assignment of university

5 tips on writing better university assignments

Lecturer in Student Learning and Communication Development, University of Sydney

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University life comes with its share of challenges. One of these is writing longer assignments that require higher information, communication and critical thinking skills than what you might have been used to in high school. Here are five tips to help you get ahead.

1. Use all available sources of information

Beyond instructions and deadlines, lecturers make available an increasing number of resources. But students often overlook these.

For example, to understand how your assignment will be graded, you can examine the rubric . This is a chart indicating what you need to do to obtain a high distinction, a credit or a pass, as well as the course objectives – also known as “learning outcomes”.

Other resources include lecture recordings, reading lists, sample assignments and discussion boards. All this information is usually put together in an online platform called a learning management system (LMS). Examples include Blackboard , Moodle , Canvas and iLearn . Research shows students who use their LMS more frequently tend to obtain higher final grades.

If after scrolling through your LMS you still have questions about your assignment, you can check your lecturer’s consultation hours.

2. Take referencing seriously

Plagiarism – using somebody else’s words or ideas without attribution – is a serious offence at university. It is a form of cheating.

In many cases, though, students are unaware they have cheated. They are simply not familiar with referencing styles – such as APA , Harvard , Vancouver , Chicago , etc – or lack the skills to put the information from their sources into their own words.

To avoid making this mistake, you may approach your university’s library, which is likely to offer face-to-face workshops or online resources on referencing. Academic support units may also help with paraphrasing.

You can also use referencing management software, such as EndNote or Mendeley . You can then store your sources, retrieve citations and create reference lists with only a few clicks. For undergraduate students, Zotero has been recommended as it seems to be more user-friendly.

Using this kind of software will certainly save you time searching for and formatting references. However, you still need to become familiar with the citation style in your discipline and revise the formatting accordingly.

3. Plan before you write

If you were to build a house, you wouldn’t start by laying bricks at random. You’d start with a blueprint. Likewise, writing an academic paper requires careful planning: you need to decide the number of sections, their organisation, and the information and sources you will include in each.

Research shows students who prepare detailed outlines produce higher-quality texts. Planning will not only help you get better grades, but will also reduce the time you spend staring blankly at the screen thinking about what to write next.

During the planning stage, using programs like OneNote from Microsoft Office or Outline for Mac can make the task easier as they allow you to organise information in tabs. These bits of information can be easily rearranged for later drafting. Navigating through the tabs is also easier than scrolling through a long Word file.

4. Choose the right words

Which of these sentences is more appropriate for an assignment?

a. “This paper talks about why the planet is getting hotter”, or b. “This paper examines the causes of climate change”.

The written language used at university is more formal and technical than the language you normally use in social media or while chatting with your friends. Academic words tend to be longer and their meaning is also more precise. “Climate change” implies more than just the planet “getting hotter”.

To find the right words, you can use SkELL , which shows you the words that appear more frequently, with your search entry categorised grammatically. For example, if you enter “paper”, it will tell you it is often the subject of verbs such as “present”, “describe”, “examine” and “discuss”.

Another option is the Writefull app, which does a similar job without having to use an online browser.

5. Edit and proofread

If you’re typing the last paragraph of the assignment ten minutes before the deadline, you will be missing a very important step in the writing process: editing and proofreading your text. A 2018 study found a group of university students did significantly better in a test after incorporating the process of planning, drafting and editing in their writing.

You probably already know to check the spelling of a word if it appears underlined in red. You may even use a grammar checker such as Grammarly . However, no software to date can detect every error and it is not uncommon to be given inaccurate suggestions.

So, in addition to your choice of proofreader, you need to improve and expand your grammar knowledge. Check with the academic support services at your university if they offer any relevant courses.

Written communication is a skill that requires effort and dedication. That’s why universities are investing in support services – face-to-face workshops, individual consultations, and online courses – to help students in this process. You can also take advantage of a wide range of web-based resources such as spell checkers, vocabulary tools and referencing software – many of them free.

Improving your written communication will help you succeed at university and beyond.

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How to write the best college assignments.

By Lois Weldon

When it comes to writing assignments, it is difficult to find a conceptualized guide with clear and simple tips that are easy to follow. That’s exactly what this guide will provide: few simple tips on how to write great assignments, right when you need them. Some of these points will probably be familiar to you, but there is no harm in being reminded of the most important things before you start writing the assignments, which are usually determining on your credits.

The most important aspects: Outline and Introduction

Preparation is the key to success, especially when it comes to academic assignments. It is recommended to always write an outline before you start writing the actual assignment. The outline should include the main points of discussion, which will keep you focused throughout the work and will make your key points clearly defined. Outlining the assignment will save you a lot of time because it will organize your thoughts and make your literature searches much easier. The outline will also help you to create different sections and divide up the word count between them, which will make the assignment more organized.

The introduction is the next important part you should focus on. This is the part that defines the quality of your assignment in the eyes of the reader. The introduction must include a brief background on the main points of discussion, the purpose of developing such work and clear indications on how the assignment is being organized. Keep this part brief, within one or two paragraphs.

This is an example of including the above mentioned points into the introduction of an assignment that elaborates the topic of obesity reaching proportions:

Background : The twenty first century is characterized by many public health challenges, among which obesity takes a major part. The increasing prevalence of obesity is creating an alarming situation in both developed and developing regions of the world.

Structure and aim : This assignment will elaborate and discuss the specific pattern of obesity epidemic development, as well as its epidemiology. Debt, trade and globalization will also be analyzed as factors that led to escalation of the problem. Moreover, the assignment will discuss the governmental interventions that make efforts to address this issue.

Practical tips on assignment writing

Here are some practical tips that will keep your work focused and effective:

–         Critical thinking – Academic writing has to be characterized by critical thinking, not only to provide the work with the needed level, but also because it takes part in the final mark.

–         Continuity of ideas – When you get to the middle of assignment, things can get confusing. You have to make sure that the ideas are flowing continuously within and between paragraphs, so the reader will be enabled to follow the argument easily. Dividing the work in different paragraphs is very important for this purpose.

–         Usage of ‘you’ and ‘I’ – According to the academic writing standards, the assignments should be written in an impersonal language, which means that the usage of ‘you’ and ‘I’ should be avoided. The only acceptable way of building your arguments is by using opinions and evidence from authoritative sources.

–         Referencing – this part of the assignment is extremely important and it takes a big part in the final mark. Make sure to use either Vancouver or Harvard referencing systems, and use the same system in the bibliography and while citing work of other sources within the text.  

–         Usage of examples – A clear understanding on your assignment’s topic should be provided by comparing different sources and identifying their strengths and weaknesses in an objective manner. This is the part where you should show how the knowledge can be applied into practice.

–         Numbering and bullets – Instead of using numbering and bullets, the academic writing style prefers the usage of paragraphs.

–         Including figures and tables – The figures and tables are an effective way of conveying information to the reader in a clear manner, without disturbing the word count. Each figure and table should have clear headings and you should make sure to mention their sources in the bibliography.

–         Word count – the word count of your assignment mustn’t be far above or far below the required word count. The outline will provide you with help in this aspect, so make sure to plan the work in order to keep it within the boundaries.

The importance of an effective conclusion

The conclusion of your assignment is your ultimate chance to provide powerful arguments that will impress the reader. The conclusion in academic writing is usually expressed through three main parts:

–         Stating the context and aim of the assignment

–         Summarizing the main points briefly

–         Providing final comments with consideration of the future (discussing clear examples of things that can be done in order to improve the situation concerning your topic of discussion).

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Lois Weldon is writer at  Uk.bestdissertation.com . Lives happily at London with her husband and lovely daughter. Adores writing tips for students. Passionate about Star Wars and yoga.

7 comments on “How To Write The Best College Assignments”

Extremely useful tip for students wanting to score well on their assignments. I concur with the writer that writing an outline before ACTUALLY starting to write assignments is extremely important. I have observed students who start off quite well but they tend to lose focus in between which causes them to lose marks. So an outline helps them to maintain the theme focused.

Hello Great information…. write assignments

Well elabrated

Thanks for the information. This site has amazing articles. Looking forward to continuing on this site.

This article is certainly going to help student . Well written.

Really good, thanks

Practical tips on assignment writing, the’re fantastic. Thank you!

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Understanding Assignments

What this handout is about.

The first step in any successful college writing venture is reading the assignment. While this sounds like a simple task, it can be a tough one. This handout will help you unravel your assignment and begin to craft an effective response. Much of the following advice will involve translating typical assignment terms and practices into meaningful clues to the type of writing your instructor expects. See our short video for more tips.

Basic beginnings

Regardless of the assignment, department, or instructor, adopting these two habits will serve you well :

• Read the assignment carefully as soon as you receive it. Do not put this task off—reading the assignment at the beginning will save you time, stress, and problems later. An assignment can look pretty straightforward at first, particularly if the instructor has provided lots of information. That does not mean it will not take time and effort to complete; you may even have to learn a new skill to complete the assignment.
• Ask the instructor about anything you do not understand. Do not hesitate to approach your instructor. Instructors would prefer to set you straight before you hand the paper in. That’s also when you will find their feedback most useful.

Assignment formats

Many assignments follow a basic format. Assignments often begin with an overview of the topic, include a central verb or verbs that describe the task, and offer some additional suggestions, questions, or prompts to get you started.

An Overview of Some Kind

The instructor might set the stage with some general discussion of the subject of the assignment, introduce the topic, or remind you of something pertinent that you have discussed in class. For example:

“Throughout history, gerbils have played a key role in politics,” or “In the last few weeks of class, we have focused on the evening wear of the housefly …”

The Task of the Assignment

Pay attention; this part tells you what to do when you write the paper. Look for the key verb or verbs in the sentence. Words like analyze, summarize, or compare direct you to think about your topic in a certain way. Also pay attention to words such as how, what, when, where, and why; these words guide your attention toward specific information. (See the section in this handout titled “Key Terms” for more information.)

“Analyze the effect that gerbils had on the Russian Revolution”, or “Suggest an interpretation of housefly undergarments that differs from Darwin’s.”

Additional Material to Think about

Here you will find some questions to use as springboards as you begin to think about the topic. Instructors usually include these questions as suggestions rather than requirements. Do not feel compelled to answer every question unless the instructor asks you to do so. Pay attention to the order of the questions. Sometimes they suggest the thinking process your instructor imagines you will need to follow to begin thinking about the topic.

“You may wish to consider the differing views held by Communist gerbils vs. Monarchist gerbils, or Can there be such a thing as ‘the housefly garment industry’ or is it just a home-based craft?”

These are the instructor’s comments about writing expectations:

“Be concise”, “Write effectively”, or “Argue furiously.”

Technical Details

These instructions usually indicate format rules or guidelines.

“Your paper must be typed in Palatino font on gray paper and must not exceed 600 pages. It is due on the anniversary of Mao Tse-tung’s death.”

The assignment’s parts may not appear in exactly this order, and each part may be very long or really short. Nonetheless, being aware of this standard pattern can help you understand what your instructor wants you to do.

Interpreting the assignment

Ask yourself a few basic questions as you read and jot down the answers on the assignment sheet:

Why did your instructor ask you to do this particular task?

Who is your audience.

• What kind of evidence do you need to support your ideas?

What kind of writing style is acceptable?

• What are the absolute rules of the paper?

Try to look at the question from the point of view of the instructor. Recognize that your instructor has a reason for giving you this assignment and for giving it to you at a particular point in the semester. In every assignment, the instructor has a challenge for you. This challenge could be anything from demonstrating an ability to think clearly to demonstrating an ability to use the library. See the assignment not as a vague suggestion of what to do but as an opportunity to show that you can handle the course material as directed. Paper assignments give you more than a topic to discuss—they ask you to do something with the topic. Keep reminding yourself of that. Be careful to avoid the other extreme as well: do not read more into the assignment than what is there.

