LAW 121G Law and Society Essay Assessment 2026 | University of Auckland

LAW121G Essay Assessment

Instructions and Essay Statement

Percentage of final grade: 40%

Due date: Monday, 20th April at 12 pm

This Assessment will be open from Monday 23^rd March at 2pm until the due date of Monday, 20 April 2026 at 12pm midday.

Plussage applies to this assessment.

Extensions can be granted for this assessment.

Introduction

This Essay Assessment requires you to read and respond to the specific essay statement set out on page 5 of this document. This assessment is a legal essay. A legal essay requires you to evaluate the statement and take a position on whether you agree or disagree with the statement. You then need to provide clear, persuasive and succinct arguments to support your position.

While you may choose to use other programmes to write your draft, the final file that you upload to Canvas must be a Microsoft Word file. No other file format will be accepted. University of Auckland students can download Microsoft Word for free via Student Tools.

To complete this assessment, you will need a computer and internet access. If you do not have your own computer, desktop computers are available in the General Library (Building 109, 5 Alfred St) and the Davis Law Library (13-15 Eden Cres). There is also 24-hour access to desktop computers in the Student Commons (KEIC, Kate Edger Information Commons, Building 315, 2 Alfred St).

This document is in two parts.

Part 1 provides an overview of the purpose of the assessment. It also describes how you may further develop your reading and writing skills.

Part 2 gives instructions for completing the assessment, and grading information.

Part 1

Accessing the Essay Assessment (via Canvas)

1. Open your University of Auckland Canvas account.
2. Select Courses (left of screen) → LAW 121G.
3. Select Assignments (from the list of options).
4. Select Essay.
5. Read the instructions and the essay statement.
6. When you have completed your legal essay in your word document platform, you need to upload it to Canvas:
   a. To submit your assignment, click the ‘Start Assignment’ icon.
   b. You can only submit a file upload. Assignment Submission via OneDrive isnot possible
   c. When you are ready to submit your assignment, click theSubmit Assignment
   d. After you have submitted your work, you will see information in the Sidebar about your submission.
   e. Please note that upon submission of your assignment the system will automatically display a word count for your file. This word count is incorrect and should not be relied upon. The Law School uses only Microsoft Word to verify word count.
7. To accept the submission and save the file for your assignment, click the Accept Submission button.
8. Download and save a copy of the digital receipt for your own records.

Using Canvas

For this assessment, you will need to prepare your essay in a word processing programme such as google docs or Microsoft Word. However, as noted above, when you upload your essay via Canvas, you will need to ensure that the document is saved as a Microsoft word document.

Prior to submitting your essay, please ensure you are uploading a clean, final version that does not include any tracked changes. If you have not used Microsoft word before, please ensure you familiarise yourself with it beforehand.

Electronic submission 

You only need to submit your assignment electronically. There is no need to hand in a hard copy.

The electronic version of the assignment must include your student identification number and the alphanumeric course code both in the filename and header. Your first name/s and surname MUST NOT BE INCLUDED anywhere on the assignment.

Your assignment must be uploaded as a Microsoft Word document.

What is being assessed?

This assessment will require you to think critically and make reasoned arguments on the essay statement set out below.

Critically thinking about the essay statement means ensuring you understand the subject matter of the essay statement and evaluating whether you agree or disagree with the statement. For more information, see Learning Essentials (below).

Legal Essay Writing Guide 

To help you work out how to write a law essay, we have put together a legal essay writing guide. This should be familiar to you from your 10% assessment task. The guide is available on Canvas under Modules | General Information. We will also talk about how to approach legal essay writing in the second clinic rounds of the semester.

A Quick Note on Student Support and Learning Essentials

If you are new to university, you may be unfamiliar with the standard at which you are expected to think, read, and write. Academic literature is characteristically dense and lengthy, and increasingly complex as you progress through your degree.

It is essential that you invest in developing your soft skills (such as reading, writing, listening and collaborating).

Student support is available (and encouraged).

We recommend you make use of the free materials provided by the University of Auckland’s Learning Essentials service. There are several options that can practically improve your soft skills. We recommend that students consult the material on:

• Reading,
• Writing; and
• Critical thinking (under Key Skills).

Students can also attend reading and writing workshops provided by the University, by accessing the ‘services’ tab → workshops on the Learning Essentials website.

To access the website, click here: https://learningessentials.auckland.ac.nz/

Part 2

The Essay

Essay Statement

“International law is part of the domestic law of Aotearoa New Zealand and this is appropriate.”

1. Write a 1,000-word essay explaining the extent to which you agree or disagree with the essay statement.
2. Make sure you take a position and set out clear arguments with reasons to support your view.
3. Keep in mind that there is no right or wrong answer. Many people have different views. The task is for you to work out what you think and why.

