Study Support: Academic Writing

Paragraphs help to structure your argument and help to divide your assignment into sections which make it easier to read.  They are usually structured as explained below:

First sentence- introduces the topic or the next stage in your argument

Following sentences- provides more information about the subject and includes evidence and examples to support your arguments

Last sentence-summarises the information and provides a link to the next paragraph

Students sometimes find it difficult to know where to start when they are writing an assignment.  The following tips may help you to begin writing your first draft:

• Create a mind map to help you to structure your ideas.
• The order that you write your assignment is not important.  Read your assignment plan and choose the topic that you feel most confident about.
• Do not worry if there is information missing or mistakes in your first draft as you can later add this information or correct any errors you have made.
• You could try free writing which involves writing all of your ideas as quickly as possible in a short period of time without thinking about grammar and punctuation.
• You could record yourself talking about the assignment and then listen to the recording and write what you have said. 

It is important that you allocate sufficient time to this process to ensure that you submit your best work. 

Editing includes checking the content and structure of your work and then rewriting and adding paragraphs to your work.  The following are suggestions for things you should check: 

• You have answered the assignment question or task
• You have met the assessment criteria
• The  word count for your assignment
• Your argument is logical and well structured
• The information that you have used is correctly referenced

Proofreading is the last stage of the academic writing process. Some students find that it helps to print out their work or read their assignment aloud as it helps them to check if their assignment makes sense and identify mistakes. You should check:

• Your work for any spelling, grammar or punctuation mistakes
• All of the sentences are complete and that they are not too long which can be difficult to read
• You have cited and referenced all of the academic sources correctly

Before you submit your assignment, read the information that you have received regarding the presentation and submission of the assignment to ensure that you have met all of the requirements. You could check the following:  

• You have included your name and the assignment title
• The assignment layout such as line spacing and page numbers
• How the assignment needs to be submitted

Assignments are marked against a list of assessment criteria and the comments that you receive will provide you with information regarding the strengths of your work and suggestions for improvement.   

Reflecting on the feedback that you have received and identifying one or two things that you can work on in your next assignment will help to improve your assignment writing and the marks that you receive. 

If you do not understand any of the comments, please contact your lecturer for advice. 

Further information about learning from your assignment feedback is available from:

Making the Most of Your Feedback (Reading University)

Gibbs (1988) created a reflective cycle which includes the following categories:

More information about the Gibbs (1988) model is available from the Reflection Toolkit (Edinburgh University).

There are a number of models available which will provide you with a framework that will help you to reflect.  If a specific model is specified in the assignment guidance then you need to use that model. 

Schӧn (1991) created a reflective model which involves thinking during the experience (reflection in action) and after (reflection on action).

Schӧn, D. A. (1991) The reflective practitioner : how professionals think in action. London: Ashgate Publishing.