from Part 2 - Getting down to writing
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
‘I'm not always sure exactly what the question means . . . you know, what they want and what I should be doing.’
What do assignment questions mean?
There's no point in producing an assignment that's well organised, written in beautifully crafted sentences and demonstrates considerable research and understanding of concepts if what you write ultimately fails to answer the question set. Even with the best will in the world, your lecturer won't be able to pass it. In order to avoid this situation there are a number of simple precautions you can take. First and foremost, before you answer any question, take a little time to think about what the question really means and what it's asking you to do. All too often, students eager to begin an assignment and ‘get it out of the way’ take only one pass at the question; their first reading of it is what they go with and they tend to miss important words and nuances as a result. Understanding the key elements of assignment questions can help you to produce essays that are relevant and do not miss the point by giving you an analytical tool with which to drill down into the question and ensure your interpretation of it is correct.
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