How to Write Assignments

Academic Writing

(Assignment, Coursework, Dissertation)

A good structure for your assignment would be as follows:

Title Page - showing the title of the report, the author, the person for whom the report is prepared, and the date of completion.

Summary/Synopsis/Executive Summary (approx. 10% of word count) - this will identify:

* The purpose of the report

* The scope of the report - issues covered/not covered

* The important results and findings

* The conclusions and recommendations

* Acknowledgement of any assistance in researching and compiling the report

Table of Contents - not including the title and contents page!

Body of Report - this will include:

* Introduction - what is the report about?

* Discussion - divided into sections and sub sections, presented clearly and confined to fact rather than analysis/opinion

Conclusion - this should:

* Relate back to the findings in the body of the report

* Include a clear summary of the main points

* Outline the findings of the research

Note: There should be nothing in the conclusion of any report or assignment that has not already been mentioned in the body of the document.

Recommendations - these should:

* Emerge from the conclusions

* Suggest what is to be done, who is to do it and how/when it is to be done

* Be justified based on findings, not just the opinion of the writer

Bibliography

Appendix/Appendices - containing supplementary material too detailed for the main body of the report, such as tables, charts, statistics, questionnaires etc.

Tips for Academic Writing

Assignment writing can be very hard at the best of times. An assignment gives you an opportunity to research and learn more about a particular topic and also helps out those who get “exam stress memory blanks”.

Here are some tips that you might find useful in writing assignments:

* Always attach an assignment cover sheet. If there is not a signed and dated assignment cover sheet attached to your work it will not...