the guideline. Different coursework has different requirements that need to be fulfilled. Therefore make sure to include all the information that is expected from you to complete the coursework. 

Avoid the following MISTAKES and never miss a mark:

• Not citing your resources. Never forget that the most crucial skill to learn in academia is to learn how to cite and reference. Dedicate your time to ensure that your work is not counted as plagiarized because of wrong referencing. 
• Not focusing on the formatting. It sounds like a small thing, but when someone reads a 5000-word coursework, the least they deserve is proper formatting with correctly aligned text and line spacing. 

One of the most common and acceptable formatting style is:

Font size: 12 Font: Times New Roman

Spacing: 1.5

• Mistaking summarizing for analyzing. The coursework demands analysis and not summaries. You have to incorporate your point of view about things and now only reiterate what has already been said. 
• Going off-topic. Since the length of the coursework is very demanding, to be able to meet this limit, students often start digressing from the topic. Do not do this. Stay focused and on the topic even if you write fewer words. 

5. Never submit the first draft. Do not underestimate the power of editing. Always and always make sure to revisit your work after a gap to review it. Re-reading your work will allow you to refine it.

Also Read: How to write Sociological Essay

Hello! Eiti is a budding sociologist whose passion lies in reading, researching, and writing. She thrives on coffee, to-do lists, deadlines, and organization. Eiti's primary interest areas encompass food, gender, and academia.

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What is Coursework: Updated Guide for 2024

Coursework is the most significant part of academic writing that requires so much time and effort. You should consider the guidance of your teachers and your seniors who have similar experiences in writing a coursework. This makes the process of working faster and more effective, which leads to the best outcomes. This guide will help you to understand what coursework is and how to write coursework effectively, based on expert tips from our coursework writing service team.

What is Coursework?

Coursework consists of all basic assignments given to students to evaluate their level of understanding. It includes many types of assignments, such as essay writing, research papers, discussion boards and written reports. To get excellent grades and grade point averages (GPA), students must understand the basic concepts of their courses. Coursework is difficult to define, even though it is usually important to complete a specific program. This kind of assignment can be completed in a wide range of formats. 

Importance of Coursework

Coursework is the most common type of assignment that teachers give students to understand their level of learning on a specific topic or subject. Moreover, it shows how well a student understands and uses the topic in various contexts. Through coursework writing, students may improve their research abilities, increase their understanding of a subject, develop their analytical skills, and apply the knowledge they have discovered to use independently. Furthermore, students learn to summarize the topic with key arguments and then draw conclusions by learning how to write coursework . 

Types of Coursework

Five different types of coursework are given to students:

Analytical Coursework

Analytical Coursework presents a thesis statement or claim and demonstrates how to study different things. It usually focuses on the literary style of the text rather than the synopsis.

Supportive Commentary

Supportive Commentary helps students to create a single piece of media writing. Coursework should be written in an experimental mode, such as written, spoken, or multimodal. Students must also include a supporting statement that contains all the information and aspects. 

Journal Coursework

Writing journals for coursework is regarded as an act that promotes casual writing as a regular activity. This can take many different forms and is useful for multiple purposes. It can be both creative and personal. In order to organize their thoughts, compose their ideas, and respond to them, students are always expected to keep journals as part of their coursework.

Analytical Study

Analytical study is the process of sharing an analysis of the chosen work and how it relates to the relevant material. It also shows how well the writer understands the entire process of writing. Students should use proper vocabulary and must maintain word consistency. Also, understand the structure and format of writing.  

Commentary and Creative Writing

In commentary and creative writing coursework, students are asked to generate creative content that reflects the tone or style of the assessed text. It also helps to share comments to support the knowledge. Additionally, the major purpose of creative writing and commentary is to demonstrate knowledge, test skills, and engage the target audience through various languages.

Coursework Writing Tips

There are some key points that you should keep in mind while writing coursework. 

It is the worst possible scenario for any kind of academic writing assignment. Today, the internet has tons of relevant information, and professors become rigorous in the context of plagiarism. Your own words should be used in all writing! Use the advised citation style and make references list if you choose to include quotations from the sources. Claim that it is your own project and sign the declaration.

Keep in mind the precise guidelines for the coursework's length. Specify whether the references, appendices, and footnotes are counted as part of the word count.

Browse the possible topics. Try to pick a relevant coursework topic that is similar to the subject of the upcoming exam if one will be held on it. 

Get Help from Tutor

Never ignore your teacher's advice; ask for their guidance on your topic. Also, to learn more, ask questions, but remember they may only read the first draft once and give general suggestions.

Perfect Coursework Writing Structure

The precision required for coursework writing depends not only on the writing process but also on the design. Even if you produce a stunning and thoroughly researched paper for the professor, poor design will still result in bad grades. We have chosen the most significant components to build a flawless coursework structure for you after reviewing many coursework standards. The structure consists of the following main components:

Introduction or Opening

The first step is to write the coursework introduction after choosing a topic. This introduction section needs to be extraordinary to catch the reader's attention. Make sure to include all essential details, and keep it brief or precise. 

Include any background data about the topic you have chosen. Write down your goals as well. This section should contain your thesis statement. Also, write the introduction in such a way that it serves as the reader's guide.

Main Body 

Your hard work and dedication will be reflected in this section. In the body section, you should add every minute detail you discovered on your research journey. Additionally, this section will be written in the past tense with an informative tone. 

Readers may find research findings boring because they are just stats and figures. Therefore, this section should include appealing tables, graphs, infographics and charts to make it interesting. Mention each statistic as it is; do not change any findings. 

Summarize your whole coursework in this section. The conclusion needs to be short while covering all the details. You might mention the essential takeaways from the coursework.

How to Write a Coursework: Step-by-Step Guide

This step-by-step guide will walk you through how to write coursework effectively

Research is the most crucial part of any writing project. A lot of effort and time is required, but it is worthwhile because it serves as the core of your work and helps establish and defend your point of view.  You can find the necessary information from many primary and secondary sources. Always double-check the information you get online because not all of it is reliable, and some of it can be out of date. Make notes on each source you consult while researching, including the definition, quotation, or information you discovered. Make a table with citations or links to web sources. It is also very helpful to utilize such a table while writing the bibliography section.

Planning 

At the planning phase, it is advised to make a rough outline of your coursework, decide which information you will add, and what points you should add in each section. Making a plan first and then sticking to it is very helpful.  For example, create a table and include all steps of your work with the dates when you want to work on them. This is a fantastic method for time management and a great way to quit delaying things so you can finish them before the deadline.

Drafting 

It could be challenging to write the initial draft of a lengthy article. However, there isn't much you can do about it. In this scenario, the sole piece of guidance that is appropriate is to start writing. Once you start putting together your coursework, you'll observe that there aren't a lot of differences between your paper and other typical written assignments. The section for which you have the most information should come first. These academic papers are never written according to the structure's order. The opening portion of your paper is where you can begin writing because it is more general than the rest.  You can pick out some interesting, pertinent coursework examples or reports to discuss in your writing so your reader will better understand the issue you are gradually focused on. You can go on to terms and situations that are more precise after acquiring the background information.

The last step is to edit and polish your document. While proofreading, it's crucial to focus on consistency problems, stylistic errors, and grammar and punctuation errors.

Many tools, including Grammarly , are available to help you with grammar. You should use these tools because you might miss some errors. No software can help you fix your writing style and logical structure mistakes. However, you can turn to a team of expert writers and editors for a high-quality editing service and a properly polished document.

Verify the word count and formatting specifications provided by your educational institution. Before submitting your work for review to your professor, you should also allow time for the editing phase, so plan accordingly.

Formative vs Summative Coursework Assessments

Formative assessment assesses students' understanding of a subject by offering them practice in essay creation and structure which can also be beneficial for tasks like term paper writing . It assists students in evaluating their strengths and weaknesses and focuses on areas that require improvement. Moreover, formative assessments help instructors in identifying students' areas of difficulty and taking prompt action to resolve issues

Summative assignments, on the other hand, evaluate students' knowledge at the end of the semester. Summative assessment includes mid-term exams and final-year project. When completing courses, it is vital to understand the type of review you are submitting to. If you understand the coursework meaning and finish your assignments on time, you might obtain an A+.

Get Coursework Help from Experts

If you want to write your coursework successfully, follow all the steps mentioned above. If you still have difficulty writing coursework, you can get academic writing help at our essay writing service  with one click. We have a group of experienced writers who can offer you timely, cost-effective coursework help online. 

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Persuasive essay topics – how to choose one for you, how to write a persuasive essay- expert tips.

How to Write a Coursework: Complete Guide

In all academic writing assignments, coursework is the most important. It reveals students` writing skills. This type of academic writing is used to assess a student’s understanding of a subject. Coursework combines all the requirements needed in all types of academic writing. This means that a perfect coursework paper requires more than just decent and basic writing skills. However, this has been made easier by our team of experts who have combined their experience and expertise to create a guide on how to write an excellent coursework paper and ultimately improve our writing.

Coursework is a type of academic writing that can show the full capabilities of a student. It offers a different environment from an exam room while giving a student a chance to excel. The coursework assignment is an opportunity if you look at it in a literal way. If you cannot perform well in your exams, it can be a lifesaver, but it can be as challenging as an exam.

If that is not enough, our experts can also craft the best coursework paper for you to reinvent your writing ultimately. They have passed through special vetting and training to allow them to provide the highest quality of work for customers. Our company’s primary goal is not to make money but to give the top quality services to students all across the world at affordable prices.

Table of Contents

Coursework Simplified – What is Coursework?

Coursework papers can be described as an extension of a school project or essay. The role of coursework varies from different disciplines that a student is majoring in. When writing your coursework paper, conducting relevant research plays a very vital role. The emphasis required is independent for various topics. Doing the research is like an investigation, and every bit of detail matters largely. Act like a detective when searching, analyzing, and investigating sources of information for your topic.

How to Write a Good Coursework

We strongly recommend you to begin your coursework as soon as you are given such a task. Brilliant coursework needs a lot of time, so you have to start as early as possible. Always stay calm so that you cannot mess up your performance due to pressure. Do not rush to complete your assignment on one sitting. Divide your workload precisely and work slowly from day to day. This way, you can have manageable work to do every day, enabling you to pay great attention to your assignment.

Brilliant Writing Tips – How to Start a Coursework

The most important and vital part of coursework writing is research. Always make sure all the sources of information you use are credible. Various sources like material written by authentic writers, visiting the libraries, surfing the internet, or written class notes can be used as great sources.

Try to be organized and make an efficient timetable before you start working on your assignments. Follow your set timetable and avoid rushing your work. Never work on your coursework when your deadline is approaching. In case of emergencies, preset a completion date before you are required to submit your work.

The Perfect Way on How to Structure a Coursework

If you want to excel in coursework writing, you need to have a good structure. This means:

• Structuring your coursework is essential for all academic writing for a reason. A structure allows a writer to thoroughly layout your assignments and plans on how your final paper will look.
• A coursework structure is created after finishing the studying of your research sources. When doing this, you can loom at good coursework written by other students.
• Be careful not to have plagiarism because it is a huge mistake that can cause you to ultimately fail your coursework paper.
• Create a structure that can provide you with reliable follow up when writing your assignment.

A Proven and Brilliant Coursework Introduction

The introduction is what draws in a reader. It should be enticing but short. Your beginning statement should always draw in your reader. This will make the argument or information interesting, leaving your reader asking for more. Once you have a great beginning and all the context needed, countercheck your paper to make sure it is consistent and coherent. Don’t be discouraged if you write your introduction many times, it means you have a grasp of the right thing to do.