Of course, your instructor has given you an assignment so that they will be able to assess your understanding of the course material and give you an appropriate grade. But there is more to it than that. Your instructor has tried to design a learning experience of some kind. Your instructor wants you to think about something in a particular way for a particular reason. If you read the course description at the beginning of your syllabus, review the assigned readings, and consider the assignment itself, you may begin to see the plan, purpose, or approach to the subject matter that your instructor has created for you. If you still aren’t sure of the assignment’s goals, try asking the instructor. For help with this, see our handout on getting feedback .

Given your instructor’s efforts, it helps to answer the question: What is my purpose in completing this assignment? Is it to gather research from a variety of outside sources and present a coherent picture? Is it to take material I have been learning in class and apply it to a new situation? Is it to prove a point one way or another? Key words from the assignment can help you figure this out. Look for key terms in the form of active verbs that tell you what to do.

Key Terms: Finding Those Active Verbs

Here are some common key words and definitions to help you think about assignment terms:

Information words Ask you to demonstrate what you know about the subject, such as who, what, when, where, how, and why.

• define —give the subject’s meaning (according to someone or something). Sometimes you have to give more than one view on the subject’s meaning
• describe —provide details about the subject by answering question words (such as who, what, when, where, how, and why); you might also give details related to the five senses (what you see, hear, feel, taste, and smell)
• explain —give reasons why or examples of how something happened
• illustrate —give descriptive examples of the subject and show how each is connected with the subject
• summarize —briefly list the important ideas you learned about the subject
• trace —outline how something has changed or developed from an earlier time to its current form
• research —gather material from outside sources about the subject, often with the implication or requirement that you will analyze what you have found

Relation words Ask you to demonstrate how things are connected.

• compare —show how two or more things are similar (and, sometimes, different)
• contrast —show how two or more things are dissimilar
• apply—use details that you’ve been given to demonstrate how an idea, theory, or concept works in a particular situation
• cause —show how one event or series of events made something else happen
• relate —show or describe the connections between things

Interpretation words Ask you to defend ideas of your own about the subject. Do not see these words as requesting opinion alone (unless the assignment specifically says so), but as requiring opinion that is supported by concrete evidence. Remember examples, principles, definitions, or concepts from class or research and use them in your interpretation.

• assess —summarize your opinion of the subject and measure it against something
• prove, justify —give reasons or examples to demonstrate how or why something is the truth
• evaluate, respond —state your opinion of the subject as good, bad, or some combination of the two, with examples and reasons
• support —give reasons or evidence for something you believe (be sure to state clearly what it is that you believe)
• synthesize —put two or more things together that have not been put together in class or in your readings before; do not just summarize one and then the other and say that they are similar or different—you must provide a reason for putting them together that runs all the way through the paper
• analyze —determine how individual parts create or relate to the whole, figure out how something works, what it might mean, or why it is important
• argue —take a side and defend it with evidence against the other side

More Clues to Your Purpose As you read the assignment, think about what the teacher does in class:

• What kinds of textbooks or coursepack did your instructor choose for the course—ones that provide background information, explain theories or perspectives, or argue a point of view?
• In lecture, does your instructor ask your opinion, try to prove their point of view, or use keywords that show up again in the assignment?
• What kinds of assignments are typical in this discipline? Social science classes often expect more research. Humanities classes thrive on interpretation and analysis.
• How do the assignments, readings, and lectures work together in the course? Instructors spend time designing courses, sometimes even arguing with their peers about the most effective course materials. Figuring out the overall design to the course will help you understand what each assignment is meant to achieve.

Now, what about your reader? Most undergraduates think of their audience as the instructor. True, your instructor is a good person to keep in mind as you write. But for the purposes of a good paper, think of your audience as someone like your roommate: smart enough to understand a clear, logical argument, but not someone who already knows exactly what is going on in your particular paper. Remember, even if the instructor knows everything there is to know about your paper topic, they still have to read your paper and assess your understanding. In other words, teach the material to your reader.

Aiming a paper at your audience happens in two ways: you make decisions about the tone and the level of information you want to convey.

• Tone means the “voice” of your paper. Should you be chatty, formal, or objective? Usually you will find some happy medium—you do not want to alienate your reader by sounding condescending or superior, but you do not want to, um, like, totally wig on the man, you know? Eschew ostentatious erudition: some students think the way to sound academic is to use big words. Be careful—you can sound ridiculous, especially if you use the wrong big words.
• The level of information you use depends on who you think your audience is. If you imagine your audience as your instructor and they already know everything you have to say, you may find yourself leaving out key information that can cause your argument to be unconvincing and illogical. But you do not have to explain every single word or issue. If you are telling your roommate what happened on your favorite science fiction TV show last night, you do not say, “First a dark-haired white man of average height, wearing a suit and carrying a flashlight, walked into the room. Then a purple alien with fifteen arms and at least three eyes turned around. Then the man smiled slightly. In the background, you could hear a clock ticking. The room was fairly dark and had at least two windows that I saw.” You also do not say, “This guy found some aliens. The end.” Find some balance of useful details that support your main point.

You’ll find a much more detailed discussion of these concepts in our handout on audience .

The Grim Truth

With a few exceptions (including some lab and ethnography reports), you are probably being asked to make an argument. You must convince your audience. It is easy to forget this aim when you are researching and writing; as you become involved in your subject matter, you may become enmeshed in the details and focus on learning or simply telling the information you have found. You need to do more than just repeat what you have read. Your writing should have a point, and you should be able to say it in a sentence. Sometimes instructors call this sentence a “thesis” or a “claim.”

So, if your instructor tells you to write about some aspect of oral hygiene, you do not want to just list: “First, you brush your teeth with a soft brush and some peanut butter. Then, you floss with unwaxed, bologna-flavored string. Finally, gargle with bourbon.” Instead, you could say, “Of all the oral cleaning methods, sandblasting removes the most plaque. Therefore it should be recommended by the American Dental Association.” Or, “From an aesthetic perspective, moldy teeth can be quite charming. However, their joys are short-lived.”

Convincing the reader of your argument is the goal of academic writing. It doesn’t have to say “argument” anywhere in the assignment for you to need one. Look at the assignment and think about what kind of argument you could make about it instead of just seeing it as a checklist of information you have to present. For help with understanding the role of argument in academic writing, see our handout on argument .

What kind of evidence do you need?

There are many kinds of evidence, and what type of evidence will work for your assignment can depend on several factors–the discipline, the parameters of the assignment, and your instructor’s preference. Should you use statistics? Historical examples? Do you need to conduct your own experiment? Can you rely on personal experience? See our handout on evidence for suggestions on how to use evidence appropriately.

Make sure you are clear about this part of the assignment, because your use of evidence will be crucial in writing a successful paper. You are not just learning how to argue; you are learning how to argue with specific types of materials and ideas. Ask your instructor what counts as acceptable evidence. You can also ask a librarian for help. No matter what kind of evidence you use, be sure to cite it correctly—see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial .

You cannot always tell from the assignment just what sort of writing style your instructor expects. The instructor may be really laid back in class but still expect you to sound formal in writing. Or the instructor may be fairly formal in class and ask you to write a reflection paper where you need to use “I” and speak from your own experience.

Try to avoid false associations of a particular field with a style (“art historians like wacky creativity,” or “political scientists are boring and just give facts”) and look instead to the types of readings you have been given in class. No one expects you to write like Plato—just use the readings as a guide for what is standard or preferable to your instructor. When in doubt, ask your instructor about the level of formality they expect.

No matter what field you are writing for or what facts you are including, if you do not write so that your reader can understand your main idea, you have wasted your time. So make clarity your main goal. For specific help with style, see our handout on style .

Technical details about the assignment

The technical information you are given in an assignment always seems like the easy part. This section can actually give you lots of little hints about approaching the task. Find out if elements such as page length and citation format (see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial ) are negotiable. Some professors do not have strong preferences as long as you are consistent and fully answer the assignment. Some professors are very specific and will deduct big points for deviations.

Usually, the page length tells you something important: The instructor thinks the size of the paper is appropriate to the assignment’s parameters. In plain English, your instructor is telling you how many pages it should take for you to answer the question as fully as you are expected to. So if an assignment is two pages long, you cannot pad your paper with examples or reword your main idea several times. Hit your one point early, defend it with the clearest example, and finish quickly. If an assignment is ten pages long, you can be more complex in your main points and examples—and if you can only produce five pages for that assignment, you need to see someone for help—as soon as possible.

Tricks that don’t work

Your instructors are not fooled when you:

• spend more time on the cover page than the essay —graphics, cool binders, and cute titles are no replacement for a well-written paper.
• use huge fonts, wide margins, or extra spacing to pad the page length —these tricks are immediately obvious to the eye. Most instructors use the same word processor you do. They know what’s possible. Such tactics are especially damning when the instructor has a stack of 60 papers to grade and yours is the only one that low-flying airplane pilots could read.
• use a paper from another class that covered “sort of similar” material . Again, the instructor has a particular task for you to fulfill in the assignment that usually relates to course material and lectures. Your other paper may not cover this material, and turning in the same paper for more than one course may constitute an Honor Code violation . Ask the instructor—it can’t hurt.
• get all wacky and “creative” before you answer the question . Showing that you are able to think beyond the boundaries of a simple assignment can be good, but you must do what the assignment calls for first. Again, check with your instructor. A humorous tone can be refreshing for someone grading a stack of papers, but it will not get you a good grade if you have not fulfilled the task.

Critical reading of assignments leads to skills in other types of reading and writing. If you get good at figuring out what the real goals of assignments are, you are going to be better at understanding the goals of all of your classes and fields of study.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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How to Write an Effective Assignment

At their base, all assignment prompts function a bit like a magnifying glass—they allow a student to isolate, focus on, inspect, and interact with some portion of your course material through a fixed lens of your choosing.

The Key Components of an Effective Assignment Prompt

All assignments, from ungraded formative response papers all the way up to a capstone assignment, should include the following components to ensure that students and teachers understand not only the learning objective of the assignment, but also the discrete steps which they will need to follow in order to complete it successfully:

• Preamble.  This situates the assignment within the context of the course, reminding students of what they have been working on in anticipation of the assignment and how that work has prepared them to succeed at it. 
• Justification and Purpose.  This explains why the particular type or genre of assignment you’ve chosen (e.g., lab report, policy memo, problem set, or personal reflection) is the best way for you and your students to measure how well they’ve met the learning objectives associated with this segment of the course.
• Mission.  This explains the assignment in broad brush strokes, giving students a general sense of the project you are setting before them. It often gives students guidance on the evidence or data they should be working with, as well as helping them imagine the audience their work should be aimed at.  
• Tasks.  This outlines what students are supposed to do at a more granular level: for example, how to start, where to look, how to ask for help, etc. If written well, this part of the assignment prompt ought to function as a kind of "process" rubric for students, helping them to decide for themselves whether they are completing the assignment successfully.
• Submission format.  This tells students, in appropriate detail, which stylistic conventions they should observe and how to submit their work. For example, should the assignment be a five-page paper written in APA format and saved as a .docx file? Should it be uploaded to the course website? Is it due by Tuesday at 5:00pm?

For illustrations of these five components in action, visit our gallery of annotated assignment prompts .

For advice about creative assignments (e.g. podcasts, film projects, visual and performing art projects, etc.), visit our  Guidance on Non-Traditional Forms of Assessment .

For specific advice on different genres of assignment, click below:

Response Papers

Problem sets, source analyses, final exams, concept maps, research papers, oral presentations, poster presentations.

