EAPB3017 English for Academic Purposes - (Doc)

Autumn 17
English for Academic Purposes 2 (EAPB3017)
Name:
Student Number:
Tutor name:
This is your English for Academic Purposes 2 e-portfoliowhich you must submit on Thursday 21st
December2017 by 2pm via the Student Portal. This should be completed throughout the course and you must
make sure you save your work regularly (e.g. on your computer, on a USB stick, on email or on the Cloud
drive). Please refer to suggested word counts for each task included within this portfolio.
Assessed Learning Outcomes:
1.Produce elements of a cohesive and coherent researched essay
2.Listen to an academic lecture whilst taking coherent notes
3.Read, compare and summarise a number of written academic texts.
1

Week Table of Contents Page Learning
Outcome
Completed?
(
)
Portfolio Tasks
(These tasks should be developed throughout the term but completed by
Thursday 21st December 2017 by 2pm)
1 Where are you now? 2 LO 1, 2 & 3 ☐
1 Personal Development Plan
[suggested word count: 100 - 150] 3 LO 1, 2 & 3 ☐
2 – 9 Organising your ideas
[suggested word count: varies per task] 4 LO 1 & 3 ☐
6 Making notes with confidence
(200 words) 6 LO 2 ☐
3 – 8 Developing your arguments
[suggested word count: varies per task] 8 LO 1, 2 & 3 ☐
6 – 9 Writing your argumentative essay
(900 words) 10 LO 1 & 3 ☐
10 Getting a First! 11 LO 1 & 3 ☐
Total word limit:
Final task: Argumentative essay (900 words)(+/- 10%)
Track your progress by ticking off each task as you complete it, in the final column
2

PORTFOLIO TASK
Week 1: Where are you now?
Below is a list of the skills you will need when working on extended pieces of writing during your university
career.Using the list from EAP 1, put a cross (X)in the same boxes for each skill in the first column, and tick ()
the appropriate box for each skill in the second column, according to how well you think you can do this now.
You should refer to the checklist throughout the course and decide whether you have made any progress with
these skills.
Skill This is new for
me
I need to
develop this
skill
I can improve
this skill
I can do this
well
Looking for information
Identify which book / journals/ websites
to use ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Select relevant parts of a text ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Using sources
Acknowledge sources of information ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Write a reference list correctly ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Avoid plagiarism ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Planning/Writing
Brainstorm ideas ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Plan written work ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Link ideas effectively ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Paraphrase & summarise ideas ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Write an introduction ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Write a conclusion ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Personal Study
Work independently ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Manage my time ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Oral Presentation
Brainstorm ideas with peers ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Discuss written work in a tutorial ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
IT
Access the internet ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Use search engines ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Create word documents ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Use PowerPoint ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
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PORTFOLIO TASK
Week 1: Personal Development Plan (PDP): Specific – Measurable – Achievable – Realistic – Timescale [SMART]
You are required to develop a Personal Development Plan (PDP), which includes goals for the development of your academic skills after the completion of the
module. This should include skills we cover on this module. To help you, write down the strengths and weaknesses you listed in EAP 1 in the box below, which can
also be from your feedback. Use complete sentences.
Strengths
Ability to comprehend an idea and make a general outline regarding what to elaborate upon.
Understanding the requirements in a clear and cohesive manner.
Being able to deliver the requirements using clear and understandable language.
Ability to use precise grammar, without mistakes.
Giving in depth ideas about the subjects matter and making sure that is understandable by everyone.
Weaknesses
Being able to successfully draw a timeline and allocating which task to execute within which time frame.
Grammar often becomes too complicated.
Spelling mistakes in some cases cause the completion of the projects to be delayed.
Not being able to be specific at times if the information is too vast or too many subjects are to be covered.
Now think about what you would like to improve. Be specific when describing your goals and how you will achieve and measure them. (100 – 150 words)
Target Goal Action Success Criteria Completed by?
e.g. To have clear paragraphs To produce an outline before writing The reader can identify the topic/ideas of
those paragraphs
October 2017
1 To be able to complete tasks within the
time limit
Create a projected timeline and clearly
divide the available time based on the tasks
to complete
Efficient allocation of the available time November
2017
2 To complete the tasks without any
grammatical errors
Read extensively on related literature to
fathom the ideas that are being delivered
and to conceptualise on how may they be
reproduced or concisely and cohesively
understood
To understand the key issues, points and
comprehend the essence of the matter so
that any further development of the issues
with myself can be done and understood by
myself properly before proceeding with the
task at hand
November
2017
3

