MKTG90049 · Marketing, Society and Sustainability
Exam Technique and Written Assessment Toolkit
This synthesis chapter converts the semester's content into marks. It teaches how to structure the closed-book LMS-Quiz exam — three ~300-word short answers (45 marks) and two ~550-word applied long answers (55 marks) — using named frameworks with real examples, and how to craft the 1500-word reflective SDG essay and the 2500-word group sustainability report.
Everything here is directly assessed: it is the operating manual for the 40% final and, through the essay and report guidance, the 40% of coursework that is written under word limits.
What this chapter covers
- 01The 100-mark paper: Section 1 = three ~300-word short answers (45); Section 2 = two ~550-word long answers (55)
- 02Time budget: 2 hours writing + 15 minutes reading; spend time in proportion to marks
- 03The short-answer shape: define → justify → apply-with-three-examples
- 04The long-answer shapes: a/b/c critique-scenario and the case-brief 'take a position + advise actors'
- 05Word-limit discipline: content beyond ~330 words (short) / ~550 words (long) is not marked
- 06Individual SDG essay (1500 words): wicked-problem framing + one SMART goal + stakeholders
- 07Group report (2500 words): gap-driven structure, exactly three theory-linked recommendations, credible sources
A model Section-1 short answer built to the mark scheme, with the paper's time budget
- +2Plan against the mark scheme before writing (about 2 marks of technique). Read the verb and the number: 'define … why … three ways' means roughly 4 marks definition + 4 marks justification + 6 marks for three examples + a closing line. Sketch three distinct examples in the 15 minutes reading time before typing.
- +4Define precisely (about 4 marks). Open with the taught definition in your own words, naming the framework and its author where relevant. No throat-clearing introduction — the marker wants the concept in the first sentence.
- +4Justify with course links (about 4 marks). Two or three reasons the concept matters, each tied to business value or an SDG, not generic 'it's good for the planet'.
- +5Apply exactly three distinct examples (about 5 marks). Three different mechanisms, ~1-2 sentences each; distinctness is the core reward. Close with one line tying examples to the concept, and stop near 300 words — content past ~330 is not marked.
Key terms
- Section 1 (short answers)
- Three roughly 300-word short-answer questions worth 45 marks total (about 15 each). They follow the define → justify → apply-with-three-examples shape; content beyond about 330 words is not marked.
- Section 2 (long answers)
- Two roughly 550-word long-answer questions worth 55 marks total. Two shapes recur: the a/b/c critique-scenario and the case-brief 'take a position and advise multiple actors'. Content beyond about 550 words is not marked.
- Define-justify-apply shape
- The dominant short-answer structure: define the named framework crisply, justify why it matters with course-linked reasons, then apply it with exactly the number of distinct examples asked (usually three), and close with one tie-back line.
- Word-limit penalty
- Across the written assessments, content beyond the stated limit is not marked — about 330 words on a short answer, 550 on a long answer, 1500 on the individual essay and 2500 on the group report. Concise structure protects marks.
- SMART goal (individual essay)
- The individual essay requires one Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound goal for consuming more sustainably — a single well-chosen goal plus tactics, not a generic laundry list, framed around a chosen SDG and your own consumption.
- Gap-driven report structure
- The group report's logic: assess an industry's current sustainability practices, identify the gaps or what is overlooked, and make exactly three recommendations, each tracing to a named gap and a course concept, actionable within about five years, using credible sources.
Exam Technique and Written Assessment Toolkit FAQ
How is the MKTG90049 exam structured and marked?
It is a 2-hour closed-book digital exam (sat via the LMS Quiz) with 15 minutes of reading time, worth 100 marks and 40% of the subject. Section 1 is three roughly 300-word short-answer questions worth 45 marks (about 15 each), following the define-justify-apply shape. Section 2 is two roughly 550-word long-answer questions worth 55 marks, usually a critique-scenario (a/b/c) and a case brief where you take and defend a position. Marks reward naming the correct framework, course-linked justification and distinct applied examples — and content beyond the word limits is not marked, so keep answers tight.
How should I budget my time in the exam?
Spend time in proportion to marks. With 2 hours of writing time over a 100-mark paper, that is a little over a minute per mark: roughly 15-18 minutes on each 15-mark short answer (45 marks total) and about 30 minutes on each long answer (55 marks total), leaving a few minutes to check. Use the 15 minutes reading time to pick your questions and sketch three distinct examples per short answer and the a/b/c or position outline for the long answers before you start typing, so you write to a plan rather than discovering your argument mid-answer.
How do I write the individual SDG essay and the group report well?
For the 1500-word individual essay, connect your own consumption (food, clothing, transport, energy, waste) to a chosen SDG (Goal 8, 14 or 16), frame it as a wicked problem with specific personal examples, and set one SMART goal — not a generic list — considering stakeholders. For the 2500-word group report, use a gap-driven structure: assess the chosen industry's current practices, identify what is overlooked, and make exactly three recommendations, each tracing to a named gap and a course concept and actionable within about five years, using credible sources. Both enforce word limits, so plan the structure first and confirm exact due dates on Canvas.
Can AI help me prepare for the MKTG90049 exam?
Yes, as a study aid. Sia can set you timed practice questions in the exam's real shapes (define-justify-apply short answers, a/b/c critique-scenarios, case briefs), coach your structure, distinctness of examples and word discipline, and explain any framework a different way. Give it a topic and ask it to mark your practice structure. It does not sit the exam or write your graded essay or report for you, and University of Melbourne academic-integrity rules apply — use it to rehearse technique, not to produce submitted work.
Exam move
This chapter is your operating manual, so practise technique under exam conditions, not just content. Build the reusable engines: the define-justify-apply short answer (three distinct examples, ~300 words) and the two long-answer shapes (the a/b/c critique-scenario and the case-brief position). Do timed runs — 15-18 minutes per short answer, ~30 minutes per long answer — and stop at the word limit, since content beyond it earns nothing. Because the exam is closed-book, pair technique practice with framework recall from every week's index card. Rotate topics and industries so you can transfer any framework to any prompt. For the essay and report, plan the structure (wicked-problem framing plus one SMART goal; gap-driven recommendations) before writing, and confirm exact due dates and the exam's date and venue on Canvas and the University of Melbourne exam timetable. When your structure wobbles, ask Sia to mark a timed practice answer for structure, distinctness and length; it coaches the method and never does your graded work.
Working through Exam Technique and Written Assessment Toolkit in MKTG90049? Sia is AskSia’s AI Marketing tutor — ask any MKTG90049 Exam Technique and Written Assessment Toolkit question and get a clear, step-by-step explanation grounded in how MKTG90049 is taught and assessed. Read this chapter free, then take your hardest questions to Sia.