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• Designing Essay Assignments

by Gordon Harvey

Students often do their best and hardest thinking, and feel the greatest sense of mastery and growth, in their writing. Courses and assignments should be planned with this in mind. Three principles are paramount:

1. Name what you want and imagine students doing it

However free students are to range and explore in a paper, the general kind of paper you’re inviting has common components, operations, and criteria of success, and you should make these explicit. Having satisfied yourself, as you should, that what you’re asking is doable, with dignity, by writers just learning the material, try to anticipate in your prompt or discussions of the assignment the following queries:

• What is the purpose of this? How am I going beyond what we have done, or applying it in a new area, or practicing a key academic skill or kind of work?
• To what audience should I imagine myself writing?
• What is the main task or tasks, in a nutshell? What does that key word (e.g., analyze, significance of, critique, explore, interesting, support) really mean in this context or this field?
• What will be most challenging in this and what qualities will most distinguish a good paper? Where should I put my energy? (Lists of possible questions for students to answer in a paper are often not sufficiently prioritized to be helpful.)
• What misconceptions might I have about what I’m to do? (How is this like or unlike other papers I may have written?) Are there too-easy approaches I might take or likely pitfalls? An ambitious goal or standard that I might think I’m expected to meet but am not?
• What form will evidence take in my paper (e.g., block quotations? paraphrase? graphs or charts?) How should I cite it? Should I use/cite material from lecture or section?
• Are there some broad options for structure, emphasis, or approach that I’ll likely be choosing among?
• How should I get started on this? What would be a helpful (or unhelpful) way to take notes, gather data, discover a question or idea? Should I do research? 

2. Take time in class to prepare students to succeed at the paper

Resist the impulse to think of class meetings as time for “content” and of writing as work done outside class. Your students won’t have mastered the art of paper writing (if such a mastery is possible) and won’t know the particular disciplinary expectations or moves relevant to the material at hand. Take time in class to show them: 

• discuss the assignment in class when you give it, so students can see that you take it seriously, so they can ask questions about it, so they can have it in mind during subsequent class discussions;
• introduce the analytic vocabulary of your assignment into class discussions, and take opportunities to note relevant moves made in discussion or good paper topics that arise;
• have students practice key tasks in class discussions, or in informal writing they do in before or after discussions;
• show examples of writing that illustrates components and criteria of the assignment and that inspires (class readings can sometimes serve as illustrations of a writing principle; so can short excerpts of writing—e.g., a sampling of introductions; and so can bad writing—e.g., a list of problematic thesis statements);
• the topics of originality and plagiarism (what the temptations might be, how to avoid risks) should at some point be addressed directly. 

3. Build in process

Ideas develop over time, in a process of posing and revising and getting feedback and revising some more. Assignments should allow for this process in the following ways:

• smaller assignments should prepare for larger ones later;
• students should do some thinking and writing before they write a draft and get a response to it (even if only a response to a proposal or thesis statement sent by email, or described in class);
• for larger papers, students should write and get response (using the skills vocabulary of the assignment) to a draft—at least an “oral draft” (condensed for delivery to the class);
• if possible, meet with students individually about their writing: nothing inspires them more than feeling that you care about their work and development;
• let students reflect on their own writing, in brief cover letters attached to drafts and revisions (these may also ask students to perform certain checks on what they have written, before submitting);
• have clear and firm policies about late work that nonetheless allow for exception if students talk to you in advance.
• Pedagogy Workshops
• Responding to Student Writing
• Commenting Efficiently
• Vocabulary for Discussing Student Writing
• Guides to Teaching Writing
• HarvardWrites Instructor Toolkit
• Additional Resources for Teaching Fellows

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Understanding Writing Assignments

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How to Decipher the Paper Assignment

Many instructors write their assignment prompts differently. By following a few steps, you can better understand the requirements for the assignment. The best way, as always, is to ask the instructor about anything confusing.

• Read the prompt the entire way through once. This gives you an overall view of what is going on.
• Underline or circle the portions that you absolutely must know. This information may include due date, research (source) requirements, page length, and format (MLA, APA, CMS).
• Underline or circle important phrases. You should know your instructor at least a little by now - what phrases do they use in class? Does he repeatedly say a specific word? If these are in the prompt, you know the instructor wants you to use them in the assignment.
• Think about how you will address the prompt. The prompt contains clues on how to write the assignment. Your instructor will often describe the ideas they want discussed either in questions, in bullet points, or in the text of the prompt. Think about each of these sentences and number them so that you can write a paragraph or section of your essay on that portion if necessary.
• Rank ideas in descending order, from most important to least important. Instructors may include more questions or talking points than you can cover in your assignment, so rank them in the order you think is more important. One area of the prompt may be more interesting to you than another.
• Ask your instructor questions if you have any.

After you are finished with these steps, ask yourself the following:

• What is the purpose of this assignment? Is my purpose to provide information without forming an argument, to construct an argument based on research, or analyze a poem and discuss its imagery?
• Who is my audience? Is my instructor my only audience? Who else might read this? Will it be posted online? What are my readers' needs and expectations?
• What resources do I need to begin work? Do I need to conduct literature (hermeneutic or historical) research, or do I need to review important literature on the topic and then conduct empirical research, such as a survey or an observation? How many sources are required?
• Who - beyond my instructor - can I contact to help me if I have questions? Do you have a writing lab or student service center that offers tutorials in writing?

(Notes on prompts made in blue )

Poster or Song Analysis: Poster or Song? Poster!

Goals : To systematically consider the rhetorical choices made in either a poster or a song. She says that all the time.

Things to Consider: ah- talking points

• how the poster addresses its audience and is affected by context I'll do this first - 1.
• general layout, use of color, contours of light and shade, etc.
• use of contrast, alignment, repetition, and proximity C.A.R.P. They say that, too. I'll do this third - 3.
• the point of view the viewer is invited to take, poses of figures in the poster, etc. any text that may be present
• possible cultural ramifications or social issues that have bearing I'll cover this second - 2.
• ethical implications
• how the poster affects us emotionally, or what mood it evokes
• the poster's implicit argument and its effectiveness said that was important in class, so I'll discuss this last - 4.
• how the song addresses its audience
• lyrics: how they rhyme, repeat, what they say
• use of music, tempo, different instruments
• possible cultural ramifications or social issues that have bearing
• emotional effects
• the implicit argument and its effectiveness

These thinking points are not a step-by-step guideline on how to write your paper; instead, they are various means through which you can approach the subject. I do expect to see at least a few of them addressed, and there are other aspects that may be pertinent to your choice that have not been included in these lists. You will want to find a central idea and base your argument around that. Additionally, you must include a copy of the poster or song that you are working with. Really important!

I will be your audience. This is a formal paper, and you should use academic conventions throughout.

Length: 4 pages Format: Typed, double-spaced, 10-12 point Times New Roman, 1 inch margins I need to remember the format stuff. I messed this up last time =(

Academic Argument Essay

5-7 pages, Times New Roman 12 pt. font, 1 inch margins.

Minimum of five cited sources: 3 must be from academic journals or books

• Design Plan due: Thurs. 10/19
• Rough Draft due: Monday 10/30
• Final Draft due: Thurs. 11/9

Remember this! I missed the deadline last time

The design plan is simply a statement of purpose, as described on pages 40-41 of the book, and an outline. The outline may be formal, as we discussed in class, or a printout of an Open Mind project. It must be a minimum of 1 page typed information, plus 1 page outline.

This project is an expansion of your opinion editorial. While you should avoid repeating any of your exact phrases from Project 2, you may reuse some of the same ideas. Your topic should be similar. You must use research to support your position, and you must also demonstrate a fairly thorough knowledge of any opposing position(s). 2 things to do - my position and the opposite.

Your essay should begin with an introduction that encapsulates your topic and indicates 1 the general trajectory of your argument. You need to have a discernable thesis that appears early in your paper. Your conclusion should restate the thesis in different words, 2 and then draw some additional meaningful analysis out of the developments of your argument. Think of this as a "so what" factor. What are some implications for the future, relating to your topic? What does all this (what you have argued) mean for society, or for the section of it to which your argument pertains? A good conclusion moves outside the topic in the paper and deals with a larger issue.

You should spend at least one paragraph acknowledging and describing the opposing position in a manner that is respectful and honestly representative of the opposition’s 3 views. The counterargument does not need to occur in a certain area, but generally begins or ends your argument. Asserting and attempting to prove each aspect of your argument’s structure should comprise the majority of your paper. Ask yourself what your argument assumes and what must be proven in order to validate your claims. Then go step-by-step, paragraph-by-paragraph, addressing each facet of your position. Most important part!

Finally, pay attention to readability . Just because this is a research paper does not mean that it has to be boring. Use examples and allow your opinion to show through word choice and tone. Proofread before you turn in the paper. Your audience is generally the academic community and specifically me, as a representative of that community. Ok, They want this to be easy to read, to contain examples I find, and they want it to be grammatically correct. I can visit the tutoring center if I get stuck, or I can email the OWL Email Tutors short questions if I have any more problems.

Assignments usually ask you to demonstrate that you have immersed yourself in the course material and that you've done some thinking on your own; questions not treated at length in class often serve as assignments. Fortunately, if you've put the time into getting to know the material, then you've almost certainly begun thinking independently. In responding to assignments, keep in mind the following advice.

• Beware of straying.  Especially in the draft stage, "discussion" and "analysis" can lead you from one intrinsically interesting problem to another, then another, and then ... You may wind up following a garden of forking paths and lose your way. To prevent this, stop periodically while drafting your essay and reread the assignment. Its purposes are likely to become clearer.
• Consider the assignment in relation to previous and upcoming assignments.  Ask yourself what is new about the task you're setting out to do. Instructors often design assignments to build in complexity. Knowing where an assignment falls in this progression can help you concentrate on the specific, fresh challenges at hand.

Understanding some key words commonly used in assignments also may simplify your task. Toward this end, let's take a look at two seemingly impenetrable instructions: "discuss" and "analyze."

1. Discuss the role of gender in bringing about the French Revolution.

• "Discuss" is easy to misunderstand because the word calls to mind the oral/spoken dimension of communication. "Discuss" suggests conversation, which often is casual and undirected. In the context of an assignment, however, discussion entails fulfilling a defined and organized task: to construct an argument that considers and responds to an ample range of materials. To "discuss," in assignment language, means to make a broad argument about a set of arguments you have studied. In the case above, you can do this by
• pointing to consistencies and inconsistencies in the evidence of gendered causes of the Revolution;
• raising the implications of these consistencies and/or inconsistencies (perhaps they suggest a limited role for gender as catalyst);
• evaluating different claims about the role of gender; and
• asking what is gained and what is lost by focusing on gendered symbols, icons and events.

A weak discussion essay in response to the question above might simply list a few aspects of the Revolution—the image of Liberty, the executions of the King and Marie Antoinette, the cry "Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite!" —and make separate comments about how each, being "gendered," is therefore a powerful political force. Such an essay would offer no original thesis, but instead restate the question asked in the assignment (i.e., "The role of gender was very important in the French Revolution" or "Gender did not play a large role in the French Revolution").

In a strong discussion essay, the thesis would go beyond a basic restatement of the assignment question. You might test the similarities and differences of the revolutionary aspects being discussed. You might draw on fresh or unexpected evidence, perhaps using as a source an intriguing reading that was only briefly touched upon in lecture.

2. Analyze two of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, including one not discussed in class, as literary works and in terms of sources/analogues.

The words "analyze" and "analysis" may seem to denote highly advanced, even arcane skills, possessed in virtual monopoly by mathematicians and scientists. Happily, the terms refer to mental activity we all perform regularly; the terms just need decoding. "Analyze" means two things in this specific assignment prompt.

• First, you need to divide the two tales into parts, elements, or features. You might start with a basic approach: looking at the beginning, middle, and end. These structural features of literary works—and of historical events and many other subjects of academic study—may seem simple or even simplistic, but they can yield surprising insights when examined closely.
• Alternatively, you might begin at a more complex level of analysis. For example, you might search for and distinguish between kinds of humor in the two tales and their sources in Boccaccio or the Roman de la Rose: banter, wordplay, bawdy jokes, pranks, burlesque, satire, etc.

