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Topic outline

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  • Unit forum

  • Time: 15 hours
    Level: Introductory

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  Topic 1

  Introduction

  • Introduction Page
  • Most academic courses will require you to write assignments or reports, and this unit is designed to help you to develop the skills you need to write effectively for academic purposes. It contains clear...
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  Topic 2

  1 Good practice in writing

  • 1 Good practice in writing Page
  • This unit is a general guide and will introduce you to the principles of good practice that can be applied to all writing. If you work on developing these, you will have strong basic (or ‘core’) skills...
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  Topic 3

  2 Identifying key concerns

  • 2.1 Your feelings about writing Page
  • Think for a moment about your reasons for studying this unit. Is it perhaps because you don't understand what is expected of you in your assignments, or that you aren't clear about how to improve? What...
  • 2.2 Developing writing styles Page
  • If any of the statements on the previous page rings true, let us reassure you: many other students are feeling the same as you. Writing skills can be learned. We want to emphasise straightaway that this...
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  Topic 4

  3 The purpose of writing

  • 3 The purpose of writing Page
  • Let's take a step back and think about why you are writing assignments. As with most tasks, if you have an understanding of why you are doing something and how it fits into the bigger picture, it is easier...
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  Topic 5

  4 Understanding the task

  • 4.1 Writing requirements Page
  • Being a successful writer in one area doesn't always make it easy to know what is required in another. Here are some general questions that you can ask to help define the requirements for particular pieces...
  • 4.2 Reports Page
  • Let's look at reports first.
  • 4.3 Essays Page
  • Now let's turn to essays.
  • 4.4 Stages in assignment writing Page
  • Note down in your Learning Journal what you think the stages are that you have to go through in producing an assignment, from beginning to end.
  • 4.5 A different perspective Page
  • If we present the list in a different way (Figure 1), you can also see that this process is not linear. It is not simply a case of beginning with an analysis of the assignment and ending with a consideration...
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  Topic 6

  5 Preparation

  • 5.1 Estimating the time for the task Page
  • First you need to know how much time you have available for your assignment. The pacing of your studies comes outside the scope of this unit, but it can be very de-motivating when you no longer feel in...
  • 5.2 The question Page
  • At what stage do you look at the title of your next assignment?
  • 5.3 Researching Page
  • ‘Research’ may sound rather a grand word for what you feel you do at this point of preparation for your assignment. Don't worry: essentially all it involves is finding out more about the topic in hand....
  • 5.4 Identifying sources Page
  • So what material do you have available to you?
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  Topic 7

  6 Planning

  • 6.1 Why plan a piece of writing? Page
  • Planning is about creating a framework that will help you to make choices about what needs to be included in your assignment and what doesn't. Some people feel they don't need to plan: starting to write...
  • 6.2 Turning the spotlight on your work Page
  • Having established some general principles, try now to subject your own work to the same scrutiny.
  • 6.3 Planning stages Page
  • Having discussed the reasons to plan writing and the impact planning may have, now we need to look at planning itself and its two stages.
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  Topic 8

  7 Drafting

  • 7.1 Translating your plan Page
  • You have now reached the stage when it is time to translate your plan, whatever its form, into the assignment itself. It is likely that this will be a first attempt at the exercise – a first draft. You...
  • 7.2 Drafting reports Page
  • As you may remember from Activity 3, the three general principles of a report (whether it is of a social sciences investigation or a scientific experiment) are:
  • 7.3 Drafting essays Page
  • As you may remember from Activity 4, the main elements of an essay are:
  • 7.4 Writing the first draft Page
  • Now that you are beginning to draft, keep the assignment's title in front of you. Refer back to it regularly in ordering your material. Are you doing what you are asked to do, or are you writing about...
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  Topic 9

  8 Polishing

  • 8.1 Why polish? Page
  • Once you have reached this stage, you have nearly finished.
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  Topic 10

  9 Letting go

  • 9 Letting go Page
  • This is the point where you have to make the decision that the assignment is complete and ready to be sent off. It is not always an easy decision to make. Perhaps you feel that there is always room for...
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  Topic 11

  10 Reflecting on tutor feedback

  • 10 Reflecting on tutor feedback Page
  • When you have taken the assignment as far as you can, you will benefit more from the feedback from your tutor than you will from further polishing.
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  Topic 12

  11 Conclusion

  • 11 Conclusion Page
  • Just as we have advised earlier, we are not going to introduce any new ideas in this concluding section. We are using it to reinforce what we think our main points are.
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  Topic 13

  12 Further reading and sources of help

  • 12 Further reading and sources of help Page
  • Your tutor is the first person you should contact if you are encountering difficulties with any aspect of your studies. If there are any issues raised in this unit that you would like to discuss, you should...
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  Topic 14

  Appendix 1 Action Plan

  • Appendix 1 Action Plan Page
  • In writing my assignments, I think I do the following things well:
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  Topic 15

  References and Acknowledgements

  • Acknowledgements Page