Completing assignments involves learning and showing what you have learnt. A great thing about doing assignments is that it is one of the ways you can show your new knowledge and/or skills. It will take time so spend the first part planning and organising. This will make it easier to complete later on. This guide will help you think about the tasks you have been asked to do.
The first thing you want to do is read and understand the assignment brief.
The Assignment brief tells you:
When you receive an assignment brief, it will look something like this.
Written Assignment (Summative) - Te Tiriti o Waitangi in Aotearoa New Zealand
Purpose
The student will be required to locate information from a variety of sources and critically assess this information to demonstrate an understanding of the relevance of te Tiriti o Waitangi in modern day Aotearoa New Zealand. This assessment allows the student to demonstrate that they can write a formal academic essay and communicate clearly in written, oral and visual forms.
Assessment Task
Write a formal essay addressing the following tasks:
Structuring your assignment
Word Count: 1,200 (+/- 10%)
Due: 12 October
Take a look at your assignment brief.
Some people find it useful to highlight the key information. This can help you find it quickly, and make sure you do everything that is required.
There is another useful document that will give you information about your assignment. It is a Marking Rubric. Sometimes this will be attached to your assignment brief, but other times you may need to search for it on Moodle.
How will my assignment be marked?
The marking rubric tells you:
Aim to meet the level for the top grade
When you receive a marking rubric, it will look something like this.
Grading Rubric for Te Tiriti Assignment
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10 - 9 | 8 - 7 | 6 - 5 | 4 - 0 |
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Criterion One: Content and understanding
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Comprehensive understand apparent. Clearly states and develops central ideas.
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In-depth understanding apparent. Clearly states and develops central ideas.
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Overall adequate understanding apparent. Presents central ideas in general terms, often depending on generalisations and/or dictionary definitions. |
Does not respond appropriately to the assignment task. Some surface understanding. Lacks central ideas. |
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Criterion Two: Research |
Understanding and contents supported and justified convincingly by evidence. |
Understanding supported and justified by evidence. |
Shows basic understanding of supporting evidence. |
Supporting evidence misunderstood or inadequate, not acknowledged, or over reliance of single source. |
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Criterion Three: Referencing |
At least five referenced sources of appropriate academic standard.
Referencing has only 1 or 2 minor repeated errors. |
Four referenced sources of appropriate academic standard. Referencing has several minor repeated errors. |
Three referenced sources of appropriate academic standard.
Referencing (both in-text and reference list) attempted adequately. |
No referencing or serious errors in style.
Turnitin originalist report is greater than 20%
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Criterion Four: Organisation |
Almost entirely free of errors. Excellent use of paraphrasing and structure. Chooses words for their precise meaning and uses appropriate language. In-depth introduction and conclusion. |
Contains occasional errors. Cohesive flow of paraphrasing and structure. Generally uses words and appropriate language accurately and effectively.
Introduction and conclusion are clearly linked. |
Contains several errors but doesn't significantly impede readability. Appropriate use of of paraphrasing and structure. Uses relatively vague and simple words. Introduction and conclusion are adequate.
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Many errors that impede readability. Lack of paraphrasing and structure. Assignment too brief.
Introduction and conclusion are inadequate. |
Your marking rubric will typically include requirements for your ideas, research and evidence, and the organisation of your ideas.
Take a look at your marking rubric.
The assignment brief and the marking rubric are connected. They both hold important information so make sure you understand them both. If you need help with this, ask a classmate, your tutor, or a learning advisor.
How to write an Assignment in Seven easy steps! by Groobles Media
When you are given an assignment, it can sometimes be difficult to work out exactly what you need to do. This is often because assignment briefs are written using academic words. These words, or verbs, below will give you an idea of what you are being asked to do.
| Analyse |
Break down a complex issue, topic or idea into smaller parts, and examine the relationship between those parts. |
| Compare and contrast | Describe the similarities and differences between topics and ideas, and show the way in which they are the same and/or different. If you can, explain why. |
| Critique | Present a balanced view of a topic. Include positives, negatives and the extent to which different views are supported by evidence. Do not simply provide a list of what is wrong or flawed. |
| Describe | Give a detailed account of the topic. Ask yourself who, what, when, where and why? |
| Discuss | Present the various points of view on the topic. Points of view should be explained and supported or challenged with evidence. |
| Evaluate | Make a judgement that involved showing the advantages and disadvantages or limitations of a idea or statement. |
| Examine | Investigate the topic closely. Identify the main issues and present your findings in depth. You may give your opinion if it is supported with evidence. |
| Illustrate | Explain or make something clear by using examples, images, diagrams, charts, graphs and drawings. |
| Justify | Provide reasons and evidence to support an opinion or conclusion. |
| Outline | Identify and describe the main features. Details are not required. |
| Summarise | Briefly describe the key points or main facts. No examples or details are needed. |
If your assignment includes words that are not on this list, type them into a dictionary to find out their meaning.
It might all feel a bit overwhelming to begin with. Start by reading and understanding the task. Use the activities on this page to guide you.
Image: Creative Commons
Before you go any further, it can be useful to write down what you already know about the topic.
Ask yourself,
Answering questions like these can help prepare your mind to explore the topic further.
Image citation: Possessed Photography. (2019, September 8). Rerouting [Photograph]. Unsplash. https://unsplash.com/photos/0La7MwJhSyo