Assignment writing skills

Introduction

Whilst studying at college you will probably be required to produce written assignments in order to complete units of work and progress on your course. This page will help you understand the difference between essays and reports and, most importantly, provide you with a basic structure to follow for each.

Remember, if you need support or want clarification that what you are doing is correct, then come and see your local LRC team.

Assignment writing self assessment

Let's start by seeing what you hope to gain from this page and look at how confident you feel about this skill:

Writing an essay

Typically an essay requires you to answer a question, or provide information on an essay title, around a subject or topic you are studying. The aim is to provide your answer via a series of main points described in topic sentences. These should be backed up by information found from other resources on the subject.

Your starting point should always be about understanding the question or title you have been set. If you are writing an essay look closely at the title, can you:

- Understand each word

- Identify the command words

- Plan how you will respond to each element of the title or question

- Clearly understand the limitations or scope of the essay

If you can do this then you are ready to think about how your essay should be laid out. If you are unsure on any of these points please speak to your sites LRC librarian before moving on.

Here is a simple example of an essay structure

The introduction should identify the subject as mentioned in the title, highlight any major points you will be making and clearly signpost the argument or perspective the essay will make.

Each section should cover a point, or points, that link together logically. Jumping from topic to topic will unbalance your essay and make it difficult to follow.

Paragraphs within each section should relate to one point. They should start with a 'topic' sentence supported by a selection of 'development' sentences where the topic is described.

The conclusion should summarise the key points of the essay and provide a slimmed down version of the central argument or perspective. It could also indicate any areas of further study to be looked at in future work.

Remember if you need more help with structuring or writing your essay please speak to your LRC team. They will be able to provide more advice about this and a great many other study skills. Alternatively they will be able to put you in contact with your subject librarian who can help provide comprehensive academic and research support.

Writing a report

When writing a report you should aim to present specific information and evidence in relation to a particular issue or problem. This information should be presented in a clear format and structure, you should make use of sections and headings, this will make your information easy to find and follow.

Your starting point should always be about understanding the issue being reported on:

- What is the issue or problem that is being reported on

- How will this problem or issue be looked into

- Are you able to talk about the findings you have looked into

- Are there any improvements that you could recommend

If you can do this then you are ready to think about how your report should be structured. If you are unsure on any of these points please speak to your sites LRC librarian before moving on.

Here is a simple example of a report structure

Remember, if you need more help with structuring or writing a report please speak to your LRC team. The Study Support Officers will be able to provide more advice about this and a great many other study skills. Alternatively they can also put you in contact with your librarian who can provide advanced academic support.

Assignment writing final self assessment

Finally, let's look at what you have taken away from this page and how confident you feel about assignment writing now:

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