3 Give more details and in depth ideas
about the topic and the reflecting upon
the past researches on the same
Read on the peer reviewed works and
related studies
To help the reader to learn something new
about the related current issue that develops
on the past studies
December 2017
3

PORTFOLIO TASK
Week 3: Organising your ideas: Are my sources reliable?
Look at the table below. Using the sources you have found (not from GSM Learn or the reading list), answer
the questions below to determine if they are reliable. Make notes.
Source 1 Source 2
Who wrote/said it? BBC News The Telegraph
Are they qualified to speak on this
topic?
Yes Yes
Do they have a personal interest in
that issue?
No No
What type of source is it? News channel Daily newspaper
Has it been verified in any way? Can it
be proved?
Yes Yes
Is there evidence to support this
claim?
Yes No
Was the source created to persuade,
sell, entertain, inform or for another
purpose?
Inform the people Inform the general public about
the incident
Is the content relevant to your
research?
Yes Yes
When was it published/last updated? Two days ago Last week
Does this impact its relevance or
objectivity?
Yes, it does. The public opinion
on the issue has been swayed
by the reports that were
presented in the news channel
Not very. The information that
were given by the newspaper
have now become little bit
backdated and hence lost its
importance to many
Give the full references of both your sources here in Harvard Style:
To format the text, highlight the word(s) or line of text you want to change and select the required formatting
option (colour change, bold, italics etc.).
bbc.com. 2017. BBC News. [online] Available at: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-22528719
[Accessed 16 Nov. 2017].
telegraph.co.uk. 2017. The Telegraph. [online] Available at:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1541027/The-arguments-for-and-against.html [Accessed 16
Nov. 2017].
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5

