Do each assessment one stage at a time. These stages will depend on the assessment type - each has its own pattern - but most follow four rough stages.
| 1. Understand the question |
To avoid wasting time and effort on tangents, be clear about exactly what you have to do. Generally, look for the task (e.g. "analyse", "discuss", "compare"), the topic (what you "analyse", what you "compare"), and the focus (what aspect you concentrate on). If there's more than one task, take them one at a time in order. Everything else is then detail and guidance. If the instructions look hopelessly long and complicated, use that - find the main task, understand it, then use it to make simpler sense of everything else. Also use the rubric to be clear what the marks depend on, and how to distribute your time/effort/word count. The instructions' and rubric's key words will also be useful in searching for sources and writing the draft. |
| 2. Gather your resources |
This can mean your own resources: brainstorm the knowledge, experience, opinions and questions you already have. It can also mean others' resources: know how to use the library catalogue and databases, together with Google Scholar and primary sources. Most assignments require both: critically read the material that's out there as a way to develop your own understanding. Even in purely short-answer or calculation work, seeing others' approaches can help you approach it yourself. This is often the most time-consuming stage. |
| 3. Plan and do |
For an essay or case study, plan what each section and paragraph will do (including thesis statement, topic sentences, and references). If the question has several parts, answer them one at a time, starting a new paragraph for each section. For a report, answer each section's mini-task in a few sentences, ready to expand into full paragraphs. For annotated bibliographies, briefly summarise and comment on each source. Short answer assessments are, of course, just done one part at a time. Whichever approach you use, you can then expand and fill in your plan into a first draft. Keep the instructions and rubric beside you as you work, to keep yourself on track. Depending on your time and energy, you can do this stage gradually or all in one go. |
| 4. Finalise |
A good habit is to leave your draft for 48 hours and go do something else before coming back to it. That helps you see it the way someone else would, and pick up anything unclear or irrelevant. Print it out, read it aloud, and ask the important questions: How fully does it answer the question, How logically does it hold together, Does the reader see everything clearly and precisely, and Does it connect properly to the evidence? You might have thought of new things worth saying, so think about whether (and how) to build them in. This includes checking any references (some students prefer to reference as they go; some prefer to mark the place then fill in the references later). Use the library guides to help with this. For written assessments, also use Turnitin to make sure you aren't accidentally plagiarising. You can also ask others for feedback, including classmates, Learning Support and Studiosity, but this is your work and your responsibility: you make the final judgement about any suggestions. |