You can save yourself a lot of effort if you spend some time reading and analysing the brief, rather than grasping the general subject area and then heading off to Google to begin your research. If you do begin with unfocused reading and note-taking, the risk is that you will write down information without having a clear idea of what to look for, and will end up with pages of unusable and irrelevant notes which make the essay even harder to write!
Writing an academic essay is a process - it needs a bit of planning. The Assignment Calculator breaks this process down into 5 steps: planning, researching, organising, drafting and reviewing.
An assignment brief for an essay usually includes:
It's important to pay attention to all of these throughout the essay writing process, but especially at the start (and the end!).
The Question or Task
Assignments are sometimes presented as questions, other times as more detailed and extensive briefs (depending on the subject). The first thing to do with the question or brief is to read it carefully, then read it again. 2-3 page briefs may seem daunting but the only reason that they are written is to give you a clear idea of what is required. It can help to look back at lecture notes to remind yourself of key course content, topics and ideas. Important instructions are often given by verbs: ‘Demonstrate an awareness of…’ ‘Frame your discussion…’ 'Consider the inter-relationship of…’ If you don’t read (and keep re-reading) the brief while working on the essay, the risk is that your work will not address the tasks laid out in the brief and you will lose marks. Below are some examples of different briefs.
Subject
Pay attention to key words, concepts and terms used in the brief or question
You must identify any key concepts or subjects which the question is asking you to consider. In the question about haute couture (given as an example above), you may have to consider how haute couture can be defined. In the second example the terms ‘sensationalism’ and ‘melodrama’ may require close examination (not to mention ‘madness’, ‘hysteria’ etc.). These words imply the subject content of your essay and will be invaluable in starting your research, i.e. searching the Library and databases for information and sources to read. They are what your essay should be about.
Task/ Instruction
Pay attention to the instruction or task words
Be aware of the different tasks that the question or instructions imply. These words imply a process or way of approaching the essay- they tell you what your essay should do.
Changing these verbs to their noun forms can pivot an essay question to an essay title. For example, 'analyse x' can become 'an analysis of x' (and vice-versa).
Scope
Pay attention to the limiting or constraining words
Look for time periods, geographical area, specific groups or individuals, number of cases or examples, etc. This helps you focus your essay on an area or aspect of what otherwise might become too broad a topic.
Familiarising yourself with the Learning Outcomes means that you can better align your effort. They often give you great starting points too.
Learning objectives and outcomes
A learning objective usually refers to the development of a particular academic skill. For example: ‘Develop an understanding of how fundamental economic and social issues affect design’. A learning outcome is a more concrete task that you are expected to perform in producing the essay: ‘To draw on relevant theoretical frameworks’ or ‘Develop independent self-management skills and meet deadlines’. The distinction is a subtle one, but the best way to think of it is that an outcome is a task you need to perform; an objective is a skill you need to develop.
Read the assessment criteria
Assessment critieria usually describe what is expected for each grade level. Reading through the criteria for a high grade gives you an idea of how you can achieve one. Look for what you need to demonstrate and what you need to apply.
Critical approach/understanding/perspective
These phrases are often used in assessment criteria and by tutors to describe a particular academic skill - critical thinking. This means being able to compare different positions on a particular subject. It means not judging a statement on its own terms but looking at different critics’ and theorists’ interpretations of a phenomenon or piece of work; in the same way, you should not present quotations as sacred statements but as specific perspectives on a particular subject. To have a critical perspective requires range and depth of reading.
The brief might include recommended resources - if these have been included, make sure to use them as a starting point!
If not included in the brief, it is still recommended to look for the course or module resource list. You can search the Library's Online Resource Lists using your module code.
These resource lists are carefully put together by your course tutors - with an expectation that you will use them as a starting point.
Check for the submission details:
Knowing this helps you estimate, plan and manage your time and effort.
A word about word count...
It is very common for an assignment brief to require that you devise your own essay question or title within the requirements of the brief. You can use the following components to help you devise your own question or title:
Subject + Task + Scope
It's more than okay to have a 'working question'.
A working question is a provisional question that you create before you start deep reading. It's called 'working' because it guides your reading and note-taking right now. It's not final - you can refine or change it as you learn more.
Think of it as your research compass - not the destination, but the tool that keeps you heading in a particular direction (hopefully the right one!).
