One of the biggest mistakes students can make is rushing into a task before they understand it or make a basic plan. This page covers understanding assignments and basic planning techniques. These skills will save you time and stress in the long run. Let’s start!
Start by watching this video:
Self evaluation
Before you begin working on the materials on this page, please reflect on your ability to do this.
Identifying the assignment type
The first thing you should do is determine what kind of task it is. Each assignment type has its own structure, expectations, and purpose. Most of the time, it will be clear from the assignment sheet or rubric, and sometimes, an assignment may include elements of multiple types.
Assignment types
Becoming familiar with the common assignment types will make it easier to plan your work, writing style, and overall approach. Let’s practice this here.
Analysing the task prompt
Once you know the assignment type, you should analyse the prompt or question in a focused way. Start by looking for three types of words in the prompt: task, content, and scope.
Prompts have been carefully written, and they deserve close attention. Overlooking even small parts can result in writing that does not fulfill the requirements.
Task, content and scope words
- Task words: These are verbs that tell you what the task is asking you to do, and they guide the type of response required. "Discuss" requires you to explore a topic by presenting multiple perspectives and considering each side.
- Content words: These indicate the paper’s subject or focus. They tell you what you need to write about. In this case, you should focus on how social media affects students' studies, both positively and negatively.
- Scope words: These narrow the boundaries of the work, keeping you focussed on certain time frames, locations, or groups of people. In this case, you should narrow your discussion to the university student demographic.
Ensure you understand exactly what each part of the prompt asks you. If you’re ever in doubt, ask your lecturer or tutor. They’re there to help!
Let’s practice our understanding of this with a quick activity.
Understanding task words
Pay close attention to the task words in a prompt. They can have subtle differences in meaning, and it is helpful to learn them.
"Discuss”, for example, requires you to explore atopic by presenting multiple perspectives and considering each side. “Analysis” asks you to break down the topic into its components and explore their interrelationships.
Different types of task words
Task words also differ in the cognitive demand required to perform the action. It’s quite easy to define or describe something but much more challenging to critique or propose it. Become familiar with the common task words and their differing meanings.
After reading over the list, complete this short practice activity.
Now that you have a better understanding of the differences in meaning between task words, see if you can identify elements of them in some sample texts below. Consider how well each of these texts addresses the prompt.
Rubrics
Consulting the marking rubric is helpful because it can help shape your work. Rubrics may seem overwhelming, but they are useful because they show what is valuable to the marker and give clues about how your work could be organised.
Analysing rubrics
Let’s have a look at a sample rubric here.
Over to you
In conclusion, taking the time to understand a task before starting work on it is a vital part of the process and an investment in your future success.
Need further help?
At the beginning of a task, you may find the following tools useful:
If you need more help, feel free to explore these options:
Before you go, revisit the self-analysis quiz at the top of the page. How would you rate your understanding of academic integrity and misconduct now?
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Did you know CDU Language and Learning Advisors offer a range of study support options?
https://www.cdu.edu.au/library/language-and-learning-support
