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Every student should acquire assignment writing skills in order to ensure academic success in higher education. Writing skills continue to be critical even at the workplace. Here we will list some tips for you to write the assignments.
Tips to help you improve your assignments:
- Understanding assignment expectations: Understanding what is required of each question will help you in the writing process. This stage is considered as one of the most important stages in assignment writing. Seek the help of your teachers and classmates if you need help in understanding the task.
- Time management: Set up a weekly schedule that includes time for in-class, self-study, pre- and post-class activities, professional commitments, assessment preparation, and time with friends and family. Being a college student is like having a full time job. Several hours of study and preparation are expected from you for each class. Therefore, you need to prioritize your tasks and allot time efficiently for each of these tasks. Your time management skills will support you to submit your assignments on time and prevent you from losing marks because of late submissions.
- Good writing: Polish your writing skills constantly-The more diligently you work on your writing skills, the more proficient you become. You will soon notice progress in your writing style by practicing writing on a daily basis. For example, you can train yourself to write simple summaries, preferably on topics related to your discipline. In the beginning, you will struggle with it, but the more you practice reading and summarizing, the more familiar you will become with the vocabulary and types of writing texts in your field.
- You need to ensure that your assignment is logical, well-organized and free from grammar and spelling mistakes. Do not resort to translation tools or other automated methods as you need to take responsibility for your own assignment.
- Intensive Reading: (Electronic Resources): You should choose appropriate and reliable sources for writing assignments; you can access MEC’s e-library which has a wide range of books and journals related to your discipline. You can also register for online courses (MOOC) related to your subject to gain more knowledge about the subject as well as develop your reading, writing and research skills.
- Taking – Notes: Effective note-taking is an essential skill for undergraduate study. Good note-taking involves writing down the points that you can later use in your assignment. Taking accurate, reliable notes, similarly, decreases the risk of plagiarism. Remember to note down the academic sources you refer to, so that you can cite and reference them in your assignment.
- Review the report: After completing your assignment, you should review it to make sure that the assignment is free from any plagiarism. Consulting your teacher regularly gives you more opportunities to identify and correct the errors before you submit the final draft. You can contact the faculty members from the Center of Academic Writing (CAW) to help you review the assignment in terms of structure, organization, language, and referencing. View the list of sources and references: You must cite and reference the various types of sources that were consulted or cited in your assignments following the APA Style. You can refer to resources on how to cite and reference from the CAW website.
In conclusion, assignment-writing involves discipline, time-management, reading and note-taking strategies. Writing successful assignments is a skill that requires constant hard work and dedication.
Shaima Nasser Al Mandhari
Student Counsellor, Student Success Center