A Great Coursework Body

The body is where a writer states the main argument and fully develops it. Each paragraph should contain a key point clearly supporting an argument. The follow up should support all key points and be backed up with substantial evidence. The body of the essay is the building block for the coursework assignment. The body paragraph will be quite readable if it doesn’t contain large chunks of text. Simple paragraphs of 4-5 lines are quite enough.

A Moving Coursework Conclusion

A conclusion plays an important role in paper writing. It helps to reinforce your argument or main idea of your paper. Our experts insist that you have to restate the thesis statement and main idea of the coursework. Without a good conclusion, your essay will look blunt. This will make your assignment seem incomplete.

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/coursework

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coursework

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How to Write Coursework: Pro Tips for Students

Table of contents

• 1 What is Coursework?
• 2 Types of Coursework
• 3.3 Conclusion
• 4 Coursework Writing Rules
• 5 Coursework Writing Tips For College Students

Coursework is a major component of studying that requires so much attention and effort to write. Students often need to present a massive amount of pages, do experiments, practice their public speaking skills, use the help of teachers, analyze data and discuss it, present information and do so much more if they wish to deliver quality coursework before the deadline.

Before writing, you need to know all the requirements and standards for your coursework as it helps to make the process of writing more successful and achieve the required results that you can demonstrate to the teacher and present in the class.

When writing a coursework paper, you should take into account the advice of your teachers and other senior students who have such experience. This helps to work faster and make the process of working more efficiently so you get better results.

What is Coursework?

Coursework is an academic paper that shows how a student knows and understands what he or she has learned during the course. It can be based on a science project or other experiments and includes as much data as stipulated by the requirements.

Every paper has specific formatting and structure. Students should select a topic and thesis before writing the main sections, they also should outline the main structure and only then create the content for all sections.

The topic and thesis, size of work, and the subject and objectives of coursework can be very different. That is why students need to know their requirements even if they have made and read many similar papers before. Coursework papers are usually also checked for plagiarism and grammatical correctness using such tools as plagiarism checker free by PapersOwl.

Types of Coursework

The first thing you need to know here is that there are a few different types of these assignments. In order to know how to write coursework, you need to understand each type. Below we have explained them in detail so you will be able to learn the basics in no time and apply these to your writing. Keep in mind that the differences are massive. Hence, you will want to understand this part of the task as much as possible.

• Analytical essay This is a very common option, and it involves 3 sources that are connected. They are connected by the same theme. You can pay close attention to the spoken, written, and also multimedia sources that are important to your topic. You also need to target a specific audience in order to produce more detailed and accurate writing.
• Essay that has supportive commentary Here you will need to find one piece of the media element. It can be watched or read from the source. Then you will add your own details and specifics that are related closely to the English language.
• Creative paper paired with commentary The goal here is to produce a paper that reveals your skills and your knowledge when it comes to addressing a specific audience. Your paper needs to imitate the style of the assigned piece.
• Analytical study This is a very appealing and one of the simplest options here. A student will have to pick, or he will be given a piece of work. His mission is to analyze it in detail. The goal is to see how well the student has understood the piece. Teachers will evaluate terminology, details, and specifics used in the writing process.

If you are looking for assistance with writing your coursework, PapersOwl offers a convenient coursework writing service that can help you to get the best results quickly. Coursework writing can be challenging and time-consuming, but with the help of our experts, you can be sure that you will receive a high-quality paper. Our team of experienced writers has been thoroughly trained to provide you with the best coursework writing service available.

Steps of Writing

These tasks are complicated, so you will need a lot of time, and you need to know how to write each section perfectly. This is something we will reveal below. Keep in mind that you must conduct proper research, which is more time-consuming than any other paper requires. You need a lot of time to produce a proper paper of this kind as well.

how to write a coursework introduction? The best thing to do is to start with a hook. It is one sentence designed to catch the attention of the readers. You can use a joke, a fact, statistical data, or something else.

Then, you will have to briefly mention what you are going to discuss in the sections below. You can check coursework examples and learn more about this step. It is that important. Some students prefer completing it as the last part of the task.

All coursework assignments will have body sections where you need to present all your facts and data. This is the most important part here. Keep in mind that you need to have a single paragraph explained in detail, and you need to make sure each section is well-written, has no mistakes, and is directed.

The latter means that you will be focused on one point and explaining the point. Once you are done, move to the next paragraph. This is something we can see mandatory with related articles as well. One of the common mistakes is mixing the facts you want to reveal.

How to write a coursework conclusion? In this environment, you will need a strong conclusion that is done in a proper manner. You need to conclude the paper by revealing the specifics and what you have discovered. Do not introduce new elements here, and don’t try to stay positive and negative about the topic. Be direct and try to write a strong conclusion that will make readers wonder.

Writing coursework can be a daunting task, but Papersowl is here to make the process easier for you. Our team of experienced writers is ready to help you create exceptional coursework that will help you achieve your academic objectives. At Papersowl , we are committed to providing reliable and high-quality coursework writing services. We understand the significance of submitting well-structured and high-quality coursework, and our aim is to help you get the best possible grades.

Coursework Writing Rules

You need to check what the teacher wants of you and what results you need to show him or her. You are able to discuss the main points with your teachers until you understand them and know what to do. However, be careful and do this only when you really don’t have any idea what to do.

A good topic helps you in writing all the other sections of your paper, you should choose the topic that interests you and motivates you to go forward. This is a way to make the work go quickly and make the process more exciting for you.

• Don’t copy the work of other students. You can use literature and other sources if you cite them correctly in your paper because copying other papers can be easily recognized by systems for finding plagiarism.
• You should also use words and phrases that are common for scientific work. There are websites and other resources that you are able to use to check the grammatical correctness of your papers, be sure to revise and edit your work several times before publishing.
• The main sections of your work should support your topic and thesis given in the introduction. You can use many ways to present data such as text, numbers, tables, graphs, etc. From time to time, you need to return to paragraphs you have already revised and check for mistakes.
• There are usually specific terms for writing coursework. That is why your work should be planned so you are able to finish it yourself or use service “ complete coursework for me ” online. It may require more time than you think so the earlier you start working, the better it would be for you.
• To get the data you need, you can use different types of sources. Look for information in brick-and-mortar and web libraries, and browse specific databases. You have to cite all the sources you use in the appropriate sections of your coursework.

Coursework Writing Tips For College Students

There are ways to complete your coursework fast and get the results you need. If you use these ways from the start, you can do less and get more. Experienced students know them and use them when working on all their studies and projects.

• Planning your work is crucial if you also have other activities and have to spend time on other courses, make a schedule of activities by starting writing the introduction to the main presentation. You should ensure you have a few days to check and edit your work, even if you think it is ready for publishing.
• Organize your workplace in a way that you can learn with no distractions. You can learn at home, in the library, and even in parks, but choose the places where you won’t be distracted and can work on your paper with excitement. You should also relax a little bit to make your writing clearer and check the paragraphs you have created.
• Discuss your paper with other students who are assigned to write their coursework papers. Sharing experiences can help do research well and write more legible and interesting papers. You can also read papers from other students to understand the correct knowledge and data presentation.
• Use such services as Google Drive , cloud databases, etc., as it helps you access data from different devices and not worry. You can use the services for storing your texts and tables, images, and diagrams, and there is also a system for reviewing texts and adding comments.

When writing coursework, students show what they have learned during the course. This is a process that requires a lot of attention and research. Coursework should be checked for easy readability and understanding, free of grammatical errors and plagiarism.

Students need to know the requirements and what they need to create. The structure and formatting of the work should also be considered before writing the main sections. To learn more, students can read ready papers and check the coursework of experienced researchers.

This process could be difficult and require a lot of effort, but there are ways to make it easier. In a productive workplace, planning, and scheduling, and using different sources can help to have less effort and get what you need in a shorter timeframe.

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What is Coursework? | Definition, Meaning & keypoints!

What is coursework.

Coursework is a practical work or study done by a student in partial fulfilment of a degree or training. Projects, field work, design studies, long essays etc constitutes a coursework. The nature of work which requires to be carried out depends on the course. It is largely a part of learning exercise and a step to prepare you to handle the required work/ task effectively and efficiently.

• folios of essays
• art and craft items
• speaking tests
• practical work
• assignments and experiments undertaken and assessed during the course

As per Oxford dictionary “Coursework” is defined as

Written or practical work done by a student during a course of study, usually assessed in order to count towards a final mark or grade.

Who assigns coursework and why?

Coursework can be assigned by your teacher or mentor. The reason can be an assessment by the teacher but in most of the cases it’s a requirement as per course structure. A coursework is meant to reflect understanding of what has been taught. How well you understand it and apply it in different situations. Your own thoughts and way of thinking about a topic is reflected in your final work. As mentioned earlier nature of coursework is very diverse. Institutions may make you to write (essays, paper, term paper, thesis etc) or make something (sculpture, are & craft related things) or take some form of test. All these activities done as a coursework award you marks or grades which are counted to evaluate your overall grade for a particular course or purpose. Your creativity, understanding, innovative aspect, talent etc are reflected in the work done by you. Some of the most widely used form of coursework include thesis, dissertations, research paper & term paper as far as writing is concerned. Model making, crafts and other similar activity is generally given when creativity aspect is to be assessed. There may be a combination of these in few cases. The whole purpose largely depends on what your course and what it prepares you to be.

Major types of coursework & how to go about them?

Students have different and mix reaction when coursework is given. Some are excited as it gives them an option to put in effort and bring out something new. They are happy and confident to present their viewpoint and grasp of the topic. While some feels it is a burden and unnecessary task and just want to get away with it. Whatever the case may be there are few guidelines and rules while writing coursework which everyone should follow. Writing a coursework can also be fun!

Some of the steps to help you get started includes:

Coursework for academic topics which require writing:

• Do some research about your topic of interest or assigned topic
• Finalize your topic
• Prepare a structure especially for long writing coursework such as thesis
• Write an abstract or summary for approval from mentor/teacher.
• Do a thorough research for collecting data , facts.
• Start writing and keep on doing the required research
• Check for plagiarism (if any) and work to remove it
• Give credits & references

What makes a good and effective content

A good and effective content is easy to read and understand by readers. Some of the points while writing a content to improve its quality are

• Well- structured
• Well Illustrated
• Predictable

Coursework requiring you to make something like model, sculpture or artwork

• Find something which you appreciate (its design, concept, through, history, significance)
• Come up with what remains the focus area for your coursework
• Decide what you wish to make and in what form eg. model (scaled or not to scale), sculpture or some craftwork
• Finalize the materials to be used such as waste materials, wax, wood, metal, plastic etc
• Collect all the required stuff for making your masterpiece
• Have a mental image prepared and preferably a rough sketch
• Get working!

Key points to be kept in mind while working on coursework

• Originality – Your topic/ idea should be original. Originality of idea is given significant importance and can be a deal breaker. This is not just of the requirement in most of the cases but also a scoring parameter. There are countless number of students and scholars doing research so having an original idea keeps you on positive side. Some students prefer contacting  SmartWritingService coursework writing service to get professional help from experts.
• Need – If you coursework is solution oriented then you must clearly identify the key problems and issues which you aim to cover under your work. A good solution cannot be provided unless the problem has been understood well.
• Uniqueness – Uniqueness in terms of idea and work. Preparing good questionnaires and conducting surveys adds to uniqueness and originality of content. Not only your topic and but also content should be unique. Avoid plagiarism, copying is a strict “NO”. Any form and extent of plagiarism is dealt seriously if caught and can even disqualify your submission.
• Your Input – This is the most crucial aspect. Your inputs will reflect the understanding and applicability of topic by you. This is the whole purpose of having a coursework. Try your best and put best foot forward. Having a well structured and presented work is something a teacher and mentor is looking for.
• Outcomes & way forward – Having worked and making lots of efforts doesn’t have much value unless useful outcomes are shown. Having a good & meaningful analysis and presentation of data with the  best data extraction service is an essential factor. These can be in form of proposals or problem identification. Your work might conclude your topic or pave a path for others to continue working. Depending on the work and nature of coursework give a conclusion to your study and propose what can be done next or how it can be used.

