In general, writing an assignment requires you to consider a particular issue in the light of the academic evidence and, where appropriate, your own professional experience. There is no standard format for this task and assignments may vary enormously; many areas may have been extensively researched, others little; some issues may be greatly influenced by the existence of theoretical models, others not; and the assignment might incorporate a small-scale empirical study of your own, or you may wish only to review existing work and ideas. However, despite such variety, there are a number of general considerations that you should bear in mind and these are listed below.
Please read these guidelines carefully before you begin to think about your assignment. The assessment of your assignment will certainly entail judgements of adequacy on the following criteria.
• You should aim to produce a well-organised structure for the assignment which identifies the major issues in a clearly shown line of argument or conceptual framework.
Take the following points into account in order to achieve this aim:
1. Make sure that the title and the content of the assignment are congruent. (A not uncommon error is to write what may be quite a good essay in itself, but on a theme not directly indicated by the title.)
2. State the issue/s with which you are concerned at the very beginning of the assignment in a brief introductory section; this section should also include a statement of the ways in which you intend to approach the issue - such a statement both allows you to plan the writing and indicates to your readers that you have a clear structure.
3. Follow this structure in the body of the essay, signalling clearly the various sections with section headings. The order of your sections should be determined by the line of argument you wish to follow; for example, you may review perspectives that you consider less important before those that you judge to be more important. Short summaries at the end of the key sections can be a valuable way of clarifying your structure.
4. Take care with the balance of your ideas; identify key issues and make sure you give them the attention they need. Do not give so much space to early issues that you have no space left for later ones. It is important to adhere to the required word length.
5. In conclusion, return explicitly to your introductory section and summarise the outcomes of your deliberations. You should indicate any uncertainties in the area of study, and, where appropriate, make suggestions for future research.
• You should aim to make critical use of a wide range of relevant sources to develop your argument.
Take the following points into account in order to achieve this aim:
1. Try to present a good range of sources (mainly books and journal articles) rather than relying heavily on one or two. All material should also be properly referenced. The School of Education accepts ‘author-date’ systems of referencing. These include Harvard, APA and Chicago. Detailed guidance can be found in the School of Education Referencing Guide which is available on MOLE.
2. Present a critical appraisal of the literature; do not simply accept authors’ opinions, especially when they are not supported by evidence.
3. Literature can be reviewed in different ways; sometimes a succinct summary is appropriate; sometimes a particular piece of work that is relevant to your argument deserves reporting in greater detail.
4. Use the literature to develop and give coherence to your own argument. Keep in mind the need to support your ideas with evidence wherever possible. You are, of course, entitled to your own views, but it is especially important in academic writing to be aware that unsupported opinions may be seen as prejudice.
5. Use direct quotations only when they make a point strongly; too many quotations can interfere with the flow of an assignment and their use is unnecessary when you can summarise what they say.
Be sure to correctly reference (see below for further guidance) all that you read and quote from. The use of ‘unfair means’ or plagiarism is taken very seriously. Please see the School of Education Postgraduate Taught Student Handbook for further information.
• You should aim to produce a critical analysis of the issues addressed in your assignment, weighing the evidence for and against different interpretations.
Take the following points into account in order to achieve this aim:
1. Examine critically the theoretical and conceptual issues raised by the subject matter of the assignment.
2. Present alternative interpretations and points of view clearly and explicitly.
3. Critically examine the evidence for the points of view you describe, with special reference to research findings.
4. Show an awareness of the limitations of interpretations in terms of the evidence for them, their scope, and their tentative nature.
5. An overall evaluation of the conclusions that can and cannot be drawn in relation to your issues is a necessary part of your assignment.
• Where appropriate, you should aim to show clearly the professional relevance of the issues addressed in the assignment.
In order to do this:
1. Draw upon your own personal and professional experience (but beware of becoming anecdotal).
2. Make links between theory and practice, considering how research can lead to changes in your own professional practice or to curriculum development and pedagogy.
3. Where appropriate, make use of case studies to illustrate good (or poor) practice in some detail.
4. Remember that views about professional practices must be as carefully and critically evaluated as research findings!
• You should aim at a high standard of presentation.
This includes:
1. Clarity of expression and a readable, fluent style.
2. Good organisation.
3. Appropriate referencing (see the School of Education Referencing Guide on MOLE).
4. Writing to the prescribed number of words. Assignments which are over 10% longer or shorter than the required word length will be penalised and may be given a fail grade. Unless you are specifically told otherwise, your word count should include footnotes, but exclude title, abstract, bibliography and appendices.
5. Careful checking of your writing to avoid spelling, grammatical, typographical and other errors. NB: Spelling and grammar checkers on computers are very useful - but are no substitute for careful proofreading.
6. Following the required layout for assignments
Please also see Section Four for further information relating to the presentation of your assignment.
• You must submit on or before the deadline to avoid a mark penalty. An extension to the deadline may be granted in exceptional circumstances (see The School of Education Postgraduate Taught Student Handbook for further information).
Please also see Section Four for further information relating to the submission of your assignment.