Writing for International Students (WRIT1001)

This course includes an online learning component hosted on UQ Extend. The online course consists of weekly modules designed to support the development of academic writing skills through guided practice and reflection.

Students are expected to engage consistently with these modules across the semester.

Online Module Participation Guidelines 

• There are 13 weekly online modules, available from the beginning of semester.
• Students are strongly advised to complete modules in sequence, aligned with the teaching week (e.g. Module 1 in Week 1, Module 2 in Week 2).
• Each weekly module typically takes 2–4 hours to complete, depending on content and activities.
• Participation tracking begins in Week 1 and ends at 4:00pm on Friday of Week 13.
• Activities completed after this time will not count towards the participation requirement.
• Students can monitor their completion rate via the ‘Progress’ tab in the Extend course (instructions provided online and in Week 1).

Marking Criteria (Hurdle Requirement)

This assessment is graded on a PASS / FAIL basis.

• To receive a PASS, students must complete at least 85% of the online activities.
• An activity completion rate of less than 85% will result in a FAIL for the WRIT1001 course, regardless of performance in other assessments.

Completion is tracked by the course coordinator and is based on participation in the following activity types:

• Problem questions (e.g. multiple choice, dropdown menus, checkboxes)
• Video completion (the entire video must be watched)
• Discussion forums, following all accompanying instructions
• Peer instruction questions, including meeting minimum character requirements
• Drag-and-drop activities

Important

• You are not required to answer all activities correctly.
• Credit is awarded for completion, not accuracy.
• Incorrect responses will still count as completed, and you may revise answers after receiving feedback.

Generative AI & MT Statement

This assessment evaluates completion of online learning activities, not the correctness or originality of responses. While students may use AI or machine translation tools to support understanding, all activity completion must reflect genuine individual engagement with the online modules.

Any use of AI or MT must be appropriately acknowledged where required. Failure to disclose AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

Students complete weekly tasks and provide constructive written peer feedback aligned with academic communication practices.

This assessment requires sustained engagement, collaborative learning, and critical reflection by participating in weekly in-class activities. Students are required to handwrite their contributions during class time.

In-class discussions

Students participate in weekly in-class discussions to engage with and critically discuss the week’s activity with their tutor and peers.

• Weeks 1–5 and Weeks 7–12 involve task completion and peer feedback activities.
• Week 6 is dedicated to completing a handwritten Essay Plan (a hurdle requirement) and does not include peer feedback.

Task completion and peer feedback requirement (Weeks 1–5 and Weeks 7–12)

Students must complete the in-class task and provide constructive written feedback on a peer’s work in at least seven (7) out of eleven (11) weeks. Students will receive the best seven marks when completing more than the minimum number of in-class discussions and peer feedback.

• Each completed week is worth 5 marks (assessed using the rubric below).
• Feedback must be specific, actionable, and constructive. General comments (e.g., “Good job”, “Well written”) do not meet requirements.

Essay planning hurdle requirement (Week 6)

Students must complete the mandatory handwritten Essay Plan in Week 6. This task is a required component of the Complete Essay assessment. Students who do not attend or complete this task will fail the Complete Essay assessment.

The task focuses on the following criteria: 

• Response to Task = did you engage and complete the activity
• Clarity of Feedback = was the feedback actionable

Response to Task [2]

Excellent 2 – Fully and appropriately completed the in-class task, demonstrating clear engagement with the task focus.

Satisfactory 1 – Partially completed the task, with adequate but limited engagement with the task focus.

Needs Improvement 0 – Task response was incomplete, off-task, or showed minimal engagement. |

Clarity of Feedback [3]

Excellent 3 – Feedback was clear, specific, and task-focused, with relevant examples or actionable suggestions.

Satisfactory 2 – Feedback was generally clear and relevant but lacked specificity, examples, or actionable guidance.

Needs Improvement 0 – Feedback was vague, generic, unclear, or not meaningfully related to the task. |

This assessment evaluates engagement and task completion, not grammatical accuracy. Marks are awarded based on in-class participation and evidence of meaningful contribution. Generic praise (e.g., “Good job”, “Looks fine”) does not meet the feedback criterion.

A short feedback guide and examples will be provided in Week 2 to support students in providing high-quality and constructive feedback.

Submission format

• Task responses must be handwritten in class (in-person classes).
• Peer feedback may be provided using sticky notes in class or Padlet (as directed by the tutor).

Important

Instructors will maintain a weekly record using the class list, collecting and verifying feedback submissions either from physical sticky notes or Padlet contributions.

Generative AI & MT Statement

This assessment task is to be completed in-person. The use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT) tools will not be permitted. Any attempted use of AI or MT may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct, and may result in academic penalty.