Prompts to get you started:

As you read the essay statement, consider the following questions to guide your critical analysis and your view:

1. Do I understand all parts of the essay statement?
   i. If not, use a dictionary to look up words you don’t understand. In addition, use your course notes and the required readings. Reread the statement until you have a complete understanding of all parts of the statement.
   ii. If you are still unsure, ask others in your clinics or those in your study group to explain those parts you don’t understand.
2. What are the key words in the essay statement?
   i. How do these key words relate to each other?
   ii. What is the subject matter of the statement?
3. What are your thoughts?
   i. Do you agree or disagree with the essay statement?
   ii. Why do you agree or disagree?
   iii. Think about different arguments you could make to support your position. What examples can you use from the readings in the course so far to support your arguments?

Materials for the Essay 

To complete this essay, you do not need to complete independent research. You should review:

• Lecture content from weeks 1 – 5 inclusive.
• Required readings from weeks 1 – 5 inclusive.

You may also include recommended course readings which are set out in the Reading Guide or refer to the two recommended textbooks for this course to help you to broaden your knowledge of the topic.

DO NOT use external materials for this essay – you will not receive marks for any examples or pieces of information from outside the course, we cannot assess you on materials that are not part of this course.

Referencing 

It is especially important that you do not plagiarise (copy) the work of others, or submit work you have completed previously, when writing your essay. To avoid plagiarism you need to provide a footnote for every point you make where you have drawn on material that appears in another source. Law School essays must comply with the New Zealand Law Style Guide. This referencing style is explained in the ‘Guide to Footnoting and Formatting Your LAW 121 Essay’ available on the LAW121G Canvas page under the Modules |General Information tab.  For more information about plagiarism and academic integrity see

https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-andguidelines/academic-integrity-copyright/about-academic-integrity.html

https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-andguidelines/academic-integrity-copyright/Breaches-of-academic-integrity.html

The University uses the platform Turnitin to check all written assessments and this will pick up where you have used the work of others or your own previous work. A high Turnitin score may simply mean you have properly referenced numerous sources in your essay and is not, in itself, a cause for concern.  For the University’s policy on the use of Turnitin to check the originality of your work, see https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/law/current-students/llbinformation/academic-information/cheating-plagiarism-turnitin.html

The use of generative AI tools in coursework is not permitted

In this course, students are prohibited from using generative artificial intelligence text and art generation software, such as ChatGPT and DALL.E 2, on their assessments. You are expected to complete your assessments without substantial assistance from others, including automated tools.

The Grading Criteria for this Assessment

The grading criteria for this assessment as set out fully in the Law School Grading Rubric which you will find on Canvas. You will be assessed on the following criteria:

1. Comprehension means your ability to identify the relevant issue or issues that the essay statement addresses and, demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the issue or issues you have identified. Comprehension also refers to your knowledge and understanding of the subject matter of the essay statement.
2. Synthesis and analysis means your ability to write clear, succinct, logical and persuasive arguments to support your position drawing upon course content and course examples to support your arguments. Legal writing requires you to make your point as clearly as possible. Descriptive content should be used sparingly.
3. Evaluation is your ability to critically evaluate the essay statement by identifying and responding to strengths and weaknesses of competing arguments or views. This does not mean that you should spend half of your essay doing this rather, your evaluation should be succinctly addressed. Most of your essay should be focused on your supporting arguments.
4. Sources, citation and presentation is your ability to correctly identify and reference course materials in support of your arguments and, to correctly cite the sources of ideas and arguments from the course materials if they are not your original ideas.

Due Date for the Essay

Percentage of final grade: 40%

Due date: Monday, 20 April 2026 at 12pm, midday.

This Assessment will be open from Monday 23 March at 2pm until the due date of Monday, 20 April at 12pm midday.

Plussage applies to this assessment.

Extensions can be granted for this assessment.

Penalties

For this assessment, penalties will be applied in two situations:

1. If your essay is submitted late and/or
2. If your essay exceeds the word limit.

Late submission

The penalty for lateness is 5 marks for each day (or part of day thereof) in which the assessment is submitted late. For the avoidance of doubt, penalties are applied on a calendar basis (not a 24hour basis).

For more information on how late penalties apply, please see: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/law/current-students/llb-information/academicinformation/assignment-submission-process.html

Exceeding the Word Limit 

The word limit for this essay is 1,000 words. There is a 5% leeway with this word limit. This means that the maximum number of words you can submit for this essay is 1,050. If you go over this limit, a penalty will be applied to your grade.

