Many of the writing assignments we do in class in my country, which is quite different in UK education system. - Huong
Assignments usually take the form of written pieces of work that are set by your course tutors. They also usually contribute towards your final course mark or grade. The types of assignment that you could be set depend on the course you are studying. The most common written assignments that students are asked to produce are essays or reports. However, it is also possible that you will be set other kinds of assignment such as a group project or an oral presentation in your subject area, which may also be assessed.
In these activities you will find out what your course assignments in the UK might be like and how these may be similar or different to those that you have previously done. You will also practise interpreting some essay titles that tutors in different subject areas might give to their students.
What are assignments like in your country?
In this activity you are going to find out what assignment writing might be like at university in the UK by thinking about assignment writing in your home country first and then comparing them.
Instruction
Look at these statements and think about them in relation to academic writing assignments that you have done before. Move them into the appropriate box: either 'True about assignments in my country' or 'Not true about assignments in my country'. Then read the feedback to find out how they compare with assignment writing in the UK.
You can move items from the list into a box by clicking on them and dragging them into a box with your mouse. If you change your mind, you can still move the items from one box to another.
True about assignments in my country
Not true about assignments in my country
Assignments are normally prepared with the tutor in class.
I always need to attach a reference list to my written assignments.
I am expected to refer to books and journals in my assignments.
I do not need to limit myself to only discussing the issues raised in the title.
I need to show critical analysis in the assignments I write.
I sometimes have to work with other students on group assignments.
I usually make my own titles for assignments I write.
It does not matter how long my assignments are, provided that I answer the question.
Compare your answers to find any differences between assignment writing in your country and in the UK:
True about assignment writing in the UK:
I need to show critical analysis in the assignments I write. Being able to demonstrate skills in critical analysis is important on all university courses in the UK. Students studying science subjects will need to analyse data and the results of experiments to produce findings and draw conclusions. Students studying arts-based subjects will need to refer to and critically evaluate research conducted by others as well as provide their own thoughts and opinions about academic questions. They will then need to refer to research to support the point they wish to argue.
I sometimes have to work with other students on group assignments. Collaborative assignments are occasionally set by tutors in the UK. These may involve several stages and include a joint report produced by all group members or an oral presentation. Working on group assignments can help students develop important collaborative skills and learn how to produce and organise more complex pieces of work together. These are skills which are also important in professional life.
I'm expected to refer to specific books and journal articles in my assignments. In order to write most assignments, students will need to refer to books and journal articles. Ideas and arguments from what you read provide support for your own views and give credibility to your own argument. Referring to what you have read in your own assignments needs to be done using the appropriate referencing conventions.
I always need to include a reference list at the end of my written assignments. In the UK it is essential to include a reference list (or sometimes a bibliography) at the end of an assignment if you have referred to any source material (ideas or arguments from books or journal articles). This should provide full details of all the source material you have used to write the assignment.
Not true about assignment writing in the UK:
It does not matter how long my assignments are, provided that I answer the question. In the UK, any assignments that you are set will have a word limit. This will vary according to the programme of study and assignment type but generally range from 2000 to 5000 words. A few may be shorter (e.g. a review) or longer (e.g. a dissertation). It is very important that students produce an assignment which corresponds in length to that required. Assignments that are too long or too short are very likely to be penalised. No more than 10% difference either way is likely to be acceptable.
I usually make my own titles for the assignments that I write. In the UK, students are often given an assignment title, or a list of titles they can choose from. On some courses, for example on masters degree course, they may be able to negotiate a title with their supervisor. It is highly unlikely that a student would be able to decide their own title without any negotiation with the tutor.
Our assignments are normally prepared together with the tutor in class. In the UK, the tutor will often give students a handout, which lists the assignment questions that are required for each module. You can expect general background information for assignments to be covered in lectures and seminars. However, students are expected to research and analyse specific assignment topics themselves and decide how to structure their written response to the question.
I don't need to limit myself to writing about the specific topic in the assignment title. In the UK it is very important to focus on answering the specific assignment question. Whilst students might draw ideas from a variety of areas, they will need to make clear how these are relevant and how they relate to the question. They will then need to create a structured argument in response to the assignment question.
Understanding the essay question
The academic assignment titles or essay questions which university tutors set in the UK are often quite long and complex. They can also involve a number of questions rather than just one. For this reason, it is important to make sure that you understand what is required by an assignment question before you start working on it. In this activity you are going to check your understanding of essay questions by analysing some typical assignment questions set by tutors in different academic disciplines.
Instruction
Examine these different essay questions set by university tutors and decide whether the statements are true or false. Select the 'True' or the 'False' button for each of the six statements before reading the feedback. When you have finished, calculate your score and find out how good you are at analysing essay questions.
Click on 'True' or 'False' to make a selection. You can click again if you wish to change your answer.
1. How are sixteenth century attitudes to love and marriage conveyed in Shakespeare's tragedy, Romeo and Juliet? This question only requires the student to find and describe sixteenth century views of love and marriage in Romeo and Juliet.