Second, you need to consider the two tales critically to arrive at some reward for having observed how the tales are made and where they came from (their sources/analogues). In the course of your essay, you might work your way to investigating Chaucer's broader attitude toward his sources, which alternates between playful variation and strict adherence. Your complex analysis of kinds of humor might reveal differing conceptions of masculine and feminine between Chaucer and his literary sources, or some other important cultural distinction.

Analysis involves both a set of observations about the composition or workings of your subject and a critical approach that keeps you from noticing just anything—from excessive listing or summarizing—and instead leads you to construct an interpretation, using textual evidence to support your ideas.

Some Final Advice

If, having read the assignment carefully, you're still confused by it, don't hesitate to ask for clarification from your instructor. He or she may be able to elucidate the question or to furnish some sample responses to the assignment. Knowing the expectations of an assignment can help when you're feeling puzzled. Conversely, knowing the boundaries can head off trouble if you're contemplating an unorthodox approach. In either case, before you go to your instructor, it's a good idea to list, underline or circle the specific places in the assignment where the language makes you feel uncertain.

William C. Rice, for the Writing Center at Harvard University

Templates for college and university assignments

Include customizable templates in your college toolbox. stay focused on your studies and leave the assignment structuring to tried and true layout templates for all kinds of papers, reports, and more..

Keep your college toolbox stocked with easy-to-use templates

Work smarter with higher-ed helpers from our college tools collection. Presentations are on point from start to finish when you start your project using a designer-created template; you'll be sure to catch and keep your professor's attention. Staying on track semester after semester takes work, but that work gets a little easier when you take control of your scheduling, list making, and planning by using trackers and planners that bring you joy. Learning good habits in college will serve you well into your professional life after graduation, so don't reinvent the wheel—use what is known to work!

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Types of Assignments

Cristy Bartlett and Kate Derrington

Introduction

As discussed in the previous chapter, assignments are a common method of assessment at university. You may encounter many assignments over your years of study, yet some will look quite different from others. By recognising different types of assignments and understanding the purpose of the task, you can direct your writing skills effectively to meet task requirements. This chapter draws on the skills from the previous chapter, and extends the discussion, showing you where to aim with different types of assignments.

The chapter begins by exploring the popular essay assignment, with its two common categories, analytical and argumentative essays. It then examines assignments requiring case study responses , as often encountered in fields such as health or business. This is followed by a discussion of assignments seeking a report (such as a scientific report) and reflective writing assignments, common in nursing, education and human services. The chapter concludes with an examination of annotated bibliographies and literature reviews. The chapter also has a selection of templates and examples throughout to enhance your understanding and improve the efficacy of  your assignment writing skills.

Different Types of Written Assignments

At university, an essay is a common form of assessment. In the previous chapter Writing Assignments we discussed what was meant by showing academic writing in your assignments. It is important that you consider these aspects of structure, tone and language when writing an essay.

Components of an essay

Essays should use formal but reader friendly language and have a clear and logical structure. They must include research from credible academic sources such as peer reviewed journal articles and textbooks. This research should be referenced throughout your essay to support your ideas (See the chapter Working with Information ).

If you have never written an essay before, you may feel unsure about how to start.  Breaking your essay into sections and allocating words accordingly will make this process more manageable and will make planning the overall essay structure much easier.

• An essay requires an introduction, body paragraphs and a conclusion.
• Generally, an introduction and conclusion are approximately 10% each of the total word count.
• The remaining words can then be divided into sections and a paragraph allowed for each area of content you need to cover.
• Use your task and criteria sheet to decide what content needs to be in your plan

An effective essay introduction needs to inform your reader by doing four basic things:

Table 20.1 An effective essay

An effective essay body paragraph needs to:

An effective essay conclusion needs to:

Common types of essays

You may be required to write different types of essays, depending on your study area and topic. Two of the most commonly used essays are analytical and argumentative .  The task analysis process discussed in the previous chapter Writing Assignments will help you determine the type of essay required. For example, if your assignment question uses task words such as analyse, examine, discuss, determine or explore, you would be writing an analytical essay . If your assignment question has task words such as argue, evaluate, justify or assess, you would be writing an argumentative essay . Despite the type of essay, your ability to analyse and think critically is important and common across genres.  

Analytical essays

These essays usually provide some background description of the relevant theory, situation, problem, case, image, etcetera that is your topic. Being analytical requires you to look carefully at various components or sections of your topic in a methodical and logical way to create understanding.

The purpose of the analytical essay is to demonstrate your ability to examine the topic thoroughly. This requires you to go deeper than description by considering different sides of the situation, comparing and contrasting a variety of theories and the positives and negatives of the topic. Although in an analytical essay your position on the topic may be clear, it is not necessarily a requirement that you explicitly identify this with a thesis statement, as is the case with an argumentative essay. If you are unsure whether you are required to take a position, and provide a thesis statement, it is best to check with your tutor.

Argumentative essays

These essays require you to take a position on the assignment topic. This is expressed through your thesis statement in your introduction. You must then present and develop your arguments throughout the body of your assignment using logically structured paragraphs. Each of these paragraphs needs a topic sentence that relates to the thesis statement. In an argumentative essay, you must reach a conclusion based on the evidence you have presented.

Case Study Responses

Case studies are a common form of assignment in many study areas and students can underperform in this genre for a number of key reasons.

Students typically lose marks for not:

• Relating their answer sufficiently to the case details
• Applying critical thinking
• Writing with clear structure
• Using appropriate or sufficient sources
• Using accurate referencing

When structuring your response to a case study, remember to refer to the case. Structure your paragraphs similarly to an essay paragraph structure but include examples and data from the case as additional evidence to support your points (see Figure 20.5 ). The colours in the sample paragraph below show the function of each component.

The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) Code of Conduct and Nursing Standards (2018) play a crucial role in determining the scope of practice for nurses and midwives. A key component discussed in the code is the provision of person-centred care and the formation of therapeutic relationships between nurses and patients (NMBA, 2018). This ensures patient safety and promotes health and wellbeing (NMBA, 2018). The standards also discuss the importance of partnership and shared decision-making in the delivery of care (NMBA, 2018, 4). Boyd and Dare (2014) argue that good communication skills are vital for building therapeutic relationships and trust between patients and care givers. This will help ensure the patient is treated with dignity and respect and improve their overall hospital experience. In the case, the therapeutic relationship with the client has been compromised in several ways. Firstly, the nurse did not conform adequately to the guidelines for seeking informed consent before performing the examination as outlined in principle 2.3 (NMBA, 2018). Although she explained the procedure, she failed to give the patient appropriate choices regarding her health care. 

Topic sentence | Explanations using paraphrased evidence including in-text references | Critical thinking (asks the so what? question to demonstrate your student voice). | Relating the theory back to the specifics of the case. The case becomes a source of examples as extra evidence to support the points you are making.

Reports are a common form of assessment at university and are also used widely in many professions. It is a common form of writing in business, government, scientific, and technical occupations.

Reports can take many different structures. A report is normally written to present information in a structured manner, which may include explaining laboratory experiments, technical information, or a business case.  Reports may be written for different audiences including clients, your manager, technical staff, or senior leadership within an organisation. The structure of reports can vary, and it is important to consider what format is required. The choice of structure will depend upon professional requirements and the ultimate aims of the report. Consider some of the options in the table below (see Table 20.2 ).

Table 20.2 Explanations of different types of reports

Reflective writing.

Reflective writing is a popular method of assessment at university. It is used to help you explore feelings, experiences, opinions, events or new information to gain a clearer and deeper understanding of your learning. A reflective writing task requires more than a description or summary.  It requires you to analyse a situation, problem or experience, consider what you may have learnt and evaluate how this may impact your thinking and actions in the future. This requires critical thinking, analysis, and usually the application of good quality research, to demonstrate your understanding or learning from a situation. Essentially, reflective practice is the process of looking back on past experiences and engaging with them in a thoughtful way and drawing conclusions to inform future experiences. The reflection skills you develop at university will be vital in the workplace to assist you to use feedback for growth and continuous improvement. There are numerous models of reflective writing and you should refer to your subject guidelines for your expected format. If there is no specific framework, a simple model to help frame your thinking is What? So what? Now what?   (Rolfe et al., 2001).

Table 20.3 What? So What? Now What? Explained.

The Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle

The Gibbs’ Cycle of reflection encourages you to consider your feelings as part of the reflective process. There are six specific steps to work through. Following this model carefully and being clear of the requirements of each stage, will help you focus your thinking and reflect more deeply. This model is popular in Health.

The 4 R’s of reflective thinking

This model (Ryan and Ryan, 2013) was designed specifically for university students engaged in experiential learning.  Experiential learning includes any ‘real-world’ activities including practice led activities, placements and internships.  Experiential learning, and the use of reflective practice to heighten this learning, is common in Creative Arts, Health and Education.

Annotated Bibliography

What is it.

An annotated bibliography is an alphabetical list of appropriate sources (books, journals or websites) on a topic, accompanied by a brief summary, evaluation and sometimes an explanation or reflection on their usefulness or relevance to your topic. Its purpose is to teach you to research carefully, evaluate sources and systematically organise your notes. An annotated bibliography may be one part of a larger assessment item or a stand-alone assessment piece. Check your task guidelines for the number of sources you are required to annotate and the word limit for each entry.

How do I know what to include?

When choosing sources for your annotated bibliography it is important to determine:

• The topic you are investigating and if there is a specific question to answer
• The type of sources on which you need to focus
• Whether they are reputable and of high quality

What do I say?

Important considerations include:

• Is the work current?
• Is the work relevant to your topic?
• Is the author credible/reliable?
• Is there any author bias?
• The strength and limitations (this may include an evaluation of research methodology).

Literature Reviews

It is easy to get confused by the terminology used for literature reviews. Some tasks may be described as a systematic literature review when actually the requirement is simpler; to review the literature on the topic but do it in a systematic way. There is a distinct difference (see Table 20.4 ). As a commencing undergraduate student, it is unlikely you would be expected to complete a systematic literature review as this is a complex and more advanced research task. It is important to check with your lecturer or tutor if you are unsure of the requirements.

Table 20.4 Comparison of Literature Reviews

Generally, you are required to establish the main ideas that have been written on your chosen topic. You may also be expected to identify gaps in the research. A literature review does not summarise and evaluate each resource you find (this is what you would do in an annotated bibliography). You are expected to analyse and synthesise or organise common ideas from multiple texts into key themes which are relevant to your topic (see Figure 20.10 ). Use a table or a spreadsheet, if you know how, to organise the information you find. Record the full reference details of the sources as this will save you time later when compiling your reference list (see Table 20.5 ).

Overall, this chapter has provided an introduction to the types of assignments you can expect to complete at university, as well as outlined some tips and strategies with examples and templates for completing them. First, the chapter investigated essay assignments, including analytical and argumentative essays. It then examined case study assignments, followed by a discussion of the report format. Reflective writing , popular in nursing, education and human services, was also considered. Finally, the chapter briefly addressed annotated bibliographies and literature reviews. The chapter also has a selection of templates and examples throughout to enhance your understanding and improve the efficacy of your assignment writing skills.

• Not all assignments at university are the same. Understanding the requirements of different types of assignments will assist in meeting the criteria more effectively.
• There are many different types of assignments. Most will require an introduction, body paragraphs and a conclusion.
• An essay should have a clear and logical structure and use formal but reader friendly language.
• Breaking your assignment into manageable chunks makes it easier to approach.
• Effective body paragraphs contain a topic sentence.
• A case study structure is similar to an essay, but you must remember to provide examples from the case or scenario to demonstrate your points.
• The type of report you may be required to write will depend on its purpose and audience. A report requires structured writing and uses headings.
• Reflective writing is popular in many disciplines and is used to explore feelings, experiences, opinions or events to discover what learning or understanding has occurred. Reflective writing requires more than description. You need to be analytical, consider what has been learnt and evaluate the impact of this on future actions.
• Annotated bibliographies teach you to research and evaluate sources and systematically organise your notes. They may be part of a larger assignment.
• Literature reviews require you to look across the literature and analyse and synthesise the information you find into themes.

