21. Assignments
The guidelines below are vital for you to follow in the presentation of your assignments.
21.1 Submission
Assignments may be submitted by:
- handing them to the lecturer.
- mail addressed to the lecturer of that subject. The postmark must be no later than the date of submission.
- handing them to a member of the administration staff in the Mary Andrews College office at Level 1, St Andrew's House, Sydney.
- fax only in exceptional circumstances, in consultation with the Registrar. The original copy should then be submitted to the lecturer within one week. The faxed assignment should have a cover sheet indicating the number of pages to be received.
21.2 Presentation
Each piece of written work should have a Mary Andrews College assignment cover sheet on the front. From 2010, these are now available for you to download from the "For Students" section of our website:
Please note the following:
Please note the following:
- Only your Australian College of Theology (ACT) candidate number is to appear on assignments. If you do not yet have an Australian College of Theology number, write your name in the meantime.
- Use A4 paper.
- Assignments are to be typed and double-spaced.
- All pages in assignments are to be numbered.
- Please leave a margin at least 3cm wide on the left-hand side of each page for comments.
- Keep a copy of your assignment.
- The number of words excludes the synopsis (if required), bibliography and footnotes.
- An essay which is 1,500 words or longer requires a synopsis.
- All essays require footnotes and a bibliography.
- Please keep to the specified word limit for each assignment. The number of words in your assignment may only vary 10% more or less than the word limit. For example, a 1,500 word assignment should only be between 1,350 and 1,650 words. From 2010, penalties now apply if you exceed the specified word limit for an assignment by more than 110% of words. See Section 15.3 of this handbook for further details.
- Two (2) copies of each assignment need to be submitted. You will need to put an assignment cover sheet on the front of each copy of your assignments.
Please read the instructions on the assignment cover sheet before signing the declaration on it. You are required to read and understand the Australian College of Theology's Academic Misconduct Policy, which Mary Andrews College upholds, before signing the declaration. A copy of the Academic Misconduct Policy can be found in Section 15.6 of this handbook.
21.3 Suggestions to help you with the format of essays
An essay should reveal clear thinking and careful organisation, with an introduction and conclusion. There should be a clear introduction to the subject, setting out the matter to be discussed. The body of the essay should set out in a clear and concise way the subject under discussion. The conclusion should summarise what has been said and draw necessary conclusions.
The following points will help you further in working out your technique:
Basic Essay Plan
While the assignment will be marked mainly on content, the format is important. Therefore, give careful attention to spelling, grammar and punctuation. This is particularly important if you are producing your assignment on computer. Proof-reading your work is vital. Also be careful with computer programs that check your spelling. Computer programs often use American spelling rather than Australian spelling.
An assignment (unless otherwise indicated) should be a piece of continuous prose not numbered points. If you choose to use headings, they should assist, rather than interrupt, the flow of the argument.
Short sentences are generally the best way to express yourself clearly. Are your sentences easy to understand? Are they clear in what they seek to communicate?
The following points will help you further in working out your technique:
- Addressing the topic
Look carefully at the topic and make sure that you deal with the question being asked. Try not to get sidetracked on an irrelevant issue. Before you begin writing, make sure that you have come to grips with what the question is asking you to do. For example, a question which asks you to 'evaluate' means that you need to make some sort of assessment and not simply give a description.
- Organisation
How well you set out your assignment will help with the flow of the argument. It is wise to discuss all the material which is relevant to a particular issue or aspect at the one time, in one or more paragraphs, rather than repeat the same information at numerous points throughout your essay.
- Logical flow
Your argument needs to flow smoothly as you move from one idea to the next. Have you simply tacked pieces of information together or is your material organised in a logical sequence? Does the movement from one paragraph to the next make sense, or does your answer consist of several separate discussions?
- Paragraphs
Each paragraph needs to begin with an introductory sentence, called the topic sentence. There should be a couple of drawing together sentences to help make the logical transition to the next point.
- Covering major issues
Does your answer adequately cover all of the major issues related to the question? You don't need to include every possible point, but you should identify the most significant points and discuss them thoroughly.
- Interacting with other writers / documents
How well have you understood and evaluated what you have read? You need to be developing some critical thinking skills. You don't have to accept what an author may write. Do you think they are right or wrong? Does what they say agree with what God has revealed in his word?
