Skills for Success / Academic Skills / The Basic Steps in Doing an Assignment
It is very important to ensure that you understand what your tutor wants you to do. Students often lose marks because they misunderstand the question and don't do what the tutor wanted them to do.
Here is a checklist of points you should consider when you get a new assignment.
Words that you often find in academic assignments, such as "Discuss" and "Analyse" have quite specific meanings (they don't all mean "Write about...").
Have a look at this Glossary of Question Words to see what they mean exactly.
You can see an example of how to approach an essay-type question in our video Essay Writing and Planning.
These can include things like line spacing, word count, references, Harvard style etc. But, also look out for any other requirements, for example how many references, what type of sources to use, and many other possibilities.
You should have a clear idea of what your objectives are - what exactly you will need to do.
Don't underestimate how much time things might take.
Find out all about time management in our Mini-module: Time Management