University of Portsmouth Assignment Guide

1. Academic Expectations at the University of Portsmouth

Coursework assessment at the University of Portsmouth is anchored in the national Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ). At FHEQ Level 4 (Year 1), modules establish foundational subject knowledge and academic literacy. Level 5 (Year 2) deepens critical evaluation, requiring students to critique competing theoretical paradigms and interrogate empirical data. By Level 6 (Final Year) and Level 7 (Postgraduate), examiners demand sustained independent argument, sophisticated methodology, and original critical synthesis.

Portsmouth assessment briefs are structured around explicit Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs). Tutors evaluate whether submissions directly demonstrate these outcomes. A common pitfall for Portsmouth students is producing descriptive narratives that summarize lecture slides rather than critically engaging with peer-reviewed scholarship. To secure marks in the 2:1 and First-Class bands, students must evaluate evidence, challenge assumptions, and justify independent conclusions.

The university emphasizes continuous constructive alignment: every assessment task—from seminar presentations and laboratory logs to critical essays—is specifically calibrated to assess defined learning outcomes stated in the module handbook.

2. Common Coursework Formats Across Portsmouth Faculties

Portsmouth modules utilize diverse assessment formats tailored to professional and academic disciplines:

• Critical Academic Essays: Common in Humanities, Social Sciences, and Business. Essays must exhibit strong structural coherence: an engaging introduction with a clear thesis statement, logically sequenced analytical paragraphs using topic sentences, robust counter-argumentation, and a synthesised conclusion.
• Business & Technical Reports: In the Faculty of Technology and Portsmouth Business School, reports must adhere to professional technical standards: formal title pages, executive summaries, numbered section headings, SWOT/financial analysis matrices, and actionable recommendations.
• Laboratory & Fieldwork Reports: Faculty of Science and Health students produce rigorous scientific reports detailing experimental methodologies, quantitative statistical analyses (frequently using SPSS or R), data visualization graphs, and discussions grounded in current scientific literature.
• Collaborative Group Projects & Peer Evaluation: Widely employed across Engineering, Computing, and Portsmouth Business School. Group assignments evaluate both collective outputs (such as software deliverables or marketing campaigns) and individual contributions verified through peer assessment rubrics or reflective process logs.
• Final-Year Undergraduate & Master’s Dissertations: The capstone project (typically 8,000–10,000 words at undergraduate level and 12,000–15,000 words at master’s level). Students must navigate formal research ethics approval through the University of Portsmouth Ethics Committee, demonstrate robust methodology, and present original scholarly findings.

3. Submission Portals & The Moodle Workflow

All written coursework at the University of Portsmouth is submitted through Moodle, the university’s virtual learning environment, with integrated originality checking via Turnitin:

• Locating Submission Points: Each Moodle module page hosts an assessment section displaying assignment briefs, deadline countdowns, and designated Turnitin submission inboxes.
• Submission Verification: Coursework must be uploaded in accepted formats (typically Microsoft Word or PDF as specified in the module brief). Ensure your file size complies with Moodle upload limits.
• Turnitin Similarity Analysis: Turnitin scans submissions against global academic repositories, websites, and student coursework. Portsmouth academic staff do not apply an arbitrary percentage threshold for plagiarism. Instead, markers inspect the similarity report to confirm that quoted material, bibliography entries, and discipline-specific terminology are properly cited.
• Digital Receipts: Once an upload completes, Moodle displays a green confirmation banner and generates a digital receipt containing a submission time and unique paper ID. Students must save or screenshot this receipt as proof of submission.

4. Referencing Guidelines: APA 7th vs. Portsmouth Harvard

Referencing accuracy is heavily weighted in Portsmouth assessment rubrics. Applying the wrong citation format or inconsistent referencing can significantly lower your grade:

APA 7th Edition

The American Psychological Association (APA) 7th edition is the standard citation style across the Faculty of Science and Health, School of Education and Sociology, and Department of Psychology. Key requirements include:

• In-Text Citations: Author surname and year (e.g., Williams, 2023). Direct quotes require page numbers (e.g., Williams, 2023, p. 78). Work with three or more authors is shortened to the first author followed by “et al.” on the first mention.
• Reference List: A dedicated reference page with hanging indents, listing entries alphabetically by author surname, complete with Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) formatted as active hyperlinks (https://doi.org/…).