Coursework & Higher Education

Doctorates are the highest degrees conferred by universities. An online or on campus doctorate can lead to a high-level position in a number of different fields, from business administration to health care to quality control. The lengthy road to earning a doctorate can be shortened by at least several months through online study.

The doctorate degree requires two to five years of postgraduate work, the writing of a thesis, and the passing of oral and written examinations. Most doctoral degrees are the doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) degree, although recipients of this degree may have studied a number of academic fields other than philosophy.

Doctorate degrees are now available in numerous fields, including:

• Business Administration
• Computer Science
• Environmental Engineering
• Health Administration
• Industrial Engineering
• International Business
• Quality Control

Admission to doctoral programs requires completion of an undergraduate degree program and typically, but not always, of a master’s degree program. Students earning a doctorate must take a specified number of advanced graduate-level courses, requiring at least two or three years of study beyond the master’s degree. Upon passing written or oral examinations, or a combination of both, doctoral students are granted the status of doctoral candidates. Then they must research and write a dissertation on an original topic, and then satisfactorily defend the dissertation before a committee of professors in the field.

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What is Coursework at University?

In University by Think Student Editor October 5, 2023 Leave a Comment

Compared to the rest of the British education system, university can seem so very different. Lessons are now lectures or seminars, you have complete independence, and you even have the option to live on campus. Plus, there are so many other differences on top of this. This might make you wonder if the components of studying at university are different as well, especially in terms of how the course works. One of the components that’s important to look at in this way is coursework and how it differs at university.

In short, at university coursework is similar to at previous levels of education, where coursework is a form of assessment without exams that helps to make up your grade. At university, this is because successfully completing coursework helps you to pass modules, allowing you to get your qualification. This coursework can come in many different forms and the types you do will depend on your course and your university. However, some of the main types are essays, reports and projects, including research projects such as dissertations.

Continue reading to learn more about what coursework is at university. This article will take you through how coursework works at university and what some of the main types of university coursework are.

Table of Contents

Is there coursework at university?

When thinking about coursework, we tend to be more familiar with the term when it’s associated with school or college. In this case, coursework is a form of internally assessed assignment that will make up a part of your grade.

As a form of assessment, it will often be essential to help you to get your qualification, whether that’s for a GCSE/ National 5 qualification, an A-Level/ Higher or Advanced Higher or a more vocational qualification, such as a BTEC or a T-Level. For more information about what coursework is like at this stage, check out this guide by NI Direct.

As university can feel so different from school or college, you may be wondering whether or not there even is coursework at university and whether it works in the same way.

Simply put, yes, there is coursework at university . In fact, some universities state that most modules will have some form of coursework involved in them.

Students take a range of modules to make up their degree programmes. This means that students are very likely to do at least a bit of coursework in a few of their modules across the course of their studies. You can learn more about this by checking out this page on the University of St Andrews website.

What do you do in coursework at university?

At university there is so much more variation in what you can study and how you study it. From the different classifications of degree, even just within the undergraduate level, from foundation degrees to all the different kinds of bachelor’s degree, such as the BA, BSc or LLB, to all of the other kinds of qualification that you can do at university.

Due to all of this variation, there should be no surprise that in each of these different kinds of courses, students will be taught in different ways. Moreover, there isn’t any actual standardisation across universities, meaning that even on very similar courses, students can be taught with completely different methods.

As a result of this, the coursework that you do at university will completely depend on your course and your university. However, there are some common types of coursework that are done.

Some of these main ones are essays, reports and projects . For more information about what different types of coursework at university might be, you can check out this page by the University of Leeds.

You can learn more about these in their respective sections below.

Is an essay a type of coursework at university?

An essay is an academic piece of writing where students will have to make an argument in response to a certain question. In secondary school and college, you may have come across essays in the form of exam questions, where they would be valued in terms of their marks. For example, you may have had to do a “10-marker”, a “20-marker” and so on.

Alternatively, you may have come across them as part of your own coursework or NEAs, particularly in humanities subjects, where the knowledge and argument you present would be more detailed and in-depth. For university study, essays as a form of coursework, are more similar to the latter as they will need to be well-researched and in-depth .

However, university is at a higher level that school and college . As a result, university essays will need to be as well with students needing to carry out some independent research and reading before they can start the essay rather than relying just on what they have been taught.

You can learn more about essays as a form of coursework at university on this page by the University of Nottingham.

Is a report a type of coursework at university?

Reports and lab reports are a type of coursework that you will probably not have directly come across in previous study, although you may have done something a bit similar. Unlike an essay, a report is purely factual and objective, where the main aim is to present findings and to analyse the data collected, rather than to make an argument.

While they are particularly present in the sciences and social science subjects, reports are a form of coursework that can be used across a large variety of different subjects. Due to this, there are many different types of report and which one you may have to undertake as a part of your coursework will depend on your degree.

For more information about this, look at this page on the University of York’s website.

One of the main types of report is a lab report. This is a type of report done by sciences students after an experiment has been done. You can learn more about them by checking out this guide by the University of Nottingham.

Is a project a type of coursework at university?

For university study, a project as a form of coursework can refer to a few different modes of study. First of all, when talking about a project, we might be referring to a research project.

A research project is an extended essay that students complete by undertaking and then presenting their own research and comparing this to the preexisting ideas. This kind of research project will typically be big and may even be an entire module.

In cases like this, the research project will most likely be in the form of a dissertation or even a thesis if done at doctorate level. You can learn more about this type of project by looking at this page on the University of Sheffield’s website and for more on dissertations, look at the following section.

However, projects can also be in the form of group projects that can vary a bit more across universities. For example, at Imperial College London, students undertake a multidisciplinary group project to try and come up with solutions to the biggest social challenges. You can learn more about this on this page on their website.

Also, the University of Edinburgh Business School runs group consultancy projects at both undergraduate and master’s degree levels. For more information about this, check out this page on their website.

Is a dissertation a type of coursework at university?

At university in the UK, a dissertation is a type of research project that can be taken by students for either a bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree. As an extended essay, students will need to produce an answer to a specific question of somewhere between 5,000 and 50,000 words depending on the university and whether it is a bachelor’s or master’s degree that you’re doing.

There are different kinds of dissertation and depending on which kind students do will depend on how they go about writing it. For an empirical dissertation, students will need to carry out research and collect data first hand to use as part of their dissertation. Whereas for a non-empirical dissertation, students will have to research into data and information that is pre-existing.

You can learn more about what a dissertation is by looking at this Think Student article .

As previously mentioned, one of the main types of coursework at university are projects, including research projects. This means that yes, dissertations are a type of coursework at university as they are types of research project.

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Definition of coursework

Examples of coursework in a sentence.

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'coursework.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

1890, in the meaning defined above

Dictionary Entries Near coursework

Cite this entry.

“Coursework.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coursework. Accessed 15 May. 2024.

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What is Coursework

First of all, you need to understand what is coursework and how to write it. When one is writing a coursework, they have to do profound research that will reveal their knowledge base. A coursework may consist of design studies, field work, projects, long essays, and other kinds of work. Depending on the particular course, it can be performed in a number of ways. You need to write a coursework not only to show what you know about a particular subject and enlarge your knowledge base but also to prepare yourself to deal with the work you will need to perform in the future.

The Oxford Dictionary defines coursework as the type of practical or written work performed by a student and assessed by their professor. Hopefully, it makes the coursework meaning clearer for you.

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Why coursework is necessary and who assigns it.

Now when you know what is coursework, you also have to understand why it is needed. Usually, a student's mentor or teacher assigns coursework as it is a part of the course structure. Writing a coursework is important since it helps the student reflect on what they have learned from the given course. Realizing the coursework meaning, one can understand the material better and see how their knowledge can be applied in various situations. This type of work also reveals the student's way of thinking and helps them learn how to express their thoughts. Coursework has an utterly diverse nature. A student's instructor can ask them to perform it in a written way and work on an essay, term paper, or thesis (this form of coursework is the most widespread). A coursework can also be done in a more creative way; for example, a student may be asked to create a sculpture. At times, taking a test is preferred by the instructor. In some cases, several types of coursework can be combined into one. Choosing a specific type or a combination of types depends on the course. Whatever the kind of coursework is, it always requires being evaluated. The student's mark will be based on their understanding of the topic, creativity, as well as on the innovative aspect of their work.

How to Perform the Most Important Types of Coursework?

Even understanding the coursework meaning, students have mixed feelings on it. Some of them like to do research, learn new information, and write about the results, while for others, it seems to be an unnecessary task, or even a burden. Whichever opinion is true for you, being a student, you will still have to write a coursework at some point. For this reason, you need to know how to do it successfully. Below you see the list of rules and guidelines that will make this task easier for you.

Read these steps carefully and make sure you follow them as they will help you get started.

Coursework that requires writing:

• Carry out superficial research on the topic of your coursework.
• Settle on your topic.
• Work on the structure of your coursework.
• Make a summary or an abstract and confirm it with your instructor.
• Conduct profound research to find all the information you need.
• While writing, keep on researching the topic more.
• When you are done, check your coursework for plagiarism.
• Make a reference list.

To make sure that your coursework features a good content that is clear and easy-to-understand for your reader, work on the structure of your work. Check out if you maintain its consistency, use relevant information, complete your topic, and make it look concise.<

Coursework that requires to create a model, sculpture, or artwork:

• Find a design or concept you like.
• See how it can be applied to the area of your study.
• Think about what you want to create and decide on the scale of this object.
• Decide what kind of materials you need to finalize your work.
• Find everything you need for creating your artwork.
• Make sure that you have a mental image of the result and make a rough sketch of it.
• Begin working!

Key points you should consider:

• Originality - You need to be sure that your topic or idea is original. It is an extremely important point you have to keep in mind from the very beginning of your work. Numerous researches are being done by numerous people, so you have to make yours stand out.
• Need - Your coursework should be able to answer certain questions or find solutions. For that, it has to identify the key problems and help the reader understand them clearly.
• Uniqueness - Both your topic and your content have to be unique. Make sure to avoid plagiarism and never copy information from other sources. Conduct surveys or prepare questionnaires to add originality to the content of your coursework.
• Your input - This aspect is very important. When working on your coursework, you need to reflect on your topic a lot and understand how you can apply it. If you do it, the purpose of writing a coursework is served. For this reason, do your best to make as much input in your work as possible.
• Outcomes & future applications - Even if you have worked hard and put a lot of effort into writing your coursework, it can turn out to be a failure in case you do not show useful outcomes. Therefore, you need to provide a well-made analysis of the information you used. Make a well-structured conclusion for your topic and talk about the way it can be researched further.

If you keep all these points in mind and follow the guidelines, you will certainly write a good coursework.

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How to Write a Coursework

What is coursework.

Let’s begin with a coursework definition. A coursework paper is an academic paper written during or after a course. The aim of this paper is to show your writing abilities and how well have you understood the course program. A coursework paper is an independent study that involves active reading and thinking. This paper allows you to communicate your ideas within a certain discipline and track your progress in a particular field of knowledge.

How to Do a Coursework Paper: What’s So Special

A coursework paper is usually assigned to students with the aim to test their knowledge in a particular theme or course. Typically coursework papers are written in the form of extended essays at the end of the year. Depending on your course, you will be completing normal coursework as homework which will be controlled by your teacher.