PORTFOLIO TASK
Week 4-9: Organising your ideas: Noting down the main points
In the space below, create an outline for your essay by making notes about any information you find from class
or reading list sources and from the two sources you found. Use bullet pointsand not full sentences. Include in-
text citations where necessary. You should add to this throughout the course. (150 – 200 words)
Essay Question:
Should the NHS be privatised?
Arguments in Favour (Yes) Arguments against (No)
Economic
 The overall economy may be
benefited because more people
have to spend more to buy services
 The higher levels of income of the
NHS providing companies would
mean that the industry itself would
be boosted and hence would
expand
 This in turn would be the reason
for a number of other economic
activities and would be responsible
for creation of a lot more jobs that
are related to this industry
 Patients would have to spend much
more if NHS is privatised, rather if the
health services are provided by the
government
 The economic benefits of the scheme
would not be inclusive of all the
sections of the members of the
society
Social
 Private NHS services ensure better
and more integrated health
services
 Private companies, if they are given
the rights to provide health
services would make the services
be available in a more prompt
manner (Morningstaronline. co.uk
2017)
 Not every member of the society are
not capable to spend vast amount of
money that would be charged by the
private NHS providers
PORTFOLIO TASK
Developing your arguments: Paraphrasing/Summarising
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Choose one aspect (e.g. Economic or Social) and summarise and/or paraphrase the main points you noted in
the outline on page 5. Use complete sentences and include in-text citations where necessary. (150-200 words).
Arguments in favour (Yes):
The social benefits of a privatised NHS system are immense. Private NHS providing processes would mean that
the time that is taken by the providers to reach a distressed patient can be radically decreased and better
treatment can be ensured to the people, which would mean that more lives could be saved with the quicker
response time of the NHS providers. The fact that the response of the NHS providers may be quicker to act out
after receiving news of the problems a patient is facing, is enough to make the NHS system privatised (the
guardian.com 2017).
Arguments against (No):
Not every person in the society are capable of spending the amount of money that would be required to be
spent if the NHS is privatised and this would mean that, consecutively, not every person can avail the benefits
of the NHS. This means that not the overall society would be benefited: some would still be left out of the
social benefits that the NHS provides and which the government aims to provide every member of the society.
PORTFOLIO TASK
Week 5: Developing your arguments: Combining sources
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Using the summaries you wrote in the previous task, combine them below to create the first bodyparagraph of
your essay. Use the guide below to help you and highlight each part with the same colour. (250 – 300 words)
Body paragraph 1
Say why this is a key issue (e.g. Economic/Social)
(this is your topic sentence)
What is the counter-argument of this issue?
(this is the opinion you do not agree with)
What is the main argument if this issue?
(this is your opinion)
Why is your argument stronger than the counter-argument?
What evidence/examples do you have to support this?
What can you conclude from this? What are the implications?
You should use at least 2 sources in this paragraph.
Should NHS be privatised
Public healthcare system is more efficient than the private health care system. In certain countries, it has
been found that the efficient way for providing good healthcare service is run and funded by public
organiastions. These public organisations ration their care with lower cost. Moreover, the government
insurance also incurs lower per-capita cost. The patients who require continued service will be provided
better healthcare facility in the government hospitals (telegraph.com 2017).
Private organisations will provide an unprofitable service for longer period of time. As the cost of medicines
are increasing gradually with the passage of time, the patients had to pay higher cost and the private
hospitals will try to cover all these charges within that cost. Some countries had to pay extra charges for the
services which are provided by the government hospitals. The confidentiality data of the patients are
secured by the private hospitals. The privatisation of the hospitals maximises the choice of the patients and
it will make privatisation a good idea. Private health practices will put competition before the patients and
thus they will try to improve their NHS services. High quality service is essential for improving the standard
of health services which are available to the patients and thus it can ensure the best possible use of the
resources (bbc.com 2017)
It can be concluded that privatisation of the hospitals will help in providing services to the customers at an
affordable cost. The patients with chronic services will get a much better service. The private NHS hospitals
try to provide the best service for the next few years. As competition will put the patient at the centre of
NHS services, the choice remains in the hands of the patients.
bbc.com. 2017. BBC News. [online] Available at: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-22528719
[Accessed 16 Nov. 2017].
telegraph.co.uk. 2017. The Telegraph. [online] Available at:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1541027/The-arguments-for-and-against.html [Accessed
16 Nov. 2017].
8

PORTFOLIO TASK
Making notes with confidence
This is an in-class activity. Please upload a photo of your notes here.
9