A student writing this essay in English literature needs to go beyond just identifying and describing views of love and marriage in Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet. They also need to analyse how Shakespeare expresses (conveys) these in the play through the plot and the roles of the characters. This is because the questions asks 'How are attitudes to love and marriage conveyed in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet?', rather than just 'What attitudes to love and marriage are there in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet?'
It is useful to first identify key words such as 'how' in any essay question that you are given so that you avoid making mistakes such as writing 'off the topic' or failing to answer the essay question directly enough.
2. What part do atmospheric pressure and stress analysis play in the design of the fuselage structure of aircraft? An essay on this question will need to explain how pressure and stress affect the structure of an aircraft when it is flying.
This question, set by a tutor in aerospace or mechanical engineering, requires students to reflect on cause and effect in order to show how this impacts on the design of fuselage structure.
Sometimes there is more to an essay question than first appears. In other words, the student needs to provide additional explanation in order to answer the main part of the essay question.
3. Explore the concepts of leadership and management, using case studies to illustrate the differences between them. This essay requires the student to argue that leadership and management are completely different.
The key words in this essay question from an MBA course are 'explore' and 'illustrate' (using case studies). The first key word, 'explore' requires the student to investigate similarities and differences between the meanings of the two concepts rather than provide a one-sided argument. It is also important that the student does not just provide a theoretical response to the question. Points made need to be supported by examples drawn from case studies.
4. Compare and contrast the advertising strategies of two major sportswear manufacturers, Nike and Adidas. The best way to answer this question is first to discuss Nike's advertising strategies, and then to discuss Adidas's advertising techniques.
An essay structure which deals with one manufacturer first and then the other risks simply describing rather than comparing and contrasting their advertising strategies. A more effective essay structure might focus on similarities first and then on the differences, or choose several themes within the broader topic of 'advertising' so that the similarities and differences between the two companies can be compared and analysed directly under a relevant heading. The kind of themes that might be relevant for this essay might be: the amount of money spent on advertising; the kind of audience being targeted through the advertising; the media employed in advertising.
'Compare and contrast' essays in any subject area always require more than simple description and so it is important to choose an essay structure which allows you to analyse various aspects of your topic and make direct comparisons.
5. Study the pattern of government growth in the UK in the last decades and compare it with that of other countries. What, in your view, are the most convincing theories that have been put forward to explain this growth? This essay question has three parts to it.
Although it is one essay question, there are three parts to it. The three key phrases that the student needs to address are: Study the pattern..., compare it with... what are the most convincing theories... In writing this assignment, the student would need to make sure that a section of the essay addresses each of these aspects of the main question.
It is useful to identify how many actual questions are involved in an essay question and plan how your writing will address all of them. In this way you will not make the mistake of overlooking part of an essay question.
6. Identify key aspects of legislation relating to protection of the environment and identify those which require specific compliance from the business sector. A complete analysis of environmental legislation is needed for this essay.
In this law assignment the task of identifying environmental legislation is limited by the use of the word ' key' in relation to aspects of legislation. This means that only the main or significant points about the legislation need to be referred to. The student will need to choose which legislation they consider to be most important and be able to justify their selection. In addition, they will need to select which legislation is particularly relevant to business and make clear why this is.
In the UK your assignments will normally be limited to a certain number of words (usually 2000 to 5000 depending on the kind of course you are taking) and it is important to produce written work of the appropriate length. Essay questions will usually be devised so that you have the scope to discuss the topic in sufficient depth. Because of this, it is unlikely that you will be asked to discuss any one area in totality but will rather be asked to limit your discussion to one part of it as in this law question.
How well do you understand essay questions? When you have finished, click the 'calculate your score' button to find how many correct answers you have and then look at your score below to find out what your score shows.
Find your score below and read your profile:
Score: 5 or 6 Your score suggests that you are already used to dealing with complex essay questions and know how to analyse them so that you answer them appropriately. Make sure you apply this skill when you are given your assignment tasks for your university course in the UK. This will enable you to produce the best work you are capable of and get good marks for your assignments!
Score: 3 or 4 Your score suggests that you are already partly aware of how to analyse the kind of essay questions you may receive on your course in the UK, but perhaps you have not had much opportunity to practise dealing with assignments tasks of this kind before in your home country. If this is the case, you are advised to look at sample essay questions in your subject area when you arrive so that you can practise analysing what kind of answers are needed.
Score: 2 and below Your score suggests that these kinds of assignment questions may be new for you. You will need to spend a bit of time getting used to them and deciding what kind of answers are needed for your own assignment questions. Make sure you analyse assignment tasks you are given carefully before you start researching and writing.
Would you like to review the main points?
Course assignments in the UK may be similar or different to those that you have previously done. The first activity should have helped you identify any differences that you can expect in the course assignments that you will be given in the UK. To avoid making elementary mistakes, it is also advisable to spend a bit of time interpreting the essay titles that you are given before you start writing them.
What are assignments like in your country?
Understanding the essay question
