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The University of Southampton
English for Engineers

Understanding assessed tasks

MSc assessments in Engineering and the Environment  may be different from work you have previously faced.

Types of assessment

Although the assessment you will face as an MSc student depends on the modules you choose, some examples are given below.

Reports Essays Presentations Other
Consultancy report Comparative essays Poster presentations Case studies
Design report Developmental essays 'PowerPoint' presentations Problem sheets
Lab report Argumentative essays    

Features of our assessment

Variety

You may be required to do coursework or exams; work individually or in groups; complete numerical calculations on a problem sheet, or write an article for a popular science magazine.

Preparation for employment

Many of the assignments practise skills that are needed in industry; for example, you may be asked to produce a design brief on behalf of a company or take part in a transportation public inquiry.

Practice in communicating your technical knowledge

You’ll be challenged to think carefully about how you communicate your technical knowledge appropriately to your audience; for example, you may need to write a technical report for a specialist audience or a consultancy report for managers.

Opportunities to demonstrate information gathering skills

As well as writing, you will need to gather information. This may be through extensive reading, carrying out surveys or experimental work.

Practice in working as part of a team

You may be required to work as part of a group for labs, projects, presentations and reports, for example.

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