Gibbs, G. (1988). Learning by doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods. Further Education Unit, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford.

Rolfe, G., Freshwater, D., Jasper, M. (2001). Critical reflection in nursing and the helping professions: a user’s guide . Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Ryan, M. & Ryan, M. (2013). Theorising a model for teaching and assessing reflective learning in higher education.  Higher Education Research & Development , 32(2), 244-257. doi: 10.1080/07294360.2012.661704

Academic Success Copyright © 2021 by Cristy Bartlett and Kate Derrington is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Week 3: Writing university assignments

Introduction

This week you will start to look at university writing, a very important student activity. You will first consider which aspects of your current writing will be useful when it comes to university-level writing and which might need a bit more work. Then you will move on to look at university assignments, their purposes and structure and the strategies students follow when approaching them.

Watch Anna describing what you will study this week:

Welcome to Week 3.

So far you have looked at reading: reading strategies and ways to use insights from readings in an assignment. Reading and selecting key information are two of the first steps towards writing a good assignment. It is now time to look at what university assignments ask for and how to produce a good assignment.

During Weeks 3, 4 and 5 you will concentrate on assignment writing. In particular, this week you will find out what types of assignments university students normally write, the reasons why they write them and the way they approach them. In Week 4 you will look in more detail at essay writing. In Week 5, you will learn how to clearly link ideas in your writing, so that your readers can easily understand your ideas.

By the end of this week you will be able to understand:

• the purpose and structure of your everyday writing
• the purpose and overall structure of university texts
• the main stages of the writing process
• the essay and report planning stages.

1 Everyday writing

For many of us writing is a daily activity. In a morning, for example, I might write a text message to a friend, make a ‘to do’ list and email a colleague.

Three images: first image is of a to-do list, second image of a CV and third image of three Post-it notes on a fridge door.

Think about the types of text, that is any piece of writing, you have written in the past few days. These can be as short as a few words scribbled on a Post-it note or as long as a letter or a workplace report. Note your thoughts in the box below.

The answer is personal to you. Here are some of the texts I have written lately:

• professional emails
• a shopping list
• comments on my friends’ Facebook pages
• a birthday card
• feedback on my students’ assignments
• a page of my personal diary
• a note to my neighbour
• a workplace report
• a recipe I heard on the radio

Most people do not consider themselves to be writers, yet they write something every day. There are many types of text. Some texts may appear easy but others seem more complex to write. In the next activity you will compare some texts to understand how they differ and why some are harder to write than others.

1.1 Types and structure of everyday writing

When we write, we communicate with other people. Birthday cards, Post-it notes and text messages are all ways to send other people messages containing information. Even a personal diary and a to-do list may be read initially only by the writer, but may be shared or read in the future by other people.

Communication is therefore the main reason why people write. The particular purpose of each piece of writing depends on the situation and the people we communicate with. For example, many of us leave little notes on the fridge to remind ourselves and others to do important chores or to wish them well.

The way our texts are organised varies depending on our reason for writing and our relationship with the person or persons who will read our messages.

In this activity you will look at the purpose and structure of three texts (Figure 2).

Three images: first image is of a to-do list, second image of a thank-you letter and third image of a CV.

Look at the three texts below and match them to their typical purpose.  

A to-do list

To briefly remind ourselves and others what needs to be done

A curriculum vitae (CV)

To show an employer our skills and experiences in the hope of being invited to an interview

A thank-you card

To tell somebody how much we appreciate what they have done for us

Using the following two lists, match each numbered item with the correct letter.

a. To show an employer our skills and experiences in the hope of being invited to an interview

b. To briefly remind ourselves and others what needs to be done

c. To tell somebody how much we appreciate what they have done for us

Have you ever written any of these three types of text? How easy or difficult do you or would you find writing them? Note your thoughts in the box below before comparing them with mine.

Here is my answer:

I’m one of those people who often write to-do lists. They are simple and informal, and contain just isolated words describing activities. I normally cross off each activity as soon as it is done.

I find thank-you cards and cards in general less easy to write. This is in part because in Italy, my country, people tend to phone or thank other people in person so cards are rarely written. In the UK, handwritten cards tend to follow a specific structure but I am never sure which one I should use, in which order to different people in different situations. I therefore tend to avoid cards or buy ready-made cards and just add my signature.

A curriculum vitae is generally difficult to write. My first CV was untidy, quite long and contained too much information so I had to ask a more experienced friend to help me.

All texts, even the simplest everyday ones, are written for a purpose. When we write, we have this purpose and our readers in mind and this helps us to structure our texts.

Some texts are easy to write because we understand their purpose, they are part of our culture and we are familiar with their typical structure. However, approaching unfamiliar text types may be challenging unless we know why we are writing them and how they should be organised. In many cases a model of a particular type of text or a more experienced person can help.

The next sections introduce some texts you may not be familiar with. You will look at texts written by university students, the reasons why they are written and the ways in which they are organised.

2 University assignments

At British universities, students are asked to carry out written tasks called assignments and submit them to their tutors by a set date. Assignments are part of the assessment process and, while most assignments are completed at home, some will take the form of a formal examination.

Like any other piece of writing you have written so far, assignments are written for a reason and follow a specific structure. The key is to understand these reasons and learn which structure you are expected to follow.

Students are asked to write assignments for a number of reasons:

• to demonstrate that they understand the subject matter they are being taught
• to show that they can explain key ideas and information in their own words
• to show that they can use what they have learned to solve real life problems
• to demonstrate that they can evaluate, compare and contrast different views
• to gain feedback from their tutors on their understanding and use of course content.

Depending on the specific purpose of each assignment, university students are asked to write a range of assignment types. For example, they use summaries and definitions to simply describe what they have learned from their readings. They use essays to discuss what they have learned and to show that they can use their learning to make sense of real world situations. Finally, they use reports to describe or analyse a situation and provide recommendations.

The next section looks more closely at assignment types, their purpose and structure.

2.1 Types of assignment

There is a wide range of assignment types that students may be asked to produce during their university studies. Some assignments might require them to write single-sentence responses, while others might ask them to write an extended response of 600, 800 or even 2000 words.

In this video three Open University tutors talk about the assignments students are required to complete for the courses they teach:

2.2 Distinguishing between different types of assignment

It may be more common to find one kind of assignment type in a particular subject than in others. For example, science assignments may consist of short questions that require short answers, while a social sciences assignment might consist of short answers explaining a definition or essays explaining a theory. Regardless of the subject they are studying, students will probably have to write a variety of assignment types during their studies.

You are now going to gain an overview of some of the assignment types that you are likely to encounter in your university studies. Look at the list below of descriptions of various types of assignment. Match each assignment type with its appropriate description.

An assignment that gives detailed information and analysis about a topic; it will often have different sections, with headings that have different functions; there is an introduction, different sections and a conclusion with recommendations

Short definition and explanation

A word or concept is briefly defined and explained

An assignment that focuses on one topic; it has an introduction, body paragraphs and a conclusion

Short-answer exercise

Brief answers in response to questions; the contents of one answer is not necessarily directly connected with the next

A short account of the content of something you have read, heard or viewed without details

a. An assignment that gives detailed information and analysis about a topic; it will often have different sections, with headings that have different functions; there is an introduction, different sections and a conclusion with recommendations

b. A word or concept is briefly defined and explained

c. Brief answers in response to questions; the contents of one answer is not necessarily directly connected with the next

d. A short account of the content of something you have read, heard or viewed without details

e. An assignment that focuses on one topic; it has an introduction, body paragraphs and a conclusion

During your university studies, you will be asked to complete a variety of assignment tasks to demonstrate what you have learned. Having a good understanding of what is required in the various assignments that you are asked to produce for your university modules will help you fulfil the task and get better marks.

2.3 Typical challenges

Writing a university assignment can be difficult. The following activity identifies the main challenges.

Below is a list of challenges typically experienced by students who are new to assignment writing. Think of your experience of writing longer and possibly formal texts. For example, you may have had to write a job application or a formal email. If you haven’t had such experiences, you may want to think back to your school experiences. Have you ever experienced any of the challenges listed below?

• It’s a very long time since I’ve done anything like this. I’ve forgotten how to do it.
• I’m not familiar with the British educational system. What is done in my country is quite different from what is expected here.
• I’m not clever enough to write an assignment.
• How do I organise essays and reports?
• I don’t understand the assignment title. What am I expected to do?
• I look at the blank page. I don’t know where to start or what to write.
• I can write short informal pieces but I have never written a long formal essay.
• I write too many words.
• I make too many errors and don’t know how to choose the right words.

Type your comments in the box before comparing them with mine.

The main problems students experience are caused by lack of experience and, in particular, difficulty in getting started. These difficulties arise when students have problems understanding the question and the way in which essays and reports should be organised. Some see assignment writing as daunting as it is a completely new experience.

The next section will address these challenges by focusing on the writing process.

3 The essay-writing process

Writing a successful assignment is less daunting if it is seen as a process consisting of several manageable steps. You will probably be familiar with some of these steps already: for example writing notes, putting ideas in order, selecting ideas to include, reviewing and rewriting what you have already written in order to improve it.

Another key point is that anyone writing an essay has to give themselves enough time. Generally the best assignments result from doing a little at a time over a period of days, rather than attempting to complete an assignment in one evening.

In this section you will look at this step-by-step process.

3.1 Some useful strategies

In the next activity you will look in more detail at the challenges often faced by students and the strategies they can use to complete an essay.

In the videos below, three students describe their writing process. They also mention the challenges they face and some of the strategies they use. Watch the videos and identify the challenges and strategies each student uses. Note them in the boxes below before comparing your answers with mine.

• Writing too many words
• Risk of not answering the question
• Reading the question
• Reading in order to find answers to the question
• First writing everything you know, then revising it

• Not enjoying essay writing
• Using the structure given by the assignment
• Writing thoughts about each section
• Revising the answer many times
• Circular revision process: rereading, rewriting, reviewing, rereading …
• Stopping when the answer has been answered properly and completely

• Becoming too used to his answer
• First, making a list of key points
• Then, carefully arranging these points
• Writing the first draft
• Asking someone else to read this draft

Coping with university writing is about developing strategies that help to meet a range of challenges. These students seem to have been successful in essay writing despite the various challenges they mention. They have dealt with those challenges by adopting strategies for planning what they are going to write, structuring the content of their essays and reviewing the text over and over again.

3.2 A step-by-step process

The next activity introduces you to a method that exploits all the strategies described by the three students.

In this activity you are introduced to the different stages of the essay-writing process. This process starts with activities that include reading (understanding the ideas of others), brainstorming (thinking of all you know about the topic) and note making, and proceeds through one or more cycles until you feel you have produced a full and correct answer.

The boxes show the eight stages in the process of completing an assignment. Drag each stage into the relevant blank box in the diagram.

Writing a university assignment involves going through a series of stages. It is quite normal for all writers to want to go through the cycle more than once. This may happen for many reasons. For example they may feel that they haven’t quite answered the question or they may want to go back to their readings and notes to find additional relevant material.

Many students find that the habit of breaking their writing process into manageable steps helps them not only to write university assignments but also other pieces of writing such as workplace documents.

In the next two sections you will learn how to plan an essay and a report.

4 Planning an essay: the pre-writing steps

Before writing an essay, it is important to take the time to understand its structure as this provides a useful starting point. A typical essay includes an introduction, the main body of the text, a conclusion and a list of references (Figure 3).

The structure of an essay consists of the introduction, the main body, the conclusion and the references.

While this is a simple structure, students often wonder what should be included in the main body of the essay. In this section you will learn how carefully reading the assignment question and carrying out some simple tasks can help you to plan the content of the main body of the essay.

