ENG1503 Exam Portfolio 2026 - Due 1 October 2026

ENG1503 Exam Portfolio 2026 - Due 1 October 2026 UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 EXAMINATION PAPER ACADEMIC LANGUAGE AND LITERACY IN ENGLISH ENG1503 Marks: 100 Duration: 3 days and 12 hours Opens: 28 September 2026 @ 09H00 Closes: 01 October 2026 @ 21H00 Primary Examiner: Ms K Moganedi Secondary Examiners: Dr S Sanjana and Ms T Ntsopi INSTRUCTIONS: This question paper consists of 5 pages • Please do not password-protect your document • Convert all pages into a single PDF document. • Please do not upload the pages one by one. When you upload a new page individually, the system automatically deletes the previously uploaded pages. • Your answer file must not be more than 100 MB in size. • Submissions will only be accepted from registered student accounts. • Incorrect answer scripts and email submissions will not be marked and no opportunity will be granted for resubmission. • The mark awarded for an incomplete submission will be the final mark. • Students suspected of dishonest conduct during the examinations will be subjected to disciplinary processes. UNISA has a zero tolerance for plagiarism and/or any other forms of academic dishonesty. • Students experiencing technical challenges should contact the or email or refer to Student enquiries () for the list of additional contact numbers. Only communication received from your myLife account will be considered All technical challenges must be reported by [30 September 2026]. Technical challenges reported after the deadline may not be considered. Upload on MyUnisa ONLY Submissions via email, will NOT be accepted CHECKLIST Student Name and Surname: __________________________________________ Student Number: _____________________________________ Is there a student name and number on the cover page YES (put your initials here) Is this your original work? YES (put your initials here) Plagiarism declaration attached? YES (put your initials here) QUESTION 1: Did you answer it? YES (put your initials here) Are you submitting the correct portfolio and the correct file? YES (put your initials here) Format if typed: Arial font Font size 12 One and a half to double line spacing Leave sufficient space in the margins for marker notes. Did you edit your work? YES (put your initials here) Did you convert your document to PDF? YES (put your initials here) Did you remove any password protection? YES (put your initials here) Did you use AI to write and edit your work? If yes, explain how you have used it. YES/NO (put your initials here) 2 DECLARATION Name and Student number……………………………………………………….………… Assessment Topic……………………………………………………………………………. I declare that this assessment is my original work. Where secondary material has been used (either from a printed source or from the internet), this has been carefully acknowledged and referenced in accordance with departmental requirements. I understand what plagiarism is and am aware of the department's policy in this regard. I have not allowed anyone else to borrow or copy my work. I confirm that I have read and understood the following UNISA policies: 1. Policy for Copyright and Plagiarism 2. Policy on Academic Integrity 3. Student Disciplinary Code Signature Student ……………………………………………………… Date …………………………………………………….. 3 Argumentative Essay Read the excerpt below and then follow the instruction to answer the question. "Many Malaysians now consider tertiary education as a gateway to the middle income. After secondary school, students’ enrollments into popular degree programs such as accounting, computer science, medicine, engineering, and architecture have shown a rising trend. Students expect to earn a good income in the future, and are willing to finance their studies, especially through an educational loan. Are popular degree programs worth pursuing financially?” Adapted from: Mohd Nahar, M. N., & Nur Nadhira, A. (2020). The economic benefits of Malaysian university degrees. IIUM Journal of Economics and Management Sciences, 24(1), 17– 35. INSTRUCTION Consider the following statement: Getting a university degree is well worth the cost. With the excerpt above as your starting point, write a 500-word argumentative essay in which you argue for or against the statement. Support your argument by integrating evidence from the provided secondary sources alongside relevant examples drawn from your own personal or professional experiences. N.B.: Use the sources we have provided you with below to support your arguments. DO NOT refer to any external source that is not listed below or not cited in the sources themselves. The links listed below should be cited in the body of your essay and referenced in full Harvard style at the end of your essay. DO NOT copy from these sources to avoid failing this portfolio. REFERENCE LINKS: Reference link 1: Reference link 2: N.B: If the above links are not accessible, you may download them from the Additional Resources section on the ENG1503-26-S2 site. Total Marks: 100 4 1 0-9 • Very little or no evidence of understanding and knowledge of the topic. • Very little understanding of the genre conventions • Fragmented/disjointed/ muddled ideas • No evidence of research on the topic • Writer stance and voice muddled • Poor command of vocabulary, sentence structure and punctuation • Very limited use of the appropriate grammar and syntactic structures • • Cluttered presentation Very Poor Illegible handwriting/ many grammatical and typographical errors • No to inadequate referencing Assessment rubric © UNISA 2026 5 Inappropriate use of expressions (Marks 0 – 4) 2 10–19 • Unsatisfactory handling of the topic • Some irrelevant and repeated information • Mundane handling of the topic • Flawed by generalizations and inadequate supporting detail • Very little to no evidence of research on the topic • Writer stance and voice vague and indeterminate • Limited vocabulary and sentence variety • • In Inconsistently defined paragraphs • Progression of ideas hard to follow • References used but inappropriately presented Poor Inadequate use of appropriate syntactic language features/structures • Poor punctuation and sentence construction • Obscured/confused meaning (Marks 5 – 9) 3 20-25 • Some understanding and knowledge of the topic • Some evidence of research based arguments with clear supporting details. • Reasonable development of idea inadequate appraisal of positions on the topic. • A few lapses in content, claims not fully supported • Sometimes disjointed and loosely presented ideas • • Occasional flawed • Reasonably good presentation • A few poorly structured paragraph breaks • Legible, but with some typing errors. • Satisfactory - Good sentences, punctuation and spelling errors • Word choice, vocabulary and diction is appropriate for the genre • Sentence structures are correct but not as varied • Incomplete bibliography, but incorrectly listed and no in-text citing. 4 26-30 Inadequate/incomplete sequencing of ideas • Writer stance and voice hardly discernable Sentences are not so well linked and coherent • Meaning sometimes obscured by vague structures. (Marks 10 – 13) • Sound understanding and knowledge of the topic • Convincing but not captivating presentation of the topic • A concerted effort at originality • Relevant supporting details • Evidence of a research based argument but not well substantiated • Writer stance and voice but with some hesitation 5 31-40 • Very good command of grammatical structures • A wide range of vocabulary, linking devices and sentence structures • Demonstrates a mastery of the register of the genre • Sentence are linked, and coherent • Meaning clear, occasionally hindered by grammatical errors • • Well-structured essay , neat and legible • Clearly defined paragraphs • Structure is easy to follow and adheres to the structure of the genre. Good-very good • Complete and correctly formatted references with few slips in citation conventions (Marks 13 – 15) • An excelent understanding and knowledge of the topic. • Clear evidence of research based arguments and very good to exceptional understanding of supporting research evidence • Well-conducted appraisal of positions on the topic • • Punctuation and grammar are correct • Word choice, vocabulary and diction is highly appropriate for the genre • Demonstrates a mastery of the register of the genre • Sentence structure is correct and varied • • Logical flow of ideas in the essay and within paragraphs. • Clear introduction and conclusion as well as clearly defined paragraphs. • Structure is easy to follow and adheres to the structure of the genre • Sources cited accurately using an appropriate format both in and end of text referencing Excellentoutstanding Insightful and original demonstrating a clear stance and voice • Highly selective supporting details • Captivating introduction and highly convincing Sentence are linked, coherent • Meaning clear with very few or no grammar errors (Marks 16 – 20) Level Range Content 40 % Language 40 % Presentation and writing conventions. Overall comment 20 %