7 Tips That Will Help You Structure Your Assignment

If you're up against the clock, you may feel as though planning your essay is a waste of time. Surely it's better just to sit down and get writing? Not so. If you plan an assignment properly, you can remove a lot of the pressure. After all, you'll have the roadmap to your work laid out in front of you. Here's 7 tips to help you get the best structure for your assignment.

1. Plan your paragraphs

Every paragraph in your essay should have a clear point to it. Write a clear topic sentence for every paragraph you plan to include, and think about how you're going to describe your ideas. Will you compare and contrast ideas, list sources, or present a solution to the problem?

2. Link your paragraphs together

Once you know how your paragraphs are going to read, you need to know how to link them together. You want them to all work together in order to back up your main argument. Look for a theme in your plans so far, as you can use that in your links. Use linking words such as 'Similarly', 'Consequently', and 'Outcomes included' to show you're about to move onto a new idea.

3. Use your word count as a guide

Your word count will be a good indication of how much detail you're expected to go into. 500 words will be an overview of a topic, 1000 words will want at least one idea fully explored, and 2000 words will need much more dissection of the topic at hand. If you need a hand keeping to your word count, use a tool to keep you on task.

4. Keep on top of your grammar

When planning your assignment, you'll need to make sure that you can get your grammar spot on. Good grammar is the basis of good writing, so it needs to be perfect.

5. Make sure you're citing correctly

In the planning stages, you'll be bringing all of your research together, so you can start to formulate an argument. Before you do so, make sure you have all of the right citations for your work. If you fail to include them, you could lose marks or even be accused of plagiarism. Make sure that you have the right citations by using a tool.

6. Get the formatting right

Every university and every professor will have slightly different requirements for formatting, so read your assignment brief to find out what you need to do. This can help inform you of the layout of your essay.

7. Use the 'three parts' rule

Every good assignment will have a three-part structure. There will be an introduction, the main body of your argument, and the conclusion. Essentially you're telling the reader what you're about to say, then you're saying what you have to say, and then you're reiterating what you said. If you have these three parts, you can be sure that you're covering all the main points. If you follow these tips, you can get an excellent essay plan written. Then, all you have to do is follow it to get the best essay written. A good plan can save a lot of stress and hassle when you're writing, so give it a try.

Mary Walton is an online tutor and proofreader from Santa Monica. She lived in Australia for 10 years and gained her degree in creative writing at the University of Melbourne. She’s worked with people of all ages as they’ve made their way through their educational careers, from starting to school to graduating from university.