S T E P. S o c i e t y o f T r u s t a n d E s t a t e P r a c t i t i o n e r s. Writing Your Paper

Transcription

1 S T E P S o c i e t y o f T r u s t a n d E s t a t e P r a c t i t i o n e r s Writing Your Paper The purpose of this leaflet is to give general guidance to candidates as to what is required from them; it is not specific to any topic. STEP cannot comment on the interpretation of a topic question. All candidates attempting to join the Society by this route will, by definition, be experienced practitioners well used to writing on legal issues and translating those issues into language that clients and fellow professionals can understand. Candidates are therefore expected to be able to express their views with similar clarity in their papers. Reflective Log Reflective logs are compulsory for students submitting papers. Examiners will take these into account in borderline cases. Candidates are encouraged to keep a record of their progress with their papers, in order to show how their thinking on the topic developed, any useful information that they found or setbacks and major changes to their papers. More information on reflective logs can be found at Content: The level required of the paper should be of a quality equivalent to a published article in a professional journal. The papers will be required to be presented under the Law of the jurisdiction in which the topics have been set and will be judged on the Law at the date the paper was written. Where substantial changes to the law have been announced candidates should include reference to these. The paper also tests the candidate s practical knowledge as a practitioner and should demonstrate that the candidate has both a theoretical and a practical knowledge of the subject. Candidates are required to consider and include relevant legislation, case law, revenue 1

2 practice, current accounting principles and administration procedures appropriate to the subject chosen. The statement of principle without appropriate support does not demonstrate an appropriate standard. In certain circumstances a review of old law by way of background is helpful but not when the summary of the old law is longer than the part of the answer dealing with the new position. Any summary of old law, if used, should be useful in informing the understanding of the current position. Candidates should do plenty of research. Consider recent cases, but do not omit older and leading cases that have established the principle that the paper is concerned with. Only relevant material should be included. When the paper is assessed the assessors will disregard irrelevant or repetitive passages that serve only to pad out the paper. Answers should be confined to the particular question and all aspects should be considered in a full and balanced manner. Papers should cover all aspects of the question as omitting an area of the question inevitably reduces the chances of a successful assessment. Where the facts of a decided case are used in a paper they should be briefly described and serve a purpose. Writing out the facts of several recent cases otherwise merely pads out the paper. The wording of each chosen topic should be considered carefully to decide what areas need to be covered in the paper. Simply because one area of law can quickly be identified does not mean that others may not be present. Content should be ordered in a logical fashion and the use of subheadings is recommended to encourage logical arrangement. Papers are not assessed on the basis of literary style. However, the clear and correct use of words, together with correct spelling and grammar minimises the possibility that the assessor cannot understand the point being made. Candidates should be aware of any new policies or changes in practice and procedure by the Revenue or authority relevant to their jurisdiction. Candidates should ensure that easily verifiable factual information is correct. Plagiarism and Collusion: Plagiarism and collusion are treated very seriously. Plagiarism involves presenting work, excerpts, ideas or passages of another author without appropriate referencing and attribution. Collusion occurs when two or more candidates submit work which is so alike in ideas, content, wording and/or structure that the similarity goes beyond what might have been mere coincidence. It is the candidate s responsibility to make 2

3 sure that he or she understands what plagiarism and collusion are and how to avoid them. Each paper is expected to be the work of the candidate submitting. Papers that are identified as copies of other papers will be rejected. Each candidate should conduct his or her own research using text books, practice manuals, court reports, published articles etc. All material quoted from such sources should be correctly attributed. In house briefing notes, newspaper reports and STEP study texts are not appropriate reference materials on technical matters. Where research has been conducted using the internet the same requirements for attribution apply. Text should not be copied from the work of others, particularly from the internet, and where this is identified papers will be rejected. Format: Papers should be submitted with a completed STEP Submission Cover Sheet (available at ) attached to the front. You must put your Membership Number on the right hand side of each page of your papers. Please display this number clearly. Do not put your name or firm on any of your papers. This is to ensure anonymity in the marking process. Papers containing names or companies will not be accepted. Generally style and content should be equivalent to the standard of a published professional article. The expectation will be that, in order to produce work of sufficient depth and quality, the paper word count should be approximately 5000 words: Minimum word count is 4000 Maximum word count is 5,500. Headings and footnotes are included in the word count. Bibliography is not included in the word count. Reflective log is not included in the word count. Papers can only be accepted if they comply with the following: Are on a topic from those provided on List the source materials (excluding this from the paper s word count) Are submitted in English Are typewritten and double spaced Include page numbers Are on one side of the paper only with a 1inch margin on the left 3

