Are students penalised for going over the word count?

There is no direct penalty for work that is significantly over or under the word count guidance. However, work that is significantly under the word count guidance may fail to meet criteria in the higher levels if there is not enough evidence or sufficient coverage to meet an assessment objective. Similarly, work that significantly exceeds the word length may become repetitive or less focused on the given assignment task. This may detract from a candidate's ability to demonstrate their proficiency in all assessment objectives. Assignments are most successful when they are detailed and confidently constructed yet focused and concise.