ASSIGNMENT WRITING

 THE BASIC STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS OF YOUR ASSIGNMENTS ARE:

1.     COVER PAGE

2.     CONTENTS PAGE

3.     INTRODUCTION

4.     MAIN TEXT/BODY

5.      CONCLUSION

6.     REFERENCES

THE COVER PAGE

Students may design their own cover page (selection of different fonts, addition of graphics etc.) . However, the minimum information that must be on your cover page is shown below. An assignment without the plagiarism statement will not be accepted. (You may copy the required information from the box below by highlighting the text and copy and paste it into your document.)


           TITLE OF ASSIGNMENT       _________________________

           SUBJECT:                            _______________________________

           STUDENTS NAME:              _______________________________

           SIN NUMBER :                      _______________________________

           LECTURER’S NAME:            _______________________________

           DATE SUBMITTED:               _______________________________

DECLARATION:

I certify that this assignment is entirely my own work, except where I have given fully documented references to the work of others, and that the material in this assignment has not previously been submitted for assessment in any formal course of study.

SIGNATURE:_______________________________

THE INTRODUCTION

Tells the reader what the assignment is going to be about.

·         Provides the reader with the necessary background for what is to follow (i.e. a set of signposts).

MAIN TEXT/BODY

·         Tells the reader what the paper is about.
·         Should contain a logical development of the argument.
·         Write to a predetermined plan and structure.
·         Gradually build up your case.
·         Keep your focus on the problem; don’t get sidetracked.
·         Be critical and analytical in your approach.

CONCLUSION or RECOMMENDATION

·         Reminds the reader what the paper has been about.
·         Should be precise and straightforward.
·         Make sure your argument in the body of the assignment supports your conclusion.

REPORT PRESENTATION – KEY ELEMENTS:

PRELIMINARIES:

Cover sheet

Table of Contents
·       List of Tables & Charts
·       List of Acronyms
·       References  

Introduction

MAIN TEXT:

    Main Body
       ·       Chapters
       ·       Sections
       ·       Subsections
       ·       Tables
       ·       Charts/Graphs

CONCLUSION

APPENDICES
REFERENCES

PRESENTATION – WHAT ELSE IS IMPORTANT?

  •  Text should be word processed rather than handwritten.
    ·         Leave an adequate margin (left 3 cm and right 2 cm)
    ·         Write on only one side of the page.
    ·         Always keep a hard copy of your paper.
    ·         Check spelling, grammar and punctuation before submitting.
    ·         Provide proper referencing using an approved academic style.
    ·         Use direct quotations sparingly.
    ·          Use your own words as far as is possible.
    ·         Write in third person past tense (e.g. ‘It has been said that…).

    General requirements

    Every assignment must have attached an Assignment Attachment Form and a Cover Sheet including a Plagiarism Statement with the student signature as shown above.

    Assignments to be handed in as loose paper collection stapled together at the top left corner. The assignment should be presented as a technical report. It must consist of a cover sheet, content page, and should have an introduction, a body, a conclusion or recommendation, and a reference page.

    Do not forget to number the pages. Any embellishment, fancy fonts and borders should be avoided. (Your report is a technical document and not a selling brochure that needs to catch the attention of the reader.)

    Include photos, diagrams sketches, tables etc., and do not forget to refer to them in your text. Avoid cutting and pasting photocopies, as presentation will be part of the assessment.

    Do your research, and then write up a draft. Before you write your final assignment, you may discuss your draft with your class lecturer to clear up any problems you may have encountered. Make sure your final assignment is ready by the due date.

    If you have difficulties or are unfamiliar with report writing, contact the Learning Resource Centre where you will find numerous textbooks about report writing.

    A catalogue of mistakes guaranteed to lead to a poor report and poor marks

    • Assignment not properly stabled together (pages on backside coming off)
    • Incorrect layout of the assignment or report
    • Silly layout or type style in word processing (e.g. 18 pt fonts in heading and 8 pt text)
    • Length of paragraphs of report not appropriate
    • Report clearly not proofread for typographical errors, spelling errors, repeated words etc.
    • Incorrect punctuation that makes the text ambiguous or incomprehensible
    • Present or future tense instead of past tense
    • Abbreviations like “can’t” or “doesn’t”. This is colloquial, and not professional written English
    • A paragraph starting with a figure and not a text.
    • Diagrams stuck in crooked or sideways
    • Figures and tables not properly labelled
    • Lack of scales on drawings and sketches
    • Units on figures are missing.
    • Sloppy scribbled diagrams done at the very last minute
    • Figures shown in text but no reference made to them
    • Assignment topics not properly addressed and leaving out important information
    • Writing style as in a recipe for cake
    • Inadequate or incorrectly presented references

    If you want further information on Assignment writing look at the Internet and search for
    “assignment writing”. You’ll be amazed how much on information you’ll find on this topic.

    Don't leave the assignment to the last minute!