Assessment criteria for The IBC Introduction to Business Management Course
The majority of the course is conducted online. Work which is conducted offline should be uploaded to the learner platform.
| Courses | Lessons |
|---|---|
| 1. The Legal and Professional Environment | 1.1 An introduction to the court system of England and Wales 1.2 The role of barristers, solicitors and chartered legal executives 1.3 An introduction to types of civil dispute resolution, the function of the criminal justice system, legal funding and cost recovery 1.4 An introduction to regulatory and professional conduct rules for clerks |
| 2. Negotiation and Communication Skills | 2.1 An introduction to working with people 2.2 Principles of negotiating, including agreeing and collecting fees |
| 3. The Work of Chambers, including Business Development | 3.1 Diary and administrative management 3.2 Managing workload 3.3 Networking and marketing |
Learning Outcomes
Through multiple exercises, students will be assessed against the following learning outcomes:
| Courses | Lessons Outcome | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| 1. The Legal and Professional Environment | Have demonstrable general knowledge of the wider legal system of England and Wales. To understand the different roles of lawyers and how they work together in the legal system. Have knowledge of all types of dispute resolution, and how law is funded. Understand the various aspects of chambers and legal professional governance. | Multiple-choice questions – 100 questions – 75% pass rate, two attempts allowed. |
| 2. Negotiation and Communication Skills | Be able to communicate clearly and professionally, a deep understanding of working with different types of people. Demonstrate written, research, business and conceptual skills. Understand the elements involved in commercial fee negotiation. | Written submission of an essay (1,250 – 2,000 words). Submission of negotiation exercise. |
| 3. The Work of Chambers, Including Business Development | Understand workflow and chambers’ administration systems. Have knowledge of the procedures of working with the CPS. Understand how barristers work and the pressures they face. Have a wider view of business development and understand how chambers promote themselves. Gain new skills in networking and rapport-building with clients. | 15 open questions, completed online. |
Assessment Module 1 – The Legal and Professional Environment
Multiple-choice questionnaire at the end of each online lesson. In total there are 100 questions designed to test the learner’s ability to read and understand the given text on the subject. Some extra reading of external material is required via embedded website links.
The pass mark for Module 1 is 75%. Learners get two attempts to pass.
Assessment Module 2 – Negotiation and Communication Skills
This is a module that is delivered in a group training room setting. There are two assessments delivered during this session:
- Online submission of a fees negotiation exercise – there are five questions asked in the exercise, of which 20 points are awarded to each question. The assessment tests the ability of the learner to understand what information and considerations are required to master a fee negotiation.
The pass mark for this exercise is 60%.
- The second task set during Module 2 is a 1,250 to 2,000-word essay. This will be given a deadline when the task is set, and submissions must be uploaded into the learner portal. The assessment is as below:
Essay Assessment
The written essay makes up 35% of the course’s overall mark, and therefore carries great importance to the overall final mark. It will be assessed according to the criteria below:
| Possible | ||
|---|---|---|
| Understanding the brief | Keeping to the brief, deadline, and word count. Assignments outside of 10% tolerance will be rejected. | 5 pts |
| Structure | Professional layout, grammar, clarity, readability, and style of the document. Use of data, graphs, and appendices. | 25 pts |
| Introduction | An effective introduction that sets the purpose, discussion, or argument of the essay. | 15 pts |
| Knowledge and understanding | Depth of understanding of the subject. | 15 pts |
| Argument and critical thinking | Demonstrating a balanced approach, highlighting alternative views and opinions. | 15 pts |
| Use of sources | Demonstratable quality research from various sources and referenced in the document. | 10 pts |
| Conclusion | Strong articulate conclusion showing ability to synthesise findings. | 15 pts |
Essay information
The training for Module 2, Negotiation and Communication Skills, is conducted in person and therefore more detailed information is covered. Learners are asked to produce an essay concerning one of the elements from the course. The subject is chosen by the learner from a list provided in the training material.
Essay requirements
Your essay should fulfil the following:
- The course title, your name and the date
- A formal structure written in professional business language
- Adhere to a consistent language and layout style. Third person is often the standard chosen
- Submitted through the upload portal on the ibc-eduction.co.uk website
- Provide references where appropriate – this could be a reading list as an appendix
- Label any attached appendices clearly
- Avoid plagiarism by referencing where appropriate
Assessment Module 3 – The Work of Chambers, Including Business Development
This module is an eLearning module to be conducted online. The assessment is 15 open questions which are spread across the different lessons. Each question is designed to test the learner’s ability to understand the information given in the supplied text. Each question will be marked out of 10 points, based on the following criteria:
| Element | Apportioned points |
|---|---|
| The question was answered precisely – not too long or too short | 3 |
| Learner’s knowledge of the subject | 3 |
| General standard of written English | 2 |
| Extra information added that is not in the course’s text | 2 |
| Total per question | 10 |
General submission arrangements
Please note the following:
- Answers to questions should be written to demonstrate your knowledge of the subject
- Any uploaded files should be Word/Excel/PowerPoint documents only
- Always use page numbers, and documents should contain your name and the date
- Essay submissions below the minimum word count, and content over the maximum word count will not be marked.
- Work must be submitted online to the relevant assessment submission area before 12:00 noon on the day specified
Overall proportioning of the course assessments
| Module | Exercises | Pass Mark | % of Total Mark | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Module 1 | 100 Multiple-choice questions | 75 correct answers | 30% | |
| Module 2 | Negotiation exercise | 5 elements of the exercise – 20 points awarded to each question | 60% | 5% |
| Essay, 1,250 to 2,000 words | Against a competence matrix | 60% | 35% | |
| Module 3 | 15 open questions | Graded 0 to 10 for each question | 6 points per question = 90 overall points required | 30% |
The overall pass mark for this course is 65%
The information given should allow all learners to achieve a good pass mark. If anything is unclear or if you need help or assistance, please email your course facilitator: [email protected]