cipd assignment word count

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CIPD Word Count Policy

• December 13, 2021
• Posted by: Harry King
• Category: CIPD Level 5 CIPD Level 3 CIPD Level 7

Are you drawing a blank on where to start writing your CIPD assignment? Well, writing an academic essay is not as challenging a task as it might be if you have appropriate guidance.

Moreover, owing to the fact that the CIPD assignments are mainly part of your HR or L&D CIPD certification, you need to prepare well to write a winning assignment response within the required word count and score a pass without a hassle.

What is CIPD Course?

CIPD is an autonomous chartered institute that aims to promote human resources professional competency and effectiveness in different business operations. Having been founded a century ago, the CIPD is licensed by the royal charter to operate across the UK. However, the CIPD has expanded into other regions and currently, it has offices in Asia.

CIPD membership is available to HR professionals who have completed the CIPD qualification and have been certified. However, the type of CIPD qualification awarded determines the type of membership available for you.

What is the Structure of CIPD?

The CIPD is structured into three levels in which three distinct qualifications are provided to suit people in different career points.

CIPD Level 3

CIPD Level 3 Foundations Certificate in People Practice provides you with a firm foundation in all aspects of Human Resources. It helps you to develop critical HR skills and competencies and provides you with the expertise and courage to perform more effectively.

As such, you will bring value to the HR role and your organisation as a whole. Four core units must be completed to attain the Level 3 CIPD certification.

CIPD Level 5

CIPD Level 5 Associate Diploma in People Management/Organisational Learning & Development will provide you with a comprehensive perspective on the organizational challenges that HR or L&D practitioners face thus allowing you to further strengthen your analytical, problem-solving and decision-making skills.

You require to complete 3 core modules, 3 specialist HR/L&D units and 1 optional unit to be awarded a Level 5 CIPD Diploma certification.

CIPD Level 7

CIPD Level 7 Advanced Diplomas in Strategic People Management and Strategic Learning and Development is the highest CIPD level that provides you with knowledge and competencies to develop and implement strategic and innovative solutions to support organizational growth and performance as an HR or L&D professional.

You will require to complete 4 core modules, 3 specialist units and 1 optional unit to be awarded Level 7 CIPD Advanced Diploma Certification.

Top Tips to Pass CIPD Assignments

The CIPD courses do not require you to simply study the concepts and reproduce them in the assignments. However, you will be required to internalize it and deliver applicable HR or L&D solutions. Besides, you can’t afford back-and-forth classes because it will delay you and thereby cost you a fortune.

For this reason, you need to earn a high mark on your assignments. Moreover, the CIPD course levels require you to successfully complete a level before progressing on to the next.

So, here are a few top tips on how to write answers to your CIPD questions to ensure you score high marks.

Plan it Out

For beginners, be well prepared. Double-check the submission date, get the assignment brief as well as the assessment criteria. These are the core components that will ensure you effectively plan how to respond to your assignment questions.

Also, skim through relevant topic related texts, zero in the expected readings and jot down some notes as you go through them. By doing so, you can map out your initial impression of what is expected.

More importantly, plan your timelines appropriately, so that you can have adequate time to outline, research, draft and submit assignments.

Do Not Limit Yourself

You have found a good quiet place from all distractions and you want to start writing your assignment. Alas! You cannot think of any ideas. Just breathe in, you don’t have to be a perfectionist.  Simply write down any and all the ideas about the assignment that comes into your mind.

As you do this, your brain will subconsciously start joining the dots. The more you write, the clearer what you wanted to write for your CIPD essay or business report will get.

This idea also applies to procrastination. It is normal that you will try to procrastinate your essay assignment, especially when you feel it is a bit difficult to write. However, once you begin, it only gets much easy to strike a flow.

Bring Out the Academic in You

Academic writing is unlike every other writing style since it is more formal. Moreover, it includes citations for other texts, research, and idea that support your arguments or views.

Even though the approach is formal, it is essential to write in good clear and grammatically-correct English. Academic papers are more formal and need critical thinking to respond to the questions asked while building upon the existing ideas.

Besides, HR professionals will often be required to write different business reports in their practice. So, this is the time to get it written. When writing your essay assignment, consider explaining the jargon that your readers may not understand.

Acronyms that are not commonly understood, should be mentioned in full the first time when used followed by the acronym in brackets – you can then use the acronym after that.

Moreover, you will require course materials and other relevant resources to help you support your views adequately. So, when looking for sources, be sure to stick to peer-reviews journals, articles and other academic materials for ideas.

Blogs and other unreferenced sources are not acceptable in academic writing.  Therefore, you have to use your research skills to do wider research through several journal articles to find the right content for your assignment and personal consumption as well.

Cite as You Write

Citing and referencing is essential part of writing a winning CIPD assignment. Academic journals and articles offer validity to your essay as well as a source of new information to include in your assignment.

Good academic writing practice recommends that you in-text cite your sources in the main body and include it in a reference list.

CIPD assignment requires the use of the Harvard style of referencing. Therefore, it is essential that you get familiar with this style early enough to reduce your load in the later stages of writing your assignment.

