Page 1 of 10 EL112: English Communication Skills II TMA: FIRSTSEMESTER2011/2012 PART I: TMA INFORMATION 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

ASSIGNMENT DUE DATE UNITS COVERED Week 10 New Headway Plus (UpperIntermediate):Units 1 - 6 NUMBER OF PAGES 10 ASSIGNMENT COMPONENTS WRITING TOTAL POINTS 20

PART II: STUDENT INFORMATION (to be completed by student) Student's NAME ID

I confirm that the work presented here is my own and is not copied from any source (i.e., no act of plagiarism is committed). Student's signature:

Tutor's Name

Section

PART III: TUTOR REMARKS (to be completed by tutor) Tutor's name Signature Date received Date returned

INPORTANT NOTE: Students are advised to consult the attachedGrading Rubric&Grade Descriptors(last2 pages of TMA) which explain how their piece of writing will be graded/evaluated. NOTES:

GRADE:

The following are guidelines on plagiarism: If you submit an assignment that contains work other than yours without acknowledging your sources, you are committing plagiarism. This might occur when: y y y y y y y Using a sentence or phrase that you have come across Copying word-for-word directly from a text Paraphrasing the words from the text very closely Using text downloaded from the Internet Borrowing statistics or assembled fact from another person or source Copying or downloading figures, photographs, pictures or diagrams without acknowledging your sources Copying from the notes or essays of a fellow student

(Slightly adapted from OU document on quoting versus plagiarism)

It is important to remember that plagiarism is strictly barred and would be subject to punitive action by the Arab Open University.

Part One: Assignment (1):10 points Write afour-paragraph essay of approximately(500 words) on the following topic: "The job market is getting more competitive than ever before. Discuss. It is important that you consult the following checklist before submitting your assignment. y y y y y y y y y Introduction (relevant background about the topic). Thesis statement (the main idea discussed or analyzed) Body (details to support the thesis) Conclusion (restatement of the thesis) Organization of ideas or paragraphs. Variety of sentences. Mechanics of writing Transitional words. Editing, revising, and proofreading

Write your essay here: (10 points) * Underline/highlight: (1the thesis statement and (2) the topic sentence in each body paragraph.

The job market is getting more competitive because the world has experienced one of the worst recession in the recent times. Recession is the period of temporary economic decline during which trade and industrial activity are reduced, generally identified by a fall in GDP. Due to it, there's an unemployment rise, and underemployment among graduates is getting much higher than ever before. Millions of people are out of work and the skies completely look blank for the young graduates as well. One of the major problems for graduates in finding a job is their first entry-level job in the extremely competitive job market. There are new jobs created every other month but that number is out powered by the number of jobs that are lost. The other main reason is that more people are getting educated and qualified now, because of that applicant-to-job opening has been increasing, so there are more college graduates and fewer jobs and from the last few years due to recession therere more job cuts than new openings. The companies prefer experienced employees rather than the newly graduates. The reason for doing such act is that unemployed lack the experience and necessary skills. In these days, graduates are relying on unpaid internships and are working as a volunteer to gain some experience so they might reach companies requirements. (Add survey report) As said earlier, the current job market is getting more competitive day after day, another reason for that is there are more specialized degrees available, and these days, almost everyone is specializing in different degrees, that makes more people available for one specific job in comparison with past when more people used to go for general degrees and people with specialized degrees could find a good job easily.

There may be jobs available in some fields but people who are unemployed lack the necessary skills

End of Part 1/Assignment 1

Part two:Assignment (2): (10 points) Write afour-paragraph essay of approximately(500 words) on the following topic: "The concept of voluntary work/services: How does it appeal to you? It is important that you consult to use the following checklistbefore you submit your assignment: y y y y y y y y y Introduction (relevant background about the topic). Thesis statement (the main idea discussed or analyzed) Body (details to support the thesis) Conclusion (restatement of the thesis) Organization of ideas or paragraphs. Variety of sentences. Mechanics of writing Transitional words. Editing, revising, and proofreading

Write your essay here: (10 points) * Underline/highlight: (1) the thesis statement, and (2) the topic sentence in each body paragraph. In todays busy world/society, it is nearly impossible to find time for others and serve them as a volunteer.Though, there are lots of benefits one can acquire from volunteering; it can help you making new friends, it will help in boosting different learning skills, increasing your network, advance your career, it helps in building the confidence. Also, it has a great influence/impact on community. Volunteering gives you an opportunity to make a difference/ to bring a change to peoples lives in your community and make it a better place to live. We live in the world full of prejudices. About 1.7 billion people live in poverty these days. And 3.5 million people are homeless. Also, infectious diseases continue to blight the lives of the poor across the world. So, arent we supposed to help them? We can help to make the world a better place to live in through volunteering and might be able change someone elses life. Volunteering is a feel good experience; it makes you feel heavenly good helping others. The sensation of touching others lives in a positive way is an achievement in itself.Give you some different kind of relaxation.

