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Assignment Writing: Writing a First Draft

This guide will help you plan, research and write your written assignments.

A written assignment will contain three main parts: an introduction, body, and conclusion. This guide will give you advice on how to approach these different parts of your essay. 

Structuring your essay

Every essay must have an introduction, body and conclusion. 

Introduction 5 – 10% of the word count
  • Provides relevant background information
Body 80 – 90% of the word count
  • Develops your main ideas and research
  • Describes and expands on main ideas
  • Uses supporting details such as quotes or paraphrases, and examples
  • Uses your own words to explain your examples
Conclusion 5 – 10% of the word count
  • Restates the argument
  • Summarises main ideas and makes final evaluative comments

Writing your paragraphs

Whether you're writing an essay, report or journal entry, your writing will consist of a series of paragraphs. Many people don't consider the structure of their paragraphs when they write, but they should! 

Writing a good paragraph requires thought and the effort you put in to structuring your paragraphs will have a significant impact on your grade.

Paragraph structure 

It can be helpful to think of a paragraph as being like a burger - the beginning and the end of the paragraph are similar, like the bun, and the filling is what makes the paragraph interesting. 

 

 

Topic sentence
  • The topic sentence is the first sentence of each paragraph. 
  • It should be clear and simple and immediately identify the theme or main idea of each paragraph.
  • All the following sentences should be relevant to the topic you introduce in the first sentence. 
Supporting sentences 
  • Supporting sentences are the body of your paragraph. 
  • They should explain the topic in more detail and give evidence and examples to support your main idea, or topic sentence. 
  • These sentences should include citations where necessary. 
  • Keep your sentences simple and to the point. 
Conclusion sentence
  • The conclusion sentence should summarize what you have said and bring the reader back to the main idea, or topic sentence. 

PEEL

Here is a another way to think about the structure of your paragraph. You will end up with the same result, you just might go a different way about it. 

PEEL Structure by Dapper Penguin

 

Point

Ask yourself, what is the main point of this paragraph?

  • Write the main point of your paragraph
  • This will be your topic sentence and it should always be at the beginning of your paragraph.
Evidence

Ask yourself, what evidence do I have to support my main point?

  • Evidence can include research and examples.
  • Don't forget your citations and references. 
  • This information should back up your main point. 
Explanation

Ask yourself, how does this evidence prove my point?

  • This is where you include lots of discussion. 
  • Show that the evidence you have included supports your main point. 
Link

Ask yourself, how does the main point of this paragraph link to the main point of the next paragraph?

  • A good essay has flow between paragraphs. 
  • This last sentence should connect ideas between paragraph so your ideas flow nicely. 

Take a moment

Take a moment - Use the PEEL technique to write a paragraph for your essay. 

Remember: Your first step is to choose your main point. That will be the first sentence you write. 

How to write an Introduction for an Essay (The 5 Step I.N.T.R.O Method) by Helpful Professor

Writing your introduction

Introductions for academic essays usually follow a pattern. They introduce the topic, and tell the reader what the essay is going to cover. 

Broad statement
  • Begin your introduction with a broad statement that outlines the general topic of your assignment.
Background information
  • Next, add detailed background information, explaining the scope of your assignment.
  • This should bring your topic from a broad idea to something more specific. 
Discuss the importance of the topic
  • Briefly talk about why the topic is interesting or important.
Thesis statement
  • Finally, finish with a thesis statement.
  • This is a sentence or two that specifically outlines exactly what the assignment aims to do and briefly touches on the main arguments you will make.
  • A thesis statement often begins with "This essay will discuss/analyse", or a similar statement.

Pro tip: Use your assignment tasks to help you write your introduction.

Remember: You are not writing a crime novel, where the reader doesn't find out who the offender is until the end. In your essay, the reader wants to know who committed the crime right from the start. 

Tell the reader what you are going to cover within your assignment, and in what order you are going to cover it. Don't make them wait.

Take another moment

Take another moment - Its your turn to write a draft of your introduction

  • Think about your main points and the order that you're going to discuss them.
  • Use your assignment sheet to make sure you're covering everything you've been asked to.

How to write a conclusion for an essay (with the 5Cs conclusion method) by Helpful Professor

Writing your conclusion

A conclusion is a summary of the main ideas you've discussed within the body of your assignment. Write your conclusion last.

Begin your conclusion with a summary of the main points you've made in your essay.

  • You can do this by paraphrasing your thesis statement and adding in some extra detail.
  • In some ways, you are summarising what you've learnt.
  • Keep it short - a few sentences will be fine.
  • No new information should be introduced in the conclusion.

After that, it’s common (but not essential) to include a ‘final thought’.

  • This is usually a comment about the significance of the topic and its implications for the particular subject you're studying.

Your conclusion has the reverse structure to an introduction 

  • It starts off looking only at what you discussed in your essay, but then broadens the scope of the topic by relating it to the wider world.

Take another moment

Take another moment - Its your turn to write a draft of your conclusion

  • Think about the main points your discussed and the order in which you discussed them. 
  • Think about the purpose of your assignment.

Image citation: Possessed Photography. (2019, September 8). Rerouting [Photograph]. Unsplash. https://unsplash.com/photos/0La7MwJhSyo