This section will look at different forms of assessment.  It will give you some practical ideas on how to prepare for them, and how to get the most out of them.

Presenting assignments to audiences was a real pain at the beginning, but little by little it became easier.
(Finnish student)

Assessments are the means by which your tutors can gauge how you are progressing on your course, allow you to receive feedback, and can also provide the grades which will allow to move on to your next stage of study.  Assessments generally fall into two categories: formative and summative.

Formative assessments

These assessments are generally informal, and do not count towards a final mark or grade. They could take the form of a crit that takes place during a unit, a blog post on a group blog that invites comment from fellow students or staff, a reflective journal, or a first draft of a piece of work.

Summative assessments

These are the assessments that generally come at the end of a project or unit, and provide you with a grade or mark that may count towards your overall mark. They could take the form of a final essay or dissertation, a portfolio of work, a final presentation or an exam (for specific advice on exams read How to manage exams).

In order to make sure that everyone is marked fairly, your tutors will use a set of criteria to mark against.

• Learning Outcomes outline WHAT you’re meant to know and be able to do by the end of a unit. An example of a learning outcome could be, ‘Apply organisational skills that will facilitate a time-efficient response to independent, directed studies, and team work.’
• Assessment Criteria identify HOW your tutor measures your work against defined Learning Outcomes. An example of assessment criteria might be, ‘An ability to communicate clearly and coherently in visual and verbal forms.’

Many students find assessments stressful, but you should remember that they are an important way for you to receive feedback, which will allow you to develop and improve your work, and to move forward.

It was difficult to hand in assignments on time and to present work in front of people.
(Finnish student)

Many autistic students told us that one of the main challenges with exams is to organise the time for revision – doing little by little over a longer period. Also, nerves can get in the way during the exam itself, especially when there are distracting noises in the room. Read our separate article on how to manage exams.

With coursework the challenges can be similar – organising your time so that you don’t have to rush things towards the deadline. But also knowing when to stop work on an assignment: getting regular feedback from a tutor on your work-in-progress is crucial here.

Feedback comes from a range of sources and will provide different ways for how you might improve your work. Feedback can sometimes be contradictory but learning to respond to feedback is a vital skill for all students.

Think about whether the feedback is informed or uninformed – for example, feedback from a technician about a technical process is informed, specialist knowledge. It has a different level of usefulness from opinions offered by family and friends or even your tutor. Your tutor will often give you guidance that is intended to help you meet the Learning Outcomes of the unit.

All feedback is an active dialogue which relies upon you to respond and not repeat the same mistakes in your future work.

I needed help with organising myself for a big research essay.
(UK student)

Reasonable adjustments

If you are struggling with assessments and have already disclosed your autism, you should speak to your allocated Learning Support Worker. They may be able to suggest a reasonable adjustment be made, to enable you to participate in the assessment process. For example, a reasonable adjustment could be making a video presentation instead of presenting in person, or showing your work to the tutor in private, rather than in front of a group.

Familiarise yourself with the ‘Learning Outcomes’ and ‘Assessment Criteria’ from your module/unit brief or handbook. Knowing these will allow you to stay focused and work towards specific targets.

Create opportunities for feedback so that you can continuously improve. Here is how:

• Make your work available for tutors and classmates; don’t hide away and isolate yourself.
• Try to accept feedback in a professional manner; don’t take it as a personal insult.
• Likewise, if you are giving feedback, keep it related to the work.

Make sure that you aware of deadlines for formative and summative assessments

• Use a calendar to prompt you a few days before a deadline, so that you have time to get everything ready.
• Allow enough time to get to wherever it is you need to be to hand your work in; always factor in public transport, traffic issues etc.
• If your assessed work is to be printed, make sure that you allow time in case of any technical issues with printers.
• Likewise, if you are giving a presentation in person check the technology in the room in advance.  If giving a presentation on Teams practice sharing your screen, and a presentation in advance.

Finally, take note of any feedback and use opportunities for discussing any feedback that you receive. Many tutors will offer a tutorial after giving feedback, which will give you the opportunity to discuss any concerns, and ask for advice in moving forward.

1. What is the difference between formative and summative assessment?
2. How can I encourage feedback on my work?
3. How can I use formative assessment to improve my work?
4. Where do I find details of what the tutor will be assessing me on?
5. What are the dates for assessment?
6. Where do I need to present my work for assessment?
7. What format should my assessable work take?
8. Who can I discuss my feedback with? Do I need to book a tutorial/one-to-one?

“It’s ok to ask for clarification on what lecturers are looking for/wanting from an assignment if you don’t fully understand the question, you could also ask others around you or a computer to re-word the question for you. Look at the marking/learning criteria before starting if it’s available. Some assignment questions might be quite open and as part of the assignment you must narrow down what you research and write about, this can be difficult but it’s something study skills/graduate assistants can work on with you outside of assignment so you can then use that skill when needed. 

When you first get assignment marks back it can be difficult so don’t read all the feedback etc. right away, take time to process it first. Later when you look through the feedback take notes on anything you need more clarity on or help with so you can contact the lecturer, and they can point you in the right direction for improving/getting help with the feedback.” (Current Student)

This article was written by Jackie Hagan, Learning Support Coordinator at the University for the Creative Arts at Rochester.