This paper may take the form of an extended essay, a record of field works, a report, a case study, a book review, a presentation of received information, and more. For example, during math classes your coursework may take the form of answers to a list of questions.

The coursework assignment is usually accompanied by a list of requirements that the student needs to consider while coursework writing. Activities involved in coursework writing may differ from one course to another. The topic for coursework may be assigned by the teacher or of your choice.

If you need to write a coursework paper for the first time, or you just want to improve your writing skills – this guide is for you. In the following paragraphs we will tell you how to write a coursework paper step by step, as well as give helpful tips and an example paper.

How to Write a Coursework Paper Step by Step

1. Come up with the topic. It is necessary to pick a good topic for the coursework paper, as it should be interesting enough to motivate you to make the research and write a great paper. Don’t pick a topic too wide, as you won’t be able to write about everything in the limited word count. You can look through already completed coursework on your course to see what good topics look like. On this there is no need to come up with the full title – you need to find the right direction. If you were assigned a particular topic, then you should check attentively what you are asked to do.

Note: Arrange a meeting with your supervisor for advice. Make a list of interesting topics and ask him or her what topic is better to choose. The teacher will point out what topic is from the right perspective and good to discuss, and what topic is better to put away. If you are lucky enough, you may be advised on a list of books and other sources that contain necessary information related to the topic.

Also, consider the fact that in the future you can mention your coursework in your resume. Think about your future career ahead of time and how to write relevant coursework, resume that contains such projects will be highly appreciated.

2. Conduct a preliminary reading. Conduct research to find out more information about the topic and narrow it down. Choose only reliable and relevant sources of information. Mention the most useful information that you can use as a source for citation and basis for your research.

Try to store all information, links, and documents in one place. Such a habit will be helpful when writing more voluminous works like theses and dissertations. Ask your tutor to help you choose the right topic for your project if you experience troubles with choosing the right one.

Take notes along the research. You can create a document on your desktop and save the most powerful quotes (with links to the source) or just make a bullet list of ideas and main points that came into your mind while reading sources. Always mention the resource for proper referencing.

3. Create a plan. When you have an informational basis, it will be time to create a plan that will help you organize your ideas and time. Don’t strive for perfection, as you can change the plan during writing coursework – it may become clear that some chapters are odd or you need to add a chapter to make everything clear about the topic. You can use any creative techniques and brainstorm to come up with the list of points.

The typical structure of a coursework paper looks like this:

• Table of contents
• Introduction
• Body paragraph
• References list

Select your own paragraphs according to the information available, and ask your tutor for coursework help if necessary. Remember, proper planning is a good way to be sure that your thoughts move in the right way, so that your coursework will have unity and coherence.

4. Conduct research. Choose the most appropriate type of research and choose the needed tools. If you need to conduct a field study or an experiment, keep in mind that you will need to plan them ahead and consider the peculiarities of conducting the particular type of research (resources, people, admissions, etc.). Take notes while conducting the research and analyze the results.

5. Start writing body paragraph(s). Following the paper plan, start creating body paragraphs. Make sure that you highlight one particular idea for one paragraph. It is important to consider requirements and principles of academic conventions while preparing your paper.

Write this paragraph with the idea that your reader is intelligent, but doesn’t know much about your topic. Don’t state well-known information or repeat something that you have already described. Each paragraph should give an answer to a certain question, so make sure that you have created transitions between paragraphs and how it all refers to the main topic.

Use diagrams, tables, and charts to illustrate the received data. Make a short interpretation of the data below the illustration. Use only the data that is directly connected to the paragraph. Add headings and descriptions if necessary. Support materials that don’t relate directly to the paragraph can be attached in the appendix.

6. End your paper with a relevant coursework resume. In the conclusion, it is necessary to sum up the work done and draw conclusions. Repeat the main points in brief form and express your opinion on the current state of the problem. If the assignment asks you to answer a certain question, state the final answer in the conclusion.

How to write the conclusion of coursework? Do the same as with the introduction.

What should be in the conclusion?

• Introductory text about the goal and objectives of the work
• A brief description of the object and subject of research
• Conclusions, for each chapter, starting with the first, sequentially stated
• Conclusion on the compliance of the work performed with its plan, goals, and objectives
• Confirmed evidence of the relevance and significance of the work performed
• Identified tasks and directions for the development of the subject matter of coursework.

7. When all parts mentioned above will be written, it will be time to write the introduction. Why have we left this part for last? It is quite simple. The best time to write an introduction is when you have the full text of your paper and you can say that you know everything about your work. This will help you make your introduction engaging and full of needed information. Don’t forget to write a thesis statement that will cover the main goal of your paper.

The introduction should contain the following:

• Justification of the relevance of the chosen topic
• Review of the degree of knowledge of the problem
• Goals and objectives of coursework
• Subject and object of research
• Description of the structure of coursework
• Characteristics of the literature used
• Description of the research methods used.

8. Edit and proofread the text. As you will finish the last sentence of your paper, put the text aside for some time. Reread your text several times with fresh eyes. Make a grammar and spelling check. Ask a friend or relative who is skillful in academic writing to proofread your text. Also, make sure that your text is readable and logically structured. Each paragraph should smoothly flow into the next. Answer the following questions to be sure that your text doesn’t need corrections:

• Have you identified the key issue in the thesis statement?
• Have you selected relevant primary and secondary sources?
• Have you clearly structured the text?
• Is the information presented in a logical manner?
• Have you demonstrated the relationships between paragraphs?
• Does your writing adhere to the requirements?
• Have you properly referenced sources in an appropriate manner?
• Have you analyzed sources properly? Have you used summarization?
• Does your research fully answer the main question?
• Are data and illustrations at the right place?

9. Prepare for the oral presentation (if required). Some coursework assignments ask students to make a presentation of their research and give an oral presentation. Ask your teacher how much time you will be given for the presentation. Your presentation should have the same structure as your paper. Include only the most interesting and important points in your paper.

Coursework Example Analyzed

We think that theory is good, but practice is better. We accompany this guide with an example you can use as a model essay and learn how a finished coursework paper should look. In the following sample the author discussed the ways of preventing age discrimination in the workplace. Look how the author approaches the topic and organizes ideas into a well-structured text. Please, note that this sample is not a full work – it is only an excerpt of a coursework paper. Check our blog for more coursework examples ! You can use such coursework examples during the writing process to avoid any mistakes in your paper.

Click the images to see their full size.

Tips on How to Write a Coursework Paper

We have gathered a list of tips that you should consider while writing to produce a well-crafted text.

• If you encounter a problem with your coursework, don’t hesitate to ask your teacher for help.
• Make your introduction shine. Professors usually read the introduction with high attention, so don’t spoil the first impression from your work with weak words in the introduction.
• Start working on your coursework as soon as possible. Make a timetable to be sure that you will complete your work on time. This will help you to keep calm, because you won’t be writing in a rush.
• Divide the work into several parts. It is too hard to complete a paper just in one sitting.
• Ask for help if you don’t understand some points in your assignment. Ask the teacher who has assigned this coursework to assist you in your work.
• Always mention sources that you have used in your paper and properly cite this source according to the required formatting style.
• Pay attention to the research part of your paper. Your writing shouldn’t just be a summary of the sources. Gather as much information about the topic as you can.
• Save all versions of your coursework. It will be especially useful if you decide to cut a big part of the text, and then used it once again in another context.
• Strive to finish the final draft of your paper ahead of the deadline. This will allow you to leave more time for corrections and ask your supervisor to give feedback on your paper.

How to Write a Coursework without Mistakes

Here we have gathered a list of mistakes students frequently make while writing coursework papers. It is important to know what points you need to consider to create a good paper. Read them all to be able to avoid them and improve your paper.

• Don’t exceed the word limit. Don’t think that more words will give you a better mark. One of the aims of academic writing is to present information in a correct and concise way.
• Avoid personal opinions in the body paragraph. Leave your thoughts to the conclusion.
• Don’t list references that you haven’t used in your paper just to increase the number.
• If you have found a completed coursework paper on similar topic, don’t copy it! You may be accused of plagiarism.
• Don’t skip formatting and editing the paper. Pay attention to this point, as organizing your text in the wrong way can lower your grade.
• Don’t include in your coursework information that doesn’t relate to your topic.
• Don’t fail to read instructions and demands attentively. Read the instructions provided by your professor and analyze them. Make sure that you have understood everything.
• Don’t concentrate on grammar and spelling while writing. This may distract you from important ideas and mistakes you will correct when you finish the text.
• Don’t forget to leave enough time for the research.

In this article we have gathered an extensive list of advice about how to do coursework papers. We hope that you will find our guide and tips on writing a coursework paper helpful. If you are still experiencing some troubles with your paper, for example, if you are uncertain what type of research you need to do, ask your teacher for advice.

How to Choose Coursework Topics

• Ask your supervising teacher for help. Don’t be afraid to ask your teacher or coursework writer for help. You are still studying and no one will judge you for this. If you already have some English coursework ideas , your instructor will help you to express them in the right words. Also, he or she can tell you if you have enough information for this or that topic or if you should refuse from writing about this theme. Also, your instructor can help you to find reliable sources thatare crucial for writing coursework.
• Define your area of interests. It would be easier to write on the topic that makes you feel enthusiastic. If you can’t find one, choose the least boring for you. Anyway, we sure you’ll find some interesting information no matter what topic you choose.
• Think over prospects. If you decide what college or university you would like to enter, find the information about the projects in this or that institution affiliation. Also, you should think about your future profession. Sometimes, when you don’t have working experience, your coursework can be taken into account. So, think of your future occupation now and take steps toward your goal.

In this article we have gathered an extensive list of advice about how to do coursework papers. We hope that you will find our guide and tips on writing a coursework paper helpful. If you are still experiencing some troubles with your writing, for example, with a research paper, you can always ask us for help. Just leave a request, “ write my research paper ” on our site.

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What is Coursework?

Table of Contents

Definition and Meaning

So what is coursework? Coursework is an integral part of the educational process, which refers to written or practical tasks that students perform during educational courses. These assignments are typically evaluated and contribute to the final grade or mark. The coursework definition, especially the term “curriculum-mandated” signifies that instructors are required to assign coursework within certain guidelines. This aspect of academic work is crucial as it extends learning beyond the traditional classroom setting.

While some coursework may involve practical tasks conducted within the classroom, a significant portion is often completed independently by students, such as in their homes or dormitories. Notably, certain colleges in Texas are adopting policies that mandate a minimum of 20% of writing coursework to be completed in class, under the supervision of educators. This approach ensures the authenticity of students’ work and provides an opportunity for direct observation of their writing skills.

Additionally, it’s common for students to access previously submitted coursework online, serving as a resource for their own assignments. However, when utilizing such materials, it is imperative to thoroughly rewrite and adapt the content to maintain originality and avoid plagiarism.

Types and Examples of Coursework

The many faces of coursework.

So, what is coursework? Coursework isn’t a one-size-fits-all kind of deal. It morphs to fit the subject, the course, and the learning objectives. Here’s a snapshot:

• Essays and Written Assignments. From reflective pieces to extensive research papers, these are staples in humanities and social sciences.
• Lab Reports and Scientific Research. Science and engineering students often get hands-on with experiments, followed by detailed reporting.
• Art and Design Portfolios. For the creatives, it’s about showcasing their artistic journey through portfolios.
• Group Projects and Presentations. These emphasize collaboration and communication skills, common in business and management courses.
• Fieldwork and Case Studies. Especially in disciplines like anthropology or marketing, where real-world application is key.

