Unit title & code ASS136-3 Health Issues in Gender, Age and Ethnicity
Assignment number and title One – Individual report
Assignment type WR-I
Weighting of assignment 100%
Size or length of assessment 2,000 words
Unit learning outcomes On completion of this unit, you should be able to:
1. Demonstrate the knowledge and understanding of differing social groups’ experiences of
health and/or healthcare in the United Kingdom
2. Demonstrate the skills and abilities associated with critical analysis and synthesis of
relevant literature and policy, and identification of gaps in current policy
What am I required to do in this assignment?
There is only one assessment on this unit and it is a 2,000 word individual report. You will write a report discussing health
inequities in the UK in relation to gender, age or ethnicity. You are required to choose one of the health issue listed below,
explore the nature of health inequities in relation to gender, age or ethnicity, discuss policy addressing the inequities and make
suggestions for improvement.
You must choose one of the following topics for your assignment:
1. Ethnic minority women and maternity care
2. African-Caribbean men and schizophrenia
3. Mental health service provision for older people
4. Older people’s use of GP services and/or specialist care
5. Gypsies and Travellers’ access to health care
ABT2020_V1
6. Asylum seekers’ access to health care
7. LGBT+ groups’ access to health care
‘Access to health care’ could be interpreted as health care in general OR access to a specific treatment or specific service.
You are required to:
– Choose one of the seven topics
– Discuss how the chosen topic is related to gender, age or ethnicity-based inequities in health (link your discussion to
only ONE type of health inequity)
– Explore the nature and the extent of health inequities in relation to the chosen health issue. The discussion must
focus on health inequities related to gender, age or ethnicity (you should focus on only ONE of the three variables).
– Discuss policy (regulations, guidance, service plan, strategy, etc.) addressing the specific type of inequities and
identify gaps in policy (please note that Acts of Parliament is legislation, not policy, so should not be used in this
assignment).
(it is suggested that you explore developments in policy aimed at tackling the health inequities you discussed)
– Make suggestions for improvement that can fill the gaps in policy
You must discuss to what extent your social group is unequally treated within the health care system regarding the
diagnosis or treatment of certain health issues OR access to health care in general. Health inequities in this assignment
do not simply mean differences in prevalence regarding certain illnesses. You must focus on how the health needs of
the social group you chose are inadequately met within the health care system in the UK, due to their gender, ethnicity
or age (you must focus on discussing only one variable out of these three). There must be detailed statistics and
examples discussed in your discussion of the nature and extent of health inequities.
You must use a minimum of 10 peer-reviewed journal articles (ONLY journal articles count) for this assignment. You
are encouraged to carry out wider reading. On top of the 10 journal articles, you can also include books and other
credible sources (e.g. reports from international organisations) but they will NOT be counted as part of your 10
academic sources.
Ensure that all your sections are linked – e.g. if you chose a topic that is related to gender-based health inequity, you
are expected to explore that topic from the gender-based health inequity perspective only. No other variables, such as
age and ethnicity, are expected to be included in your work.
Ensure that you include your in-text references. In all cases, in-text references must match up with what appears in
your reference list. Every in-text citation/reference should correspond to a reference on the list at the end (and vice
versa).
You must use the Harvard referencing system. The University officially advises students to use the following website for
referencing guidelines: https://www.citethemrightonline.com/
No more than 5% of your work should be in the form of quotes.
You must write in your own words. You are reminded that plagiarism of any type will be penalised and result in a fail.
What do I need to do to pass? (Threshold Expectations from UIF)
In order to pass the assessment, you will need to:
Choose a health issue that is closely related to gender, age or ethnicity-based inequities in health.
Critically discuss the nature and the extent of health inequities in relation to gender, age or ethnicity.
Demonstrate knowledge of relevant policy and make suggestions to address gaps in current policy.
How do I produce high quality work that merits a good grade?
Please read the assessment brief carefully and complete this section yourself
How does this assignment relate to what we are doing in scheduled sessions?
This assignment will link to key concepts and ideas taught in the lectures/seminars. In lectures/seminars you will be learning
about how differing social groups experience health and health care in the UK and differing factors that may impact on this
including the historical social construction of differing groups and inequalities faced. You will demonstrate graduate-level skills
and knowledge.
How will my assignment be marked?
Your assignment will be marked according to the threshold expectations and the criteria on the following page.
You can use them to evaluate your own work and consider your grade before you submit.
