A GUIDE TO DIFFERENT TYPES OF ASSESSMENT

Client Letter

This type of written assignment is where you step into the shoes of what it would be like to be an actual legal professional writing for a client. You need to decide what information would be relevant to the client while remaining succinct and to the point. It is very important to explain legal concepts in simple, lay terms. Clients do not want to read information they do not want to know so you will need to make tactful decisions on what they need to know and what they dont need to know.

Memorandum

Much like the client letter, this kind of assessment also lets you step into the shoes of an actual legal professional. Instead of writing for a client, you are writing for another legal professional. Here you can use more legal terminology which would not be appropriate for a client. You can use legal concepts that a layperson would not understand, Again, it is important to write succintly and to think about what would the supervising lawyer want to know and what would they not want to know.

On-Campus Exam

Exams typically take place on campus during the ‘examination period’ and are roughly three hours long. They are invigilated (supervised) and can be open or closed book. Open book means you are able to bring in external notes with you into the exam.

Although you won’t receive individualised feedback on your exam papers at university, you can still seek feedback to improve your marks. One way of doing this is by asking your tutor to give you some pointers, or by taking your exam responses to the Student Success Group for feedback.

Take Home Exam

Don’t underestimate the take home exam! Similar to invigilated exams on campus, you should prepare just like you would for a ‘normal’ exam. The exams are usually written in exactly the same format as an invigilated exam. In 2022, the take home exam was timed with additional time added for you to submit your exam answers.

Pay close attention to the word count on your exam submission as markers will usually stop reading and assignment marks once you exceed the word limit.

Tips

• Explore your subjects, the HiQ website and Canvas early on to familiarise yourself.

• Download Office365, which gives you free access to the most up-to-date Word, PowerPoint, Excel, OneNote and Outlook programs.

• Make a study group with your peers.

• Sign up to the QUTLS Mentor Program and meet a more experienced law student.

• Go to your lectures and tutorials, even if you haven’t prepared. You will retain info better.

• But... preparation is power! Glance over your lecture PowerPoint slides on the bus or train when you’re going into uni for that lecture, or just before you open Echo360. Write dot points for your tutorial question responses if you do not have time to write a full response.

DO I NEED THAT $200 TEXTBOOK?

• You might have noticed that you have textbooks prescribed for your subjects which can be really expensive! Textbooks assist greatly in reinforcing the lecture material and expanding on that content with a more nuanced analysis of case authorities and legislation. Many textbooks will be called ‘Cases and Commentary’ textbooks. These books include useful extracts of case authorities that summarise the important bits! You probably need to access that textbook to make it easier to prepare well for your exam or assignment!

• NOTE: It’s totally possible to get by without buying a textbook for each subject.

Study Hacks

• Change the playback speed of your lectures to suit your notetaking style.

• Exam preparation starts in Week 1. Keep your notes up to date so that you cram less later on!

• Use the Pomodoro method (25 minutes study, 5 minutes break) because research shows that we learn best in small chunks.

• When reading textbooks, use the SQ3R method: survey, question, read, recite, review.

• The human brain is good at remembering the information we handwrite and not so much what we type. Try to write down the important concepts you’ll encounter in exams.

• Print out and bind your Study Guides! This is relatively inexpensive at Officeworks. Or, use the free binding machines in the QUT Library.

• Past students’ notes can be useful when creating exam templates, but ensure that all the content contained within it is up to date!

WHERE DO I GET TEXTBOOKS (AND FOR CHEAP)

• The Law Library offers several copies of textbooks that you can borrow for two hours.

• The QUT Library database also often offers free digital copies that you can access, rent or download (it depends - so check here first!)

• Many law students buy + resell used textbooks through textbook exchange groups and pages on Facebook. Two forums to follow are QUT Epic Textbooks and QUT Textbook Exchange.

• Make a note of the edition of the textbook you’re looking for. Sometimes there may be changes in the law between editions, so double-check with your teacher about which editions are okay to use.