The Student Room Group

Sending in examples of written work.

I've applied to Homerton for NatSci and only just read on the website...

"We ask, in advance, for aplicants to send in a relevant file of marked practical work or an essay."

Well I have a slight problem here because.. well.. Maths and Physics don't really have any essays (except a 4000 coursework essay I've got to write for Physics by Christmas but I haven't even started it yet, and I doubt they'll want an essay that long). Biology - well my coursework essay from last year only got 11/12 so wasn't exactly amazing. Psychology - well I could send in an essay but I can't think of any which are particularly outstanding (Psychology's my chocolate subject I don't really concentrate on as much as the others)... and for Physical NatSci a psychology essay is probably not the most ideal.

There was one piece of Physics coursework I did last year which I got like 38/40 for but that was AS... so probably was a bit basic.

Any suggestions?! I'm a bit worried now!

MissSurfer

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Reply 1
Well, try and find out whether you have to use past essays or whether you can write a new essay (ask teacher for a question). If you haven't now, you might get some more specific info from the college

I know it isn't for NatSci, but a friend and I have both applied for History, and for me the college I chose wanted:
* 2 x essays of less than 2,000 words
* Marked
* As part of normal A Level course, not allowed to be remarked

My friend's wanted:
* 2 x essays (no length specified)
* No timed essays
* Marked

It depends on the colleges what they want. I had to send in 2 pieces of AS work, as I hadn't done any A2 essays (I got 40/45 and 41/45, so your score is fine on the AS essay) But I wrote this on the questionnaire they sent me (that is was AS work)

Good luck :smile:
Reply 2
Are you allowed to use coursework? It needs to be marked and im pretty sure it would be a bit dodgy for your teacher to mark your coursework. I'm post-A2 and even though my coursework has already been handed in and marked for my A2, my teacher still wont mark it so i can use it for Cambridge. Also, im applying for History at Clare and got the same as this one:

* 2 x essays (no length specified)
* No timed essays
* Marked

I'm using one piece of work i completed while doing A2 and over the next week or so im going to produce another 3000 word essay to send instead of my coursework. If you really can't find some work thats worthy of being sent, why not ask your teacher to set you a couple of assignments? You've probably got 2-3 weeks before it needs sending in.
Reply 3
3232
Are you allowed to use coursework? It needs to be marked and im pretty sure it would be a bit dodgy for your teacher to mark your coursework. I'm post-A2 and even though my coursework has already been handed in and marked for my A2, my teacher still wont mark it so i can use it for Cambridge. Also, im applying for History at Clare and got the same as this one:

* 2 x essays (no length specified)
* No timed essays
* Marked

I'm using one piece of work i completed while doing A2 and over the next week or so im going to produce another 3000 word essay to send instead of my coursework. If you really can't find some work thats worthy of being sent, why not ask your teacher to set you a couple of assignments? You've probably got 2-3 weeks before it needs sending in.


Yes, my friend is applying to Clare! She touched up some AS essays :smile:

Whereas I am applying to Emmanuel, and I can't send in modified work
Reply 4
NickiM
Yes, my friend is applying to Clare! She touched up some AS essays :smile:

Whereas I am applying to Emmanuel, and I can't send in modified work

Did Clare make their own cover sheets and send her them then? Because, as you probably know if you have the same ones, it says on the Cambridge cover sheets
"work must be original marked work not re-written or corrected for Cambridge".
From that I got that you can write new work if it doesn't say not to anywhere else, as long as the work is your 'first go' and therefore still includes any mistakes you made before anyone else looked at it.
I'm sending work I did last March/April for German but I didn't do any essays at all for Spanish due to lack of time and the fact that I found doing essay plans to be more helpful. I also did the entire A-level in sixth months and started unable to write an essay in Spanish, and did essays in my exams sixth months later, and got an A and a B in the essay papers. I think it follows that in the six months that have passed since then I've improved significantly again, so I don't think I'd send anything from back then even if I had something I could.

EDIT: Six months/four months since the exams, whatever.
Reply 5
Coversheets? What are they? Didn't get anything like that from Clare...
Reply 6
3232
Coversheets? What are they? Didn't get anything like that from Clare...

To put on your submitted work. Have bits for your name, information about what the work is and what it was done for, and a bit for a teacher to sign, saying that it's your work.
Reply 7
Right...didnt get any of those.
Reply 8
Ronove
Did Clare make their own cover sheets and send her them then? Because, as you probably know if you have the same ones, it says on the Cambridge cover sheets
"work must be original marked work not re-written or corrected for Cambridge".
From that I got that you can write new work if it doesn't say not to anywhere else, as long as the work is your 'first go' and therefore still includes any mistakes you made before anyone else looked at it.
I'm sending work I did last March/April for German but I didn't do any essays at all for Spanish due to lack of time and the fact that I found doing essay plans to be more helpful. I also did the entire A-level in sixth months and started unable to write an essay in Spanish, and did essays in my exams sixth months later, and got an A and a B in the essay papers. I think it follows that in the six months that have passed since then I've improved significantly again, so I don't think I'd send anything from back then even if I had something I could.

EDIT: Six months/four months since the exams, whatever.

Well, my form said that on mine from Emma, but my friend's from Clare's didn't
Reply 9
This is the only thing i got about the written work. (Attached)
Reply 10
3232
This is the only thing i got about the written work. (Attached)

:rofl: It says 'the cover sheet can be photocopied'... do you think they forgot to send you one? I'd ring them up tbh...
Reply 11
Well, they also referred to me as 'Miss' in the letter, when i'd clearly marked 'Mr' and enclosed a photo of myself (which didn't look very feminine) on the CAF, so it's entirely possible they screwed up...

Not really what you expect from the 2nd best university in the world now, is it?
Reply 12
3232
Well, they also referred to me as 'Miss' in the letter, when i'd clearly marked 'Mr' and enclosed a photo of myself (which didn't look very feminine) on the CAF, so it's entirely possible they screwed up...

Not really what you expect from the 2nd best university in the world now, is it?

I've never heard of a Cambridge college screwing up like that before! :eek:
Reply 13
Hmm I am sure my friend didn't get a cover sheet! I hope she hasn't redone these essays for nothing.
Reply 14
My name is 'Daniel' as well, so its not like its an ambiguous name...
Reply 15
Oh dear :confused: How did they manage to do that?
Reply 16
I just recieved my confirmation letter from Cambridge. I have applied for History and need to send in three essays. I wanted to know if there are any other specifics on the written work that we need to send in. Should I send in timed essays? Can I have an example of sources analysis or a investigation rather that an essay? Thanx in advance.
Reply 17
cantkorder
I just recieved my confirmation letter from Cambridge. I have applied for History and need to send in three essays. I wanted to know if there are any other specifics on the written work that we need to send in. Should I send in timed essays? Can I have an example of sources analysis or a investigation rather that an essay? Thanx in advance.



I don't know which college you are applying for but they tend to have slightly different requirements. This is the slip of paper i got from Clare saying they have a 'strong' preference for essays:

Reply 18
Mine was completely different (I'm applying to Emma.), and they wanted it by November 3rd!
Reply 19
i m applying for economics cambridge. they asked for one marked essay, preferrably in economics. But the thing is we have never written essays for economics at AS. so i just wrote another essay on globalisation. should i get it marked by a teacher, even though it is out of our syllabus?