Examples in Different Fields

• Biology Coursework. Might involve a lab-based investigation into a specific biological phenomenon.
• Literature Coursework. Could be an analysis of a particular literary work or a comparative study of multiple pieces.
• Computer Science Coursework. Often involves coding projects or developing software solutions.

Importance and Objectives

More than just grades.

What is coursework? Coursework is about more than chasing an ‘A’. It’s an integral part of the learning process. Through coursework, you:

• Develop Critical Skills. Like research, analysis, and problem-solving.
• Apply Theoretical Knowledge. It’s your chance to use what you’ve learned in a practical context.
• Prepare for the Future. Whether it’s further academic pursuits or the professional world, coursework lays the groundwork.

Educational Objectives

Graduate coursework, in particular, is designed to deepen expertise in a field. It’s less about memorizing facts and more about developing a sophisticated understanding of complex concepts.

Challenges and Strategies

Common roadblocks.

• Time Management: Juggling multiple assignments can be overwhelming.
• Understanding Requirements: Sometimes, assignment briefs are as clear as mud.
• Maintaining Academic Integrity: The line between inspiration and plagiarism can get blurry.

Navigating the Coursework Maze

• Start Early: Procrastination is your enemy. Begin as soon as you get the assignment.
• Seek Clarification: If you’re not sure, ask. Better safe than sorry.
• Use Resources Wisely: Libraries, online databases, and even study groups can be goldmines.

Helpful Sources

• Cambridge Dictionary
• Merriam-Webster
• Can you attend two colleges at once ?

Final Thoughts

In a nutshell, what is coursework? Coursework is an indispensable part of the academic journey. It’s where theory meets practice, where skills are honed, and knowledge is deepened. As education continues to evolve with technology and changing societal needs, so does coursework. It adapts, transforms, and continues to play a crucial role in shaping competent, well-rounded individuals ready to take on the world. So, embrace your coursework – it’s not just a stepping stone to a grade, but a pathway to learning, growth, and success.

What Is a Coursework and How to Write a Paper: A Simple Guide

• 24 August 2023
• 13 min read

Academic writing is an essential activity in high education and comes in various forms. Basically, one of these forms is coursework writing, where instructors assess students’ level of understanding of a course during a semester. In this case, unlike other papers, coursework assignments evaluate students’ understanding of the course and not just a topic in the class. Moreover, various forms of coursework writing include essays, term papers, theses, dissertations, and report projects. Hence, students need to learn what is a coursework assignment and how to write such a paper.

What Is a Coursework Paper

College and university students undertake different kinds of academic exercises, with writing projects taking a significant portion. Basically, one of these exercises is the writing of coursework, an assignment that they submit at the end of the semester. Ideally, this kind of work assesses students’ understanding of a particular field of study within a single semester. In turn, instructors rarely require students to write a coursework assignment for things they learned during the previous semester.

For writing your paper, these links will be helpful:

• Essay Writing Service
• How to Write a Research Paper
• How to Write a Research Proposal
• How to Write a Term Paper
• How to Write a Case Study

Definition of a Coursework

By definition, a coursework assignment is an academic project that students undertake in the course of study and which they must submit before the closure of the semester. For example, such an assignment aims to evaluate students’ level of knowledge and skills acquisition, meaning the work contributes to students’ final grades. Ideally, coursework is what students learn during a semester, and such an assignment is meant to measure how well they have understood the subject matter. Moreover, students use reliable and relevant sources to study, examine and evaluate the chosen coursework topic. Therefore, a coursework assignment is very similar to other writing assignments, such as essays, reports, thesis writing , and dissertations.

Differences With Other Papers

In the course of their classes, students write different types of papers , including essays and reports. Basically, the major difference between coursework writing and these papers is that it assesses students’ understanding of what they have discovered throughout the semester. In contrast, essays and other papers assess students’ understanding of a specific topic, concept, result , or theory. Moreover, students may need to address an issue in their coursework that they might have addressed in an essay assignment sometime during the semester. As such, a coursework assignment is broad in scope than other papers.

Expectations

Like essays and other papers, a coursework assignment varies from one area of study to another. For example, there is a coursework for the English subject and another for the sciences. Therefore, students are expected to complete their coursework assignments according to their instructor’s or department’s instructions. In most cases, this expectation includes presenting the assignment in an essay format, where they select a title of their choice. Depending on the subject, some coursework assignments expect students to collect, examine, infer, and report data when answering a specific question.

When it comes to the grading of academic assignments, instructors look at how well a student has attended to all the requirements and expectations. For instance, these requirements include writing about a choice of themes or text excerpts in a given format. In this case, students must use an approach that they believe is likely to give them a higher grade, meaning an approach that helps them to answer the question methodically, logically, and critically by using relevant information. In essence, these are three dimensions for grading a coursework assignment.

Constructing a Paper: A Step-by-Step Guide on How to Write a Coursework Assignment

Like an essay, a coursework assignment takes a particular structure. Basically, students should understand the core components and make sure that they address them in their academic writing . In this case, the most significant issue for students is to ensure a logical flow of ideas. Moreover, developing a thesis statement is essential to provide high-quality essays with a guideline on focal issues. Primarily, these issues are the concepts and theories that the student has learned in a specific course during the semester.

Step 1: Preparation

Planning or preparation is the first step in writing a coursework paper. For instance, the essence of any form of academic writing is to measure a student’s level of understanding about a particular area of study. Since the coursework measures what a student has learned in a given course, it is paramount for each person to prepare well when executing the assignment. Here, learners have to choose a topic that they are comfortable with, one that they are passionate about. Additionally, they should generate ideas about their coursework by deciding what is relevant and what is not. In this case, the reasoning that guides this decision is the expectation outlined in assignment instructions. Lastly, students should understand their audience – consumers of their work or readers. Like any other assignment, the audience is course instructors. Hence, writers should ensure coursework satisfies a curiosity of readers.

Step 2: Setting Up

After preparation, students should set up the stage for coursework writing. Basically, the first preoccupation is to find sources relevant to the assignment prompt – those that are more likely to provide enough evidence and support needed claims. As students review credible sources , they should take notes to provide a strong argumentation in their coursework. Then, another activity involves deciding on the coursework outline, which should help answer the assignment prompt logically and critically. Lastly, learners should create an annotated bibliography, a summary of each source they intend to use as the basis of their arguments in the coursework.

Step 3: Writing the Coursework

After preparing and setting up the stage, students should start writing the coursework assignment. In this case, armed with notes taken during the review of reliable sources and the outline they have created, students should start with the first draft, where they develop a thesis statement. Basing all opinions and arguments on the thesis, writers should answer the assignment prompt methodically, logically, and critically. Moreover, the thesis statement should ‘hook’ the audience and make them interested in reading the substantial part of the paper – the body. In essence, the body is where students use all the evidence they have gathered about the topic, while the thesis informs the audience of what individuals have focused on in the paper.

Step 4: Wrapping It Up

It is normal for a writer to make mistakes when writing an academic document. For example, these mistakes include inconsistent arguments, irrelevant content, punctuation errors, and countless grammatical mistakes. Therefore, after completing the draft, students should read it through, at least twice, to identify these mistakes and correct them. Basically, the processes of correction include revising and editing the paper. Regarding revisions, students should give their work to a friend or mentor to read it through. In their feedback, these individuals are likely to point out areas where authors should make corrections for the paper to be logical and interesting to read. Concerning editing the paper, students should proofread their work to ensure it is free of spelling mistakes, punctuation errors, and other grammatical mishaps.

Step 5: Developing Body Paragraphs

The body paragraph of any academic text, including a coursework assignment, utilizes several features to make the paper logical. Basically, the first feature is the topic sentence that opens up each paragraph. Also, the purpose of this feature is to strengthen the central idea captured in the thesis statement. Then, the rest of the paragraph structure backs up this claim using evidence gathered from different sources. In turn, another feature is a concluding sentence, which closes each paragraph. For instance, the goal of this aspect is to connect the topic sentence with the thesis statement. Finally, another feature is a transition – words and phrases that help readers sense a logical flow of ideas throughout the paper. In short, writers use transitions within and between paragraphs to create a logical flow of information and ideas.

Step 6: Referencing Format and Peer Reviewing

Besides ensuring the paper is written methodically and logically, students should see that it meets the highest academic writing standards. In this regard, they should ensure it follows after a particular format – APA, MLA, Harvard, or Chicago/Turabian. In most cases, the assignment prompt dictates the format that learners should use. Moreover, the referencing format informs about the structure of the paper and the format of citations. In turn, another essential activity that students should perform is to commit the paper to peer review. Here, authors give coursework papers to distinguished scholars, such as a professor or classmate, to assess the validity and quality of information used, including sources.

Step 7: Writing the Final Draft of a Coursework Paper

After subjecting the first draft to vigorous scrutiny through revisions, editions, and peer review, students should start writing the final draft of a coursework paper. Basically, this draft should be thoroughly polished, meaning it should be free of spelling, punctuation, and grammatical mistakes, as well as inconsistent arguments and irrelevant sentences. Moreover, it should indicate an effective use of transitions in the body paragraphs. In short, the final draft is an improved version of the first draft because writers have revised and edited it and incorporated feedback from a friend, mentor, or professor. However, they still need to read through the final draft, at least once, to ensure it is perfect before submission to the department. In turn, if students note several mistakes, it means another revision is necessary. Hence, the student’s focus should be the content, organization of ideas, style of writing, and format.

Types of Coursework

Given that coursework assignments test students’ level of understanding about a course’s content in a given semester, it means that it takes several forms. For example, these include a term paper, a Master’s thesis , a dissertation , or a report project. Ideally, the coursework is an essential requirement for a student to complete the course successfully. It also means the coursework is essential to be awarded a degree. In turn, the only difference between these types of coursework assignments is that they take a different approach to examining and analyzing a course content, with each subject taking a unique approach.

Coursework Writing Techniques

The dream of every student is to pass any assessment and attain a higher grade. In a coursework assignment, students can utilize different techniques to ensure they attain higher grades after assessments. As indicated earlier about the grading of coursework, learners should use an approach that they believe answers the assignment prompt methodically, logically, and critically. As a result, every technique they use must allow them to answer the question in a way that satisfies these three grading dimensions.

1. Compare and Contrast Technique

A compare and contrast essay technique is about analyzing two subjects, ideas, concepts, or theories by comparing them, contrasting them, or doing both. Basically, the purpose of answering a coursework assignment through this approach is that students must not state obvious things. Instead, they need to shed light on the subtle differences or unexpected similarities between subjects, ideas, concepts, or theories.

2. Cause and Effect Technique

A cause and effect essay technique allows writers to develop their paper’s body by analyzing the reasons for and the consequences of a decision, action, or event. When organizing a paragraph, students adopt a structure that allows them to arrange the causes and effects in a chronological or reverse chronological order. Alternatively, authors can present their arguments through emphasis, starting from least important to most important aspects, or vice versa.

3. Investigation Technique

An investigation technique involves undertaking an in-depth examination of a topic, idea, concept, or theory. Basically, this technique’s primary goal is to demonstrate that students have gained a thorough knowledge of the subject, which is indicated in their methodical, logical, and critical analysis and presentation of information. In this case, ensuring that research findings are interpreted and presented in an organized manner throughout the essay is critical. Ultimately, the technique enables writers to demonstrate their articulate understanding of the various viewpoints about the issue under investigation. 

How to Present Strong Arguments

For an academic paper to capture the audience’s attention and interest, students must not only develop a thesis statement but also ensure they use strong arguments to back up the central idea in the statement. Basically, the “they say, I say” technique is the simplest method to present arguments properly. In this regard, the information that the student uses in answering the coursework assignment prompt should be free of plagiarism. For instance, they need to cite sources properly. Then, another way to ensure that the writing is persuasive is to confirm that they have attained the required word count without counting footnotes, endnotes, references, and appendices. Ideally, selecting a topic that one is comfortable with and passionate about enables the writing to be high-quality in terms of argumentation. Also, students should discuss alternatives with their mentor or instructor. Finally, the thesis statement should not be complicated.