What does the word limit include?

All footnotes and headings.

Do not include the essay question at the beginning of your essay as this will count towards your word count.

Do not include a separate bibliography as this will count towards your word count.

Do not include your name as this will count towards your word count.

What does the word limit not include?

It does not include your student ID, headers at the top of pages containing the student ID, the course name or page numbers.

More information on what is included in the word count and how penalties are applied can be found at: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/law/current-students/llb-information/academicinformation/word-

limits.html#:~:text=Penalties%20for%20exceeding%20word%20limits,across%20courses%20and%20am ong%20students.  

Extensions 

Please note that the teaching team (including the Course Director) cannot grant extensions. If you think you need an extension please contact lawextensions@auckland.ac.nz. It is important to contact the law school’s extensions team in plenty of time if you can.

The law school policy for extensions is attached as Annex 1.

Annex 1

Extensions for Law Undergraduate and Postgraduate Assessments Semester 1 2026

Coursework assessment due dates are published on Canvas for all courses at the beginning of the semester. It is essential to carefully schedule your study commitments to ensure timely completion of multiple deadlines for your courses.

Extensions may be granted if an assessment has been disrupted by illness or other unexpected event that is out of your control. In circumstances or situations outside of your control, and/or other exceptional circumstances which make it impossible or difficult for you to meet a deadline or deadlines, you may apply for an extension of the coursework submission date.

The availability of an extension and the length of an extension that may be granted vary between types of assessment. The following rules apply only to assignments and online quizzes unless they otherwise expressly state that they apply to another type of assessment.

Please note all assessment deadlines, as extensions based on misreading the due date or time will not be granted. Competing assessment deadlines or conflicting work schedules in employment also will not be approved.

Extension processes vary across faculties. In the Law School, it’s important to note that course directors, lecturers, and tutors do not have the authority to approve extensions or adjust penalties for assignments and online quizzes. For all other forms of assessment, an extension may be sought in accordance with the guidelines for each course that will be set out on Canvas page for that course.

All extension requests must be submitted by completing the law extension form. Verbal requests during in-person meetings, Zoom sessions, or telephone calls will not be considered for granting extensions. A request for an extension is not granted unless you have received an email stating the request has been granted. Silence is not assent.

If you wish to apply for an extension for an assignment or online quiz, please ensure you apply as soon as possible with supporting evidence.  Not all assessments can receive extensions.

Extensions will not be granted retrospectively unless your illness or unexpected event made it impossible to seek an extension before the due date.

Extensions are available for the following assessments:

• Undergraduate assignment
• Postgraduate assessments and research essays (excluding theses, dissertation and Directed Study)
• Any online quiz which is worth more than 2 percent of the total assessment.

LAW 316 Jurisprudence Reviews

Extensions are not possible for tests or reviews for LAW 316 Jurisprudence. Students are however advised to get in touch as soon as possible to see whether an alternative assessment can be arranged by emailing lawspecialstests@auckland.ac.nz

Tests  

You must attempt to sit your test where possible. If your personal circumstances are temporary and have significantly affected your test or exam performance or preparation, please apply for an Aegrotat or Compassionate Consideration. Applications must be made no later than 7 days after your test.

If there is a clash with your test, please email lawspecialtests@auckland.ac.nz as soon as possible for an alternative test to be arranged. Please provide documentation confirming the clash date and time. Please note, if the reason for an alternative test request is due to a holiday etc., the request will be declined.

Duration of Extension for Assignments

The University Assessment (Coursework, Tests and Examinations) Policy requires feedback to be provided in a timely manner and no later than three weeks after the day the assessment was submitted. In the case of online quizzes, extensions may not be available in some courses (e.g., where the best 5 out of 7 quiz results are counted) and shorter extensions are available because feedback on quizzes is provided shortly after the quiz for pedagogical reasons.

Therefore, please note the following timelines for extensions.

Unless otherwise advised on Canvas by the Course Director of the relevant course, the following table sets out the extension for online quizzes worth more than 2% of the final grade.

 Extension Request Process

The purpose of the extension is to let you submit your coursework assessment despite the extenuating circumstances you experienced. It is important that you apply for an extension as soon as possible, before the assessment deadline, as retrospective extensions are only considered if there are circumstances that made it impossible for an extension application before the due date and are not always able to be granted.

No extension will be approved once the assessment feedback and marks are released.

To apply for an extension, you must:

• complete the online Extension Form
• supply independent evidence (e.g., medical certificate) before the due date of your assessment.

Please note that when an extension is granted, the normal submission process still applies (assessments must be submitted as a Microsoft Word document to Canvas by the authorised extension date).

Criteria for Extension Consideration