Before you begin to write your assignment, make sure you understand:
Once you have a clear understanding of both the topic and the requirements for writing the assignment, you can begin to put pen to paper.
Make sure you have set enough time aside to write the first draft without too many interruptions. It is important that the thoughts and ideas flow freely through the length of your work. If you can't set aside time to write the whole document, try to set time aside to write complete sections.
Once your have written your assignment, set it aside for a couple of days. Then go back to it and proofread it. There will be more about this later.
These videos from Dr Jane McKay of the School of Health and Life Sciences Learning Development Centre will help you get started.
Watch this video from Dr Jane McKay of the School of Health and Life Sciences Learning Development Centre. It will help get you started.
Your lecturers want to hear your voice, not someone else's, so use your own ideas and words. You will need to back your ideas up with evidence from else where, but have confidence in your own expression of your ideas.
Follow the assignment instructions on whether you should be using an ‘active' or ‘passive' voice. Bear in mind that plain english guidelines recommend using the active voice whenever possible.
The active voice allows you to write short, punchy sentences. The passive appears more formal and considered and may be more suitable for academic writing. Avoid mixing the two voices.
After you have completed your assignment you should check your work and revise it as necessary. Always set more time aside for this than you think you are going to need. It is an important stage and should not be rushed. You will need to read through the assignment to double check that you have:
If you do need to make changes, be methodical and ensure that you do all of them. Again re-read your assignment and check that the changes you have made have not affected the tone and style of your work.
Top tip: When you get your assignment back from your lecturer, look carefully at the feedback they have given you, not just the mark.
The feedback will help you improve not only your knowledge of the subject, but also how to enhance your written communication skills. Has your lecturer indicated what you did well and what you could do differently? If yes, then reflect on these and try to incorporate them into your next assignment so that you do even better next time.
This is the end of our section on writing your assignment.