Written assignments

Many of the assessments you are required to complete as part of the coursework for your modules are written assignments.  These may be essays, research reports, book reviews or more reflective pieces of writing such as learning journals or blogs.  The following notes might be of help in preparing written assignments and also when revising for examinations as most examination papers require you to write long answers in ’essay-style’ format.  These notes provide some general advice on writing essays, and your Module Coordinators will provide additional advice for other types of written assessments.

Handling written assignments

At the outset you should establish the amount of time needed to complete the essay for the deadline date and work backwards to give an appropriate start date or time. You should begin your essay as early as possible to ensure that you can give enough time to the task of essay writing.  Here are some tips on handling written assignments:

  1. Examine the task.
    • Make sure that you know how long the essay has to be.
    • Look for keywords in the question as these will help you to understand what you are being asked to do.
    • Decide on the limits of the topic.
  1. Collect the material you need.
    • Start early, thinking carefully about the topic and the approach you are going to take to it.
    • Use a variety of sources, starting with the ones that have been recommended, if any.
    • When reading material, always make sure that you have the essay title in front of you and a list of questions you want to answer.
    • Carefully record the sources you use as you must reference them all, and you may want to go back to the original material at a later date.
  1. Plan the outline and write a first draft.
    • Introduction – this first paragraph is often the most difficult to write, but you can always rewrite it later if necessary.  You should introduce the topic, perhaps giving some explanation of what you understand by the title, and establish the main point that you are going to develop.
    • Development – develop your ideas or argument as fully as you can, usually one main point per paragraph.  You will need to explain and justify the points that you make, supporting them with evidence such as examples and diagrams.  Continually prove your point of view throughout the essay; don’t drift or leave the primary focus of the essay; don’t lapse into summary – that should come in the conclusion.
    • Conclusion – summarise your main points and, if asked, give your view or position; draw more general conclusion if appropriate; refer back to the essay title and, if it asks a specific question, make sure that you have answered it.  Read your first paragraph and the development.
    • Edit/rewrite the first paragraph if necessary.
    • References and Bibliography – do not plagiarise, you must give references for both direct quotations and paraphrases of others' ideas.  All referenced works must also appear in the bibliography.
  1. Take a day or two off!
  1. Re-read your written work with a fresh mind and be prepared to challenge yourself and your ideas. You might like to bear the following questions in mind.
    • Does this piece of writing answer the question set?
    • Is the content accurate and relevant?
    • Have you covered all the main aspects in sufficient depth?
    • Is each main point well supported by examples and argument?
    • Is the material arranged logically?
    • Is there a clear distinction between your ideas and other people’s ideas?
    • Have you acknowledged all sources and references?
    • Can your ideas be expressed more succinctly?
    • Is the piece of work the right length?
    • Is it clearly written and well laid out?
    • Is the grammar, punctuation and spelling correct?
  1. Edit, correct and re-write as necessary.
  1. Submit the coursework.
  1. Congratulate yourself on a job well done!

Keywords in essay titles

This section lists keywords in essay titles and explains what they mean. It was modified and adapted from the University of St Thomas' ISS-Learning Center.

Analyse

Examine the detailed constituents of.

Compare

Examine qualities or characteristics to discover resemblances.  'Compare' is usually stated as 'compare with'; you are to emphasise similarities, although differences may be mentioned.

Contrast

Stress dissimilarities, differences, or unlikeness of things, qualities, events or problems.

Criticise

Express your judgement of correctness or merit.  Discuss the limitations and good points or contributions of the plan or work in question.

Define

Definitions call for concise, clear, authoritative meanings.  Details are not required but limitations of the definition should be briefly cited.  You must keep in mind the class to which a thing belongs and whatever differentiates the particular object from all others.

Describe

In a descriptive answer, you should recount, characterise, sketch or relate in narrative form.

Discuss

The term discuss, which appears often in essay questions, directs you to examine, analyse carefully, and present considerations pro and con regarding the problems or items involved.  This type of question calls for a complete and detailed answer.

Evaluate

In an evaluation question you are expected to present a careful appraisal of the problem stressing both advantages and limitations.  Evaluation implies authoritative and, to a lesser degree, personal appraisal of both contributions and limitations.

Explain

In explanatory answers it is imperative that you clarify, elucidate, and interpret the material you present.  In such an answer it is best to state the ‘how’ or ‘why’, reconcile any differences in opinion or experimental results, and, where possible, state causes.  The aim is to make plain the conditions that give rise to whatever you are examining.

Illustrate

A question that asks you to illustrate usually requires you to explain or clarify your answer to the problem by presenting a figure, picture, diagram, or concrete example.

Interpret

An interpretation question is similar to one requiring explanation.  You are expected to translate, exemplify, solve, or comment upon the subject and usually to give your judgement or reaction to the problem.

Justify

When you are instructed to justify your answer you must prove or show grounds for decisions.  In such an answer, evidence should be presented.

Outline

An outline answer is organised description.  You should give main points and essential supplementary materials, omitting minor details, and present the information in a systematic arrangement or classification.

Prove

A question that requires proof is one which demands confirmation or verification.  In such discussions you should establish something with certainty by evaluating and citing experimental evidence or by logical reasoning.

Relate

In a question that asks you to show the relationship or to relate, your answer should emphasise connections and associations in descriptive form.

Review

A review specifies a critical examination.  You should analyse and comment briefly in organised sequence upon the major points of the problem.

State

In questions that direct you to specify, give, state, or present you are called upon to express the high points in brief, clear narrative form.  Details and, usually, illustrations or examples, may be omitted.

Summarise

When you are asked to summarise, you should give in condensed form the main points or facts.  All details, illustrations and elaboration are to be omitted.

Trace

When a question asks you to trace a course of events, you are to give a description of progress, historical sequence, or development from the point of origin.  Such narratives may call for probing or for deduction.

Content of an essay

Unless otherwise stated, essays and reports require a full answer in appropriate academic English.  Although not essential, the use of headings and sub-headings is often helpful in structuring an answer, and you should be encouraged to use these where appropriate.  In any event, separate paragraphs should be employed for the discussion of each new point.

Assessments are usually set in such a way that they cannot be satisfactorily answered by paraphrasing standard textbooks or papers.  Attempts to treat your written work as a paraphrasing exercise will attract minimal marks and run the risk of penalties for academic misconduct.  Your written work invariably requires a certain amount of reading, both of recommended references and consideration of lectures and class discussions. While references to the literature are expected, you should develop properly argued answers in your own words rather than present a mere patchwork of other people's thoughts, interpretations or words. This is the only way to understand a subject fully, and demonstrate to tutors that you have a grasp of the subject.

All references and sources used in your work must be cited wherever appropriate. Failure to comply with these directions means that you run the risk of penalties for academic misconduct, specifically plagiarism. When you consciously refer to, or legitimately borrow an idea from an author's work, you must always acknowledge this.   The most convenient way of including the acknowledgement is by writing, for example: 'Ansoff (1984; p73) suggests that', or, 'these four components together form the common thread concept of strategy (Ansoff 1984).'

Direct quotations must be placed in quotation marks followed by a clear indication of the source and relevant page number.  In general, it is better to use direct quotations only if you have a good reason to do so.  Most of your written work should be in your own words, meaning that if you are borrowing an idea from an author's work, you should paraphrase the idea in your own words and cite the author and source accurately. 

All references cited should be listed in full in alphabetical order at the end of your work by the author's surname. See more in the referencing guide.