Major Mistakes in Courseworks

Students make different kinds of mistakes when writing academic texts. For example, a common mistake in coursework writing involves a scope, where students fail to focus on one area of the topic and instead tries to be broad in their argumentation. In this case, the problem with this approach is that they waste space talking about irrelevant material, leaving them with little space to write about the core idea. Also, the solution to this problem is to develop a thesis statement that sets out the paper’s specific agenda. In doing so, students can realize every time they go off-topic.

Another common mistake involves colloquialism, where students use a language that is not standard for academic writing. Basically, this problem is particularly common with students who become excited about the topic and try to express their ideas creatively. Moreover, the problem is that the coursework shifts from being evidence-based to a document about the student’s opinion. In turn, the solution to this problem is to pick a topic that is exciting and critically discussed in the literature. As a result, they can identify several sources that discuss the topic to use as bases for evidence of their claims and arguments about the topic.

Sample of a General Coursework Outline

The coursework paper adopts a typical outline, as indicated below:

• Table of Contents
• Abstract or Executive Summary
• Introduction
• Body Paragraph(s)
• Reference list

Reason for Similarity of a Coursework Assignment With a Research Paper

Ideally, the outline of a coursework assignment is similar to that of a research paper. In this case, an abstract serves as a brief overview of a research paper and informs readers of the writer’s focal points. More importantly, the coursework outline has a body, where writers use different paragraphs to make an argument about the topic. Also, each of the paragraphs begins with a topic sentence and ends with a concluding sentence. Like research papers, body paragraphs of a coursework assignment serve to cement the writer’s claims and arguments, which are linked to the thesis statement.

Summing Up on What Is a Coursework Assignment and How to Write a Paper

A coursework assignment is among the writing assignments that students in colleges and universities undertake in preparation for their degree. Unlike other papers, this assignment assesses students’ understanding of what they have learned in a course in a given semester. As such, students must complete and submit it before the semester closes. Moreover, the different types of coursework include essays, term papers, theses, dissertations, and report projects.

Students should master the following tips when it comes to writing a coursework assignment:

• Choose an exciting topic and stick to it. Basically, students come across tons of exciting information about their topic. However, to avoid going off-script, they should focus on their core subject and avoid the temptation of using data that may prove irrelevant.
• Use evidence (quotes and statistics) selectively. In this case, relevancy is a significant indicator of a high-grade paper. As such, where students are not going to refer to some data directly because it adds no value to their argument, they should avoid dwelling on it in their paper.
• Cite sources correctly. When citing sources, students should note the standards of the format in use – APA, MLA, Harvard, or Chicago/Turabian – as each has a unique approach.
• Revise, edit, and proofread the paper. In turn, high-quality coursework writing should be free of inconsistent arguments, irrelevant sentences, and spelling, punctuation, and grammatical mistakes.

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• How to Make Your Coursework as Good as It Can Possibly Be

Many GCSE and A-level subjects are assessed in part by coursework in addition to exams, meaning that the mark you receive for coursework contributes to your overall grade. Many students prefer coursework, because it’s a chance to showcase your academic abilities away from the high-pressured environment of the exam room, making it ideal for those who don’t perform to the best of their abilities in exams. However, the time you have available for coursework, in contrast with the time constraints of the exam room, can lull some students into a false sense of security. Coursework is arguably just as challenging as exams, just in different ways – and, given the fact that you have more time, much higher standards are expected of you in coursework than in exams. Careful planning and research are needed for successful coursework, as well as strong data-gathering and essay-writing skills. In this article, we look at how to produce excellent coursework, from planning to proofreading. This information might also be useful to you if you’re planning on attending an Oxford Summer School this summer.

What is coursework?

GCSE and A-level coursework typically takes the form of an extended essay or project. Its objectives vary from one subject to another, but there’s usually an emphasis on the student conducting independent research into a topic of their own choice. Thus coursework often takes the form of some sort of investigation; it may, therefore, help to have your ‘detective’ hat on as you explore, investigate and analyse your topic. You can usually work on your coursework at home, though it’s sometimes completed under controlled conditions through sessions at school. To give you a better idea of how coursework varies from one subject to another, here are some examples:

• English – English coursework usually takes the form of an extended essay with a title of your choice. You’re usually given a choice of themes and/or texts to explore, and you could choose a format such as a comparison between a set text and another one.
• Geography – Geography coursework usually focuses on the gathering, reporting and interpretation of data designed to answer a particular geographical question. You could investigate usage of a shopping centre, for example, or look at erosion on a particular beach.
• Sciences – coursework for science subjects often takes the form of a scientific project or experiment that you conduct and report on yourself.

Before you start work on your coursework, it’s essential that you have a thorough understanding of the rules. Failing to conform to the rules – inadvertently or not – may result in your coursework (or possibly even your entire qualification) being disqualified, so it’s a serious matter.

• No plagiarism – this is particularly dangerous given the ready availability of relevant information on the internet these days. Make sure everything is in your own words; you’ll need to sign a declaration stating that it’s your own original work.
• There’s only so much help your teacher can give you . They can provide guidance on what you need to include, and on what the examiners will be looking for. You can ask them questions, but they’ll usually only be able to check through your first draft once and offer broad hints on updating it.
• Check the word count , and stick to it. Find out whether footnotes, appendices and bibliographies are included in the word count.
• Check what topics you’re allowed to do your coursework on; if there’s an exam on this topic, you’ll almost certainly have to choose a different one for your coursework.

Choose your topic wisely

Ideally, choose something you’re genuinely interested in, as your enthusiasm will come across and you’ll find it more enjoyable to write. If there’s something you’ve been working on for the course so far that you’ve particularly enjoyed, you may be able to focus more on this as part of your coursework. For science coursework, you’ll need to choose something to investigate that you can measure, change and control; it should be what’s called a ‘fair test’, meaning that you have to acknowledge all the controls you use in the experiment and why. Try not to pick a topic for which the scope is too vast, as you’ll struggle to research it properly and you’re unlikely to do it justice, and it’ll be hard to keep within the word limit. Ask your teachers for some guidance on choosing your topic if you’re not sure what to write about; they might even tell you a bit about what previous students have done to give you some inspiration.

Plan how long it’s going to take

Never leave your coursework until the last minute, even if this is your normal approach to essays and it usually works for you. Make sure you understand when the deadlines are, including time for submitting a first draft for comments from your teacher. Then schedule blocks of time for working on it, allowing plenty of time before the deadline to cater for any unexpected delays. Allow ample time for making corrections based on teacher feedback on your first draft, and keep some time aside before the deadline for final editing and proofreading. Because actual deadlines are few and far between, you’ll need to take responsibility for the writing process and impose some deadlines on yourself to ensure it’s finished in time. Write down your deadlines on a calendar, with the coursework broken into stages and dates assigned to each, by which time each task should be complete. You can base your stages on the next few points in this article – research and data gathering, a structure plan for the piece of work, writing up, and so on.

Conducting your research and gathering data

As coursework is primarily a research exercise, the research phase is crucial, so don’t be tempted to skimp on it and go straight to writing up. Use as many different resources as you can to gather data: books, journals, newspapers, television, radio, the internet and anything else you think might be relevant. For science and Geography coursework, you’ll need to base your work on a hypothesis, so the research stage should start by coming up with at least one hypothesis, otherwise your research will lack direction. The research phase for some subjects may involve site visits for gathering data, so allow plenty of time for this, particularly if you need your parents to drive you somewhere to do so. If it’s a scientific experiment you’re conducting for your coursework, you’ll need to pay careful attention to planning the experiment using rigorous scientific methods (also noting what Health and Safety precautions you are taking), as well as reading up on the background and theory so that you have an idea of what to expect from the outcome of your experiment. In the research stage, make notes about what you expect to happen, so that you can later compare your expectations with what actually did happen. The experiment itself also forms part of the research and data-gathering stage for your science coursework; in the write-up stage, which we come onto shortly, you analyse and write up the results.

Plan your structure

Once you’ve completed your research, the process of writing up begins. Before you get down to the actual writing, however, it’s advisable to write a plan for how you’re going to structure it – essentially an essay plan for English coursework and other subjects for which the coursework is based on an extended essay. It’ll look slightly different from an essay plan for science subjects and others that revolve around project work, but the principle is the same: plan out what order you’re going to present your information in. For big projects, this is particularly important, because with a lot of information to convey, you risk being disorganised and waffling.

Writing up your project

For any coursework, but particularly coursework based around an extended essay, you’ll need to perfect your essay-writing abilities. For science coursework, writing up your project also involves data analysis, as you interpret the results of your experiment and work your notes into formal scientific language. Follow the links below to find lots more useful advice on writing great essays.

• How to write dazzlingly brilliant essays
• How to write more original essays
• Techniques from creative writing that can improve your essays

When you’re writing up, it’s important to find a place where you can work quietly, without distractions that could cause you to make careless errors. You wouldn’t want noise or distractions when you were in an exam room, so treat your coursework with the same reverence.

Supporting materials and images

For some subjects, namely the sciences and Geography, it would be appropriate to include images, graphs, charts, tables and so on in your coursework. For example, for Geography coursework, your extra material could include annotated images and maps of the site you’re talking about, plus tables, graphs and charts. An appendix could then detail your raw data; if, for example, your coursework focused on the results of a survey, you could put the raw survey responses in an appendix and provide summaries and analysis in the main body of the coursework.

Footnotes and bibliography

As we said earlier, it’s important that you always use your own words in your coursework to avoid the possibility of falling foul of plagiarism rules. However, it’s acceptable to quote from another source, as you would in any piece of academic writing, but you must make sure that you state where it is from and use quotation marks to show that it’s a quote from somewhere else. The best way of citing another work is to use a footnote; word processors will allow you to insert one, and it just puts a little number at the end of the sentence and another in the footer of the document, into which you put the name of the author and work, and the page within that work that the quote can be found. At the end of your piece of work, include a bibliography that includes a list of every external source you’ve used in the creation of your coursework. Stick to a set formula when including books. A common format is: Author Surname, Initial. (Date) – Title of Book , page number For example: Lewis, C.S. (1960) – Studies in Words , p. 45 When you get to university, you’ll be expected to include footnotes and bibliographies in all your essays, so it’s a good habit to get into and coursework gives you good practice at it.

The final pre-submission check

Having completed a first draft, received feedback from your teacher, and honed your work into a finished piece of coursework, have a final check through it before you send off your coursework for submission.

• Sense check : have a read through your completed piece of work and check that it all makes sense. Make sure you haven’t contradicted yourself anywhere, or repeated yourself, or laboured the point. If there are any facts that you may have meant to look up to double check their accuracy, do so now.
• Word count : ensure that the completed work falls within the word count, and double check whether the bibliography should be included in the word count. If you’ve exceeded it, you’ll need to work through the piece and tighten up your writing, omitting unnecessary information, reordering sentences so that they use fewer words, and so on.
• Proofread : check your spelling and grammar, and ensure that there are no typos. Don’t just use the spellcheck – go through it with a fine toothcomb, manually, and if you can, ask someone to read through it for you to see if they spot anything you haven’t.
• Formatting : check that you’ve included page numbers, and that the font and line spacing is consistent throughout the work. Ensure that the font is plain and easy to read, such as Arial or Times New Roman.
• Bibliography : check that you’ve included everything, that the format is the same for all sources mentioned, and that the right information is included for each.