- Wrestling with the issues
In critically evaluating the sources of your information, you need to try to present your own ideas in response to what you have read. As you do this, you need to ask yourself whether you have correctly understood the arguments of the scholars and represented their viewpoints fairly.
- Conclusion
The assignment requires a proper conclusion, which summarises what you have argued. No new material should be introduced into your concluding paragraph. In these final sentences you need to summarise your argument, which should be well supported by the evidence you have presented in the main part of your assignment.
Basic Essay Plan
| Introduction What you are going to say Definition of words or terms should be in the introduction or early in the body. | Define and limit your topic. Give main points and the argument that the essay will follow. |
| Body Say it | Order your main points logically. Present each point fully and clearly. To support main points give examples, reasons or scripture references. Each point should consist of one or more paragraphs. |
| Conclusion What you have said | Sum up your main points and relate them to the introduction. Round off the essay to give it unity. |
While the assignment will be marked mainly on content, the format is important. Therefore, give careful attention to spelling, grammar and punctuation. This is particularly important if you are producing your assignment on computer. Proof-reading your work is vital. Also be careful with computer programs that check your spelling. Computer programs often use American spelling rather than Australian spelling.
An assignment (unless otherwise indicated) should be a piece of continuous prose not numbered points. If you choose to use headings, they should assist, rather than interrupt, the flow of the argument.
Short sentences are generally the best way to express yourself clearly. Are your sentences easy to understand? Are they clear in what they seek to communicate?
21.4 Synopsis
A synopsis is required when an essay is 1,500 words or more.
A synopsis is a brief summary, in prose form, of the argument of an essay. It is about 150 words in length. The synopsis should be placed at the beginning of the essay on a separate page, with the heading "Synopsis". The synopsis is not included in the total word count. The synopsis enables the marker to quickly know a summary of your line of argument. It is not an introduction.
A synopsis is a brief summary, in prose form, of the argument of an essay. It is about 150 words in length. The synopsis should be placed at the beginning of the essay on a separate page, with the heading "Synopsis". The synopsis is not included in the total word count. The synopsis enables the marker to quickly know a summary of your line of argument. It is not an introduction.
21.5 Footnote and bibliography guideline changes
Mary Andrews College follows the note system for the formatting of references and bibliographic citations.
Please read the follow two sections on footnotes and bibliographies carefully, because, as of 2010, they have now been updated to fully match the note system, as given in the Australian College of Theology Undergraduate Handbook. You will notice some changes now to what is given in the following two sections.
Please read the follow two sections on footnotes and bibliographies carefully, because, as of 2010, they have now been updated to fully match the note system, as given in the Australian College of Theology Undergraduate Handbook. You will notice some changes now to what is given in the following two sections.
21.6 Footnotes
Footnotes are used in your written work when:
In the note system, each acknowledgement in the body of the assignment is to be followed by a raised number, usually after the full-stop at the end of a sentence, directing the reader to a footnote. Here, when the work is cited for the first time, the full details are given according to the examples below.
Note that in footnotes the author's name goes in direct order, not inverted with the surname first.
Examples:
Direct quote
Place the words in inverted commas with a number at the end of the quotation. For example:
Reference to an argument
Do not use inverted commas. Simply place a number at the appropriate point in the text and write the corresponding number at the foot of the page with the relevant information. For example:
Footnote
In both of the above examples, at the bottom of the page you would write the following, where the number at the end is the page number.
1. D. Watson, I Believe in the Church (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1982), 13.
If you cite this book again in your assignment, the footnote is abbreviated the next time. For example:
2. Watson, I Believe in the Church, 126
6. Watson, I Believe in the Church, 205
In this case, the title of the book may also abbreviated as necessary.
In your bibliography, the work is cited in the same manner in which it was first acknowledged in the footnotes of the assignment, except that in the bibliography the author's surname is listed first. See the following section on bibliographies for information on the how to format such references.
- you directly quote an author who is stating an opinion which is their own
- you use an argument in your essay which is someone else's idea
- you are noting extra information that would otherwise interrupt the flow of the essay
In the note system, each acknowledgement in the body of the assignment is to be followed by a raised number, usually after the full-stop at the end of a sentence, directing the reader to a footnote. Here, when the work is cited for the first time, the full details are given according to the examples below.
Note that in footnotes the author's name goes in direct order, not inverted with the surname first.
