To increase the perceived relevance of pre-clinical science courses to undergraduates, a context-based assessment item was introduced to a genetics course that occurs early within a five-year veterinary science programme. The aim was to make a direct link between genetic concepts and the future clinical profession of the students. In the assessment task, students used problem-solving skills to deduce relationships between genetic variants and nose and coat colour in dogs and to determine breeding strategies to obtain a specified colour combination. The assignment was contextualised by students presenting their results as a role-play video of a veterinarian/client consultation. The students responded enthusiastically, finding relevance and enjoyment in the task. Together with the higher cognitive skills required, contextualisation is likely to be responsible for the deeper style of learning that was adopted by the majority of students. Hence, making explicit links between pre-clinical content and its use in a workplace setting can lead to improved learning outcomes. (Contains 1 figure.)