This assessment consists of two required components. Both components must be submitted for the assessment to be considered complete.

Part 1: Complete Argumentative Essay

Write a complete argumentative (persuasive) essay based on your handwritten Essay Plan completed in Week 6 in class and the feedback received on that plan. You should revise, expand, and refine your ideas by drawing on the academic writing skills and content knowledge developed throughout the course.

Topic

• Use the same academic topic as your Essay Plan.
• Your essay should demonstrate clear development in argumentation, structural cohesion, integration of academic sources, and appropriate academic tone.

Length

• 1,200 words (+/–10%) written in formal academic English
• The reference list is not included in the word count
• Direct quotations are included in the word count and must not exceed 5%

Format

•  APA style paper format, including:
• Title page
• Clearly structured Introduction, Body, and Conclusion
• Do not use subheadings for these sections. Cohesion and transitions are part of the assessment.
• Include a properly formatted reference list in APA 7th edition style.

Content

Your essay must include:

• Three (3) contributing arguments (CAs).
• At least two (2) pieces of supporting evidence (per argument), and
• An optional one (1) counterargument with a rebuttal.

Part 2: Handwritten Essay Plan

Submit a handwritten Essay Plan completed in class (Week 6 or approved catch-up week). This plan provides evidence of idea development and forms the foundation of the Complete Essay.

Failure to submit Part 2 will result in the submission being deemed incomplete and not marked.

Submission

• Submit an electronic copy of your essay in Word or PDF to the Turnitin link in the Blackboard Assessment folder.
• Include a scanned copy or clear photograph of your handwritten Essay Plan as part of the submission.
• If the handwritten work is not included in the essay submission, the assessment will be awarded a mark of zero (0).
• Resubmissions are acceptable up until the deadline.

Important

• A copy of your handwritten Essay Plan must be included in your submission.
• You must cite at least six scholarly sources.
• The reference list should be in APA format.
• Any claims/evidence in the essay should be supported by in-text citations, also in APA format, e.g. (Davidson, 2017).
• You must clearly cite and acknowledge any instance of using AI or MT.
• Please refer to Using AI in your assignments on the UQ library site.

Generative AI & MT Statement

This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance. A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and MT tools.

This assessment consists of two required components. Both components must be submitted for the assessment to be considered complete and eligible for marking.

Using the academic writing knowledge and skills developed in WRIT1001, you will revise and improve an essay generated by generative AI. You must not write a new essay or choose your own topic. The AI-generated essay will be provided to you in the Assessment folder on Blackboard on Monday of Week 13.

Part 1: Improving the Generative AI Essay (28 marks)

You are required to revise, expand, and improve the provided AI-generated model essay so that it meets university-level academic writing standards. Your revisions should demonstrate skills developed in this course, including:

• Clear and logical argument development
• Effective academic structure and cohesion
• Use of credible, scholarly sources
• Accurate and appropriate referencing
• Formal academic tone and style

As the original AI-generated essay will be short, you must increase the word count to approximately 1,200 words.

Format and Length

• Approx. 1,200 words written in formal academic English
• The title page and reference list are not included in the word count
• APA style paper format, including:
• Title page
• Structured Introduction, Body, and Conclusion
• Properly formatted APA 7th edition reference list

Part 2: Video Reflection (7 marks)

Record a three (3) minute video reflection responding to the following questions:

1. How did you use knowledge and skills from WRIT1001 to revise and improve the AI-generated essay?
2. How will you apply this knowledge to your future academic writing tasks?

Video Requirements

• You must explain the revision process step by step, clearly describing how you improved the AI-generated essay.
• You must refer to specific WRIT1001 materials (e.g. workshops, UQ Extend modules, or in-class activities) that guided your revisions.
• The video must be no longer than 3 minutes. Submissions that significantly exceed this limit will have marks deducted.

Identity Verification (Mandatory)

• At the start of the video, you must:
• Speak directly to the camera (not a photograph), and
• Clearly display your UQ student ID card on full screen.
• If you do not have a UQ ID card, you may use a passport or valid Australian driver’s licence with your name in English.
• If your identity cannot be clearly verified, the video will be considered not submitted.

Failure to submit the video as specified will result in a mark of 0/35 for this assessment.

Submission Instructions

• Submit the improved argumentative essay as a Word or PDF file to the Turnitin link on Blackboard.
• Upload the video reflection to Blackboard using the provided instructions.
• You are strongly advised to take a screenshot after submission as evidence of successful upload.

Important

• Failure to submit both Part 1 and Part 2 will result in the submission being deemed incomplete and not marked.
• This task assesses your ability to critically revise and improve AI-generated writing, not to produce original content from scratch.

Generative AI & MT Statement  

This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance. A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission