COUN6013 · 400 words · strengths, weaknesses and plan · Lecturer: Graham Gill Emerson
Module: Counselling Skills Development 1 (COUN6013)
Brief: Identify strengths and weakness in your counselling skill sets so far and create a plan for developing targeted skill sets based from own experience and feedback you have received.
There are 6 criteria. Each one has a weight in marks. The weights add up to 100.
For each criterion, your work is placed in one of five bands. Each band shows the marks for that criterion and what the lecturer is looking for.
Excellent (70–100%)Excels in this area.
Very Good (60–69%)Performs in a consistently competent and confident way.
Satisfactory (50–59%)Performs at an adequate level but has scope for development.
Needs Work (40–49%)Performs somewhat less than adequately and needs development.
Unsatisfactory (0–39%)Performs considerably less than adequately and needs development.
Criterion 1
Identification of Strengths (LO5)
Weight: 15 marks
Excellent
70–100%
11–15 marks
Clearly identifies relevant strengths and supports them with specific examples from practice/experience. Demonstrates strong reflection.
Very Good
60–69%
9–10 marks
Identifies relevant strengths with appropriate examples and some reflection.
Satisfactory
50–59%
8 marks
Identifies strengths with limited supporting evidence.
Needs Work
40–49%
6–7 marks
Strengths are identified but are vague or insufficiently evidenced.
Unsatisfactory
0–39%
0–5 marks
Strengths are unclear, inappropriate or largely absent.
Criterion 2
Identification of Weaknesses / Development Needs (LO5)
Weight: 20 marks
Excellent
70–100%
14–20 marks
Provides a thoughtful and honest analysis of key weaknesses, clearly explaining why they require development and supporting this with learning from feedback.
Very Good
60–69%
12–13 marks
Identifies relevant weaknesses and explains their significance with good supporting evidence.
Satisfactory
50–59%
10–11 marks
Identifies weaknesses but analysis and evidence are limited.
Needs Work
40–49%
6–9 marks
Weaknesses are identified but lack clarity, depth or supporting examples.A
Unsatisfactory
0–39%
0–7 marks
Little or no meaningful identification of weaknesses or development needs.A
Criterion 3
Use of Experience and Feedback (LO3)
Weight: 20 marks
Excellent
70–100%
14–20 marks
Effectively integrates specific personal experiences and feedback to support the identification of strengths and weaknesses. Demonstrates clear learning from experience/feedback.
Very Good
60–69%
12–13 marks
Makes good use of experience and feedback, with clear links to development.
Satisfactory
50–59%
10–11 marks
Refers to experience and/or feedback but links to development are limited.
Needs Work
40–49%
6–9 marks
Makes minimal use of relevant experience or feedback.A
Unsatisfactory
0–39%
0–7 marks
Little or no evidence of using experience or feedback.A
Criterion 4
Targeted Skills Development Plan (LO2)
Weight: 30 marks
Excellent
70–100%
21–30 marks
Presents a highly focused, realistic and actionable plan. Clearly identifies targeted skills, specific actions, timescales and measures of progress/success.
Very Good
60–69%
18–20.9 marks
Presents a clear and realistic plan with appropriate actions and timescales.
Satisfactory
50–59%
15–17.9 marks
Provides a suitable development plan, although some actions or outcomes lack specificity.
Needs Work
40–49%
12–14.9 marks
Plan is basic, vague or only partly connected to identified needs.B
Unsatisfactory
0–39%
0–12 marks
Development plan is absent, unrealistic or unrelated to identified needs.B
Criterion 5
Reflection and Integration (LO5)
Weight: 10 marks
Excellent
70–100%
8–10 marks
Makes strong connections between current skills, experience, feedback and future development.
Very Good
60–69%
7 marks
Demonstrates good reflection and makes clear connections between learning and development.
Satisfactory
50–59%
6 marks
Some reflection is evident, but tends toward description.
Needs Work
40–49%
4–5 marks
Limited reflection or connections between experience and future development.
Unsatisfactory
0–39%
0–3 marks
Little evidence of reflection or learning.
Criterion 6
Structure, Clarity and Presentation
Weight: 5 marks
Excellent
70–100%
5 marks
Exceptionally clear, concise and well structured. Makes excellent use of the 400-word limit.
Very Good
60–69%
4 marks
Clear and well organised with minor issues.
Satisfactory
50–59%
3 marks
Generally clear but may be repetitive or unevenly structured.
Needs Work
40–49%
2 marks
Difficult to follow in places or poor use of the word limit.
Unsatisfactory
0–39%
0–1 marks
Poorly structured, unclear, or substantially fails to meet the brief/word limit.
Notes on the source
Only spelling and typing slips were fixed. Gaps and unclear values in the lecturer's rubric are shown, not guessed.
A. Criteria 2 and 3: the Needs Work band (6–9) and Unsatisfactory band (0–7) overlap on marks 6 and 7 in the lecturer's grid. Ranges are shown as printed.
B. Criterion 4: Needs Work (12–14.9) and Unsatisfactory (0–12) both include mark 12 in the lecturer's grid. Ranges are shown as printed.
Typed from the lecturer's rubric (Oct 2026). Check the official copy on Canvas if in doubt.