SDE101 Essential English Skills and English Proficiency Assessment Tutor-Marked Assignment 01, 2026, Singapore

SDE101 Tutor-Marked Assignment 01

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Essay Question

Referencing is an integral and mandatory part of academic writing at the university level. Yet, the lack of references is often found in students’ written assignments. Borg (2000) explains why referencing is essential:

The display and integration of knowledge is managed through referencing, a system of formal acknowledgement of the sources of their writers’ words and thoughts. The skills of understanding and integrating others’ work into a student’s own are tightly interwoven into the creation of an academic paper…These skills involve understanding other writers’ work, being able to restate that understanding, having the intellectual confidence to admit another’s precedence, and finally mastering the control of a variety of tools for the proper display of this recognition. (p. 27)

Examine and respond to the above text by writing an argumentative essay (between 700 and 800 words) arguing the case for writing effective in-text citations and reference lists in academic writing. In your essay, you must (a) identify the specific concept(s) from the study units, (b) appraise how the mandatory referencing requirements contribute to better grades or critical thinking, and (c) synthesise a strategy to ensure references are always included in every academic writing assignment at SUSS.

Please review all the study units before attempting the assignment. It requires you to construct an argument based on your reflections in this course and follow the guidance below carefully.

Step 1

Critically read, understand and examine the instructional verbs and content words in the above question. Jot down any ideas you have at this juncture.

Step 2

Examine the study units in this course closely and identify any two concepts (e.g., referencing (Unit 11) and reading critically (Unit 18) or anything else that you consider relevant) that corroborate Borg’s (2000) explanation. For instance, jot down any specific and authentic examples/reflections on how the two concepts may have:

• led you into reading up the differences between the narrative (author-prominent) and parenthetical (information-prominent) citations and their respective functions or

Step 3

With steps 1 and 2 completed, construct and draft an argumentative essay using prompts (a), (b) and (c) in the essay question. You must use the general-specific order (see Unit 4) prescribed below. An argument is:

• a carefully considered point of view supported by reasons and evidence, which can then be defended or refuted. An argument is more than just an opinion. What makes an academic argument special is that it is always supported by several pieces of evidence, which are then analysed to show how they strengthen and support the point of view (or thesis).

General to specific

• Introduce the topic and reason for the essay, moving from the general background to a specific topic to attract the reader’s attention.

Specific details

• Provide details to support the general statements and the main ideas.

Specific to general

• Move from the specific points to show why these are important and how these help to understand and address the topic in the wider context described in the introduction.

You may take any stance as long as you respond to the statement in the essay question and address the three prompts by constructing an argument based on your authentic reflections (jotted down in Step 2) and supported by academic sources (see Step 4 below). For example, you may argue that:

• effective referencing (as one of the most straightforward academic requirements) instils more confidence and scaffolding towards attaining better grades or
• (unlike everyday or workplace writing) academic writing alongside appropriate references develop critical thinking skills that differentiate fact from fiction in the contemporary world or
• any other points in relation to referencing in the study units of this course

Following the above, you must synthesise a personal strategy that ensures effective referencing (i.e., summarising, paraphrasing, in-text citations and a reference list) is applied in every academic assignment at SUSS.

In writing your prose essay, you must have a succinct title, a clearly worded thesis statement in the introduction, strong academic evidence and analysis in the body, and a congruent summary in the conclusion.

Step 4

Given that this assignment is an argumentative essay, you must cite and use at least two relevant academic sources from the SUSS Library, the National Library, or Google Scholar to catalogue to support the need for referencing in academic writing. Preferred sources include academic journal articles and books found in the catalogues above. You may refer to the SUSS Library’s guide for further details.

Please ensure you have paraphrased all external ideas sufficiently and include in-text citations and a reference list in the APA 7 style. Further guidance can be found in this SUSS video.

Step 5

You must allocate sufficient time for editing your essay. Apply the relevant concepts from the study units to edit your essay thoroughly. Please ensure all paragraphs are fully developed, words are spelt correctly, punctuation are applied appropriately, and no contractions (see Unit 6) are used.

As a reminder – your prose essay must be between 700 and 800 words, in the appropriate academic tone, with in-text citations and a reference list in the APA 7 style. You must also use the general-specific order and include at least two external academic sources. All in all, you must write an original argumentative essay to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the topic and the conventions of academic English.