ECON7530 Country Trade Report Marking Rubric – Semester 2, 2023

(Marks for each part are given in parentheses, 30 marks in total)

Criteria 4 3 2 1 0

Task 1 – Clarity of

trade overview (4)

Clear and precise

overview, with proper

support from the

data/sources provided

Good overview,

though one trading

partner can be

improved, by clearer

explanation, and/or

support from

data/sources

Flawed overview in

either or both trading

partners, either

inaccurate or with

severe lack of support

by data/sources

Very flawed

overview in both

trading partners,

either very inaccurate

or not supported by

data/sources

No, or irrelevant

overview given

Task 2 – Use of trade theories, and clarity of explanation (4)

– Partner 1 –

Explanation (2)

Trade theory clearly

stated and defined,

and good

explanations, with

good use of research

to reflect the

arguments.

Trade theory stated

but may not be well

defined; or with

flawed explanation

and/or severe lack of

evidence.

No attempt shown

– Partner 2 –

Explanation (2)

Similar to above

Similar to above, or if

the same trade model

is used

Criteria 4 3 2 1 0

Task 3 – Evaluation of how well the model fits the trade relationship (8)

– Discussion on

Partner 1 (4)

Very clear and

insightful discussion.

The arguments are

valid, and both sides

of the argument

(including

shortcomings of the

model’s fit) are given,

and discussed in

detail, with excellent

evidence support, and

clear justification on

why the student chose

the model overall

Good discussion,

though some

arguments are flawed.

Both sides of the

argument are given

and discussed, with

good evidence

support. There is

clear justification on

why the student

chose the model

overall

Flawed discussion

overall, with some

irrelevant arguments,

or the student’s

conclusion is not

clear. Both sides of

the argument are

mentioned, with some

extent of evidence

support.

Very flawed

discussion, and not

all sides of the

argument are

discussed, or with

very limited evidence

support. It might not

be clear why the

student chose the

model overall

No attempt shown

– Discussion on

Partner 2 (4) Similar to above

No attempt shown, or

if the same trade

model is used

Evidence of research and use of relevant data (4)

Excellent evidence of

research and relevant

data are used,

arguments are

supported by highly

suitable and relevant

sources in all sections

Good evidence of

research and relevant

data provided and

explained, with most

arguments supported

by suitable and

relevant sources in

most sections

Flawed evidence of

research, with some

arguments in some

sections not

supported by suitable

and relevant sources

Either some key

arguments are not

supported by relevant

sources/data, or

sources/data are

provided but not

explained in detail,

reflecting a lack of

depth in reading

No, or very

inconsequential

evidence of research

and/or choice of

suitable sources

Criteria 4 3 2 1 0

Writing quality (5)

– Essay format (1) Clear, and relevant

introduction and

conclusion

No, or irrelevant

introduction or

conclusion given

– Writing style (1) Academic writing

style is used, with a

good flow between

paragraphs, sections,

or discussion points

Academic writing

style is not used, or

there is no essay flow

between paragraphs,

sections, or discussion

points

– Grammar,

Structural clarity

(3)

Both grammar and

spelling are faultless

throughout the essay

There are occasional

grammatical and/or

spelling errors but

these do not affect

readability of the

essay

Spelling and/or

grammar is

consistently incorrect,

hindering the report's

‘flow’ and readability.

The grammar and

spelling are too poor

to make sense of most

of the essay

Presentation (1)

The essay has a cover

page, detailing name,

student ID, and word

count

Not all details are

given, or the word

limit is not followed

Criteria 4 3 2 1 0

Reference (4)

– Reference style

(2)

Reference style,

including reference

list and in-text

citations, is consistent,

and the reference list

is alphabetically

ordered

Reference style,

including reference

list and in-text

citations, is mostly

consistent with some

errors, and the

reference list is

alphabetically ordered

Inconsistent, or

incorrect reference

style

Important note: even

if students use the

reference tools from

database such as UQ

Library or Google

Scholar, please

double check them

as they might be

incorrect

– Reference quality

(2)

Quality academic

and/or news sources

are chosen, which

greatly support the

arguments

Flawed/missing

reference list and/or

irrelevant/missing in-

text citations

Inconsequential, or no

reference given

ECON7530 – Semester 2, 2023

Country Trade Report

Deadline: Thursday 05 October 2023 16:00

Topic: Write a report of up to 1500 words (excluding references), consisting of three tasks:

1. Select a country and provide a brief overview of its recent international trade with two of its trade

partners, including data and graphs.

2. Provide a theoretical grounding for the observed trade patterns using the theories developed in the course

(Gravity, Ricardian, H-O, Standard Trade Model or New Trade Theory).

3. Evaluate how well your proposed model fit the data.

This topic provides ample scope for using data. Descriptive statistics, graphs and tables, will be sufficient. You

are not required to do econometric analysis. You are required to use a good mix of sources including the internet,

textbooks, newspapers, and academic journals, articles from newspapers and business magazines. You must

provide a list of full-ranged references used or referred to in the essay.

Criteria & Marking

The total mark for this assignment is 30, which consists of the following criteria:

• Clarity of trade overview (4 marks)

• Use of trade theories and clarity of explanation (4 marks)

• Evaluation of the trade model’s fit to the data (8 marks)

• Evidence of research and use of relevant data (4 marks)

• Writing quality (including essay flow, accuracy, spelling, punctuation, grammar) (5 marks)

• Presentation (including identification and compliance of word limit) (1 mark)

• Referencing (4 marks)

In addition, there are some general points to consider:

• You cannot use the same trade model for both trading partners.

• You must have dedicated Introduction and Conclusion to the report.

• Your essay must have a cover page detailing your name, student ID, and word count.

• Remember to give a total word count (excluding references) on the cover page.

• Any reference style is allowed, but it must be consistent (i.e. same style throughout the essay).

• Please check your citation’s accuracy, even if it is pre-filled from Google Scholar or UQ Library.

• You cannot cite Wikipedia or Investopedia.

• If graphs/figures are used, remember to quote the source.

• Use academic writing style and not creative writing style.

• Do not plagiarize! It will be dealt with very seriously in UQ and is simply not worth trying.

Common Mistakes

Some common mistakes that lead to mark deduction are:

• Overly relying on a few reference sources which are not that credible, such as newspapers.

• Citing a lot of figures but without pointing out their implications.

• Focusing on a few things only and therefore lack of comprehensiveness in the analysis.

• Inappropriate referencing formats, such as not indicating the article titles or not indicating what points

they referred to.

• Inconsistency between the analysis and the conclusion.

• Student cut and pasted statements/sentences from various sources instead of writing in their own

words. Consequently, those “Frankenstein statements” did not read smoothly and did not provide a

coherent view of what was going on.

Submission:

Each student should submit a Word or PDF file through the Turnitin link on the Blackboard course website.

Submission through email will not be accepted. All submissions will be run through the Turnitin anti-plagiarism

software.

Our website has a team of professional writers who can help you write any of your homework. They will write your papers from scratch. We also have a team of editors just to make sure all papers are of HIGH QUALITY & PLAGIARISM FREE. To make an Order you only need to click Ask A Question and we will direct you to our Order Page at WriteDemy. Then fill Our Order Form with all your assignment instructions. Select your deadline and pay for your paper. You will get it few hours before your set deadline.