The Final Polish

To conclude your writing your assignment, make sure you are sticking to the required word count for your assignment. Once you are satisfied with what you have written, let it rest for a few hours.

Go through it again after a good rest so that you can look at it with a fresh and clear perspective. This is the time to do a spell check, grammatical correctness and review if you cited the sources as required and your formatting is on point.

Finally, you can ask one of your trusted friends or coursemate to go over it and assess its readability. If they give it a green light, you can then submit it.

Why Use CIPD Assignment Writing Help?

The main purpose of CIPD assignment help writing services is to learners’ academic journey and make it as memorable as possible while ensuring they score the highest possible marks. The CIPD assignment writing help services provide both the students and HR professionals with professional help throughout their CIPD journey regardless of the CIPD Level they are in.

Moreover, CIPD assignment writing services have experienced and highly qualified professional writers who will offer you affordable and reliable CIPD assignment writing services.

Where Can I Get Help With My CIPD Assignments?

If you are in need of CIPD assignment help, you have come to the right place. Here is why we are one of the leading CIPD assignment writing services:

High-Quality Assignment

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CIPD Qualified Expert Writers

Our CIPD qualified expert writers have vast experience in writing CIPD assignments. They will conduct thorough research on your assignment topic and before they start crafting the response from scratch. They will cite all the references they use and ensure they are included in the reference list. The result is that you will receive an original plagiarism free assignment response that will deliver you excellent grades.

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Our customer support operates round the clock to answer any of your queries and worries at any time. Whether you come in the middle of the night, early morning hours, you will get help.

Wide Range of CIPD Assignments

We offer a wide range of CIPD assignments including essays, business reports, case studies, answering questions, homework and all assignments pertaining to your CIPD level. The majority of our writers have Level 7 Advanced Diploma qualifications with experience in different human resources fields.

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• CIPD Assignment Advice: Conducting Research, Preparation and Referencing

Start a new career in HR with a CIPD qualification

16 July 2020 - 3 min read

How to conduct research for your CIPD assignment?

For CIPD level 3, 5 and 7 use CIPD factsheets and core textbooks as a starting point. It is vital you purchase the recommended core text as these have been written to help with the content areas of the assessment itself.

Both the CIPD factsheets and the core textbooks will provide an overview of the key theories and importantly will signpost you to other valid and reliable sources (the CIPD factsheets have links within the text) and importantly will provide a list of references at the end. It is the links (within the factsheets) and the list of references at the end of the factsheets and textbooks which will enable you to provide a further exploration of the available sources.

Learners should also read the details for the CIPD unit/module, on the Acacia Student Hub, to familiarise themselves with the topic beforehand.

For CIPD Level 5 and particularly, CIPD Level 7

A number of these sources can then be found within respected search engines. On this point, avoid just typing in details of what you want to research within a general ‘Google’ search. Use respected ‘academic’ search engines. For example, Google does provide a search engine for ‘academic literature’, including journals known as  Google Scholar  with a useful  guide  on research tips and using citations.

Importantly, the CIPD provides  research  reports on their  Knowledge Hub , usually written by respected academics, professionals, and practitioners. For all level 5 and 7 learners, just like Google Scholar, the CIPD’s EBSCO: Business publications and  journals site  provides an extensive range of academic and professionals journals (more extensive than Google Scholar), for research which critically evaluates the theory in more depth (important at level 5, but vital at level 7). The CIPD provides lots of help on using this site and exploring further.

We discourage you from using Wikipedia as a source, after all this is an open site, where anyone can contribute. The contributions are anonymous so we don’t know the source, so how can we claim that the research is coming from valid and reliable sources if we don’t know these (the same can be said if we just find ‘random’ sites, with unknown named sources via Google). However, Wikipedia is good for background reading (along with other sources) on the subject. Also, of vital importance, Wikipedia does cite references within the text and provides details in their list of references at the end. Consider these citations and references (determining who wrote them) as a way of identifying further research sources.

On a final point, whilst, reports from professional consultancy organisations (i.e. KPMG, PwC, Deloitte, Accenture, Ernst & Young) do provide up to date research and valuable insights on the industry, you need to be aware that the reports may not have been written by independent named academics who have scrutinised the research in terms of the methods used and conclusions provided. Whilst, these reports can be used, make sure you analyse the results taking this into account and the fact that the research has been written by a commercial organisation, who may benefit commercially from the findings.

In terms of the above points, the CIPD Knowledge Hub (see link above) provides excellent guidance on conducting and scrutinising the research evidence. One report that is particularly useful is the CIPD’s excellent  In search of the best available evidence (2016) , which investigates why evidence-based practice is so important, the principles that underpin it, how it can be followed and how challenges in doing so can be overcome Outside of the CIPD core texts and sources the books by Stella Cottrell provide very useful help:

The Study Skills Handbook (Macmillan Study Skills) Paperback – 18 Mar. 2019  >

Critical Thinking Skills: Effective Analysis, Argument and Reflection (Macmillan Study Skills) Paperback – 17 Mar. 2017 >

Preparation: How do I prepare? How should I manage my time?

