WHY ARE ASSIGNMENTS RETURNED?

WHY ARE ASSIGNMENTS RETURNED?

Learners may find that their assignment is occasionally returned to them unmarked. This is

because the assessor needs changes made or further information provided before they can

mark the assignment. 

The CMI expects learners to follow certain policies and meet certain criteria when

completing an assignment or equivalent. For example: 

1.       Not achieving or exceeding the assignment word count by less or more than 10

2.       percent.

3.       Ensuring answers are in the body of the assignment, not contained in appendices.

4.       Clearly ‘sign-posting’ which answer relates to which assessment criteria.

While assessors can exercise some discretion on these and other matters, they may ask for

learners to modify their assignment before it is marked. 

Note: a ‘return’ does not count as a ‘refer’ on a learner’s record.    

What should I do upon receiving a return?

The assessor will indicate what changes are needed before they can mark the assignment.

You should make them and resubmit for marking – within the timeframe stated by

Why are assignments referred?

Learners may find that their assignment is occasionally referred. This is because the assessor

has determined that one or more of its answers fail to meet CMI assessment criteria.

Examples of this are:  

a)  Not focusing the answer on the assessment criteria’s subject matter.

b)  Failing to adequately address the requirements of the CMI ‘command verb’

contained within the assessment criteria, i.e. ‘identify’, ‘describe’, ‘evaluate’, etc. 

c)  Missing other instructions within the assessment criteria, such as ‘examine a range

of options’, for example, with the learner only examining one option.

d)  Not achieve the necessary depth and breadth of answer expected for the CMI level

being studied, i.e. Level 2, Level 3, Level 5 or Level 7. This particularly applies to the

higher levels, for which learners are expected to draw upon present industry

examples and academic learning, providing a breadth of appropriate supporting

academic references.

GUIDE TO ASSIGNMENT RETURNS AND REFERRALS

Note: the assessor will not award a refer for poor presentation, spelling or grammar –

assessors may comment on what could be done to improve however. 

What should I do upon receiving a refer?

Your assessor will provide guidance when awarding a refer, stating the reason why and

suggesting changes needed to gain a pass. 

Based on the guidance, you should re-write the referred answer within the timeframe

stated by Highlands Professional, using blue text to distinguish the new work from the

original answer. For clarity, write out the new answer completely, even if only partially

modifying the original answer (you can ‘cut and paste’ from the original if appropriate). Do

not delete or strikethrough your original answer – leave in black text as a reference for the

subsequent assessment.  An example is shown below:

A.C. 1.1 Assessment Criteria

This is my original answer, which addresses Assessment Criteria 1.1. 

This is my resubmitted answer, which provides additional information based on

feedback received from the assessor to fully address Assessment Criteria 1.1. 

If you are referred for a second time, you should again re-write your answer within the

timeframe stated by Highlands Professional using red text to distinguish it from the original

and first resubmitted answer. An example is shown below:

A.C. 1.1 Assessment Criteria

This is my original answer, which addresses Assessment Criteria 1.1. 

This is my resubmitted answer, which provides additional information based on

feedback received from the assessor to fully address Assessment Criteria 1.1. 

This is my second resubmission, which provides further information based on

feedback received from the assessor to fully address Assessment Criteria 1.1.

What happens to word count limits on referrals?

Copy added to an assignment to address a referred answer does not affect the word count.

But you should ensure that already passed answers plus resubmitted answers remain with

overall word count expectations when resubmitting an assignment. 

How many times can an assignment be referred?

Learners have three attempts to submit an assignment.

Note that if referred for a third time, an additional fee may be chargeable to retake the

assignment.  

Appeals against assessment decisions

Learners who believe they have been unreasonably referred can appeal against the

decision. Further information available from hp@highlands.ac.uk.   

Where can I get more help?

Further information on this or any aspect of CMI qualification is available by contacting

hp@highlands.ac.uk for assistance.