A volunteering experience that really impacted/ had a great impact on my life was when I volunteered in an old age home. Being able to help those who are abandoned by their loved ones and who were left alone on world was an eye-opening experience.When I entered there, the goal in my head was to make them happy and to learn something from them. People who have to leave their houses and are forced to live in old home age experience great loss and grief. They have no one to share their grief and sorrow with. 5

So, whenever they get anyone to talk with, they fully availed the chance and____ you with their stories. The same thing happened to me, it hardly took some minutes to get know them and to get frank with them. They started telling me the story of their lives that how they come here, how they feel living here, they had a lot to say and of course their when I was you age stories. What I feel there that all they want is someone to listen to them. It hardly took some minutes to get frank with them. I usedtostart my day by a having a morning walk with them and then some chat with a cup of tea. I felt that they sit idle the whole day and have nothing to, so to make them busy, I tried to involve them in different activities related to their hobbies, painting, sculpturing. I and other volunteers decided to put on exhibition of their creative work, so that they get appreciation by others and to make them feel that they're capable of doing anything and that they're not relying on anyone. This exhibition definitely improved their self-confidence. The exhibition day was my last day at old home. My eyes were full of tears while leaving them. All the uncles and aunties there in old home shown their love by giving wonderful presents. I'm still in a contact with them. The experience I had there could never be forgetten.

what would you have liked to take from the volunteer work? you could write about that. just pretend that it had an impact on you. you could also write how lucky you feel to have your health after working in a hospital and seeing how bad some people have it. you could say that volunteering had a big impact on your life and that you want to keep doing it in the future. you can write about how helping other people makes you feel good. definitely don't say you had nothing to do and it was boring.

Infectious diseases continue to blight the lives of the poor across the world. An estimated 40 million people are living with HIV/AIDS, with 3 million deaths in 2004.

It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself. Ralph Waldo Emerson

End of Part 2/ Assignment 2

[Please see Grading Rubric and Grade Descriptors on pages 9& 10 below]

EL112 TMA Grading Rubric

I. The EL112 TMA consists of two extended pieces of writing; each carries 10%, with a total of 20% of thesemester grade.

II.

The TMA is marked as follows:

a) An introductory section with a clear and underlined thesis statement: b) Supporting sentences/details:, divided marks 8 as follows: 1-Use of relevant ideas/supporting sentences and vocabulary to support the thesis statement:

1 mark 1 mark

[2 marks]

2- Grammatical structure: [verb forms, tenses, s-v-agreement, etc.]: [3 marks] 3- Mechanics of writing: punctuation, spelling, and overall paragraph format/layout: 4- Transition/linking words: [2 marks]

[1 mark] 1 mark

c) Concluding section, with a clear concluding/closing signal:1 mark

Grade Descriptors
Grade A Content - Excellent answers showing confident and wide-ranging knowledge of core material, good understanding of any relevant theory, a capacity to address the question in a structured, direct and effective way, thoughtfully and with insight. - Originality of thought or ideas from outside the course are an added asset. Examples are to the point. - Very good answers showing secure Language, Organization & Documentation - Has an introduction defining plan of essay. - Body divided into several paragraphs - Conclusion which directly relates arguments to topic. - Using relevant references/resources [ other than course teaching materials] and properly documenting them - Evidence that essay has been edited. - Error-free grammar & register. - Wide range of specialized terminology. First five criteria above maintained

To B+

knowledge of course materials. - Adopting an analytical approach and providing relevant discussion covering most of the key issues. - Distinguished from A answers by being less insightful or by showing less comprehensive knowledge of the course. Competent answers reflecting adequate knowledge of the more directly relevant course material and concepts, with reasonable structure and adequate coherence related to the question set. Answers which omit some concepts /evidence and/or lack coherence /structure, and/or make minor errors while still demonstrating basic understanding. Or Bare pass answers which show awareness of some relevant material and attempt to relate it to the question.

- Demonstrates extensive grammar control. - Terminology specialized but less varied.

C To C+ D

- Introduction and/or conclusion short but still satisfactory. - Evidence of editing. - Reasonably documented - Less grammar control than above. - Good range of specialized terminology. - Introduction and/or conclusion short but acceptable. - Slightly confused introduction and/or conclusion, but body still fair. - Not documented properly - Few grammatical errors that impede communication. - Above average range of specialized terminology. - No evidence of editing. - No introduction and /or no conclusion. - Body badly organized or irrelevant. - absence of references - Poor grammar control (extremely limited range of grammar & register). - Limited or not specialized range of terminology.

Bare fail answers which attempt to draw upon relevant material but do not reflect sufficient knowledge of the course and/or neglect the focus required by the question, and/or are incomplete in some important aspects whilst being acceptable in others.

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