4.1 Reading the essay question

Answering an essay question is only possible if a student knows and understands it. Reading the essay question is therefore a very important step that must be completed before starting the writing process.

Question 1a

Now answer the following question:

What is the first thing students should do after reading the assignment question?

Write a plan of their essay using tables or diagrams

Find the words that explain what they are required to do

Start looking for the information they can use in the essay

The correct answer is b.

It is important to carefully study the key words contained in the assignment question to find out what it is asking the student to do. These key words as known as instruction words and content words.

4.2 Identifying the instruction words

Having a good understanding of instruction words will help you to identify what type of task you are being asked to do, which, in turn, makes it more likely that an assignment answer will be relevant. These words may seem complex but they are very often used in assignment questions. Understanding instruction words makes it easier to understand the requirements of most assignments.

In the next activity you will learn some of the key words used in assignment questions.

Listed below are eight of the most common instruction words. Match each one with its definition.

Compare and contrast

Look for differences and similarities between two or more concepts or things in an organised way

Discuss/to what extent

Give reasons for and against an idea

Make an idea clear by giving an example

Give a shortened version of a written or spoken item, stating only the key points

Give a detailed account of something such as characteristics, a reading or an experience

Examine something to judge its value, importance, quality, or effectiveness

Take apart an idea and examine it in great detail in order to understand it

Give details, clarify meaning or give reasons

a. Give details, clarify meaning or give reasons

b. Take apart an idea and examine it in great detail in order to understand it

c. Give a detailed account of something such as characteristics, a reading or an experience

d. Examine something to judge its value, importance, quality, or effectiveness

e. Make an idea clear by giving an example

f. Give a shortened version of a written or spoken item, stating only the key points

g. Look for differences and similarities between two or more concepts or things in an organised way

h. Give reasons for and against an idea

4.3 Identifying key content words

Having understood what type of task is required, you need to find out what content you have to focus on. This is done by identifying the content words.

The content words are words that express key ideas that you are expected to write about. In the following example of an essay title, the content words are highlighted:

Using examples from Chapter 3, describe some biological factors that influence the health of the individual (approximately 600 words).

Once the content words and the instruction words (in this case, using examples and describe ) are clear, you should be able to rephrase the title to clarify it:

What are the biological factors that influence people’s health? I need to identify and give details about a few biological factors, and explain how each can affect health. I need to give some examples from Chapter 3 of my module materials to illustrate my explanation s .

4.4 Practice understanding the essay question

In the next activity you will practise identifying instruction and content words, and rephrasing questions into a simpler format.

Below are four essay questions. For each one complete the following tasks:

• Find the instruction words.
• Find the content words.
• Rewrite the task in your own words.

At this stage, you are not expected to know the content or the authors mentioned in these questions. Your purpose for reading them is to understand what each question asks you to do. Type your notes in the boxes before comparing your answers with mine.

• Compare and contrast our own education to date with that of one of your parents. Which points of comparison seem important to you and why?

The instruction words are:

• compare and contrast
• which important points of comparison …

The content words are:

• your own education
• one of your parents' education
• points of comparison

This question can be reworded as:

Find similarities and differences between your education and either your mother’s or your father’s education. Decide which of these similarities and differences are the most important and explain why this is the case.

Decide which primate species you would prioritise for conservation action and explain how you came to this conclusion.

• decide which ...
• primate species
• conservation action

Which primate species is it essential to protect from extinction as soon as possible? Why should each of these species be prioritised?

• Why do people codeswitch?

The instruction word is:

The content word is:.

Codeswitching describes the habit bi-lingual people have of using more than one language when they talk to each other.

Give many reasons why people codeswitch

• Describe the causes of deforestation , explain its negative effects and evaluate the solutions that have been implemented to date. 
• deforestation
• negative effects

This question can be rewording as:

What are the causes of deforestation? Write about the negative effects of deforestation. Write down your ideas about how good the solutions to the problems are.

4.5 Producing a draft outline

The next stage is to write a draft outline. This can only be written on the basis of a full understanding of the question. The first draft outline helps to decide what to look for in any readings. However, after reading, it is normal to update the draft outline to reflect your improved understanding of the subject.

Look at this task:

Describe government interventions which may help people to tackle obesity . To what extent do you think these interventions can be effective ? (800 words)

As this task asks the student to describe government interventions, each section of the essay will need to provide details about one type of intervention. It is also important to consider situations and reasons why an intervention is likely to be effective as well as situations and reasons why it may fail. Each point should be illustrated with examples.

This is a possible outline:

Intervention type 1 – description – examples – why it can be effective?/not effective? + examples

Intervention type 2 – description – examples – why it can be effective?/not effective? + examples

Intervention type 3 – description – examples – why it can be effective?/not effective? + examples

Having written this plan it will be necessary to read the course materials to find:

• a definition of the term ‘government intervention’
• a definition of the term ‘obesity’ and some general information about its causes and effects
• examples of ineffective and effective government interventions
• theories about types of government intervention in the health sector.

4.6 Practice producing draft outlines

You will now look again at the essay questions you analysed in Activity 9 and evaluate different outlines that can be used to answer them.

Activity 10

Below is a list of assignment tasks. For each assignment look at the outlines provided and make notes in response to these two questions:

• Which outline best answers the question?
• What kind of information are you likely to need in order to write this essay?
• Outline 2 is the most appropriate because it provides a range of reasons why people codeswitch. It also explains the codeswitching techniques used and some examples that help to explain these reasons. Outline 1 is incorrect because it describes the techniques but doesn’t answer the question.
• definition of codeswitching
• theories about codeswitching, particularly reasons for doing so
• codeswitching techniques

Outline 2 is the most appropriate because it directly answers the question by selecting one species and using each paragraph or section to clearly give reasons for this selection. For each reason, the writer also shows that they have considered and dismissed a contrasting viewpoint (e.g. a reason for not selecting this species). This adds strength to the points they make.

The themes covered by Outline 1 provide background information but fail to directly address the question. As the requirement is to write only 800 words there is no space to provide much background information. Some of this (e.g. reasons why conservation is necessary) could be included very concisely in the introduction.

• definition of primate species
• list of species that risk extinction and their characteristics
• how important a species is to the environment: is it likely to benefit or damage it?
• theories of conservation

Outline 1 answers the question because it identifies and develops several points of comparison and clearly compares and contrasts the two experiences. It also uses the last paragraph to indicate which one is the most important and why.

Outline 2 provides information about the two educational experiences but does not compare them. Therefore, this outline does not help to answer the question.

Outline 3 is also appropriate because it compares and contrasts the two experiences. However, the points of contrast need to be clearly mentioned when looking at similarities and differences. The last paragraph clearly indicates which points of contrast are the most important and why.

• information about my own education
• education theories; in particular, factors that have an effect on people’s education as these help to explain the choice of points of contrast

Outline 1 is inappropriate because it develops two paragraphs about deforestation techniques, which are not required. It does provide examples of possible effects and solutions but does not describe them. The solutions are neither described nor evaluated.

Outline 2 is appropriate because it clearly focuses on the three key content words included in the question: causes, effects and solutions. For each of these, it provides a description and some examples. When looking at solutions, it looks at reasons in favour of and against choosing them.

• information about deforestation: causes, effects, solutions
• theories about how forest management affects people’s lives and the planet

This section has highlighted the importance of fully understanding the essay question as this helps to produce an appropriate outline. In the next section you will look at ways to represent outlines visually through a diagram.

4.7 Using diagrams to plan an assignment

Many students find that diagrams can be useful when planning their essays. This is because diagrams help them to think in a visual way about their essays and the ideas they need to include in them.

Look again at this assignment question:

Describe the causes of deforestation, explain its negative effects and evaluate the solutions that have been implemented to date.

This assignment can be outlined using a mind map as shown in Figure 4.

At the centre of this mind map is a cloud labelled ‘deforestation’. From this cloud stem three branches. From one branch, labelled ‘causes’, stem three branches. From another branch labelled ‘effects’ also stem three branches. From the third branch, which is labelled ‘solutions’, stem two further branches labelled ‘solutions 1’ and ‘solutions 2’. From each of these branches stem two branches labelled ‘pros’ and ‘cons’. From each of these stem two branches.

The mind map can be used while reading about deforestation to add information that could be included in the essay.

Activity 11

Draw a mind map that can be used to plan the following essay and to record the most relevant information from readings.

Before designing your mind map, look again at the suggested outline for this question. When you have finished, compare your mind map with mine and read the comments.

While reading about this topic and using this mind map (Figure 5), it is possible to enter each of the three reasons, details about explanations, evidence and alternative views and more branches.

At the centre of this mind map is the word ‘conservation’. From this stem three branches labelled: Reason 1, Reason 2, Reason 3. From each of these branches stem three further branches labelled explanations, evidence and alternative view.

4.8 Using diagrams to plan a science assignment

Sometimes just reading an assignment question is not sufficient to write a draft plan. You will now look at a science assignment that requires students to describe and explain but provides no information that could help them to write a plan.

The assignment title is:

Describe and explain the greenhouse effect.

Just reading this title is insufficient to outline a text easily because the title does not contain helpful key words such as cause, effect or similarities. Before planning it is therefore necessary to read about this effect. Having done this, information needs to be arranged into steps as this will help to plan the text.

The following activity provides a useful visual technique for planning the essay.

Activity 12

Watch the following video in which Open University science tutor Phil explains to Zorica how to plan the assignment by using a diagram to visualise the information she needs to include.

Now put the following steps into order described by Phil and Zorica.

Infrared radiation emitted from the Sun.

Absorption of infrared by the Earth.

Re-emission of infrared to the atmosphere.

Infrared absorbed by CO 2 and H 2 O.

This activity shows the how diagrams can be used to both identify and present the steps of a process at the pre-writing stage. Depending on the number of words the student is required to write, they can then write either a paragraph or a longer text outlining each of the stages of the process.

5 Planning a report

Reports differ from essays because they normally follow a more detailed standard structure. Knowing this standard structure makes planning easier as it is only necessary to decide what specific content to place in each of its parts and for what reason.

This structure depends on the subject. The next two sections illustrate the structure of a science or technology report, and of a business report.

5.1 Planning a science or a technology report

Table 5 highlights the elements of a science or technology report, though the same general principles apply in other disciplines too.

When writing a report, it is necessary to assemble and order the material, perhaps under a set of headings (which can be added to or subdivided). The plan will help to include material that is relevant and to the point.

5.2 Planning a business report

Business studies reports follow a structure that is very similar to those normally written to help management to make decisions. The main purpose of these reports is to describe a real life business situation and to provide a list of recommendations.

While the overall structure is similar to that of a science or a technology report, the main text is usually structured using a ‘business model’, i.e. a framework that helps the writer to analyse a situation by looking at its specific features.

The following assignment task is structured using a SWOT model. SWOT stands for:

  Strengths

  Weaknesses

  Opportunities

In other words, it is a framework that analyses a business by looking at its strengths and weaknesses as well as at any opportunities it can exploit and the threats it faces.

Below is a business studies assignment question:

Use a SWOT model to analyse the multinational company Coca-Cola.

Table 6 shows how this report should be structured.

6 This week's quiz

Well done, you’ve just completed the last of the activities for this week's study before the weekly quiz.

Remember the quizzes will let you check your understanding of what you have learned while also helping to prepare you for the badge quiz at the end of Week 4. By completing the weekly quiz you’ll also know how the quizzes work before you complete the badge quiz. So, it is a good idea to make time for them if you can.

Week 3 practice quiz .

Open the quiz in a new tab or window (by holding ctrl [or cmd on a Mac] when you click the link).

This week you looked at everyday writing, at different types of university assignments and at useful ways to break the writing process into manageable steps.

