Intellectual Property Specialist Student Handbook 2026/27

11. Assessment

11.7. Course Essay

Word Count Guidelines for Course Essays

Essay word counts may vary by module. You should therefore ensure that you are aware of the word count requirements for each module before submitting your essay. You are allowed a 10% margin above or below the stated word limit without penalty.

Note: markers will not read or assess any content beyond the 10% upper limit.

What Counts Towards the Word Limit?

All words are counted except for the bibliography.

The following are examples of content that do count towards your word total:

Table of contents
Appendices
Footnotes and endnotes
Wording under diagrams
Abstracts
Words within graphs, tables, and diagrams

This list is not exhaustive. As a general rule: if it’s written, it counts so use your words wisely.

Meeting the Word Count

While it is understood that meeting the exact word count can be challenging, you should aim to write as close as possible to the specified word limit without exceeding the maximum permitted word count. At master's level, students are expected to edit and refine their work to meet word count requirements.

Although work submitted up to 10% below the stated word limit will not incur a penalty, essays that fall significantly below the expected word count may fail to fully address the assessment topic in sufficient depth and will be marked accordingly.

Title Page Requirements

Your submitted essay must include a title page (or cover sheet) containing the following information only:

Module number (e.g. IPLCxxx)
Module title
Final word count
Student ID number (not your username - this can be found in MySIS or on your student ID card)
Your name must not appear anywhere in your essay.

You may use colour, formatting, or graphics on the title page if you wish, although this is not required.

Please note: A separate title page template is not provided. You may create the title page yourself as the first page of your essay document.

Formatting Recommendations

There is no official style guide for formatting your essays. However, to ensure clarity and consistency, we recommend the following:

Font: 12-point, in a standard readable style (e.g. Times New Roman, Arial)
Line spacing: Double spaced
Margins: At least 2 cm
Citations: Required - either inline or in footnotes
Footnotes: No smaller than 10-point font, ideally matching the main text font.