Applies to all CIPD levels. Download all the assessments right from the start and provide an initial scan over these, so you can start scoping, from the very start, what is involved for each unit. Some learners seem surprised at what is involved within the assessment when they attend their first session for the unit. Preparation beforehand will almost certainly take away the element of surprise (or unexpected shocks).

If you know the timetable for the units/modules, start putting the deadline dates in the diary. Remember these are deadline dates, you can submit beforehand. Try to put a completion date in your diary of when you intend to complete the assignment, maybe 3-5 days before the deadline date. This gives you time to read over the assessment and reflect on this. We find there is a strong correlation between people not passing an assessment if they submitted the assessment very close to the deadline date and time (with only minutes, sometimes seconds to spare).

Just before starting the new unit/module, read over the requirements thoroughly and then start identifying key chapters/texts that relate to the assessment criteria.

Once you have read over the assessment activity and criteria, start preparing a list of questions (of where you may be confused and/or want further clarification) in readiness for the sessions.

Start the assignment as soon as possible after the session. This is advisable, as information is fresh in your mind. Dedicate time in your diary to work progressively on the assessment (maybe an hour a day). This means you can go away and reflect on what you have written, and then revisit the assessment with a fresh perspective. Do not wait for the last minute for inspiration, it rarely happens, particularly when we are feeling stress and anxiety.

Structure: What format should I use for my assignment?

Applies to all levels: This will vary depending on the assessment activity. Make sure you read the requirements of the assessment activity/criteria carefully and importantly follow the guidance of the tutor. If in doubt, do not ‘suffer in silence’ or make ‘assumptions’ ask the tutor within the sessions, or email them as soon as possible, at least a week before the deadline date.

Referencing: How do I reference different sources?

Applies to all levels: In two words use Harvard Referencing. As well as help on the learning hub and the handbooks. Many of the universities have guides on Harvard referencing (written by academics). For example, a very useful interactive guide has been written by  Anglia University  along with a PDF summary guide. Google Scholar and the CIPD’s EBSCO site provides a ‘citation’ button/link to help with this. Also, there are numerous tools to help with referencing/citations including  Microsoft Word  and  Neil’s ToolBox .

Overall, outside of the CIPD core texts the books by Stella Cottrell provide very useful help:

The Study Skills Handbook (Macmillan Study Skills) >

Critical Thinking Skills: Effective Analysis, Argument and Reflection  >

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The HR Forum

Struggling with essay word counts

Is anyone else struggling with word counts?

I am finding it impossible to stick to word counts - the essays contain far too much in the breakdown that I end butchering the thing and it ends up making hardly any sense and completely convoluted.  I don't feel as though I am producing any work experience quality and I am just chopping at it just to pass

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I'm experiencing the same challenges on assignment 2 (CHR).  I haven't studied for a long time academically and trying to meet the word count criteria is proving very challenging.  I wasn't aware that the word count wasn't valid if you actiona. resubmission?

If you have to resubmit an assignment it will state you shouldn't exceed more than 200 words for each resubmission point. However, when you get a bit of guidance or attend one of the webcasts they will tell you a bit of a 'common sense' approach is adopted with resubmission word counts.  I wouldn't rely on this if you are struggling with word counts.  I always struggle and my approach is to get my assignment written and then start cutting words.  I can never stick within the word count - it's tough.  

I struggled with CHR too.  Have a look at the specific resources to the CHR assignment on these pages and I'd maybe sign up for one of the weekly webinars - you can get some good advice.

Yes, going back to this edcuation activity isn't easy.  Thank you for the kind advice and steer though, it's much appreciated.

Take care too.

Yes, absolutely.  I write my assignments and then have to take so much out.  I've just had a referral for my EML submissions and I'm frustrated as cut so much and have taken out content that would have let me achieve the pass.  I can't see how I could have met all the criteria in the word count given - that's just my opinion, I'm sure some will have met the criteria with no issues.

I'm sure there are but I genuinely don't know how they would do it. I'm just finishing up CHR and the 2600 word assignment at the end, I'm already over 4000 words. I'm sure I can get it down a bit but dropping c1400 words is going to be a challenge when I already thought I was being relatively concise! Ah well, guess I'll just fail first time and then submit my original draft after! lol

Yes, I am completely in the same boat. The frustrating thing is that resubmissions do not need to follow the wordcount therefore I could in theory write the essay, fail, and then resubmit my original essay before I cut words and pass. 

I'm currently on the second assessment stage of CIPD level 5 and the word count is 2600 words, I'm half way through part 2 of 3 of the assignment and already at 2200 words. Realistically I'm probably going to end up c3-3500 words.

Then I will have to butcher it (as you said) to get down to the wordcount probably to then submit it again with most of the stuff taken out put back in. I would definitely recommend saving your first draft of the document before you start cutting words as I would imagine most of your feedback if you weren't to pass would probably be to include things that you took out.

This is exactly what I ended up.doing. butchering it, failing and resubmitting my original and passing

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