Written assignments

Assignment Calculator

Break down your assignment into smaller tasks and milestones
Assignment calculator schedule

Essays and dissertations

Understanding the process and stages of writing
Student working on laptop

Literature reviews

What is a literature review and how to approach writing one
Critical reading

Reflective writing

Some ideas for writing reflectively
Reflective writing

Writing for science

Scientific reports, posters and essays
Science written on chalkboard

Reports

The style, structure and formatting differences between essays and reports
Report writing

Blogs and other writing

How to use blogs and other kinds of writing for academic purposes
Blogging
    Top Tips
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    Read the brief carefully for

    Check that you know:

    • What sort of writing is expected (format, style etc).
    • How much research is expected.

    Plan your time

    See Assignment Calculator

    Integrate research, thinking and writing

     Create a writing plan based on research

    • Spidergrams and concept maps are a good start.
    • Allocate the word count.
    • The first draft will help you clarify ideas.
    • You should aim to make your intention/argument clear.

    Consider paragraphs as building blocks

    • Point, evidence, explain is a good starting point.
    • Integrate quotation, paraphrase and summary.

    Add references as you go

    The introduction and conclusion are important; they need your time and attention

    Don’t forget the editing and proof reading!

    Resources
    Screenshot of Thesaurus.com showing synonyms of the word 'nice'

    Thesaurus.com

    Build your vocabulary with this online tool which gives synonyms, definitions and pronunciations of words. 

    Screenshot of keyboard showing finger position for typing the letter 'a' and words including 'a' for practice

    Typing.com

    Learn the useful skill of touch typing with this free online tool. Register, practise and track your progress.

    Screenshot of a Coggle mind map showing coloured branches, images and icons

    Coggle

    Coggle is a free and easy-to-learn mind mapping tool. Watch the Coggle video here.

    Screenshot of Grammarly showing suggested corrections

    Grammarly

    Checks your spelling, punctuation and grammar as you write. Extension works with Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge.

    Screenshot of Microsoft Editor checking grammar, conciseness, clarity and more

    Editor

    Use Editor in Word and Outlook to check your spelling, grammar, punctuation, clarity, conciseness and much more.

    Screenshot of a page in Word with heading styles appearing in the navigation pane

    Heading styles in Word

    Heading styles are a nifty way to structure a written assignment and navigate around it easily. Watch the video to find out more.

    Screenshot of page being dictated in Word showing control panel

    Dictation in Word

    Dictate straight into Word using your inbuilt microphone or Word app on your smartphone. Watch the video to find out more.

    Word

    All Falmouth University and University of Exeter Students with a valid email account have access to Microsoft Office , which includes Word.

    Writing Essays

    A short and readable guide - particularly useful for English and History students. Especially good on how to relate your writing to the critics/theorists.