10

Write a summary about what you have just listened to.(No more than 100 words)
Write a response to the opinions given.(No more than 100 words).
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PORTFOLIO TASK
Week 7-9: Writing your argumentative essay
Using the same process you did for the first body paragraph, complete your essay below.
(900 words: +/- 10%)
The NHS should be privatised. Discuss
Topic: Should NHS be privatised
NHS was created by the post Labour Government in 1948. It was for the first time the
doctors, pharmacists, nurses, dentists and opticians were brought under the same floor to provide free
medical service to the public. The main principle which is associated with this is that the health
services are made available to all and the people are provided tax free service. There is no such
importance for the government to control NHS. The general health care system is acknowledged in
various countries and the main problem which is associated with NHS is the overburdened managerial
responsibility of the doctors who are trying to shift their responsibility. The government should raise
taxes if they want to improve the NHS service and provide affordable service to the people. In this era
of globalisation, it has been found that there is increasing competition in the private enterprises
(Patients4nhs 2017).
Thesis Statement: Privatisation of NHS will add benefits to the health care system of the
country.
The private hospitals will deteriorate the main foundation of NHS with which it was
established. There will be fragmentation of medical service and many doctors were warned of the
potential damage done in privatisation of NHS. There are also certain problems which will arise in the
accounts department which will be followed in the private hospitals. It will become difficult to
scrutinize the public spending which are made on NHS when there are many negotiating contracts.
This will reduce the transparency and thus it will become difficult to assess the role played by private
hospitals in NHS. The private companies will try to earn profit from the patients and it is found that in
many cases, these hospitals overcharge the patients (Telegraph 2017). NHS will be in crisis and the
standard of treatment will become poor if the government hospitals delivers these services. Moreover,
privatisation of NHS will force the ordinary people to become shareholders in the health service. For
example, in Germany it has been found that more than one third of the hospitals are run by the charity
organisations, one third by the government and one-third by the profit organisations. Sweden has also
invited many private companies for the provision of clinical and hospital services. More than 3% of
the NHS budget is spent by the private companies in these countries (BBC News 2017).The
privatisation of NHS will also increase the competition between the hospitals that will provide service
to the patients. The partial privatisation of NHS is regarded as a pragmatic solution. The increasing
number of population in various countries will be strained in the coming days due to public spending.
The profit making organisations i.e. the private hospitals under NHS will not compromise the quality
of service like the government hospitals. Moreover, the patients will also be willing to visit the private
hospitals. As the patient will not be aware of the cost when they choose any particular treatment in
NHS, the decision to provide quality service will depend entirely on the hospitals.
The privatisation of NHS will also reduce the government borrowing and the taxation policy of
the government (Independent 2016). Moreover, it can be said that efficient services will be provided at
an affordable cost. The customers will be satisfied with the service they will receive from these private
hospitals. According to the data provided by the Department of Health in UK, it has been found that
the NHS providers spent more than £1 billion on the services which are provided by non-NHS
organisations (Kingsfund.org.uk 2017). The increasing cost in the urgent and emergency care depends
on the services which are provided by the hospitals. It has been found that quality treatment is mainly
provided by the private hospitals. These rising cost is associated with fragmentation on the present
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system of emergency service. It often leads to confusion and thus the patients cannot judge and
differentiate the quality of service provided by these hospitals. In 2012, a survey carried out by the
people has depicted that the private centres were successful in delivering quality service to the
customers. The Government of UK has stated that these private hospitals were successful in delivering
quality treatment. The experience of the patients was also difficult to compare when they received the
service by the private hospitals (NHS 2016).
Therefore, it can be said that the privatisation process of the NHS can be referred to as
‘patient’s choice”. However, this privatisation may be damaging the very central concept upon which
the fundamentals of the NHS service reside. This may lead to worse treatment conditions for the older
people and the poorer members of the society. Researchers have warned time and again that the
“experiments” to privatise the health services system can bring about catastrophic impacts upon the
patients of the country and may be producing entirely opposite results to the plans from what the idea
initially aims to achieve. Researchers have shown that private NHS contractors have often
discriminated against patients who had possibilities of spending too much time in the hospitals. The
private NHS providers do not like to keep these types of patients as they are considered to be too
expensive to keep for the hospitals, and hence are not accepted in the first place. The proposed plans to
overhaul the country’s NHS policies seem bleak at the moment as countless evidences in support of its
negative impacts are coming up from a number of researches and this would make it seem like that the
current government may be forced to back down from their plans to privatise the NHS.
Reference List
bbc.com. 2017. BBC News. [online] Available at: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-22528719
[Accessed 16 Nov. 2017].
england.nhs.uk 2017. NHS. [online] Available at:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/urg-emerg-care-ev-bse.pdf [Accessed 16
Nov. 2017].
independent.co.uk 2017. Indpendent. [online] Available at:
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/nhs-health-service-
healthcare-privatisation-a7160771.html [Accessed 16 Nov. 2017].
Kingsfund.org.uk 2017. Kingsfund. [online] Available at:
https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/articles/big-election-questions-nhs-privatised [Accessed 16
Nov. 2017].
Morningstaronline.co.uk 2017. Morning Star. [online] Available at:
https://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-07ca-A-broken-clock [Accessed 16 Nov. 2017].
patients4nhs.org.uk 2017. Patients4nhs. [online] Available at: http://www.patients4nhs.org.uk/how-is-
the-nhs-being-privatised/ [Accessed 16 Nov. 2017].
telegraph.co.uk. 2017. The Telegraph. [online] Available at:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1541027/The-arguments-for-and-against.html [Accessed 16
Nov. 2017].
theguardian.com 2017. The Guardian. [online] Available at:
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/oct/30/nhs-trusts-accused-of-backdoor-privatisation-over-
subsidiary-firms [Accessed 16 Nov. 2017].
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