University EAP2 Module Portfolio: Autumn 2017 Submission

This EAP2 portfolio, submitted in Autumn 2017, showcases a student's development in English for Academic Purposes. The portfolio includes various tasks designed to enhance academic skills such as research, note-taking, and essay writing. Key components include a personal development plan (PDP) outlining goals for skill improvement, exercises on organizing ideas and evaluating source reliability, and the development of an argumentative essay on the privatization of the NHS. The essay outline, paraphrasing/summarizing exercises, and the construction of a body paragraph demonstrate the student's ability to synthesize information from multiple sources and construct coherent arguments. The assignment covers topics like economic and social arguments for and against NHS privatization, demonstrating critical analysis and research skills. The portfolio reflects the student's ability to manage time, work independently, and apply the concepts learned throughout the course, culminating in a 900-word argumentative essay.

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.
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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
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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
I have good writing skills and can write on wide range of topics.
I am a quick learner and do not need lengthy sessions to understand topics.
I am good at managing time and have the capability to complete specified tasks within tight deadlines.
A team player, I can get along easily with everyone.
Weaknesses
I tend to get too dominating at times and want things to be done my way.
I want extreme perfection in everything and that sometimes leads to arguments with fellow mates.
Sometimes I also get obsessed with one particular task and do not consider anything else.
I am not organized.
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 pay attention to other’s views To create a list of things others are good at I can understand better the ideas and
opinions shared by others
October 2107
2 To organize reports and presentations Make a checklist for the tasks undertaken
and completed
This could help me organize things October 2017
3 To be able to take criticism To understand the limits of my capability
and do not crave for perfection
This could help me realize perfection comes
naturally, I do not have to crave for it
November
2017
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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 Tiemann, Schreyögg
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? Newspaper article Journal
Has it been verified in any way? Can it
be proved?
Yes Yes
Is there evidence to support this
claim?
Yes Yes
Was the source created to persuade,
sell, entertain, inform or for another
purpose?
The source was created as a
debate between two experts
who opined about NHS
privatisation in the newspaper
article
The journal was written to inform
people regarding the
consequences-both positive and
negative- of NHS privatization
Is the content relevant to your
research?
Yes Yes
When was it published/last updated? 18 July 2013 2012
Does this impact its relevance or
objectivity?
No No
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.).
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BBC News. 2017. Why not... privatise the NHS?. [online] Available at: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-
22528719 [Accessed 25 Nov. 2017].
Tiemann, O. and Schreyögg, J., 2012. Changes in hospital efficiency after privatization. Health care
management science, 15(4), pp.310-326.
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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
 Privatising the NHS boosts funding
 Improves healthcare equipments
 Privatization reduces economic
burden of the government
 Privatisation ensures reduced
burden on taxpayers
 Introducing insurance based
healthcare system allows ensured
care
 Gives more authority to the people
through owning of private
healthcare centres
 Privatising the NHS means increased
healthcare costs
 Only the well-to-do families can
afford the increased cost
 NHS is the cheapest healthcare
system amongst industrialized
nations
 Privatisation of NHS makes
healthcare expensive and
unaffordable for many
 Insuring healthcare means added
expenditure- first through taxes and
second through insurance
 Employment increases and so does
burden on budget
Social
 Privatised healthcare system
improves patient communication,
treatment of chronic diseases
 Privatisation ensures increased
number of hospitals that people
can easily access
 NHS privatisation ensures limited
political interference
 Private firms provide continuous
funding thus enabling NHS to
sustain for longer period
 Privatisation encourages young
professionals to contribute towards
healthcare
 Healthcare is not a commodity and
privatising NHS conforms this notion
 Privatisation of NHS discards the
long-held idea of equality for all
irrespective of economic condition
 Ethical issues are neglected in
privatisation and economic
consequences are more valued
 NHS privatization allows private firms
to concentrate on profit rather than
patient
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PORTFOLIO TASK
Developing your arguments: Paraphrasing/Summarising
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):
Privatization of the National Health Service (NHS) would provide economic stability. Enabling the
private companies to fund NHS would largely unburden the government on the economic front. The
government can then focus its financial attention to other important areas such as immigration, the
army, education and so on.
Instances from the healthcare systems of other industrialized nations have shown the competence of
privatisation. Exposing NHS to privatization would allow increased rate of employment, as more
youngsters would be encouraged to join private firms that provide health care. Many experts have
also argued that privatization increases competition and hence improves the performance of the
healthcare systems.
Arguments against (No):
NHS is a public body and handing it over to private firms would increase healthcare costs. This would
mean that the economically down patients would find it hard to afford the treatment costs. As per
the Commonwealth Fund report of 2014, NHS is the cheapest healthcare providing sector amongst
ten other industrialized nations. This further proves that privatization of NHS is wrong and not
required as well.
Proponents opting for privatization argue that it would allow insurance-based healthcare policy
strengthening thus the trust of the people. However, recent evidences from the US, which is the
biggest example of insurance-based policy, provide a different picture.
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PORTFOLIO TASK
Week 5: Developing your arguments: Combining sources
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.
While analyzing the profits and disadvantages of privatising the NHS, one must consider doing a
PESTEL analysis. The economic parameters are essential to analyze the feasibility of the proposed
strategy as it concerns privatization.
According to many economic experts, enabling the private companies to fund NHS would largely
unburden the government on the economic front. The government can then focus its financial attention
to other important areas such as immigration, the army, education and so on.
Instances from the healthcare systems of other industrialized nations have shown the competence of
privatisation (BBC News 2017). Exposing NHS to privatization would allow increased rate of
employment, as more youngsters would be encouraged to join private firms that provide health care.
Many experts have also argued that privatization increases competition and hence improves the
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performance of the healthcare systems.
In contrast to this, privatizing the NHS would result in increased burden on the common people,
especially the financially backward ones. NHS is a public body and handing it over to private firms
would increase healthcare costs (Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, 2017). This would mean that the economically
down patients would find it hard to afford the treatment costs. As per the Commonwealth Fund report
of 2014, NHS is the cheapest healthcare providing sector amongst ten other industrialized nations. This
further proves that privatization of NHS is wrong and not required as well.
Proponents opting for privatization argue that it would allow insurance-based healthcare policy
strengthening thus the trust of the people. However, recent evidences from the US, which is the biggest
example of insurance-based policy, provide a different picture.
The NHS provides free services to millions of UK nationals every year and privatizing it would take
away their only option for a cheap and better healthcare system. Therefore, it is mandatory that people
in power must ensure that NHS stays out of the commercial world.
References:
BBC News. (2017). Why not... privatise the NHS?. [online] Available at:
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-22528719 [Accessed 25 Nov. 2017].
Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. (2017). Home - PMC - NCBI. [online] Available at:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/ [Accessed 25 Nov. 2017].
PORTFOLIO TASK
Making notes with confidence
This is an in-class activity. Please upload a photo of your notes here.
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