NCO102

Effective Writing
_________________________________________

TUTOR-MARKED ASSIGNMENT 2
(TMA02) BRIEF FOR STUDENTS

JUL 2024
_________________________________________
Learning Outcomes

Task
Learning Outcome (LO) Assessed (please place ü against each
relevant LO)
1 Describe the audience, purpose and tones of ü
academic writing as well as professional writing
2 Identify the correct organization and language ü
styles for academic writing as well as professional
writing
3 Apply the writing feedback to improve the writing
drafts
4 Write effective academic papers in the university
setting
5 Demonstrate effective writing in the workplace ü
setting
6 Organize external resources critically into the ü
writing

TUTOR-MARKED ASSIGNMENT (TMA02)

This individual assignment accounts for 50% of the total grade in the NCO102 Effective Writing
course.

This assignment consists of 1 task.

Task 1: 800-word executive summary

Due: 11:55 PM on 30 October 2024 (Wednesday)

From Data to Action: Writing an Executive Summary for an External Stakeholder

As a Statista employee, you are responsible for writing an 800-word executive summary for
a relevant external stakeholder of your choice, such as a particular NGO, country’s
government, etc. Your executive summary will address an issue which you have identified
within one of the five Statista datasets provided below.

In this assignment, you will write an executive summary focused on a specific issue derived
from one of the provided Statista datasets. Your main task is to analyze the dataset,
contextualize the issue, present your findings and conclusions related to the dataset, and put
forward your recommendations to a chosen external stakeholder on how the issue can be
resolved. Your executive summary must not exceed 800 words (counting in-text citations and
section headings but not the reference list) and needs to include the key components mentioned
in the bullet list below. If your executive summary incorporates information from external
sources such as articles, reports, journals, etc., ensure all are properly cited within the text and
listed in the reference section.
• Aim and Scope
o Explain the aim and the scope of the executive summary. Below are some
guiding questions you can consider.

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 • What is the background and the context of the executive summary?
• What is the purpose of the executive summary?

• Issue
o Identify the specific issue to be resolved.

• Findings
o Discuss the data from the Statista dataset you chose, highlighting its relevance
to the identified issue. Below are some guiding questions you can consider.
• What significant patterns or information emerge from the Statista data?
• What details from the Statista data are crucial for understanding the
issue?
• How does your additional research complement or support the Statista
data findings?

• Conclusion and Recommendations

o Offer interpretative conclusions drawn from the findings and put forward your
supported recommendations. Below are some guiding questions you can
consider.
• What are your interpretations of your findings? What conclusions can
you draw from your findings?
• What actionable and supported recommendations can you put forward
to address the issue?

A. Note to Students Regarding Submission

1. This is an individual assignment. You are required to upload a single Word document (not
PDF) via your tutorial group site on Canvas. You are responsible for the timely upload of your
assignment on Canvas.

2. Include the following information in the filename of your submission: Course Code, Title of
the TMA, SUSS PI No., Your Name, and Submission Date.

3. Do not include footnotes, endnotes, and a cover page as they will affect your Turnitin
similarity index.

4. Submit your assignment before the specified deadline. Note that for every 24-hour delay,
Canvas's Gradebook system will automatically reduce your score by 10 marks. Please refer to
the Student Handbook for more details.

5. You cannot re-submit a TMA after the submission deadline (including the grace period) as
per the Student Handbook. The latest copy of the TMA you upload before the submission
deadline will be the one marked by your instructor.

6. Your essay must not exceed 800 words. There is no 10% allowance for exceeding this limit.

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B. Note to Students Regarding Plagiarism and AI-Usage

1. Please refer to the Student Handbook for details regarding plagiarism. The University has
strict guidelines and will enforce severe penalties for direct and unacknowledged copying of
course materials or the work of any other authors as this is regarded as cheating. You are
required to provide in-text citations and a reference list at the end of your essay for all sources
which you have used. Please follow the APA style (7th edition) format in your essay.

2. All submissions must be of original work. Materials taken from other sources (e.g., AI
generative statements and images, film/sound clips, illustrations, texts, etc.) need to be
acknowledged through in-text citations, a reference list at the end of your essay, and an
appendix (if applicable). Please refer to the Student Handbook for details on how to avoid
(i) committing plagiarism and (ii) misuse of AI tools to generate responses as part of an
assessment submission.

3. Be aware that Turnitin includes an AI-detection feature which indicates the percentage of a
submitted assignment that may have been generated by AI tools such as ChatGPT, Grammarly,
Quillbot, etc. Along with this indicator, Turnitin provides a detailed report highlighting the
specific segments it identifies as AI-generated. Please note that the AI-detection indicator and
report are not visible to students. Only instructors and administrators have access to view this
AI-related information. Additionally, NCO102 instructors have the discretion to deduct marks
if they determine, using their professional judgment and the Turnitin AI report, that a TMA
submission contains expressions (such as phrases, sentences, etc.) or academic content (such
as arguments, points of discussion, supporting details, etc.) generated by AI tools.