Examples:
Direct quote
Place the words in inverted commas with a number at the end of the quotation. For example:
"Thus the growing enthusiasm for Jesus seems tragically offset by the almost total disenchantment with the church." 1
Reference to an argument
Do not use inverted commas. Simply place a number at the appropriate point in the text and write the corresponding number at the foot of the page with the relevant information. For example:
David Watson points out that, while someone can be excited about being a disciple of Jesus, they can be quite negative about the church.1
Footnote
In both of the above examples, at the bottom of the page you would write the following, where the number at the end is the page number.
1. D. Watson, I Believe in the Church (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1982), 13.
If you cite this book again in your assignment, the footnote is abbreviated the next time. For example:
2. Watson, I Believe in the Church, 126
6. Watson, I Believe in the Church, 205
In this case, the title of the book may also abbreviated as necessary.
In your bibliography, the work is cited in the same manner in which it was first acknowledged in the footnotes of the assignment, except that in the bibliography the author's surname is listed first. See the following section on bibliographies for information on the how to format such references.
21.7 Bibliography
A bibliography is a list of books, articles, websites and any other sources of information that you have used in writing your essay or assignment. Note that you do not need to include the Bible in your bibliography.
Guidelines
Examples:
Books
Article from a dictionary or other volume
Journal articles
CD-ROM reference
There will be no pages cited.
Internet reference
Great care needs to be taken when using internet information as the quality and reliability of such information can vary and there are not necessarily any checks on the authoritativeness of the information. There will be no pages cited.
Unpublished material
Unpublished material includes theses, conferences, seminars, lecture notes. The title is placed in quotation marks.
Guidelines
- Place the bibliography on a separate page with the heading "Bibliography".
- The bibliography should be at the end of your written work.
- List items in the bibliography alphabetically by the author's surname.
- In a bibliography the author's name is presented with surname first, e.g. Smith, L. D.
- The titles of books, journals, electronic and unpublished material should be bold or in italics with no quotation marks.
- Quotation marks are used to enclose the title of a journal article.
- Include particulars of publisher and publishing date.
Examples:
Books
Boer, H. R., A Short History of the Early Church (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1976).
Drane, J., Introducing the New Testament (Oxford: Lion, 1999).
Drane, J., Introducing the New Testament (Oxford: Lion, 1999).
Article from a dictionary or other volume
Dumbrell, W. J., "Paul's use of Exodus 34 in 2 Corinthians 3", God Who is Rich in Mercy: Essays Presented to Dr. D.B. Knox, edited by P. T. O'Brien and D. G. Peterson (Homebush West, N.S.W.: Lancer, 1986).
Yarborough, R. W., "Atonement", New Dictionary of Biblical Theology, edited by T. D. Alexander and B. S. Rosner (Leicester: Inter-Varsity Press, 2000).
Yarborough, R. W., "Atonement", New Dictionary of Biblical Theology, edited by T. D. Alexander and B. S. Rosner (Leicester: Inter-Varsity Press, 2000).
Journal articles
Bock, D., "The Politics of the People of God", Christianity Today Vol. 49, no. 9 (2005), 84-86.
Ortberg, J., "What Changes at Conversion", Leadership Vol. 12, no. 3 (1991), 52-57.
Ortberg, J., "What Changes at Conversion", Leadership Vol. 12, no. 3 (1991), 52-57.
CD-ROM reference
There will be no pages cited.
Watson, D., "False apostles" Anchor Bible Dictionary on CD-ROM, Version 1.0 (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, 1997).
Internet reference
Great care needs to be taken when using internet information as the quality and reliability of such information can vary and there are not necessarily any checks on the authoritativeness of the information. There will be no pages cited.
Adam, P., "The Trinity - What Difference Does it Make?", Ridley College Sermons and Papers, http://www.ridley.unimelb.edu.au/study/index.php?option=Articles&task=viewarticle&artid=11 Cited 5 Dec 2005.
Unpublished material
Unpublished material includes theses, conferences, seminars, lecture notes. The title is placed in quotation marks.
Shead, A. G., "Ecclesiastes 12:9-14 : Reading the Epilogue of Ecclesiastes as an Epilogue", M.Th. thesis (Australian College of Theology, 1995).
Stoneman, J., "The Spiritual Fight", unpublished lecture notes (Mary Andrews College, 1998).
21.8 Abbreviations
The following abbreviations for biblical books can be used. There are no full stops.
