Are the Empathic and Critical coursework pieces penalised for going over the word count?

There is no punitory reduction of marks as a result of exceeding the suggested word count for either assignment.

The syllabus states that assignments which go beyond the advised word count may be self-penalising – this is because candidates are less likely to be able to sustain the quality of their response if they go beyond the suggested word count. If, however, you feel the candidate has maintained the quality required for Band 8 throughout the assignment then a mark from that band is appropriate.