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Choose one of the following datasets for the purpose of your executive summary.

Dataset 1: Countries with the largest number of prisoners per 100,000 of the national
population, as of January 2024

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Statista Research Department, May 24, 2024: “As of January 2024, El Salvador had the
highest prisoner rate worldwide, with over 1,000 prisoners per 100,000 of the national
population. Cuba, Rwanda, Turkmenistan, and American Samoa, rounded out the top five
countries with the highest rate of incarceration.”

ICPR, & World Prison Brief. (January 8, 2024). Countries with the largest number of prisoners
per 100,000 of the national population, as of January 2024 [Graph]. In Statista.

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Dataset 2: Household electricity prices worldwide in September 2023, by select country
(in U.S. dollars per kilowatt-hour)

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Statista Research Department, May 22, 2024: “Ireland, Italy, and the United Kingdom had
some of the highest household electricity prices worldwide, as of September 2023. At the time,
Irish households were charged around 0.53 U.S. dollars per kilowatt-hour, while in the UK the
price stood at 0.44 U.S. dollars per kilowatt-hour. By comparison, in the United States,
residents paid almost three times less.”

GPP. (April 4, 2024). Household electricity prices worldwide in September 2023, by select
country (in U.S. dollars per kilowatt-hour) [Graph]. In Statista.

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Dataset 3: Military expenditure as percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) in high
spending countries 2023

Adapted from: SIPRI. (April 22, 2024). Military expenditure as percentage of gross domestic
product (GDP) in highest spending countries 2023 [Graph]. In Statista.

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Dataset 4: Ranking of the most dangerous countries in the world in 2023, by murder
rate (per 100,000 inhabitants)

Statista Research Department, Mar 5, 2024: “Saint Kitts and Nevis saw a murder rate of 65
per 100,000 inhabitants, making it the most dangerous country for this kind of crime worldwide
as of 2023.”

World Population Review, & InSight Crime. (February 21, 2024). Ranking of the most
dangerous countries in the world in 2023, by murder rate (per 100,000 inhabitants) [Graph]. In
Statista.

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Dataset 5: Countries with the highest child marriage rate as of 2022

Einar H. Dyvik, Feb 13, 2024: “Niger has the highest child marriage rate in the world among
girls. According to the most recent data, in this West African country, more than three fourths
of girls aged under 18 were married, with nearly 30 percent of them being younger than 15
years old. The Central African Republic, Chad, and Mali followed behind with rates ranging
from 61 to 54 percent. This issue is globally spread, particularly in African countries. In many
of these countries, the legal age to get married is lower for females than for males. In Niger
and Chad, for instance, the legal age is 15 years for females and 18 for males. In Guinea,
instead, the legal age for marriage is 17 for females and 18 for males.”

UNICEF. (May 1, 2023). Countries with the highest child marriage rate as of 2022 [Graph]. In
Statista.

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NCO102 TMA02 ASSESSMENT CRITERIA & MARKING RUBRIC

CONTENT (50%) Mark (50) Classification

Very Good to Excellent answer 45 – 50 Excellent
Aim and Scope – Clearly describe the purpose of the 40 – 44 Very Good
executive summary with sufficient and concise background
information.
Issue – the problem identified is stated very clearly,
accurately and excellently.
Findings – the data selected is relevant, clear and important
to address the issue; the information is well presented with
logic and clarity.
Conclusion and Recommendation – addresses the problem
thoughtfully with actionable solutions, and is in sync with the
rest of the paper.

Fair to Good answer 35 – 39 Good

Aim and Scope – Fairly describes the purpose of the 30 – 34 Fair
executive summary with relevant background information.
Issue – the problem identified is stated clearly and accurately.
Findings – the data selected is relevant and important to
address the issue, but the information might not be presented
with logic and clarity fully.
Conclusion and Recommendation – addresses the problem
adequately with actionable solutions, and is in sync with the
rest of the paper.

Weak to Very Weak answer 25 – 29 Weak

Aim and Scope – Generally describes the purpose of the 20 – 24 Very Weak
executive summary with relevant background information.
Issue – the problem identified is stated somewhat clearly and
accurately.
Findings – the data selected is mostly relevant, sensible and
important, but not necessarily sufficient; can be better focused
and developed.
Conclusion and Recommendation – addresses the problem
with some solutions, and is still in sync with the rest of the
paper.

Fail 15 – 19 Poor
Aim and Scope – attempted but not entirely relevant to the 10 – 14 Very Poor
purpose of the executive summary or the background of the
topic.
Issue – the problem identified is stated but may not be clear
or accurate, although the general idea is identifiable.

