The Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction
ASSESSMENT BRIEF AND CRITERIA
BSSC0010: Industry 1: The Construction Ecosystem
1. Introduction:
This document includes important information regarding your summative assessment.
Please read this document in full and refer to it while preparing your assignment.
This coursework requires you to prepare a portfolio which will be submitted at the end of
the module. The portfolio has a weighting of 100%, and it will be marked on a scale of 100.
Please note that this is an individual coursework.
2. Assessment Brief:
Students will be required to produce a portfolio which documents their understanding of a
major challenge with which the construction industry is struggling. The structure of the
portfolio will be as below. The guidance for length is 12 pages maximum.
The portfolio should document the following:
1.
Introduction to the portfolio, explaining the contents and the approach taken to
constructing each section.
2.
An illustrated historical timeline which both depicts and describes what the student
perceives have been the most significant events, incidents or changes which have influenced
and shaped the selected challenge of the construction industry over time – noting the
inherent complexities and systemic relationships found in the construction ecosystem.
3.
A written account of the selected challenge affecting the construction industry today,
presented using the PESTLE format/structure (i.e., political, environmental, economic, social,
technological, legal) – drawing on both industry and academic references.
4.
A set of justified recommendations for change to address the selected challenge,
written in the form of a letter to suitable organization or authority, such as a policymaker or
business leader, and using the SMART format/structure (i.e., specific, measurable, achievable,
realistic, timely).
5.
A full list of references consulted and cited.3. Use of AI
The following category of AI can be used:
Category 2 – AI tools can be used in an assistive role.
Category 2 - Students are permitted to use AI tools for specific defined processes to support
the development of specific skills as required by the assessment, such as data analysis,
transcription, and translation, generating insights, giving feedback on content, or
proofreading content.
This is a Category 2 assessment as described in UCL Generative AI hub (see the link below):
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/teaching-learning/generative-ai-hub/using-ai-tools-assessment
This means that you don’t have to use AI, but you can use it in an assistive role as below
outlined in the web page above and within the limits of the instructions provided in this
section.
The coursework described in this brief requires that you (a) acquire specific knowledge
through the material and activities on the module, and (b) apply such specific knowledge
through analytical and critical thinking. While AI may help you gather efficiently some
relevant insights about the past, present, or future of the challenge you selected to study in
your coursework, it is key that you triangulate such information, acknowledge its source
and/or the author of its elaboration or synthesis, and use it only as the starting point for
building an independent argument that is informed by the module readings and materials.
Any use of AI that exceeds this permitted use will be subject to UCL Academic Misconduct
Policy and could lead to penalties.
If you use AI for any aspect of this coursework, you are expected to explain this in a separate
paragraph at the end of the Introduction section. This explanation will count towards the page
limit. This explanation should include at least the following:
- AI tool(s) that you used
o Name and version of the generative AI system used; e.g. ChatGPT-3.5
o Publisher (company that made the AI system); e.g. OpenAI
o URL of the AI system
- For what purposes you used the AI tool(s)
o Proof reading
o To gain insights into the selected challenge
o Drafting and structure content
o Etc.
- How you changed/interpreted/built upon the outputs from AI tool(s) to use or
incorporate them into your coursework
o What kind of outputs have you obtained from AI tool(s), and how you built
upon them to develop the argument(s) in the coursework?4. Assessment sequence and weighting:
Summative
Assessment
Weighting
(%)
Release
date
Submission
date
Corresponds to
Learning Outcomes
L1
L2
L3
L4
L5
Portfolio
100%
22/09/25 14 January
2026
x
x
x
x
x
5. Format:
This assignment has a limit of 12 pages (including tables and figures but excluding
references and appendices). All sources and references should be acknowledged using the
Harvard referencing system.
There is 1 page leeway for the page limit. Submissions that are 1 page (or less) over the page
limit, or under the page limit, won’t be penalised.
Type of content
Counts towards the page limit
Table of contents
Yes
Reference list or bibliography at the end
No
Cover page
No
Diagrams, annotated pictures, figures and any
other visuals in the main text
Yes
Appendices
No
Abstract
Yes
Acknowledgements
No
Footnotes
Yes
Tables in the main text
Yes
In-text citations
Yes
6. Marking Criteria:
Criterion 1 – Introduction to the portfolio
Clearly and logically written introduction
providing an introductory explanation of the
selected challenge including:
- Significance/importance/criticality of
the selected challenge (e.g., the scale
and implications of the problem(s))
- A description of the contents of the
portfolio document and the approach
10%taken to constructing each section (in
relation to the complex nature of the
selected challenge)
Criterion 2 – Historical timeline of the
selected challenge
Clearly and logically laid out description of
the historical timeline of the selected
challenge. This must consider the major
trends, shifts and events in the history of
construction ecosystem.