Once this stage is complete, you’re ready to submit your coursework along with your declaration that it’s entirely your own work. Get ready for a feeling of immense satisfaction when you finally send off your hard work!

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Your Guide to Conquering College Coursework

Getting good grades in college can be a lot tougher than in high school. For many students, it requires building new skills and establishing new habits. Learning those skills now—before starting college—will help make your transition as easy and as successful as possible.

Mary Sharp Emerson

The transition from high school to college is a big one. Meeting new friends, living on your own, and creating your own schedule are just some of the new, exciting challenges that await you.   

In the excitement of starting a new life on campus, college coursework can sometimes become a second priority.

However, adjusting to college coursework is often the biggest challenge of all. Even the best students may be surprised at how difficult college courses are. The subject matter is more complex. The workload is larger. And instructors’ standards are higher.

Mastering college-level courses requires a new level of independence, advocacy, engagement, and time management.

You can prepare yourself to succeed before you even get to campus. Identifying the skills you need, and building those skills into established habits, will help make your transition to college academics, and college life, easier, less stressful, and more successful.

Be engaged in your college coursework

College courses require your full attention and active participation.

And the more you engage with your teachers, teaching assistants, and classmates both in and out of the classroom, the easier it will be for you to succeed in that class.

The importance of active listening

Active listening is one of the most critical parts of engaging in a course, according to Gina Neugebauer, assistant director of Harvard Summer School’s Secondary School Program.

“Professors and teaching assistants can tell if you’re actively listening. They notice if you’re taking notes and making eye contact. They also notice if you’re distracted by your phone or computer,” notes Neugebauer.

Active listening means not checking your social media accounts or texting friends during class.

It also means really giving the instructor and your classmates your full attention.

It sounds easy in theory but it takes practice. It can be tough to not think about all the work you have or your next party. But the more you work on actively listening, the easier it will be to not get distracted and miss important information in class.

Different ways to actively participate

Beyond active listening, there are many ways to participate in a course. And you can tailor your level of engagement to your personality and comfort level.

“It’s all about gauging what you’re comfortable with,” says Neugebauer.

“You may not be the person who raises their hand all the time but you actively respond to online discussion posts, for example. You may not feel comfortable talking in front of hundreds of students in a large lecture hall but you take advantage of TA office hours and email the instructor with questions.”

But don’t be afraid to push yourself if you aren’t someone who usually speaks up in class.

It’s ok to start small. Work on raising your hand in small seminars or discussion sections. As you gain confidence, you’ll find it gets easier to answer questions and share your opinions.

Build independence and advocate for yourself

In college, you are responsible for your own success. You will need to advocate for yourself and know when—and how—to ask for help. That requires a level of independence that you may not have needed in high school.

The good news is that instructors and teaching assistants want to help you.

“Instructors, on the whole, enjoy hearing from you. And they’d rather hear from you right from the start, rather than have you struggle on your own for three weeks,” says Neugebauer.

If you have a question about an assignment, send your instructor an email. Are you upset about a grade you got on a recent test? Visit your instructor or TA during office hours to discuss what went wrong and how you can improve.

But remember, says Neugebauer, professors are busy and you are only one of many students.

“Your email should include your full name, what course you’re taking, and a brief description of your question or concern. And you cannot expect an answer at 2 a.m. because that’s when you’re studying. When you reach out to an instructor, give them 24-48 hours to respond.”

And remember, always be respectful and non-confrontational.

Challenge yourself in a college course. Get a sneak peak at college life.

Explore summer programs for high school students.

Don’t be afraid to seek help

If you have excelled in high school without extra help, you might be tempted to persevere on your own.

In college, Neugebauer points out, asking for help is the norm.

“Once you get into your undergraduate program, you’ll find that almost everyone has, at some point, asked a TA for extra tutoring, gone to a tutoring center, or a writing or math center for extra help. It’s part of the learning process of an undergraduate program,” Neugebauer says.

Colleges have a variety of support systems in place to help you succeed.

TA office hours are a great place to start if you find yourself struggling with a specific concept or assignment. Peer tutoring programs enable you to learn from students who have been through the course themselves. Academic coaches can help with more general study tips or exam-related stress.

The key is seeking out help proactively, before you get too far behind. As the courses become more difficult, catching up becomes increasingly difficult.

Build time management techniques

Balancing everything that comes with life on a college campus can be difficult for many incoming college students.

“The biggest challenge we see facing high school students who are trying to adapt to college life is overcommitment. Students want to engage in every activity, a full course load, and even sometimes a part-time job. They don’t schedule enough time for self-care, quiet time, doing laundry, and plenty of study time. All those things take time,” Neugebauer says.

Good study habits and time management are key to avoiding the stress that comes from getting overcommitted.

Neugebauer recommends getting into the habit of keeping an accurate and up-to-date calendar.

“The best thing I can recommend is a calendar, such as Google Calendar. Use it to schedule everything: your class, your lunch time, time at the gym. It may seem counterintuitive, but work on scheduling literally everything, even sleep.”

Be sure to include assignments, tests, and other deadlines, as well as office hours for your instructors, TAs, and academic coaches.

Use your calendar to block off dedicated study time. And once you schedule it, stick to it! Avoid the temptation to procrastinate or use that time to hang out, play video games, or scroll on your phone.

Your calendar should also include dedicated time for self-care.

Regular mealtimes, good exercise habits, and a full night’s sleep are not only critical for your physical and mental health. You’ll also be surprised at how much they contribute to your academic success.

Challenge yourself as you engage in college coursework

Getting outside your comfort zone is a critical part of preparing yourself for the exciting challenges that await you in college.

“Being uncomfortable allows for growth. It means saying to yourself, ‘this is new. I want to try it. I want to see how it feels.’ This is all about adapting to a new environment but also examining yourself as a person,” says Neugebauer.

Taking on a new challenge—regardless of the ultimate outcome—builds resilience, mental toughness, and confidence, all of which you will need to succeed in your college courses.

But, warns Neugebauer, it’s also important to know your limitations.

“That uncomfortable feeling should be manageable. It should be a challenge but not so challenging that you feel panicked and wake up in cold sweats every night. It should be something that gets you a little nervous but also excited about what you’re involved in every day.”

However you decide to challenge yourself, it’s never too early to start if college is in your future. The sooner you start identifying and mastering the skills you need in college, the better prepared you’ll be to succeed right from day one.

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About the Author

Digital Content Producer

Emerson is a Digital Content Producer at Harvard DCE. She is a graduate of Brandeis University and Yale University and started her career as an international affairs analyst. She is an avid triathlete and has completed three Ironman triathlons, as well as the Boston Marathon.

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Coursework Examples and Samples

Discover how reading our coursework samples can give you a better understanding of how coursework is written. Our samples are written by professional writers with expertise in a wide variety of subjects.

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Meaning of coursework in English

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• academic year
• access course
• Advanced Placement
• asynchronous
• immersion course
• interdisciplinarity
• on a course
• open admissions
• open classroom
• work placement

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customer support

help and advice that a company makes available to customers when they have bought something

Searching out and tracking down: talking about finding or discovering things

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How to Write a Course Description: Examples & Templates

February 13, 2023

For something that’s usually only a bit longer than the average tweet, a course description is a surprisingly powerful marketing tool. In fact, your course descriptions are one of the last marketing messages students see before they click “enroll.” Short but important, these can be tricky to write. That’s why we’ve put together some course description examples that will hook students and make your job easier.

Along with sharing our list of best practices, we’ll dissect a series of examples so you can see exactly what works and why. Use these course description templates to make creating your course catalog a breeze! 

Course Description Example 1: Get Students “Hooked”

Open every course description with a sentence that “hooks” the reader and then conveys the essential information in an accessible and engaging way. A hook can be anything that captures the prospective student’s attention or encourages them to keep reading. 

These can take a variety of forms, including:

• A callout to a specific audience.  Example: For a class on poker strategy, your “hook” could read, “ Calling all card sharks for this 4-week class that will transform your poker game as you learn how to read your opponents, spot tells, understand game theory, check-raise, bluff, and more.” 

Hooking the attention of your ideal student is important, but it’s just part of what a strong first line can do. You can pack a lot of information into this one sentence! 

Course Description Example 2: Keywords, Keywords, Keywords

Keywords help search engines find your course descriptions, which helps students find them too. When you write a course description, try to use the words a student is likely to use to search for courses on that topic. Use a tool like Semrush or Moz to do some keyword research. Find keywords that you can target and build your course description around those terms. 

But don’t go overboard. Remember that course descriptions are supposed to help the student, not just fit an algorithm. Use the keywords that make sense in context and relate closely to your program. 

Here’s an example of a course description that uses keywords effectively: 

Course Title: Breaking and Baking Bread

Course Description: Not your average bread baking class, this 6-week course shares the joy of making bread from scratch by breaking down the essentials of a great starter and giving expert tips about yeast and flour. You will bake breads such as sourdough, rye, brioche, challah, ciabatta, and popovers while learning about oven heating, mixing, kneading, fermenting, egg washing, and more. Your guests will clamor for the bread basket at your kitchen table and luxuriate in the smell of warm bread in your home after you become part of the ancient tradition of bread baking . 

This course description uses variations on the keyword “bread baking” to optimize for SEO. Try to use your selected keyword in the course title. Include three to five relevant keywords in the description as long as it sounds natural to do so.

Course Description Example 3: Outcomes Over Operations

While instructors tend to focus on things like course mechanics, lessons, and assignments, prospective students are more interested in what they’ll gain from taking the course. Will they earn a certification? Will they be a member of a group? Will they have a new skill to put on their resume? 

Use the course description to tell students about the outcome, such as:

• A formal certification 
• An advanced understanding of the topic
• Access to an exclusive group 
• A tangible skill or experience
• A portfolio 

The outcome should be closely related to the class topic and something that the student is likely to value. For example, a course on finance might promise students a personalized plan for reducing debt while a course on fashion might help students define their own style. Outlining these outcomes helps the student recognize the value the course will bring to their life. It can also set your courses apart from others on the same topic.

Here’s an example of a course description that focuses on the outcome:

Course Title: Finding Your Voice Through Songwriting 

Course Description: Make music that expresses your true self in this 12-session class that studies wordplay, poetry, and phonics to help you write lyrics that resonate. You’ll write and workshop two full songs and perform one at the final class meeting so you can experience the full process of songwriting , from ideating and conceptualizing to drafting, editing, revising, and finalizing. You’ll break down classic songs, mix melodies, and learn how legendary songwriters mastered their craft to gain a new appreciation for the art of making music. 

This description outlines several outcomes:

• Writing two full songs
• Experiencing the full process of songwriting

Each of these might be useful to the student on their own, but together they make for a unique and valuable course.

Course Description Template

We’ve covered a lot of examples, but let’s cut right to the heart of the matter.

A template that works for nearly every course description looks like this:

Course Title: Topic + Intended Audience (or) Topic + Outcome

Examples:  

• Topic + Intended Audience: Mindful Parenting for Busy Parents
• Topic + Outcome: Storytelling Through Portrait Photography

Course Description:

Sentence 1 hooks the reader by including the important information in an accessible, interesting way. 

Sentences 2-4 tell students what they gain from taking the course and include keywords. 

Sentence 5 tells students how to register. 

You can add a few more sentences if you need extra space to truly explain your outcomes and course structure. Just don’t get too lost in the details. If you do need to provide a lot of supplementary information like materials lists or policies, consider adding those as an attachment students can download and review. 

Here’s an example of how a course description comes together. 