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 Findings – the data selected is identifiable but may be
simplistic; lack sufficient development; some irrelevant ideas.
Conclusion and Recommendation – attempted; may not
address the problem, but is still partially in sync with the rest
of the paper.

Bad Fail 0–9 Little

Aim and Scope – poor; unrelated to the topic of the executive understanding
summary. of the content
Issue – the problem identified is stated unclearly and/or
inaccurately, OR does not state the problem at all.
Findings – the data selected is not accurate; repetitious and
mundane with no relevant support; many irrelevant ideas.
Conclusion and Recommendation – none/poor and may not
be in sync with the rest of the paper.

ORGANISATION, CLARITY & CITATION (30%) Mark (30) Classification

Very Good to Excellent answer 27 – 30 Excellent
Paragraphs – coherent throughout with well-controlled 24 – 26 Very Good
organizational pattern; unified as a whole.
Fluency & Cohesion – text flows very smoothly with an
impressive range of transitions; connections are always or
almost always successful.
Citation – excellently used and correctly documented.

Paraphrase – demonstrates and highlights key information

from the cited reading clearly and appropriately.

Fair to Good answer 21 – 23 Good

Paragraphs – mostly coherent with a clear organizational 18 – 20 Fair

pattern; unified as a whole.
Fluency & Cohesion – text flows smoothly with a good range
of transitions; connections are often or mostly successful.
Citation – well used and properly documented.

Paraphrase – clearly demonstrates and highlights key

information from the cited reading but could be more fully
elaborated.

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 Weak to Very Weak answer 15 – 17 Weak

Paragraphs – some lapses in coherence; organizational

pattern may be blurred; generally unified. 12 – 14 Very Weak
Fluency & Cohesion – text is still generally smooth flowing
with an adequate range of transitions; connections are not
always successful.
Citation – attempted but may not be properly documented a
few times.

Paraphrase – demonstrates and highlights some key

information from the cited reading but some may be
irrelevant, in appropriate or inaccurate.

Fail 10 – 11 Poor
Paragraphs – frequent lapses in coherence; organizational 5 – 9 Very Poor
pattern is not followed through; mildly unified.
Fluency & Cohesion – some text may be disjointed which
may impede comprehension; transitions/connections may be
insufficient or inappropriate.
Citation – attempted but not properly documented most of
the time.

Paraphrase – inadequately demonstrates and highlights the

key information from the cited reading; there may be a
tendency to focus too much on details.

Bad Fail 0–4 Little

understanding
Paragraphs – many lapses in coherence; organizational of
pattern is not apparent; not unified. organisation,
clarity and
Fluency & Cohesion – text is generally disjointed which citation
impede comprehension; transitions/connections are limited or
unsuccessful.
Citation – no attempt.

Paraphrase – may confuse key information from the cited

reading; demonstrates limited ideas which may be largely
irrelevant, inappropriate or inaccurate.

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 LANGUAGE (20%) Mark (20) Classification
Very Good to Excellent answer 18 – 20 Excellent
Syntax & Grammar – expert use of sentence types, and
grammar is almost always to always accurate. 16 – 17 Very Good
Vocabulary, word usage & idiomatic expressions – a
sophisticated range and used effectively.
Punctuation & Spelling – almost no errors.
Style – formal and highly suitable for an academic audience.

Fair to Good answer 14 – 15 Good

Syntax & Grammar – flexible use of sentence types, and
grammar is quite accurate with some minor slips only. Fair
12 – 13
Vocabulary, word usage & idiomatic expressions – a fairly
wide range and used accurately.
Punctuation & Spelling – occasional errors.
Style – formal and mostly suitable for an academic audience.

Weak to Very Weak answer 10 – 11 Weak

Syntax & Grammar – adequate use of sentence types, and
grammar is generally accurate; errors rarely confuse intended
8–9 Very Weak
meaning.
Vocabulary, word usage & idiomatic expressions –
adequate range and generally well used; a few may be
inappropriately used.
Punctuation & Spelling – some errors; they rarely obscure
intended meaning.
Style – formal, but may have a few inappropriate expressions.

Fail 7 Poor
Syntax & Grammar – inadequate use of sentence types, and
grammar is fairly accurate; errors confuse intended meaning 5 – 6 Very Poor
occasionally.
Vocabulary, word usage & idiomatic expressions – fairly
adequate range, correctly convey simple meaning but lack
flair; some may be inaccurately used.
Punctuation & Spelling – some errors may obscure intended
meaning.
Style – mostly inappropriate.

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 Bad Fail 0–4 Little
Syntax & Grammar – poor use of sentence types, and understanding
grammar is generally poor; errors confuse intended meaning of accurate
and
frequently.
appropriate
Vocabulary, word usage & idiomatic expressions – limited language use
range to even convey simple meaning correctly; many are
inaccurately used.
Punctuation & Spelling – errors obscure intended meaning.
Style – inappropriate.

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