Old Testament
New Testament
Old Testament
| Gen | 1 Kgs | Eccl | Obad |
| Exod | 2 Kgs | Song | Jonah |
| Lev | 1 Chr | Isa | Mic |
| Num | 2 Chr | Jer | Nah |
| Deut | Ezra | Lam | Hab |
| Josh | Neh | Ezek | Zeph |
| Judg | Esth | Dan | Hag |
| Ruth | Job | Hos | Zech |
| 1 Sam | Ps | Joel | Mal |
| 2 Sam | Prov | Amos | |
New Testament
| Matt | 2 Cor | 1 Tim | 2 Pet |
| Mark | Gal | 2 Tim | 1 John |
| Luke | Eph | Titus | 2 John |
| John | Phil | Phlm | 3 John |
| Acts | Col | Heb | Jude |
| Rom | 1 Thess | Jas | Rev |
| 1 Cor | 2 Thess | 1 Pet | |
21.9 Marking
Your lecturer will give you an indication of how an assignment will be marked.
Australian College of Theology member colleges are to assess written work by both letter grades and marks as given in the table over the page.
Mark and Grade Scale
All assignments will be marked using the internal letter grade system in the far left column in the table above. You will be informed of internal letter grades only (not marks), since marks may be altered under statistical moderation of results. All final subject results from the Australian College of Theology will be given to you using the grade system in the far right column in the table above.
For example, please note that getting a C on one of your assignments (= 55-59%) is not the same as getting a Credit (C) as your final grade for your subject from the Australian College of Theology (= 65-74%). Likewise, the D letter grade is not the same as the Distinction (D) grade.
To give you some idea about what your internal letter grade indicates, the following comments may be helpful:
Australian College of Theology member colleges are to assess written work by both letter grades and marks as given in the table over the page.
Mark and Grade Scale
| Letter Grade | % | x/15 | x/20 | x/25 | x/30 | x/40 | Grade |
| F | 0-44 | 0-6.5 | 0-8 | 0-10 | 0-12 | 0-16 | Fail |
| D | 45-49 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 13-14 | 17 | |
| C- | 50-54 | 7.5-8 | 10 | 12-13 | 15 | 20 | Pass |
| C | 55-59 | 8.5 | 11 | 14 | 16-17 | 22 | |
| C+ | 60-64 | 9-9.5 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 24 | Pass + |
| B- | 65-69 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 19-20 | 26 | Credit |
| B | 70-74 | 10.5-11 | 14 | 17-18 | 21 | 28 | |
| B+ | 75-79 | 11.5 | 15 | 19 | 22-23 | 30 | Distinction |
| A- | 80-84 | 12-12.5 | 16 | 20 | 24 | 32 | |
| A | 85-89 | 13 | 17 | 21 | 25-26 | 34 | High Distinction |
| A+ | 90-94 | 13.5-14 | 18 | 22-23 | 27 | 36 | |
| A++ | 95+ | 14.5+ | 19+ | 24+ | 28+ | 38+ |
All assignments will be marked using the internal letter grade system in the far left column in the table above. You will be informed of internal letter grades only (not marks), since marks may be altered under statistical moderation of results. All final subject results from the Australian College of Theology will be given to you using the grade system in the far right column in the table above.
For example, please note that getting a C on one of your assignments (= 55-59%) is not the same as getting a Credit (C) as your final grade for your subject from the Australian College of Theology (= 65-74%). Likewise, the D letter grade is not the same as the Distinction (D) grade.
To give you some idea about what your internal letter grade indicates, the following comments may be helpful:
- F to D 0-49% Fail
A fail because little or no understanding of the question is shown.
- C- to C+ 50-64% Pass
Evidences a basic understanding of the foundational and introductory features of the discipline that intersects with the topic or subject.Attempts to engage primary sources (if these are relevant to the subject) and is aware of their significance for the discipline.
- B- to B 65-74% Credit
Shows emerging skills in engaging primary sources and is aware of their significance for the discipline.Evidences a basis understanding of the foundational features of the discipline.Shows an awareness of relevant scholarly viewpoints without necessarily engaging these in depth.
- B+ to A- 75-84% Distinction
Demonstrates an engagement with primary sources.Has begun to grasp the foundational features of the discipline .Beginning to engage with a range of scholarly viewpoints.
- A to A++ 85-100% High Distinction
Demonstrates ability in engaging primary sources, and is beginning to understand their setting and historical context.Evidences a grasp of the foundational features of the discipline.Shows emerging skills in the task of critically evaluating a range of scholarly viewpoints.