70%+ (Ist
Class)
60-69% (2:1) 50-59% (2:2) 40-49% (3rd
Class)
Threshold
Standard
35-39% (Fail) 0-34% (Fail)
1
Discussion of
The work
demonstrates
The work
demonstrates
The work
demonstrates
The student
demonstrated
The discussion
of the nature of
There is a lack of
discussion of the
the nature of
health
inequities
(30%)
excellent
understanding
of the chosen
health issues
and the nature
of the health
inequities. The
discussion is
comprehensive
and there is a
clear sign of
critical analysis
and synthesis.
good
understanding
of the health
issue and the
nature of the
health
inequities
relating to the
issue. The
student
maintains
focus.
some
understanding
of the chosen
health issue and
the nature of
health
inequities
related to the
issue.
basic
understanding
of the chosen
health issue and
attempted to
provide some
background
information.
health
inequities does
not focus on
age, gender or
ethnicity.
nature of health
inequities and/or
there is little
consideration of
gender, age or
ethnicity.
2
Discussion of
policy
(20%)
There is
comprehensive
discussion of
relevant policy
and legislation
and the work
demonstrates
sound
understanding
of the gaps in
policy.
The student’s
work
demonstrates
some good
understanding
of relevant
policy and
legislation but
some
information
included in
the work is
inaccurate.
Some good
understanding
of relevant
policy and
legislation but
there is not
enough
discussion of
the gaps in
policy and
legislation.
Some
understanding
of policy and
legislation but
the work is
descriptive.
There is little
discussion of
the gaps in
policy and
legislation.
The work
demonstrates
poor
understanding
of the relevant
policy and
legislation
tackling
inequities OR
there is a lack
of focus on age,
gender or
ethnicity in the
discussion.
There is little
discussion of
policy and
legislation or the
student
incorrectly
identified relevant
policy and
legislation.
3
Suggestions
for
improvement
(15%)
The student
made
appropriate,
detailed
suggestions for
improvement
that clearly
address the
identified gaps
in policy.
The student
made some
good
suggestions
that can fill
policy gaps
but some of
the
suggestions
may not be
practical or
realistic.
The student
clearly
attempted to
make
appropriate
suggestions but
some of them
are too vague
or not
appropriate.
The student’s
suggestions are
not directly
addressing the
gaps in policy
OR the
discussion of
the suggestions
is too short.
All of the
suggestions
made by the
student are not
appropriate or
not relevant to
the topic
chosen.
There is no
attempt to make
suggestions for
improvement
4
Referencing
and the use
of
appropriate
academic
sources
(20%)
10 or more
relevant
academic
sources are
used and the
sources are
referenced
according to
the Harvard
10 or more
relevant
academic
sources are
used. The
student made
a good
attempt to
reference the
8 or more
relevant
academic
sources and
other credible
sources are
used (in total,
10 or more
sources used).
6 or more
relevant
academic
sources and
other credible
sources are
used (in total,
10 or more
sources used). ,
5 academic
sources are
used (in total, 8
or more
sources used).
There are
referencing
mistakes
throughout.
4 or less academic
sources are used.
In-text references
hardly exist OR
in-text references
do not match
sources in the
reference list.
style both in
the reference
list and the
text of the
work.
sources
according to
the Harvard
style but there
are occasional
referencing
mistakes.
There are some
referencing
mistakes but
the sources are
referenced
according to the
Harvard style.
A clear attempt
has been made
to reference
according to
the Harvard
style but there
are a number of
referencing
mistakes
The reference
list is not in the
Harvard style.
References are
not in the Harvard
style.
Evidence of poor
academic
practice.
5
Grammar,
spelling,
written
expression
(15%)
The work is
both highly
literate and
articulate; the
student
communicates
her/his ideas
effectively.
Sentences are
clear, accurate
and expressive.
There are very
few
grammatical or
spelling errors.
The work is
largely written
in clear and
effective
English,
however there
may be a small
number of
poor choices
of words and
phrasing and
some
uncorrected
errors.
The student’s
writing is
comprehensible
but the
student’s ideas
are not
communicated
effectively in
some parts due
to grammatical
mistakes or the
way work is
written.
The student’s
writing is
generally
comprehensible
but the work is
poorly
structured and
written. There
are grammatical
and spelling
errors and poor
choice of words
and phrasing in
many places.
Expression is
often unclear
and meanings
may not be
satisfactorily
communicated.
There are
regular errors
of grammar,
spelling and
punctuation
that should
have been
addressed by
this stage.
Student’s work is
incomprehensible
. It is difficult to
follow the
student’s writing.