4 Are submitted loose-leaf, i.e. not bound Candidates are encouraged to include everything that they wish to say in the body of the paper itself and to use footnotes for subsidiary points and references only. Headings and footnotes are included in the word count. References and citations should be made following the Harvard Referencing System. Should have been reviewed by the candidate to ensure there are no typing errors. The person assessing the paper will judge what is written and cannot read into the paper that which is mistakenly omitted. Candidates are advised to remove word processor references from submitted papers. Terms & Conditions Before submitting papers a candidate must have been admitted as a QP student member of the Society and have registered for the given paper(s) (an application fee, registration fee and annual membership subscription apply). The Society will issue annually the appropriate subjects for which papers may be submitted. The subjects will be issued under four topics, a maximum of one question from each topic area can be chosen. In order to qualify for full membership, three papers must be successfully completed. A candidate need not complete the papers in one year but must do so during the maximum four year period allowed for student membership. Registration for the entry papers will need to be made by the registration deadline for the appropriate submission. When registering, the candidate will be required to complete the QP Registration Form. An entry fee of per paper will be payable on registration of papers. This fee is not refundable if papers are not submitted and cannot be transferred to future papers. Registrations without payment will not be accepted. Papers shall be submitted on the understanding that the Society retains the right, and will do so on a random basis, to call for an oral presentation to be made on the subject presented as and when it shall so decide. Results will not be released to students owing any outstanding fees (application, registration or subscription fees). If you require an invoice, please contact the STEP office with your request. Results are released by . Candidates are responsible for ensuring their address is up to date. The decision of the Society as to the acceptance or rejection of a paper shall be final. Please refer to the Appeals Procedure that follows. 4

5 All papers for which you have registered for must be submitted by close of business on the relevant submission deadline to: The Membership Department STEP Office Artillery House (South) Artillery Row London SW1P 1RT If you have any queries, please phone the STEP Office on +44 (0) It is the candidate s responsibility to organise delivery of the paper(s) to the office by the deadline. If you are unable to submit by the deadline you must notify the STEP Office at least 1 week before the submission deadline. Submission of the paper(s) for which you have registered will signify your agreement to these terms & conditions. You must keep a copy of your thesis paper(s). You will receive an confirmation as soon as your paper is processed. If you have not received a confirmation 7 working days after your submission, please contact the STEP Office. CPD Candidates can claim work done on their papers towards their CPD. 4 hours CPD has to be done with accredited suppliers, but students can count their dissertation work towards their other 12 hours. Appeals Procedure Once results have been issued by the STEP Office, if, for any reason, candidates do not receive them, it is their responsibility to contact STEP to ask for them to be re-sent. The appeals process will be void if a candidate has not requested their results one month after they have been issued. If the result is a fail, candidates will still be able to obtain the examiner s original comments. The Appeals Policy does not apply to cases where studying members believe that there are extenuating circumstances relevant to their assessment performance, such as illness. Candidates are not allowed to enter into discussion regarding the outcome of their appeal whilst the appeals process is underway. 5

6 Candidates have 28 days from the date they receive their results to appeal. If a candidate requests, he/she can be sent (free of charge) a copy of the Examiner s comments (Examiners are asked to comment on failed papers only). If a candidate then requests a re-mark, STEP s Examiner Co-ordinator will determine a third party to re-examine the paper (papers will be reviewed without the mark or comments of the first examiner). A fee will be charged of which the amount will be determined by the Qualified Practitioner Committee. The decision of the second Examiner is final, however if a candidate is not satisfied by the above procedures he/she may apply to the Qualified Practitioner Committee who may in exceptional circumstances either review any disputed paper or refer it to another Examiner for review. Candidates can submit a statement (no more than 500 words) to support their application to the committee. The Committee will not enter into discussion but will provide a final and conclusive decision. In the case of disagreement between two or more Examiners, papers are automatically referred to the Qualified Practitioner Committee and their decision shall be final and conclusive. 6