How CMI assignments work: briefs, word counts and Pass or Refer

What a CMI assignment brief is

CMI writes an assessment brief for each unit. Lift uses the current CMI-issued brief for every unit, mapped to that unit's assessment criteria. The brief sets the tasks, and your answer must meet every criterion.

CMI's syllabus suggests ways you may approach an assessment, for example:

• a written report or account on the unit topic;
• a response to a scenario about one or more organisations;
• work-based evidence from your own organisation, with a reflective account.

Briefs use command verbs, and CMI defines each one. "Analyse" means break the subject into parts and examine each in detail. "Assess" means give a reasoned judgement. "Critically" asks you to question the strength of the evidence and arguments, including the validity of your sources. Lift covers command verbs at induction.

CMI word counts by unit

Every CMI word count is a guideline, with a 10% allowance above or below. For example, a 4,000-word guideline means about 3,600 to 4,400 words.

Level 3

Every unit of the CMI Level 3 in Principles of Management and Leadership has a guideline of 2,000 to 2,500 words, so about 1,800 to 2,750 words with the allowance.

Level 5: CMI Level 5 in Management and Leadership

Level 7: CMI Level 7 in Strategic Management and Leadership Practice

CMI asks you to keep appendices to a minimum. Anything you need to meet the criteria belongs in the main body of your assignment.

How marking works: Pass or Refer

• Lift assessors mark every assignment against CMI's learning outcomes and assessment criteria.
• Your assessor records a decision and feedback for each criterion.
• A unit passes only when every criterion is met. There are no grades above Pass.
• If work is referred, you get a clear explanation of what is still needed and an agreed date to resubmit.
• Lift's quality team samples marking, and CMI moderates centres' work.
• If you disagree with a decision, you follow Lift's appeals procedure first. If it is still unresolved, you can take it to CMI.

Using your own workplace or a case study

You may use anonymised examples from your own workplace, or the case studies Lift supplies, as each brief allows. If you are not in a management role yet, the supplied case studies let you complete every unit.

Referencing

CMI expects your work to show a clear grasp of theory, apply it to practice and use evidence, examples and references to support your conclusions. Lift covers referencing at induction, and your tutor's feedback will tell you where a point needs better support.

Authenticity, AI and plagiarism

• With each assignment you sign a declaration of authenticity. It confirms the work is all your own and has not been completed by a third party.
• Group work is not accepted. You must meet each criterion on your own merit.
• Work written by someone else, including bought or shared answers, cannot be submitted as yours.
• CMI defines plagiarism as presenting another author's work, ideas or passages without appropriate referencing. Collusion is when two or more learners submit work so alike that it goes beyond coincidence.
• CMI's statement on plagiarism, collusion and AI says AI can be useful for tasks such as grammar and spelling checks, but should not be used to generate original content. Copying or paraphrasing whole AI responses and submitting them as your own work is misuse.
• If you use an AI tool as a source of information, CMI says you must acknowledge and reference it, and keep a copy of your prompts and the AI responses.
• Your work must follow Lift's AI and plagiarism policy and CMI's rules. Both are explained at induction.

Why Lift does not supply answers or model assignments

People search for "CMI assignment answers" and "assignment examples". Lift does not provide either. Your assignment has to show your own understanding, applied to your own workplace or a case study, and you sign a declaration that it is your own work. A copied answer would not meet that rule.

The help you do get

• A named tutor from day one.
• Unit lessons with all the learning materials needed to meet the assessment criteria, plus case studies, reading lists, quizzes and knowledge checks.
• Feedback on each criterion, and a clear plan if work is referred.
• Free CMI Affiliate membership while you study, if you are not already a member. CMI's syllabus says members can use ManagementDirect, CMI's online library, including study skills factsheets on assignment writing, references and citations, and avoiding plagiarism.