These are this week’s key learning points:

• Writing is a daily activity for most people.
• Writing is easier if you know why you are writing and how to organise ideas and information.
• Assignments are written to show a tutor that the student has understood and can use the ideas and information learned from the course materials.
• Essays and reports are two common types of assignment.
• A range of strategies can be used to deal with the challenges of assignment writing.
• A useful way to approach assignment writing is to follow a process that consists of several manageable steps.
• The first step involves understanding the instruction words and key ideas contained in the question.
• The second step consists in producing a draft plan and deciding what kind of information will be necessary to answer the question.
• Mind maps and other diagrams can help to plan essays and organise notes.

You can now go to Week 4 .

Acknowledgements

This course was written by Anna Calvi.

Except for third party materials and otherwise stated (see  FAQs ), this content is made available under a  Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Licence .

The material acknowledged below is Proprietary and used under licence (not subject to Creative Commons Licence). Grateful acknowledgement is made to the following sources for permission to reproduce material in this unit:

Figure 1: (left) © Stacy Spensley in Flickr made available under https://creativecommons.org/ licenses/ by/ 2.0/ ; (middle) The CV Inn in Flickr made available under: https://creativecommons.org/ licenses/ by/ 2.0/ deed.en ; (right) From: http://www.stickypadblog.com/ wp-content/ uploads/ 2012/ 10/ fridgesickypad.jpg ; Figure 2: (left) © Stacy Spensley in Flickr made available under https://creativecommons.org/ licenses/ by/ 2.0/ ; (middle) © Scott Feldstein in Flickr; (right) The CV Inn in Flickr made available under: https://creativecommons.org/ licenses/ by/ 2.0/ deed.en .

Every effort has been made to contact copyright owners. If any have been inadvertently overlooked, the publishers will be pleased to make the necessary arrangements at the first opportunity.

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10 Tips on How to write an Assignment for University

• Assignment Help

How to write an assignment for university is a common question asked by young graduates today. University assignments are different and more complex as compared to the assignment work that the students are involved in during high school and college. The students have to focus on various kinds of criteria to secure good marks in the competitive academic scenario. While writing a University assignment, the appropriate structure and guidelines need to be followed strictly so that it is unique from the other assignments that have been done before.

A common question that might bother University students is How to write an assignment for the University to score top grades?”It is necessary to maintain a formal tone throughout the assignment so that the seriousness of the writer can be passed on to the readers. Some of the most crucial points have been highlighted to answer the question of how to write an assignment for University. These simple assignments writing tips can guide the students to keep in mind the important elements before writing a University assignment.

Categories of University Assignments

In Universities, the students are asked to work on different kinds of assignments and projects that vary in nature. Some of the most common kinds of University assignments that students have to work on during the phase of the post graduation degree have been highlighted below.

• Research proposals
• Dissertations
• Case studies
• Term papers
• Reflective papers and

The simple assignment writing tips that have been presented here would help the students to focus on core assignment writing criterion such as plagiarism, formatting, the significance of error-free grammar, referencing, and the relevancy of the content.

Key factors to be considered before writing an assignment

Purpose and preparation It is necessary to understand the fundamental elements of the topic that would be constructed into the assignment. The core ideas must be highlighted along with the primary objective so that the assignment can be prepared for the intended readers and audience. The purpose of the assignment influences the mode of preparation of the university assignments. To prepare the assignment, thorough research is a must.

Intended readers Assignments are prepared for a certain section of readers. Before starting an assignment, it is necessary to determine the readers so that the assignment can be designed to establish a connection with the audience.

Time factor Before answering the question how to write an assignment for university, it is crucial to consider the time factor. Generally, students have to finish an assignment within a specified time frame. Thus, all the components of the assignments must be carefully planned and scheduled so that the core requirements of the assignment can be met and nothing would be left out.

Structure Students need to provide the appropriate structure on the University assignment so that a professional touch can be established. The provided assignment format must be strictly followed so that the flow of the content is maintained from start to finish.

Fluency in Language While writing an assignment a simple and intelligible language must be used by the student so that the readers can understand it. The formal tone of writing must be maintained throughout the piece. Fancy and bombastic terms must be avoided as these do not add value to the University assignments.

Techniques to write University assignments proficiently The main question that arises in the minds of new university students relates to how to write assignments for Universities and secure top marks. They need to understand the simple fact that an assignment can become successful and mark fetching if students understand what is expected of them while working on it. To produce an appealing and gripping assignment, students need to start working on it in advance so that they can carefully carry out the planning and pre-writing processes. Ten crucial assignment writing tips have been presented that can help students to write high-quality university assignments.

• Disciplined planning of time Preparing a high-quality assignment can be a time-consuming activity that requires sufficient effort from the students. There is need to carefully allocate the time for all the assignment parts so that no important element would be ignored. The core elements that must be carefully considered include allocating time for a thorough research process, reading the topics and collecting the information, grouping and sorting the collected information, developing the draft of the assignment, redrafting the work and designing the final version. Time must be allocated to compile the used references. Ultimately, sufficient time must be given for the proofreading the final work.
• Researching and Gathering appropriate information Before collecting the appropriate data and information that can be used in the assignment, the lecture notes must be referred to so that the key concepts, principles, and frameworks can be identified. External sources such as peer-reviewed journals can be referred to strengthen the academic assignment. The books from reputed and authentic authors must also be used while preparing the assignment.
• Going through the gathered information After the relevant information has been captured, it has to be read, and notes have to be made. This process is necessary to make sure that the collected information is useful for the academic assignment. The reading must be done selectively so that the background of the assignment could be understood more simply. The better understanding of the background knowledge would help to adopt a critical approach while working on the University-level assignment.
• Preparing notes The next step that can help to answer the question on “How to write an assignment?” is to prepare the notes so that the key ideas could be captured. The ideas must be summarized in simple language for better understanding of the core theoretical concepts of the assignment. The notes relating to the reference must also be included so that the exact source of data and infuriation could be captured efficiently.
• Interpretation of the assignment topic The proper understanding of the assignment topic is necessary so that it can be constructed into a logical write-up. The topic question must be thoroughly analyzed so that all the suitable and important theoretical concepts could be applied in the assignment. All the core issues relating to the topic need to be critically analyzed by following a comparison and contrast approach. It would help to get a better idea about the issue that needs to be addressed in the assignment. Thus, the interpretation of the assignment topic must be done simply so that the readers can understand it.
• The relevance of the thesis statement The thesis statement refers to the goals and the objectives of the overall assignment. It must be framed in simple language so that the core issues can be presented to the readers. The statement must be presented in an analytical tone. All the arguments and points must revolve around the thesis statement so that the link can be established between the statement and the entire assignment.
• Framing of the Introduction The introduction must be brief and to the point so that the readers can get a glimpse of what the assignment is all about. It must highlight the objective of the assignment. The various elements that would be highlighted on the work must be presented in this part so that the readers can understand the topic and its significance.
• The “Discussion” section The discussion must be carefully framed so that all the valid arguments can be presented to the readers. There must be a connection between the theoretical framework and their application in the assignment. The students have to make sure that all the concepts and ideas that have been presented are linked to each other so that the flow of the discussion is maintained throughout the assignment. All the facts and pieces of evidence must be carefully placed so that they make sense for the readers.
• Conclusion or Summary The conclusion is one of the most important parts of the assignment that summarizes the ultimate learning. Students need to make sure that no new information is included in this section. In the initial stage, an unambiguous conclusion could be drawn highlighting the core arguments of the assignment. Then a final message must be addressed to the readers highlighting the overall discussion.
• Grammar While working on the University assignment, careful attention must be given to the grammar and the English so that the language is kept simple and understandable. The use of bombastic words could be avoided so that the readers could understand the clear message. To have a strong grammatical use, the proofreading process is a must.
• Plagiarism The originality of the academic work should be maintained throughout the process so that the University policies could be followed and the personal learning could be encouraged. External sources could be used, but it must be represented in own language. Similarly, proper referencing must be followed so that the referred authors could be highlighted in the University assignment. The originality of the assignment must be maintained throughout the academic assignment.
• Referencing While working on the University level assignments, careful attention must be given to the referencing activity. It is a critical part of the assignment that can pose challenges for the students. Some of the simple tricks that can be used to simplify the referencing process include the alphabetical arrangement of the references after the completion of the assignment. Two referencing techniques could be adopted namely the end-text referencing model and the in-text referencing model. The end-text referencing appears at the end of the assignment whereas the in-text referencing appears within the body of the assignment work. In this model, the name of the author and the date entry is mentioned. Some of the popular referencing techniques used while preparing University assignments include APA, Harvard, and MLA.

These guidelines must be followed to effectively answer the simple question relating to how to write an assignment for the University and secure high grades.

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These tips really help me write my assignment far better than before, glad I found this article.

Thank you so much

That’s an awesome piece of assignment writing tips, Now I can easily write my assignment for my papers

Thank you David

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The 5 Best Assignment Help Websites for College Students

The popularity of professional assignment help websites has grown significantly during the pandemic times when most students had to make a complex shift and start with their online studies.

There were numerous challenges that had to be faced, including heavy workload issues, misunderstanding of the grading rubric, and academic pressure.

The majority of students approach online help as a way to avoid plagiarism and receive better grades as they share their concerns with trained experts.

Still, finding the best assignment help services can be quite challenging!

Check out a list of reliable assignment help offerings online aimed at college students!

The Best Assignment Help Websites for College Students

1. assignmentbro.

Company’s History. This friendly company belongs to relatively new offerings, yet they have already earned the hearts and minds of school and college students worldwide. They are reputable and always place the client’s needs first, as they are managed by a great team of university graduates who know what students are going through.

Reliability. A plethora of online reviews and the presence of direct contact with a writer makes them reliable. There are free revisions and refunds available as well. Moreover, there are excellent citation tools and writing tools for paraphrasing, a words-to-minutes converter, and a conclusion generator.

Quality of Assignments. Our Law assignment has been delivered on time, and the paper has been free of grammar or style mistakes. The formatting has been done properly, and the content itself has been done professionally with all citations in place.

Prices. As we looked for the best assignment services, we wanted to approach only the most affordable services where the quality still remains high. At AssignmentBro, they do not have a fixed price, which is a good thing because you can negotiate the final price. Our price depended on our subject, the qualification of the writer, and the deadline. It was affordable!

Reviews. Their Sitejabber page shows that they have 4.7 stars based on 53 reviews. People praise them for their affordability and their friendly attitude. The Trustpilot page has 4.4 stars based on 29 reviews. Their writers are always praised as well as their support team.

Customer Support. It deserves six stars out of five because they are the most caring and friendliest when it comes to getting your challenges fixed.

Why Choose It? A young company that is aimed at getting you understood as you ask for academic writing help. Affordable and high-quality writing with a plethora of helpful free tools.

2. A Research Guide

Company’s History. This great service has been around for more than 10 years now, yet they are rarely mentioned when the best assignment writing services are mentioned. The reason for that is that they are not your typical company because it is a great hub for all things research writing. They offer free materials, tutorials, and templates even before you place an order.

Reliability. They cooperate with numerous institutions and businesses as they offer innovative research paper writing assistance and explore all the latest and most efficient ways to deliver excellent research. They have won several awards in the field and represent a fully legit service.

Quality of Assignments. This is where they truly stand out, as their specialists will ask you all the possible questions before they match you with a specialist in their field. We have approached them for a Political Sciences research paper, and they have delivered an excellent paper with credible sources, formatting, and high-quality research.

Prices. The prices start at $14.99 per page and belong to more expensive writing solutions. Still, when you think about the direct communication and assistance that you receive, it’s totally worth it.

Online Reviews. This is where things get rather rough, as the number of reviews is extremely limited. Still, we could find out feedback from professional educators, online course creators, and dissertation-writing students who needed complex research. Their testimonials speak in favor of the company’s reputation.

Customer Support. The support agents represent experienced researchers who will happily guide you through the website and help you with anything. They are available 24/7.

Why Choose It? Look no further if you need serious research paper writing help and want to enjoy freebies that will help you to deliver a perfect assignment.

