Common Assessment Errors

If you are studying ILSPA's Legal Secretary courses, you will need to complete practical assessments as part of your coursework. These assessments are designed to help you develop the skills of a Legal Secretary across a range of legal departments, and you will need to complete them successfully in order to gain your qualification.

To help you avoid losing marks unnecessarily, we asked our Course Assessors to share the most common mistakes they see when marking Students' work. We have also drawn on feedback gathered over time to bring you a guide to getting your assessments right first time.

1. Paragraph Spacing and Line Spacing

Before you begin any document, check that the spacing before and after each paragraph is set to 0pt in MS Word. You can do this by right-clicking on the page, selecting Paragraph, and choosing the Indents and Spacing tab. The default is sometimes set to 6pt or 10pt, which means that pressing the return key twice at the end of a paragraph will create a gap that is too large, and you will lose marks for incorrect formatting.

Also ensure that your line spacing is set to single, unless the document you are working on requires otherwise.

In letters, only one clear line should appear between paragraphs. 

2. Formatting in Deeds

The format for a deed differs from other legal documents, and this is something Students sometimes overlook. Please read your assessment instructions carefully and remember the following:

• Deeds such as the Conveyance and Will are typed in 1.5 or double line spacing, not single.
• All names within deeds should be typed in capitals. This applies to the Lease, Licence, Conveyance, Will, and similar documents.
• Consideration should be expressed in both words and figures, for example: ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND POUNDS (£150,000).
• Deeds very rarely have the date typed in. It is usual to leave a gap of sufficient size for the date to be handwritten once the parties have signed. Where you see the word "blank" in your instructions, this means you should leave a gap large enough to write the date in later.

3. Formatting in Letters

Letters are one of the areas where Students most commonly lose marks, often through small oversights. Please keep the following in mind:

• All letters must include Our Ref, Your Ref, and the date. You may not always be given references in your coursework, but you should either create a plausible reference or leave the field blank. What matters is demonstrating that you know where each element belongs.
• Your Ref should always appear on a letter, even if the other party does not yet have a reference or this is the first piece of correspondence.
• All letters must include a heading indicating what the letter concerns, introduced with Re:.
• If a letter includes an enclosure, place Enc at the end. If there is more than one enclosure, state Encs.
• There is an example letter in your course material showing exactly how a standard letter should be laid out. If you are unsure about anything, refer to this.

4. Punctuation

Punctuation errors are also among the most common reasons Students lose marks, and they are among the most avoidable. Please bear in mind the following:

• Punctuation is not required in certain parts of a letter. You do not need to place a comma at the end of each line of an address, after Dear Sirs, or after Yours faithfully.
• Full stops are not required within names or titles. Mr Smith and Mrs Smith are correct; Mr. Smith and Mrs. Smith are not.
• Check your work carefully for full stops and commas added where they are not needed, particularly in salutations and sign-offs.

5. The Lease Table

Within the Land Law and Conveyancing unit, you will be asked to complete an assessment involving a Lease table. The small print in this table must be left in the same format as downloaded. An example is included in your course material so you can see how it should look.

6. OS1 and OS2 Forms

Also within Land Law and Conveyancing, take care when completing the OS1 and OS2 forms. Students are often caught out when identifying the registered proprietor. Remember that the registered proprietor is the seller, and the applicant should be the purchaser's lender, where one is involved.

7. Marriage Certificates in Family Law

When completing the Family Law assessments, you will be asked to create a Divorce Petition that includes details from the parties' Marriage Certificate. Remember that the wife's name on the Marriage Certificate should be her maiden name, not her married name.

If you have any questions about your coursework or need guidance on any of the above, you can submit a query through ILSPA's online Course Help and Support portal, which can be found within your course materials.