Assignment Writing Manco

WRITING THE ASSIGNMENT

Some General Points

Having obtained the information required, the assignment now has to be written. This requires care*, for it is often the case that students who have worked conscientiously to amass material, fail to write a convincing essay or report or to produce a cogent argument. While other methods exist to those outlined below, the pattern given is widely used and should generally yield reasonable results.

Five Principles when writing assignments Tie the writing task to specific pedagogical goals. Note rhetorical aspects of the task, i.e., audience, purpose, writing situation. Make all elements of the task clear. Include grading criteria on the assignment sheet. Break down the task into manageable steps.

GENERAL GUIDELINES

MANCOSA 13

The Assignment Plan

Before writing your assignment, it is essential to draw up a plan of what you are going to discuss. (See later in this handout). Too often masses of facts are thrown into an essay and have neither cohesion nor reason in their arrangement. A logical arrangement of facts and ideas* is essential if a piece of writing is to be readily understood.

Examination of most published papers (in academic journals) will show that in broad outline they usually (but not always!) have three main parts, viz., an introduction, the main discussion or central argument and the summary or conclusion(s). Other approaches are however sometimes also used. For example a research report may have a section on „methods used‟ and „results‟ between the introduction and the discussion.

(a) The Introduction

This is relatively brief an serves to orientate the reader*, often giving a general statement of the problem followed by a brief review of the contents to follow. (It is sometimes useful to leave writing the introduction until the main body of the assignment is written in draft form.)

(b) The Main Body of the Assignment

It is at this point that one presents the relevant facts* opinions and arguments and...