3. EduBirdie

Company’s History. The company is one of the most famous names in the industry. Their website states that they have been offering legit academic help since 2014. The company runs a blog and stands at the top of technical and academic innovations.

Reliability. They let you talk to your writer directly and provide free paper revisions. If you are not happy with the paper, they offer full refunds. The reviews online show that they are safe to use and follow their promises.

Quality of Assignments. Speaking of online assignment help websites, they offer timely delivery and focus on anything from essay writing and dissertations to personal statement writing and online exams. Placing an order with them, our experts received expert assistance, and the paper contained no grammar, style, or plagiarism issues.

Prices. The prices here start at $13.99 per page and remain affordable if we compare these services to similar offerings online. They implement a bidding system so your final price will depend on the writing quality chosen, the subject, the deadline, and the popularity of your subject.

Online Reviews. This company is constantly mentioned on Sitejabber, Trustpilot, and YouTube (they have their channel), and they are popular among social media users. They are rated at 4.7 out of 5 total points, which is a sign of reliability. Most of their clients are happy with the results.

Customer Support. They are trained well and respond immediately. We had a nice experience talking to the support agents. They are available 24/7 and offer human help with no bots.

Why Choose It? The positive reputation of the company and the chance to talk to your writer directly place them at the top of the most popular assignment help websites you can find these days. They are plagiarism-free and offer reliable quality at an affordable price.

4. SameDayPapers

Company’s History. The company has been around since 2017 and started out in Great Britain and Australia. Later on, they added affordable writing help services in the United States as well. They are the best choice if you are an ESL student or a learner looking for complex custom assignments that focus on Sociology, Psychology, History, or Engineering.

Reliability. They offer free paper revisions and also provide you with a free tool to check your grammar. Regarding the plagiarism, they also let you check things free of charge. Employing native English speakers, they are very strict about their writers and let you cooperate with verified specialists.

Quality of Assignments. Placing an order is easy and logical here, which clearly shows that we are dealing with the best website for assignment help. Checking the paper on Psychology, we can state that it has been delivered even earlier than our deadline. The paper was original, had excellent formatting, and the content has been up to the highest standards.

Prices. They represent an affordable and the best website to do assignments, with their prices starting at $12.99. If you are looking for reliable editing services, the prices will start at $5.5 per page.

Online Reviews. Researching this company’s background, we could locate over two hundred reviews. Most of them are positive and come from the United States, the UK, and Australian users. The total rating is 4.38/5 points.

Customer Support. It’s available for American users, and they respond right away by assisting you with anything from placing an order to finding a specialist that matches your needs.

Why Choose It? It’s one of the global companies that implement verified writers and can offer professional assistance. There are also UK and Australian branches, should you need specific help or sources.

5. EduZaurus

Company’s History. The story of this amazing sample essay database and academic writing company dates back to June 2015. Since then, they have collected a great resource for students coming from all disciplines. The company’s website claims that they have completed over 100,000 assignments as 2021 has started. They provide hundreds of skilled writers, yet what makes them unique is a great collection of free essay samples. It makes them one of the best choices when you need inspiration.

Reliability. Offering legit academic assistance, they can be safely marked as the best assignment writing help service for their collection of samples alone that showcases their work and provides a general idea of what can be expected. There are free revisions and refunds.

Quality of Assignments. Placing an order for the coursework paper in Journalism, we received an excellent document that has been formatted correctly and contained high originality. The grammar and style have been done well. The delivery has been set to only eight hours, yet the paper has been delivered on time.

Prices. Since there are many factors that affect the price per page (writer’s level, your deadline, task specifics), our price has started at $25 per page, yet the general pricing can vary between $20 and $50 if your order is urgent. The prices with a longer deadline start at $12.99 per page. Remember that you should always wait for the best bids to appear.

Online Reviews. Sitejabber users gave them 4.52 stars out of 5 based on 29 reviews. As for TrustPilot, they’ve earned 4.3 out of 5 stars based on 15 testimonials. Most people praise them for being legit and trustworthy.

Customer Support. They have an online chat feature, which is available 24/7. The support remains friendly even if you run into problems.

Why Choose It? This service is the best choice when it comes to finding free samples for inspiration, yet their writing assistance is also up to the highest standards. They cover a wide range of subjects and have a minimum deadline of 3 hours that actually works.

Where Can I Find Trustworthy Assignment Help?

You can find it online, as there are numerous offerings.

As a way to save time, we have tested and evaluated five of the best homework help websites that can be trusted.

Take your time to explore them and see which of them fits your academic needs first.

What is The Best Assignment Help Website You Can Recommend?

While the “best” is always subjective, you may safely check these five entries explored above.

Each of them is different and provides specific benefits in each case

A Research Guide service is the best choice for research paper writing, while EduZaurus will provide you with a great selection of free samples!

Is Assignment Help Described Legit?

Absolutely! Every assignment help website on our list has been tested in terms of being legit .

These services are acknowledged providers of academic help online and are absolutely safe to use, as many online reviews can confirm.

Sharing Your Instructions Well is Essential!

As you are looking through websites that do your homework online, remember that you should always start with careful preparation and sorting of your instructions.

These must be shared with a chosen specialist and have a clear description because it is the only way to achieve success and the necessary degree of clarity.

Although many services like EduBirdie or AssignmentBro let you talk to your writer directly, you must be precise with your instructions and share anything from the assignment grading rubric to the comments and recommendations from your college professor.

It will help you to get the best quality and save time as you avoid mistakes and explain what you expect to see as you place your assignment request.

Regardless if you require research paper writing services or seek an expert who can proofread your work and fix grammar mistakes, sharing your instructions should always come first!

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About the author.

CB Community

Passionate members of the College Basics community that include students, essay writers, consultants and beyond. Please note, while community content has passed our editorial guidelines, we do not endorse any product or service contained in these articles which may also include links for which College Basics is compensated.

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Academic Assignment Samples and Examples

Are you looking for someone to write your academic assignment for you? This is the right place for you. To showcase the quality of the work that can be expected from ResearchProspect, we have curated a few samples of academic assignments. These examples have been developed by professional writers here. Place your order with us now.

Assignment Sample

Discipline: Sociology

Quality: Approved / Passed

Discipline: Construction

Quality: 1st / 78%

Discipline: Accounting & Finance

Quality: 2:1 / 69%

Undergraduate

Discipline: Bio-Medical

Quality: 1st / 76%

Discipline: Statistics

Quality: 1st / 73%

Discipline: Health and Safety

Quality: 2:1 / 68%

Discipline: Business

Quality: 2:1 / 67%

Discipline: Medicine

Quality: 2:1 / 66%

Discipline: Religion Theology

Quality: 2:1 / 64%

Discipline: Project Management

Quality: 2:1 / 63%

Discipline: Website Development

Discipline: Fire and Construction

Discipline: Environmental Management

Discipline: Early Child Education

Quality: 1st / 72%

Analysis of a Business Environment: Coffee and Cake Ltd (CC Ltd)

Business Strategy

Application of Project Management Using the Agile Approach ….

Project Management

Assessment of British Airways Social Media Posts

Critical annotation, global business environment (reflective report assignment), global marketing strategies, incoterms, ex (exw), free (fob, fca), cost (cpt, cip), delivery …., it systems strategy – the case of oxford university, management and organisation in global environment, marketing plan for “b airlines”, prepare a portfolio review and remedial options and actions …., systematic identification, analysis, and assessment of risk …., the exploratory problem-solving play and growth mindset for …..

Childhood Development

The Marketing Plan- UK Sustainable Energy Limited

Law assignment.

Law Case Study

To Analyse User’s Perception towards the Services Provided by Their…

Assignment Samples

Research Methodology

Discipline: Civil Engineering

Discipline: Health & Manangement

Our Assignment Writing Service Features

Subject specialists.

We have writers specialising in their respective fields to ensure rigorous quality control.

We are reliable as we deliver all your work to you and do not use it in any future work.

We ensure that our work is 100% plagiarism free and authentic and all references are cited.

Thoroughly Researched

We perform thorough research to get accurate content for you with proper citations.

Excellent Customer Service

To resolve your issues and queries, we provide 24/7 customer service

Our prices are kept at a level that is affordable for everyone to ensure maximum help.

Loved by over 100,000 students

Thousands of students have used ResearchProspect academic support services to improve their grades. Why are you waiting?

"I am glad I gave my order to ResearchProspect after seeing their academic assignment sample. Really happy with the results. "

Law Student

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Frequently Ask Questions?

How can these samples help you.

The assignment writing samples we provide help you by showing you versions of the finished item. It’s like having a picture of the cake you’re aiming to make when following a recipe.

Assignments that you undertake are a key part of your academic life; they are the usual way of assessing your knowledge on the subject you’re studying.

There are various types of assignments: essays, annotated bibliographies, stand-alone literature reviews, reflective writing essays, etc. There will be a specific structure to follow for each of these. Before focusing on the structure, it is best to plan your assignment first. Your school will have its own guidelines and instructions, you should align with those. Start by selecting the essential aspects that need to be included in your assignment.

Based on what you understand from the assignment in question, evaluate the critical points that should be made. If the task is research-based, discuss your aims and objectives, research method, and results. For an argumentative essay, you need to construct arguments relevant to the thesis statement.

Your assignment should be constructed according to the outline’s different sections. This is where you might find our samples so helpful; inspect them to understand how to write your assignment.

Adding headings to sections can enhance the clarity of your assignment. They are like signposts telling the reader what’s coming next.

Where structure is concerned, our samples can be of benefit. The basic structure is of three parts: introduction, discussion, and conclusion. It is, however, advisable to follow the structural guidelines from your tutor.

For example, our master’s sample assignment includes lots of headings and sub-headings. Undergraduate assignments are shorter and present a statistical analysis only.

If you are still unsure about how to approach your assignment, we are here to help, and we really can help you. You can start by just asking us a question with no need to commit. Our writers are able to assist by guiding you through every step of your assignment.

Who will write my assignment?

We have a cherry-picked writing team. They’ve been thoroughly tested and checked out to verify their skills and credentials. You can be sure our writers have proved they can write for you.

What if I have an urgent assignment? Do your delivery days include the weekends?

No problem. Christmas, Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve – our only days off. We know you want weekend delivery, so this is what we do.

Explore More Samples

View our professional samples to be certain that we have the portofilio and capabilities to deliver what you need.

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Western Michigan baseball in NCAA tournament: Broncos to play Kentucky in opener

Western Michigan baseball has its assignment and will be hitting the road to begin its run in the NCAA tournament.

The pairings for the 64-team tournament were announced Monday and the Broncos, who won the Mid-American Conference tournament over the weekend in Avon, Ohio, were an automatic qualifier. Their reward: A trip to Lexington, Kentucky, to take on the regional host and No. 2 overall seed Kentucky. The other two teams in the regional are Illinois and Indiana State.

The Broncos and Wildcats will open regional play at Kentucky's home field at noon Friday on the SEC Network. The Sycamores and Fighting Illini will play at 7 p.m. Friday.

WMU was the No. 2 seed in the MAC tournament and took down No. 3-seeded Ball State, 10-3, on Saturday night for the Broncos' second conference tournament crown. The 32nd win of the season is the most for WMU since winning 35 in 1993. The MAC tournament MVP was outfielder Dylan Nevar, who went 6-for-13 with five RBIs and four runs scored.

The Broncos were the best hitting (.316 batting average) and pitching (5.50 ERA) team in the MAC this season. Cade Sullivan (.397) and C.J. Richmond (.384) finished 1-2 in hitting in the MAC and Nevar was tops in RBIs (68).

Each of the 16 regionals will be four-team, double-elimination tournaments to advance to the Super Regionals, for which the pairings will be announced on June 4.

This year marks the first time the Broncos have made the NCAA tournament since 2016, when they also won the MAC tournament title. That year, they were in the Louisville, Kentucky, regional, and went 0-2.