Portsmouth Harvard Style

Portsmouth Business School and select Technology departments utilize the Portsmouth Harvard author-date citation style (based on Cite Them Right). Key conventions include:

• In-Text Format: Author surname and year without comma between them (e.g., Smith 2024), adding page numbers for direct quotes or specific tables (e.g., Smith 2024, p. 45).
• Bibliography: A comprehensive reference list at the end of the assignment, detailing authors, year, full title, publisher/journal details, and access dates for electronic sources.

OSCOLA for Law

The School of Law mandates the OSCOLA referencing standard for all legal coursework, requiring numbered footnotes for cases and statutes rather than in-text citations.

5. University of Portsmouth Marking Scales & Classification

The University of Portsmouth marks undergraduate coursework against standard UK honours degree classification bands:

Honours Calculation: Year 1 (Level 4) credits do not contribute to your degree classification. Portsmouth degree algorithms calculate final honours classifications based on a weighted calculation combining your Level 5 (Year 2) and Level 6 (Final Year) marks, typically weighted at 40% Level 5 and 60% Level 6 (or alternative algorithm specified in the university’s Examination and Assessment Regulations, whichever yields the higher classification).

Credit Condonement & Compensation: Under Portsmouth Examination Regulations, students who narrowly fail a non-core module (achieving 35–39%) may be eligible for academic compensation of up to 20 credits per stage, provided their overall stage average reaches the minimum 40% pass standard and all core modules have been passed.

6. Deadlines, Late Submissions & Extenuating Circumstances

Meeting coursework deadlines is a fundamental academic responsibility at Portsmouth:

• Standard Submission Times: Deadlines are set for specific times (typically 14:00 UK time) as stated in the assessment brief. Submissions received after the designated minute are treated as late.
• Late Submission Policy (10-Day Window): Unapproved coursework submitted within 10 working days after the published deadline is marked, but the final grade is capped at the minimum pass threshold (40% for undergraduate, 50% for postgraduate).
• Submissions After 10 Working Days: Any coursework submitted more than 10 working days past the deadline without approved extenuating circumstances receives an automatic mark of zero.
• Extenuating Circumstances (EC): If unexpected, acute, and unpreventable events (such as serious illness, hospitalization, or bereavement) severely disrupt coursework completion, students can submit an Extenuating Circumstances claim through the MyPort online portal. Claims must be supported by valid third-party documentary evidence and submitted within official deadlines. Approved EC claims grant an uncapped assessment attempt at the subsequent exam board.

7. Academic Integrity & Responsible AI Guidelines

The University of Portsmouth strictly enforces academic integrity policies across all study levels:

• Academic Misconduct: Plagiarism (copying another’s work without attribution), collusion (unauthorized collaboration on individual tasks), and contract cheating (purchasing assignments) are classified as serious academic offences, leading to formal disciplinary hearings and potential expulsion.
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policies: The university recognizes the emergence of generative AI (such as ChatGPT). Students must adhere strictly to module-specific guidance: unless explicitly permitted by the module coordinator, submitting AI-generated content as original student work constitutes academic misconduct. When permitted, students must include an explicit AI declaration detailing the software used and the nature of the assistance.

8. Academic Skills, Feedback Turnaround & Student Support

Portsmouth students have access to dedicated resources designed to boost academic confidence:

• Feedback Turnaround Standard: The University of Portsmouth adheres to a formal feedback turnaround commitment: provisional grades and developmental feedback must be released to students on Moodle within 20 working days of the coursework submission date.
• Academic Skills Unit (ASK): Book one-to-one tutorials or group workshops covering academic writing, essay structuring, referencing precision, critical thinking, and mathematical analysis.
• University Library Resources: Access extensive databases, subject-specific libguides, and consultations with faculty liaison librarians to source high-impact peer-reviewed literature.
• MyPort Student Support: Central guidance hubs located across campus for pastoral support, registration inquiries, and extenuating circumstances advice.