Writing essays at uni

Hi there, I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice about what to expect at university - I hate writing essays in timed conditions (ie exams) and was wondering if this is the usual method of assessment for humanities degrees? Of course I know there will be coursework essays too but can I expect exams to take up a chunk of my grade? Thanks

Reply 1

University of Liverpool Student Rep

11

Original post by Anonymous

Hi there, I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice about what to expect at university - I hate writing essays in timed conditions (ie exams) and was wondering if this is the usual method of assessment for humanities degrees? Of course I know there will be coursework essays too but can I expect exams to take up a chunk of my grade? Thanks

Hi there,

So at University there is typically a split between exams and coursework. The type of assessment usually differs between different modules. In later years there is often the course to split modules, so if you really hate exams you could choose units which instead are assessed through coursework :smile:

I hope this is useful :smile:

Malachy - University of Liverpool Student Rep

Reply 2

EssayDistinct

5

Generally, you will not have timed essays except for the coursework essays that are given ample time (a week to several weeks). The essence of essays in humanities is to invoke research and promote conceptual understanding of events through essay-driven reading.That is why you are in most cases expected to include references in your writing. What is usually stictly timed is the exam, that do not really have extensive essay questions, although you will often be expected to give some answers in prose.

Specifically, courses and tutors differ. Some tutors (though rarely) may use timed essays to established a student's writing strengths and weaknesses under pressure. The advent of ChatGPT and other AI writing tools may increase the instances of this kind of setting to curb the threat of AI-assisted masked plagiarism.

Anyway, you can still hone your essay writing skills and build a darliance with essays. It is never too late to do the right thing.

Reply 3

University of Strathclyde Student Ambassador

Official Rep

14

Original post by Anonymous

Hi there, I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice about what to expect at university - I hate writing essays in timed conditions (ie exams) and was wondering if this is the usual method of assessment for humanities degrees? Of course I know there will be coursework essays too but can I expect exams to take up a chunk of my grade? Thanks

Hi,
It is very degree and uni dependent. I studied History & Law and had a mix of in-person exams (online exams with covid) and coursework assignments.
For the majority of my degree it was coursework written essay and assessments. I did have a few history exams which were selecting an essay (either all unseen closed book or pre-seen questions closed book) and accounted for an equal or slightly less percentage of the class grade. Law had more exams and the larger grade weightage was on the exams than the coursework essays.
Hopefully this gives some idea but it is just my experience. My guess is that you are unlikely to have zero exams during your degree.
Catherine - University of Strathclyde Student Ambassador

Reply 4

Uni of Southampton Students

Official Rep

15

Original post by Anonymous

Hi there, I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice about what to expect at university - I hate writing essays in timed conditions (ie exams) and was wondering if this is the usual method of assessment for humanities degrees? Of course I know there will be coursework essays too but can I expect exams to take up a chunk of my grade? Thanks

Hi,

I am a third year English student here at Southampton and we are assessed solely through written essays. The most exam-like assignment we will have is a timed essay where we will have a period of time (most likely 48 hours) to write an essay. Questions will be published on the morning the assignment begins.

So in short, at the moment no exams are sat during the course of the degree and timed assessments can be avoided if you look at each module's choice of assessment before deciding.

This will of course be different depending on the department and university you choose.

I hope this helps!

Jasmine (an Official University of Southampton Rep) :smile:

(edited 10 months ago)

Hey! I'm Scarlet, a final year law and criminology student at Sheffield Hallam.

I have found that the most common form of assessment I have had is coursework, however this all depends on your university and the course. If you are particularly concerned or curious, then most universities have course and module pages on their website, so you can look at how you will be assessed in a bit more detail. For my course, we have been given the option to select some of our modules for second and third year, therefore we have been given the option to choose modules with either exams or coursework, so it may be the same for you!

Try not to worry too much about exams, I know they can be stressful, however I have found my exams have gone better than expected! I hope this helps, Scarlet - Sheffield Hallam Student Ambassador.

Reply 6

University of Sunderland Student Ambassador

Official Rep

11

Original post by Anonymous

Hi there, I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice about what to expect at university - I hate writing essays in timed conditions (ie exams) and was wondering if this is the usual method of assessment for humanities degrees? Of course I know there will be coursework essays too but can I expect exams to take up a chunk of my grade? Thanks

Hi there,

I think for most courses the type of assessment differs, I know of some people who have very few exams and others who have more. It depends on the course and the uni, you should find this out either on an open day, through a rep at the uni or on the uni website.
In terms of what to expect it's very different for everyone, it totally depends on the person and uni is completely what you make of it!

I hope this helps,

Ellen
Y3 Medical Student
Uni of Sunderland
Digital Ambassador

Reply 7

username6520032

Original post by Anonymous

Hi there, I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice about what to expect at university - I hate writing essays in timed conditions (ie exams) and was wondering if this is the usual method of assessment for humanities degrees? Of course I know there will be coursework essays too but can I expect exams to take up a chunk of my grade? Thanks

Follow the Yelloe brick road

Reply 8

Richie~

1

Original post by University of Sunderland Student Ambassador

Hi there,

I think for most courses the type of assessment differs, I know of some people who have very few exams and others who have more. It depends on the course and the uni, you should find this out either on an open day, through a rep at the uni or on the uni website.
In terms of what to expect it's very different for everyone, it totally depends on the person and uni is completely what you make of it!

I hope this helps,

Ellen
Y3 Medical Student
Uni of Sunderland
Digital Ambassador

Hi Ellen, I'm a medical student too. Can I enquire something from you? Kindly msg me. Thanks

Reply 9

University of Sunderland Student Ambassador

Official Rep

11

Original post by Anonymous

Hi there, I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice about what to expect at university - I hate writing essays in timed conditions (ie exams) and was wondering if this is the usual method of assessment for humanities degrees? Of course I know there will be coursework essays too but can I expect exams to take up a chunk of my grade? Thanks

Hello,

This usually depends mostly on what the course is in particular, the university and the level. In my Uni, most courses use assignments for assessments but my course is solely exams so it's different. Try checking the university website for that course or asking someone who has done the course but you don't have to be worried, whatever form of assessments is used would not be made to feel overwhelming and if you're struggling at any point you could always talk to someone. Don't stress or put a strain on yourself. Hope this relieves you in some way!

Benedicta
Digital Ambassador UoS

Hello,

My name is Haya and I am a final year medic.

My course is a combination of exams and coursework. For the coursework, we usually have about a few months to complete the assessment.

My tip for essays is for the first draft, keep it simple. Even though you might not know exactly what you want to write, write is out and then refine it.

Another technique I follow is I split the paragraphs with subtitles and write bullet points for each paragraph and then expand on each paragraph.

Check if your university offers support for academic writing. For example, UCLan has a wiser service where they can help you with paraphrasing and academic writing.

Best of Luck,
Haya- MBBS 5

Writing essays at uni

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you