20%
Criterion 3 – Current analysis of the selected
challenge using PESTLE structure
Clearly and logically laid out analysis of the
selected challenge considering the
multifaceted and interrelated nature of the
challenge in construction ecosystem.
20%
Criterion 4 – Recommendations for change
to address the selected challenge
Clearly and logically laid out
recommendations for change considering the
challenge and trends of innovating and
change in construction ecosystem.
20%
Criterion 5 – Communication and
presentation
Adequate and effective use of the language,
writing style, Harvard referencing system,
figures and tables, section headings and page
layout.
20%
Criterion 6 – References
Adequate and effective use of a breadth of
academic, professional and grey literature
10%
7. Penalties:
Penalties
(as per UCL Academic Manual)
- Penalties due to
over/under-length cannot
be more than 10%
- Over/under-length penalty
cannot take the student’s
mark below ‘Pass Mark’- In the case the coursework
that is submitted is
over/under-length and is
also late, the greater of
any penalties will apply.
- any use of AI that exceeds
the permitted use in this
assessment brief will be
subject to UCL Academic
Misconduct policy and
could lead to penalties.
8. Assessment Support:
- Students will be continuously and actively supported in reflecting on the implications of
what they learned each week on the preparation of their summative assessment.
- During Teaching Week 7, the students will deliver a group presentation on ‘industry
futures’, from which they will receive informal, peer feedback from the cohort and
formative comments from the module leader and/or other academic staff supporting
the module. The students will work in small groups of 2-3-4 people, and will hear one
another’s presentations, so will benefit from these conversations. The aim is to support
students in being able to examine in detail the construction industry’s past, present and
future position and performance on a relevant major issue (such as climate change,
gender and race inequality, poor health and safety, mental health and wellbeing, poor
innovation, poor productivity etc). It is an important step towards developing their own
analytical and constructively critical voice in respect of industry affairs. This will
contribute to the development of their portfolio, which will be submitted as the
summative assessment at the end of the module.
- The tutors will spare time at the end of the sessions to discuss students’ questions about
the summative assessment.
- There will be a coursework surgery scheduled for the last session of the module.
The Writing Lab is a free service offered through the UCL Academic Communication Centre
which runs workshops, tutorials and support sessions to enhance academic writing and
research skills. The Writing Lab's services are available for undergraduate and postgraduate
students in the Joint Faculties of Arts & Humanities and Social & Historical Sciences, the
Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment, and Psychology & Language Sciences:
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/writing-lab/
UCL Student Union English Language + Writing Support Programme supports non-native
English speaking students with their academic writing and speaking. Peer Tutors run several
different types of free activities to help you with your written and spoken English, including
a regular programme of workshops, one-to-one sessions and 'Coffee and Conversation'
which is a weekly opportunity to get together and practice your spoken English with other students: https://studentsunionucl.org/advice-and-support/support/language-writing
support-programme
9. Academic Integrity:
UCL requires high academic standards in order to maintain trust and confidence in our
world-leading research and teaching, as well as the individuals who work and study here.
'Understanding Academic Integrity course for students' is UCL's online and self-paced
course is designed to help students to develop good academic practice for completing
assessments.
Through your UCL education you will become an independent learner and knowledge
creator. To be successful you must develop good academic practice skills and avoid any type
of Academic Misconduct.
See here for the most common types of Academic Misconduct with Case Studies provided
for each definition: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/students/exams-and-assessments/academic
integrity/about-academic-misconduct
10. Submission Details:
Upload to Moodle by 08:00 on Wednesday 14 January 2026.
File to be uploaded via Moodle in Word or PDF format.
11. Feedback:
Feedback is an extremely important part of your academic development at UCL, and the
Department is committed to providing appropriate support. We aim to ensure that
assessment mechanisms allow students to demonstrate the skills and knowledge they have
gained and that assessments are carried out fairly and consistently. It is a priority of the
Department to provide students with suitably instructive and timely feedback.
The Department aims to return assessed work within 1 calendar month of the submission
deadline date. We expect students to have had the opportunity to reflect, and act, on their
learning from the feedback in subsequent assessments.