Course Title: Make Your Home Garden Grow

Course Description: (1) Whether you have a green thumb or a brown one, this 8-session class will teach you how to grow and maintain an indoor garden of peperomia, snake plant, philodendron, English ivy, hoya, pothos, and calathea. (2-4) No matter the size of your space, you’ll create a thriving forest of greenery and gain access to a virtual gardening library which includes a comprehensive care spreadsheet for 200+ common houseplants, a guide to watering, an encyclopedia of perennials, and a manual for pruning. With a live online class format, you’ll get to work in your own garden space while learning about soil composition, sun exposure, seed germination, pest control, tool care, and more. (5) Register now!

A course description like this moves students to want to register. So make it simple for them to do. CourseStorm makes course registration simple and seamless. Add registration links directly to your course descriptions so students can go from interested to registered quickly and easily. Contact us today to get started or start your free trial now.

Nic is skilled in scaling start-up edtech and education organizations to growth-stage success through innovative marketing. A former journalist and copywriter, Nic holds a postgraduate certificate in digital and print publishing from Columbia University School of Journalism's publishing course.

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How to Include Relevant Coursework on a Resume (with Examples)

13 min read · Updated on September 11, 2023

If you are a recent graduate struggling with a lack of work experience, knowing how to include relevant coursework on a resume can be one of the best ways to create a more compelling resume narrative.

One thing that many recent college graduates have in common with one another is a general lack of work experience. That lack of experience can sometimes make it difficult for them to construct a resume that sells their potential to be the best candidate for a job. Fortunately, there are ways to still create a strong and compelling resume, even without experience. For example, did you take classes that might be relevant to the position? If so, including relevant coursework on your resume may be the perfect solution to your resume challenges.

In this post, we will explain how you can identify relevant coursework and where it should be listed in your resume. We will also include several examples of relevant coursework on a resume so that you can see the best options for using these details to strengthen your job search efforts.

What is relevant coursework?

Of course, when we talk about relevant coursework, we are talking about those classes and educational activities that have direct relevance to the position you are seeking. The first thing you need to recognize is that many of the classes you took during your college career will not need to be included in your resume. After all, most degrees require that students complete any number of basic foundational courses that will have little if any relation to their chosen job — at least from a resume standpoint. 

So, what types of classes, achievements, and activities should you focus on as you identify suitable courses to add to your resume? While this sounds like a simple question, it actually requires some serious thought and evaluation. Fortunately, there are some basic rules that you can follow as you make that determination. Below are just some of the potentially relevant things that you might want to include in your resume: 

Coursework that demonstrates that you have a foundation of knowledge in a required aspect of the job you are seeking. For example, if communication skills are needed for the position, you should include courses that focused on business communications, writing, etc.

Projects that are related to particular job skills. For a marketing position, you should include any marketing-related projects you completed during your studies. Or you could include research projects you engaged in if you are seeking a job where research skills are essential.

Academic achievements can also be included, including notably high GPA scores or awards you received. Also, be sure to include any related extracurricular activities. That could include everything from clubs to sporting activities if they helped you develop skills that would be useful for the job.

Again, do not include coursework that has no bearing on the job at hand. This will require you to carefully consider each course to determine its relevance. One way to do that is to read the job posting and select keywords and phrases of import that seem to be describing the skills or educational qualifications needed for the job. Then go through your coursework and try to match courses to those skills. As you do so, remember that some basic courses like those involving communication—both written and verbal—may be included, since communication is one of those soft skills that every company values .

You can learn more about the difference between hard and soft skills by reading our excellent article, Key Differences Between Hard Skills and Soft Skills . A better understanding of those critical soft skills can help to ensure that you don't underestimate the value of any of your classes. There's a great chance that you have more marketable soft skills than you realize! 

When should you include relevant courses on your resume?

Before you add your job-related classes to your resume, you should decide whether it is necessary. For example, you can almost certainly benefit from including your relevant coursework on your resume if: 

You recently graduated from school or are beginning the process of looking for a job because you are close to graduation. Students and recent graduates typically have little or no real job experience to highlight skills. Fortunately, their studies and project assignments will likely have helped them to develop important skills that they can highlight in their resumes.

Your educational achievements are necessary to qualify for the position you are seeking. In those instances, your prospective employer will be interested in knowing that you have fulfilled those requirements and have the basic knowledge needed for the position.

There may also be times when you need to include coursework even after you have been in the workforce for some time. For example, if you are switching careers and your current work experience does not include the skills needed for your new job, that may not matter as much if you can show that your studies prepared you for the role. 

Including coursework related to your minor

As you select relevant coursework for your resume, don't forget to consider courses of study related to your minor too. Hopefully, you will have selected a minor that is at least tangentially related to your desired career path. If so, then chances are that some of the courses you completed may have some relevance that can translate to a useful resume listing. For more information about minors and when they can be added to your resume, read How to Include a Minor on Your Resume .

When should I take coursework off my resume?

Obviously, there will be times when you should forgo any mention of your courses in your resume. Some examples of situations where you might not need to list your specific coursework include:

When your coursework is not really relevant to the position you seek. Including irrelevant coursework could actually distract from your important skills and experiences.

Situations in which coursework was completed so long ago that the information is no longer useful. For instance, many technology-related courses can lose their value over time. Other examples include old marketing courses and other educational achievements that involve skills that have evolved rapidly in recent years.

If your resume is already filled with enough work experience and skills that there is no need or room for specific course details. Remember, you want to add your courses to enhance your value as an employee. If adding a particular course does nothing more than add length to the resume, skip it. 

Where should relevant coursework be listed in your resume?

In most resumes, the coursework should be placed in the education section, with a subheading titled “Relevant Coursework.” When creating this part of the education section, you should insert the subheading under the name of your degree, with a list of the courses you studied. For example:

Bachelor's in [Name of Degree]

[College Name, City, Graduation Date]

Relevant Coursework: [Course 1], [Course 2], [Course 3], [Course 4], [Course 5]

Alternatively, you can also opt to show your courses in a bullet-point list if your resume is short and you need to fill more space. You can even elaborate on each course with a few words to describe the skills you learned in class. For example:

Relevant Coursework:

If you have no actual work experience, you may even want to consider using your education section as a substitute for that experience section. If you choose that option, you may want to place the education section closer to the top of your resume and flesh out each course in the same way you would detail a job listing in your work experience section. That means using detailed descriptions that include quantifiable results highlighting your achievements.

Key tips to remember when listing relevant coursework

Before we show you some examples of how to list relevant coursework on your resume, there are a few tips that can help to ensure that your final product is as compelling as possible. By incorporating these ideas into your resume creation process, you can more effectively make that all-important great first impression on any hiring manager.

Only list relevant coursework if you lack sufficient work experience to meet the job requirements.

Always make sure that the courses you list highlight skills and knowledge needed for the position. If a course has nothing to do with your chosen line of work, it has no place in your resume.

Relevant courses may be related to hard and soft skills.

If you choose to use descriptions for each course, use that as an opportunity to insert relevant keywords from the job description. This can be a great way to ensure that your resume can get past any applicant tracking system .

Always proofread your entire resume to eliminate spelling mistakes, punctuation and grammar errors, and style or formatting discrepancies.

Make sure that you tailor your resume to fit the job you want. Since you will likely be applying for different jobs during your job search, you may need to modify your educational coursework details to align with the needs of each position.

Do not forget to include important skill information in your coursework descriptions. Again, try to use those job description keywords.

If you are maintaining an updated resume throughout your educational career, be sure to continually edit your resume as your coursework evolves over time. This can make it easier to keep it updated and can save you some time when your job search begins.

3 Examples of relevant coursework on a resume

In this final section, we will explore some different examples to show you how you can successfully incorporate relevant coursework into your resume. We have included a couple of examples of the most basic listing options, as well as an expanded sample that enables you to provide more details and skills. You can refer to these samples and use them as guides as you create your own relevant coursework section.

Example #1: The Basics

Bachelor's in Information Technology

My College, Anytown 2022

Relevant Coursework: Cyber Security 101, Business Intelligence, Application Development, Networking and Telecom, Artificial Intelligence

This simple listing would be a good option for anyone who has at least some relevant work experience but who still needs an additional boost to meet the job requirements. In this case, the job seeker's coursework listing is presented in a minimalist format, documenting the specific courses and areas of focus—but without any other information about those studies.

Example #2: Bulletpoint List of Courses

Cyber Security 101

Business Intelligence

Application Development

Networking and Telecom

Artificial Intelligence

This option is similar to the first example but presents the classes and areas of focus as separate bullet points. This provides additional emphasis for each area of study, while also taking up a bit more space in the resume. This can be a great option if your resume is a little short and you need to expand the content.

Example #3: Detailed Format

My College, Anytown

Completed in 2022

Certified Cyber Security Expert, skilled in protecting data, information, and infrastructure.

Coursework included training on risk analysis, threat mitigation, compliance assurance, and cloud security.

Completed multiple projects and research assignments designed to test knowledge and adaptability to various types of cyber threats.

 Business Intelligence

Business analytics certificate, training focused on data interpretation and communication to resolve business problems with a data mindset.

Course included 3 projects testing analytical skills using hypothetical business challenges based on real-world business scenarios.

 Application Development

Courses focused on the development of software coding skills used for web application creation, troubleshooting, and debugging.

Final course project involved the creation of an independent web app to streamline online sales processes for a test company.

Training focused on routing, packet switching, and cybersecurity needs.

Spent eight weeks as a volunteer networking intern for a local ISP, receiving hands-on training from experienced networking professionals.

AI and machine learning studies, emphasizing tech integration into business processes, impact on sales and marketing, and ethical concerns.

Conducted study for the course final, evaluating potential AI benefits for enhanced marketing in the digital age and impact on online sales.

This more detailed example is a superior option for those who have no work experience and need their educational credentials to highlight their skills. In this sample, each area of interest is accompanied by bullet point details describing the types of courses studied and the lessons or skills developed during those classes. In addition, bullet points are added to highlight specific achievements, describe studies and real-world application of skills, and demonstrate competency in the subject matter.

This type of format can enable your coursework section to serve as a replacement for work experience if you have never been employed. When used for that purpose, you can expand on each course listing to include additional skills and keywords from the job post. Simply add new bullet points where needed to flesh out each area of emphasis.

Again, if you choose to replace your work experience section with this relevant coursework section, make sure that you move this section closer to the top of your resume so that it receives more prominence. Basically, if your strongest selling point is your education, then make sure that your important courses are one of the first things that a prospective employer sees. Also, you may want to highlight your educational qualifications in your resume summary so that the reader expects to see those coursework details.

Don't underestimate the power of a well-crafted and compelling resume

Finally, it is important to reiterate just how vital it is that your resume makes the best possible impression. When you approach the labor market with little or no work experience, you are usually already at a competitive disadvantage. There will almost always be someone else who has a similar level of skill and educational background, as well as real-world experience. To compete against a qualified rival, you need a resume that can effectively sell you as the best candidate for the job.

For recent graduates and job seekers moving to entirely new careers, a lack of relevant work experience can be a major impediment to landing job interviews and employment offers. One way to overcome this obstacle is to learn how to use relevant educational coursework on your resume to highlight your qualifications and skills. Hopefully, this post and its resume examples can provide you with the inspiration and help you need to translate your educational experience into a compelling resume narrative. Fortunately, there are ways to ensure that your resume effectively positions you to have the best chance at landing any interview and job. To make sure that your resume is up to par, get a  free resume review  today. And if you really want to be sure that your resume is ready for prime time, take a few moments to discover just how easy it is to get professional resume assistance from our team of experts!

Recommended Reading:

What Should I Say About My Education On My Resume?

Ask Amanda: What's the Best Way to List Education on a Resume?

14 Reasons This is a Perfect Recent College Grad Resume Example

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