Student comment:
I wasn’t really sure what the question was asking me to do, so I just wrote everything I knew on that topic.
Lecturer comment:
This is a well-written piece but it does not address the question that was set. It has lots of interesting pieces of information but much of it is not relevant to the topic.
How to break down your task?
Do you start researching before you really understand what the question is asking you to do? Take time to look at the whole question, not just highlight key words.
The two examples below demonstrate how to break down your task, word by word. This will give you clear key words for your research terms, identify a basic structure for your assignment and should ensure you do not miss any important details.
Example 1
TASK: The 'Health Behaviour in School-aged Children Report' recognizes that poor health cannot be explained simply by germs and genes. It involves the circumstances in which young people live; their access to health care, schools and leisure opportunities; and their homes, communities, towns and cities. It also reflects individual and cultural characteristics such as social status, gender, age and ethnicity, values and discrimination. (WHO, 2012, p,18).’ Discuss the ways in which social determinants of health contribute to the health outcomes of young people in rural Australia. Analyse how these factors have impacted on your chosen case study and suggest realistic and practical interventions to overcome risks to health among this population.
The first part sets a context for the task that follows. It often confuses students who try to ‘answer’ the context part directly. The actual task you should address starts on the sixth line. The task tells you to focus on a particular population, on the ‘theory’ of social determinants of health and how these apply to a given case study. Check with your lecturer or tutor if you are unsure of any detail provided.
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Task verbs: |
Topic words: |
Limiting words: |
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Discuss (explain from different points of view about the topic, do not just give a definition) Analyse (break down into its component parts, discuss them and how they connect) Suggest (your recommendations based on your analysis and research in the previous part of the assignment) These instructions verbs tell you what to do and the order in which they would logically come in your answer. See this link for explanation of task verbs |
Social determinants of health (what are these? Why are they important for your population?) Health outcomes for young people (this is the key area you need to focus on) Case study Solutions to overcome health risks |
Young people (define what this means e.g. does the term ‘young people’ refer to anyone under 18 years old?) Rural Australia Realistic and practical solutions (you need to demonstrate how your solutions are realistic and practical – journal articles are often good sources to find solutions) |
Example 2
This example demonstrates how conducting an analysis of your task can give you a working outline for your Body.
TASK: Analyse and evaluate the effectiveness of safety performance measures commonly used in two engineering projects in Australia’s mining industry, one small scale and one large scale.
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Task verbs: (what you need to do) |
Topic words: (what you need to write about) |
Limiting words: (what you need to focus on within the topic) |
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Analyse (you might ‘analyse’ what the safety performance measures are, as well as how and why they were implemented) Evaluate (give an evidence-based opinion, so decide whether or not each safety performance measure has been effective) |
Effectiveness (how is effectiveness measured, especially in the mining industry?) Safety performance measures (what are these? Why is this important? Are there industry relevant standards?) Mining industry (all mining or certain types?) |
Commonly used Small scale engineering project Large scale engineering project (explain how you have interpreted these terms) Australia |
A dot point, skeleton structure for this assignment might look like this:
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Introduction (approx 10-15% of your words) |
See ‘How to write an introduction’ for more information. |
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Body (If you are writing a report, the main headings may already be given to you.) |
What are the possible headings you can now use? For example:
You can then include sub-headings under these points as you get ideas and data from your research. Make sure you:
TIP – do your referencing as you go to save yourself time. |
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Conclusion (5-10% of your words) |
Summarise just the key points you want your reader to remember and link back to your basic argument in the Introduction. See ‘How to write a conclusion’ for more information. |
Other sources of information to help you understand your task better
- Task explanations (though sometimes there is too much information!),
- Lecturer/tutor explanations in class – keep separate notes of these,
- notes you have already taken at lecture/turorials and group discussions,
- Powerpoint slides,
- Subject readings and links to articles and websites given to you,
- Example tasks provided by some lecturers.
What is the Marking Criteria (also known as a Rubric)?
Many students are confused between the task and the Marking Criteria.
The Marking Criteria is provided to you because it is important to be open and fair with students about how marks are allocated. Marking Criteria are usually much more general and it is not a specific instruction that you can base your writing on. They explain the expectations of your writing across the whole of your answer; for example evidence of critical analysis, well structured, clear and concise writing. The task tells you what topics to cover in your answer.
- Task Instructions = sets out what you have to do
- Marking Criteria = provides a guide to how marks will be allocated
The Marking Criteria can be useful to you in two ways when you are writing:
1. Establishing expectations
It sometimes gives clues about what is expected that does not appear in the question. For example, the number of sources or examples you are expected to use, any specific sub-topics you should address and even which material you should focus on e.g. weeks 2-6 of lectures.
2. Self-checking
When you've finished your draft, imagine YOU are marking the assignment you have written; do you think you have addressed the Marking Criteria completely? Have you missed anything? What aspects could you improve? For example, if the MC states there should be a clear connection between ideas, have you done this? Have you used the number of examples or sources mentioned in the MC?
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