Academic writing serves to numerous purposes, but the core behind it, is to check students’ learning and observe their weaknesses in order to prepare them for the upcoming challenges.
Usually, an assignment question is followed up by a keyword that identifies the requirement of it. Analysing the titles, essay questions and briefs will help students understand the core of it that leads towards answering correctly.
How to identify the keywords?
Identifying and examining a keyword of the assignment question briefly tells about the evidences to be achieved. It tells the assessment criteria of the instructor, which has to be fulfilled by the students. One should know the important concepts and meanings of the keywords include relevant content to answer the assignment question.
The keywords which are most commonly used in assignment questions are:
Analyse: It offers examining and investigating of an assignment topic
Account: It is used with “of” and “for” and offers different meaning with both. “Account of” means to give detailed descriptions and “account for” means asking for reasons
Comment: It means it’s asking for your viewpoints which have to be supported with evidences
Compare: It is asking for similarities or differences among two terms
Define: It is asking for a description along with the meaning of the term. It is necessary show the distinctions
Discuss: It means to investigate, or examine by giving both sides picture; for and against
Evaluate: Evaluate means to make a judgement in aspects of importance, value or worth of a term.
Examine: In-depth information that is followed up by investigation
Explain: To answer by explaining interpreting through reasons
Illustrate: It asks for explaining through examples, or diagrams that clearly defines the term
State: This asks for specifying clearly and completely
Summarise: The main points of the topic are defined concisely from which a reader can draw a conclusion
Together; the keywords and the assignment question interprets the requirements. Students have to analyse the type of assignment by identifying the meanings of the keywords shared above. Other than that, types of assignments are; Descriptive, Analytical, and Argumentative, which can be used accordingly.