Assignment Brief

Assignment Details

Essay

Discuss the following statement: –

In the United Kingdom the common law approach to the admissibility of
expert opinion evidence is one of laissez-faire, with such evidence being admitted without sufficient regard to
whether or not it is sufficiently reliable to be considered by a jury.

The
word limit is 2,000 words (+/-10%). This excludes footnotes but includesquotations. The word count must be
printed on the top right hand corner of your work.

Remember:

• You must keep
  to the word limit of 2,000 words

• You must
  demonstrate that you have met the learning outcomes

• As you
  construct and present your work, consider the assessment criteria

Presentation
Instructions

It is your responsibility to
ensure that your work is neatly and accurately presented.

The work must
be:

• Word-processed

• Single sided

• 1.5 or double line spaced

• Ariel 12 point font

• Justified

• Page numbered

• On A4 paper

• Margins left and right 3cm

• Stapled together at the top left-hand corner

• Attached to a cover sheet.

Marks may be
deducted for failure to follow these instructions.  Please look at the Student Guide to
Assessment for more information.

Referencing

All
academic writing must be referenced. If you use other people’s ideas without
referencing them you are plagiarising their work.

Either:

Use
the Harvard system of referencing within your text. This will take the form:
surname, year of publication, page number, and is enclosed within brackets, for
example (Bradley 1998, 277). At the end of your work you should provide an
alphabetical list of all the works you cite.

Or:

Use the Numeric System
of referencing within your text.  At
every point in the text where a reference is made, insert a number (in brackets
or superscript) and then list the references numerically at the end of your
work,

Plagiarism

The
use of work produced for another purpose by you, working alone or with others,
must be acknowledged.

Copying
from the works of another person (including Internet sources) constitutes
plagiarism, which is an offence within the University’s regulations. Brief
quotations from the published or unpublished works of another person, suitably
attributed, are acceptable. You must always use your own words except when
using properly referenced quotations.

You
are advised when taking notes from books or other sources to make notes in your
own words, in a selective and critical way.

Submission

The deadline for
submission is 12^th Nov 2014

Every attempt
will be made to ensure that the work will be marked and available for
collection by 9^th January 2015

The assignmentis worth 40% of the total
module assessment.

Learning
outcomes

This
assessment will test your ability to meet the learning outcomes as described in
your module booklet, specifically:

1. 
Demonstrate an understanding of
the investigation methods for determining causes of fire and fire dynamics and
the ability to apply these methods

1. Demonstrate an understanding of fire investigation
   processes including the important roles and evidence associated with different
   fire safety agencies and personnel participating in fire investigation

1. Analyse and critique a range of fire investigation
   reports from minor to major incidents

Assessment Criteria

For
more information please see the marking guide at Appendix 1

Appendix
1

.  Marksforthe
essay
willbeallocatedin the
followingmanner:

Knowledge and understanding of the legal position relating to expert witness testimony	30%
Use of case law	12%
Analysis and discussion of the question.	30%
Written communication	20%
Presentation	8%